At 06:19 PM 8/24/2012, Dave Mcneely wrote:
>so, is it not possible to do the traditional remove plug wires with
>the engine running to check for a miss?  thanks, mcneely

It's better to use an IR thermometer to see if any exhaust pipes are
cold, or (this isn't usually practical) ground a plug wire).  Pulling
a wire allows a very high voltage to build up in the ignition system,
overstressing components in both secondary and primary sides.  VW
(and modern cars in general) instruction is to always ground the
ignition secondary if it's not doing its normal duty.  Nothing wrong
with a quarter-inch gap to see if you've got a nice fat juicy spark;
but pulling away until it stops jumping the gap is bad for the system
(but if there's a weak point in your ignition system if will likely
find it, and if not it may make one for itself).

I knew an old feller used to stop his Model A by putting his hands on
all four plugs, but he wouldn't do that today -- more than once anyway.

Yours,
David