Bougicord spark plug leads 850 Topic is solved

[buster850]

Ok, here is my final and definitive post on Bougicord spark plug leads for 850 Volvos.

As mentioned previously my Australian delivered / built ( yes they built them in Victoria AUSTRALIA at the Centre Rd Nissan Factory ) is fitted with Bougicord Series C-1 spark plug and HT lead. As one of them has burnt through I asked around on this forum and elsewhere and was told Bougicord leads from all Volvo 850s will fit,

Mine is a ten valve B5252S motor auto trans sedan August 1994 plated.

The following information comes directly from Berry Motor Group Melbourne Australia, their spare parts manager has worked there for ten years and kindly passed this on to me, they only touch Volvos, nothing else, they service, repair, wreck, dismantle and pre inspect Volvos, they have 11 hoists and employ 9 mechanics, basically they know their stuff.

Apparently some early Volvo 850s were fitted with Bougicord C-1 Series leads, ( THE SERIES AND NUMBERS ARE CLEARLY MARKED ON BOUGICORD LEADS THEMSELVES ), however, the bulk of 850s were fitted with Bougicord 403 F Class leads, they are INCOMPATIBLE with each others distributor caps and coils.

The parts manager sent me leads which he said would fit 'Without a problem in the world" when I opened the box I noticed they were F Class leads and found when trying to fit them they DO NOT click into the distributor the required three clicks like the C-1 leads do.

Also the HT lead on the C-1 lead has a ceramic insulator inside the dizzy end of the lead directly under the brass/copper probe, this insulator is absent on the 403 F Class leads. NO WAY will 403 F Class fit a C Series ignition setup, THIS IS A FACT.

F Class leads are all slightly longer the C-! series, this is in fact no biggie, a miniscual more resistance that's all.

F Class appears to fit the spark plug end ok but I think it doesn't quite go down far enough to seal the very top rubber flange into the head.

F class distributor end of the lead probe DOES NOT protrude from the rubber boot as far as the C-! Series probe, we are talking only 2 to 3 mm difference but this difference is the reason the F Class leads will not click into a C-1 distributor the required 3 clicks to lock and hold it in place.

The F Class rubber boot " bottoms out " before the probe can clip into the distributor 3 times.


If you have Bougicord C-1 Series leads and pull it out of the dizzie and then slide it into the dizzy again slowly you will feel and hear three distinct clicks as the clip on the lead locates into the dizzy. This is the correct fit required to keep the leads in there.

The parts manager kindly contacted Volvo Australia who researched the issue and consequently I can give you part numbers for each Bougicord option

Bougicord C-! series is Part # 9135701
Bougicord F Class is Part # 9135700

The parts manager currently owns 3 Volvos with the B5252S motor ( he has owned 8 Volvos 850 powered cars all told) and they ALL take F Class leads with no problems at all, he installed them himself and has never had an issue or even heard of the issues I am experiencing which is why he was so sure he was sending me the correct leads.

Unfortunately for me I must have one of the very last dizzies from the early 850 production run.

If anyone has a set of Bougicord Series C-1 please let me know I am happy to purchase them.

If anyone disagrees with these facts contact me and come for a visit, I will demonstrate the difference here on the car in the workshop and we can both bang our heads into the wall for stress relief.

If any one else has experienced this same issue and got around it some other way or with correct fitting after market leads I would appreciate a PM.

If any one has any further information on this issue please let me know via PM

Does anyone know FOR SURE that the distributor cap and coil could be changed out to accept the Bougicord 403 F Class leads ?

I hope some one finds this information valuable and time saving, so far I'm six weeks and $450 poorer and still searching for a set of Bougicord C-1 series leads which seem absolutely impossible to find on this side of the planet.

Cheers Buster 850

[misha]

Bougicord spark plug wires for 10v cars:

https://www.google.com/search?q=volvo+8 ... QyK8VFfo0M

Bougicord for 20v:
https://www.google.com/search?q=volvo+8 ... 2CY4qmpFMM

Bougicord catalogue have wrong part # for these so be carefull.

So...10v cars use blue ones...20v cars use grey ones.

[454cid]

Bougicord spark plug wires for 10v cars:

https://www.google.com/search?q=volvo+8 ... QyK8VFfo0M

Bougicord for 20v:
https://www.google.com/search?q=volvo+8 ... 2CY4qmpFMM

Bougicord catalogue have wrong part # for these so be carefull.

So...10v cars use blue ones...20v cars use grey ones.

He's saying it's more than that. He has the blue insulated wires, but the cap side connector is different on his Australian car.

[buster850]

Postscript

Bougicord Lead Update

Since my last post on Bougicord leads I was eventually able to track down a set of after market leads via an auto supply store in Melbourne Australia, these lease fitted perfectly and after 10,000 km are performing perfectly too.

The cost was $150 Aud.

I hope this helps some one out as it was a very frustrating experience as most Volvo parts suppliers whole heartedly believe that the Volvo F-Series leads will fit ALL 850's, which is in fact totally incorrect. Mine tale the C Series as described in detail on my previous post.

[scot850]

While I still have to say I don't fully understand the differences, part of that was I recently worked on a 96 850 10V NA and there was a damaged lead at the plug end where the boot was damaged. I had an old set I pulled out and removed and swapped the end cap over and it refitted perfectly. I will be seeing this car again fairly soon and must remember to compare the distributor cap ends so I can photograph and document the differences for a visual comparison to add in here. It will be interesting that it is a later 10V if it was modified to run on the regular leads or if they are also different.

Appreciate you taking the time to get back to us on this.

Neil.

[FireFox31]

I was eventually able to track down a set of after market leads via an auto supply store

What's the brand and part number for the part? That would help others track them down. Thanks for your good input.

[buster850]

Hi again on the Bougicord lead identification and compatibility issue. ( F series leads vs C series leads)

The after market leads I found that will correctly substitute for Bougicord C - Series leads are
:
EAGLE 5mm to 7mm Silicone "ELIMINATOR SERIES"

On box labelling as follows : E7507 which I am assuming is the part number
To suit Volvo 850 20 valve, T-5, 70 series turbo and non turbo, B5254F, B52534FT,B5254,
2.3 - 2.4 Fl
Year 1992>

NOTE: Interestingly my engine B5252S Australia delivered is not listed on that box yet they are a perfect fit.

Hopefully this is very clear and will be of some value to others.

Cheers Buster 850

[scot850]

Ok! Now this is why I have been more confused than normal. I was looking for a part in my Pre-98 P80 parts boxes and found a set of plug wires that were replaced on my 1998 V70 XC. The box is the original Bougicord box and interestingly is part numbered # 9135700. That is the parts that I fitted to my 98 probably 8+ years ago.

I pulled the leads out the box to compare to a new set I have for my friends 98 V70 NA. The surprise? These are marked C-1 403??

Plug leads

PXL_20230803_200140808.jpg (204.07 KiB) Viewed 1784 times

So these were fitted to other engines and this was a LPT turbo engined car. Even the distributor to coil wire is marked with the C1 403 code on them.

I believe Volvo has now stopped supplying Bougicord plug leads so I had to buy a set from IPD of Bougicord items.

Neil.

[FireFox31]

Do Bougicord wires have date codes on them to show when they were manufactured? Is there a trick to translating them into a date? That would help anyone with wires of unknown age know if they should be replaced. Thanks.

[erikv11]

Bougicord plug wires are date coded yy-ww e.g. 06-35 means manufactured the 35th week of 2006.