Layne

I bought the High performance plugs and wires, and they've done nothing but cause problems, high resistance, leaking electricity, burnt cap and rotor , and over $500 in repair bills!!!! Now I'm back to stock wires and plugs and the problems are fixed!

Do you think I have legal grounds to get accel to cover my repair bills?

Thanks

CraZ-28

Sorry to hear about yiour problems with their products. I myself am not a big fan of them either but that's my perogative. As far as legal ramifications, I doubt it. If they are under warrenty, get them replaced and sell them. But as far as going the legal rought, you would need proof that the products were defective and caused your issues. You may get a settlement but it would be so small that you would not gain aything. Probably enough to cover court cost but that's about it.

I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear but you can always try. Good luck!

Timz2882

iTrader: (1)

sorry to say this but i think you screwed something up on install, becuz i was in the same positin u were, where u paid $500 bucks for repairs, i did a tune up on my car the first thing i did (plugs,wires both accel) and i crossed a few wires and shorted something out in the distributor (could be age of the distributor also) and well right now on my car i got Accel short header plugs, Accel 300+ race wires, Accel Hei super coil, cap and rotor and well the car runs as smooth as can be. I dont think youll be able to get Accel to cover your repair bills becuz if you installed the stuff and did it wrong its your fualt and not theres, they might just pay it to get u to be quiet or give u some free stuff but it depends on how it was install. weather it was done correctly or not.

trans87

I have had no problem with their cap and rotor on my car whatsoever. Worked fine with my old 305 and is working fine with the 350 now. Maybe you just got really unlucky or I was just lucky

formularpm

I would be leaning towards install errors as well. Ive got Accel plugs, wires, cap&rotor, coil and control module, they have worked flawlessly for over two years.

lock

Im a fan of the fit your own style Accell wires. Using them for years with no problems.

bbtaz97

iTrader: (3)

i have right now accell plugs.. and there ok... but everything else including wires is msd. i just trust them more. that said yes i prob was some type of install error.

RyIROC13

I have had absolutely no problems with my accell wires and plugs they have worked for over a year and a half with no problems accell is good imo

conlinj

iTrader: (3)

I've had Accel 8.8 wires, Distributer cap + rotor with a crane ps-91 coil for 2 years now and no problems, and I just added a MSD box ,still no problems.

Timz2882

iTrader: (1)

im sure you installed them incorrectly like i did when i first got into cars and ended up shortin something out in the distributor and had to pay over $500 to get the car running after i replaced everything excpt parts under the rotor.

RadarRunner

I went with the Accel Dist & Coil that fits on top & a week later went & added the plub wires.

No problem (except for foul language trying to get the back two plugs onto dist cap without removing coil) LOL

Timz2882

iTrader: (1)

if u got the Accel super coil, yeah its a pain in the butt to put the plug wires on it in the back.

r90camarors

Never had a problem with accel products. The plugs don't last the longest, but when ya run as rich as my car does, no plugs last very long

F-BIRD'88

Never been a big fan of Accel Sparkplug wires.
Especially the Cheapie Super Stock brand.
Much better luck with Taylor, MSD, Presto-lite, Genuine GM Ac Delco.


A carbon impregnated Fiberglass core wire (like Super Stock Wires) is always going to be prone to breaking. They don't seem to last long.

Some people have trouble with their Hi oputput HEI modules too.
Especially if used with a coil that is different than intended for their design.

Don't like their distributors either (bushing wear)
Over the years I've had good luck with their caps and rotors.
Back in the days of ignition points, Accel hi perf points were the only way to go.

The spark plugs have a tendency for the tip to come unscrewed
creating misfires.

Other than that they are fine.

Were you using racing solid core wires and non resistor plugs?
A sure recipe for disaster, way too much current draw from the coil ( and module) on a HEI, especialy on a high output 50,000 v coil.

I think if you read Accel's written product Warranty, it will say some thing like their only responsable for repairing the defective Accel part or replaceing it. Labour and or any other damage to other parts is not covered.
Most manufacturers' warranty's are like this.
Their sole liability and remedy is to replace the defective part
and is limited to just that. hence "Limited Warranty".
If someone (a mechanic) rang up a big $bill$ replaceing parts to find that the wires were toast and wasted your money on a relativily simple diagnosis, (bad wires, fouled plugs) then maybe you'd best take that up with him.

Improperly gapped sparkplugs (too large a gap) could have caused just what you discribed.
The hydro will seek the easiest path to ground which may be through the wires or though the rotor.
It will missfire and soon destroy the wires, foul the plugs, and burn the rotor and cap.
A broken wire could do the same thing. So could a dropped resisitor type plug. Once arcing occurs inside the cap the module can over heat and or get zapped.
Accel has no control over the install.

All that as-side Accel wires are just plan junk. Always have been.

Gumby

I run accel coils on my bird and Buick wagon. Never had a problem. My bird coil did leak bad once but it was other ign parts that had failed. Changed them and the accel coil work great again.

some FYI from another site.

"IgnitionMan
Senior Member

Registered: Aug 2002
Location: Whittier, California
Posts: 393

In all fairness to Davis, their stuff is a bunch of things:

They do not rebuild distributors, they are a new distributor manufacturer. Their parts are supposed to be all U.S. made, but this is of some dubious question, as some of their parts look EXACTLY like offshore parts, but they deny that (NO CONFIRMATION OF THIS EITHER WAY)(also understand some of their parts are made in Canada, so much for all U.S. made if this is accurate, not confirmed either). Their HEI stuff is NOT rebuilt.

That said, their "DUI" stuff is NOTHING a person cannot duplicate with over the counter parts for a dead stock distributor, on a used HEI obtained from a reputable used source (garage sale, wrecking yard, swap meet), and a little sweat equity, for far less money.

One change even their stuff needs (ANY large diameter, coil-in-cap HEI), is a remote mounted oil filled coil, getting rid of the junker in-cap epoxy filled coils, both stock and aftermarket. That in-cap coil trash only makes for up to 50 more undercap temps, and in a short time, loss of modules from layer shorting within the epoxy filled coil, from the added heat they produce. Get that epoxy filled coil nioghtmare OUT of the cap on any and all large cap HEI's. Also, with the in cap coils, don't rush right off and buy stock in the 50,000 volts coil stocks, they don't make any more voltage then a stock in cap coil when they get to their operating heat, and hear is resistance, resistance is loss ov voltage, simple electronics vs heat physics. My scopes show down between 22,000 and 24,000 volts when temps are up to running specs.

Contraty to popular belief, Accel modules are made by the exact same people that make Echlin, Borg-Warner, Neihoff, Sorenson, Mallory, other quality modules, and even the vaunted GM 990 series modules. Next time you see one of the newer design EFI feedback Accel modules in person, feel under the sticker on the raised area, that is the GM logo under there, and it will have a dot matrix ident manufacture on the bottom, either Singapore or Hong Kong, exactly like the dead stock GM feedback modules, so they ain't so special after all, just decal'd up and priced higher. This also applies to the 4 prong standard early HEI modules Accel vends as well, nothing special at all, just a darned good module, same-same as NAPA TP45.

Also, Accel just got bought away frm Dana Corporation eariler this year. Dana was owned by Echlin, whom also owned Borg-Warner, Neihoff, Sorenson, Mr. Gasket/Accel/Mallory. The new owners immediately moved the coil production from the U.S.A., to Taiwan, causing massive problems in Accel coil performance.

More info on new HEI's, Pro-Form, a mainland Chinese company, builds all their own HEI distributors, vends them to places like Summit, Jeg's, PerTronix, and just about any other new low cost HEI vendors, distributors, sellers they can, and through their own distributorship here in this country. Mediocre stuff, large cap Pro-Form HEI's, brand new, complete, offered to me through a vendor in Australia this summer, with cap, coil, complete, for $52.50 each, including shipping to my door and import tarriffs, no quantity limit. Sample showed their regular mediocre product, Pro-Form labelled, sold direct out the back door of Pro-Form to further flood the HEI market, passed on them, as a lot of others did too.

If you want an HEI for your Buick, do it one of two ways, used HEI, refurbish, remote coil it, or (NOT MEANT TO BE A BLATANT OR OTHERWISE ADVERTIZMENT), have me convert your stock points dist to HEI or MSD trigger, and get the right, good stuff without the hassles/costs the other stuff will bring.

Sorry for the long post, but I just get irritated beyond belief when I see over-hype advertizing of products in magazine and TV ads, internet as well, just to sell something for more money than a person can do it for themselves. It's a personal honesty thing with me.



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08-15-2003 01:20 PM
"

Morley

That would be personal opinion. The Coil in cap lasted from HEI's inception until 1989 and if they were no good the "hot rodders" would not have been switching from their old points ignition to HEI. I have a coil in cap on my 85 IROC that has performed flawlessly for 18+ years and is still running the module thatthe factory put in it.

That said, I have been using Accel ignition products for over 20 years (caps, ciols, rotors, wires, plugs, etc) in all of my vehicles and never had a failure. Accel has always made a quality product, especially their Caps, good high temp plastic instead of crappy bakelite that crumbles after 2 years, brass terminals instead of higher impedance rust prone steel ones.

KustomIroc

I too bought the Accel coil plugs and wires......no good. The plugs burnt the ends within 2 weeks , bought another set...same thingI then went back to the original Ac Delco plug and they are the best.....hands down even for racing. The wires lasted maybe another 2 months, I have used Taylor's ever since.

The coil lasted 4 years and I actually purchased another one...

Gumby

Funny how you can plainly see I did not have anything to do with that thread but still you miss quote me, like I said it???

"some FYI from another site.

IgnitionMan
Senior Member "

The only flaw in the HEI is the built in coil, a remote coil is better. Why, cause they do leak sometimes. I have seen 2-3 HEI's where the coil burnt through and grounded itself.

BUt the only reason I posted it was for the module info.

I like accel coil.


Matt not IgnitionMan

Morley

Yes, I know you didn't "say" it, I was commenting on what you posted, in this case what someone else had written.

B4Ctom1

Ahahahahhahhhahahhaha!

Tonyrodz

I've had 2 Accel coils go bad on me. I'd never buy another coil from them again.
They were the external type coils.