Shelf Life of Plug Wires?

[rorafan]

Kind of a random question, but do any of you have thoughts on the shelf life of spark plug wires?

I bought a set of AC Delco 748K off Rockauto that was "wholesaler clearance" and an absolute steal. Get them and find an open box that's been taped shut and enough date codes on the packaging and the wires themselves that lead me to believe they were made in mid-1999. That's 14 years on the shelf.

They are clean, in good shape, and still soft but not as soft & supple like most wires I've purchased fresh from a local store. The grease inside the plug boots is basically dried up.

Thoughts? Would you trust them?

[tigger]

Dielectric grease in the boots and give 'em a go. Although I'm not sure on RockAuto's return policy for "clearance" merchandise, I would guess that they're yours for keeps. Good luck.

[Deleted]

The condition of the rubber itself would not concern me much. Like Tigger said, grease up the boot, and throw em on!

I would suggest using some vaseline and coating the wires themselves. Just to lock out the elements and moisturize. Good luck!

[rorafan]

Thanks guys - appreciate the input. I went ahead and put 'em on today along with new plugs. So far, so good!

I figured just about anything would be better than what was on there - the old wires were beat and had bite marks from a small critter that mistook them for lunch. Another interesting thing I found...the front plugs were Autolite 104 while the rears were AC Delco 41-947.

[renaldo0613]

I feel your pain. When I first got this 99 it had a combanation of bosch, autolite, and ac delco I have no idea how this thing was running lol.

[lanceslambos]

i can't imagine that mixing plug brands would really be a big deal. sure you would like them to match but so long as they are all the same temp range and gap it would be ok. i've even mixed coils without problems. it's no different really than mixing tire brands or oil or anything else together. funny story though.