Use them or lose them ? Original owner ('87 V6 SE) and have had them on and off a number of times. I just put in a set of Accel 8.8mm and the boot is so snug against the shield I have heat concerns. I actually like the way they look w/o the shield. Thoughts from the forum?

You can get by without them but it will shorten the life of the wires.

quote Originally posted by Electrathon: You can get by without them but it will shorten the life of the wires.

I don't know for sure, but I kind of doubt that. I've never seen them on any other car, so they can't make that big of a difference. I have the Accel 8.8 wires also and the boots are really thick and insulated, they're made to work in hot environments like that, since theres no escaping it.

A lot of GM cars and trucks and motorhomes have heat shields to protect the wires. The Fiero just has them on the wires instead of the mainfolds. We used to have to put them back on all the time after people removed them because "they weren't needed" and then brought their vehicle in with it misfiring from the boots being cooked.

The modern materials used in new plug wire boots seems to work fine without the shields. Me? I run mine anyway because I like my car to look stock, and they don't hurt anything.

JazzMan

quote Originally posted by JazzMan: The modern materials used in new plug wire boots seems to work fine without the shields. Me? I run mine anyway because I like my car to look stock, and they don't hurt anything. JazzMan

What is the trick to keep them from arking the spark?

quote Originally posted by jetman: What is the trick to keep them from arking the spark?

make sure your wires aren't shot that is the reason that they ark but they will ark without the heat shield but it will ark to the head

I am using Accel 8.8's with the sheilds. It is a little tight, but they do get on there, and I have had no trouble. This has been for 2.5 years and 10,000 miles.

My '98 Intrigue with 3800 Series II has spark plug heat shields very similar to Fieros.

Think about it. Would GM install them if they served no purpose?

They would if they thought there was any chance of a problem they thought would get a recall. Spark plug wire technology has come light years since the 80s. A good quality set now will take just about any kind of heat you can deal out short of shooting a blowtorch on them.

quote Originally posted by Mark: My '98 Intrigue with 3800 Series II has spark plug heat shields very similar to Fieros. Think about it. Would GM install them if they served no purpose?

Well, you could find plenty of things on plenty of GM cars that would make the answer to that question 'yes' but thats besides the point. What I meant was that in addition to having seen them on another GM car, I've never seen them on any other brand of car either. Granted, I'm not a mechanic, but being the car guy I am, I've checked out under the hood of every car I can.

Also, recall that GM is in the business of saving money and still having everything work right. I'll bet dimes to dollars that those spark plug wire heat shields are much cheaper than better quality spark plug wires. If they put top quality wires that didn't need the shields in there, there would be no aftermarket wires out there, and it would cost them more. Put those cheap little shields on one car instead of more expensive wires and you save a few bucks (could be more than a few). Multiply that by the number of cars GM is making and its a very good idea.