New Owner ‘05 Tune up

WanaGTO

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 18, 2022
Posts
21
Reaction score
2
Location
Atlanta
Hello All,

I did some searching but could not find any current advice on an ignition setup for the Viper.

I just purchased my 2005 and it has 40K miles on what looks like the factory setup. I’m not sure if it’s misfiring and there are no dash lights but it idles almost like a cammed car and I want to cover my bases!

I’m looking for a package/kit that I can upgrade the ignition system with. Any input is appreciated!
 

MoparMap

VCA National President
VCA Officer
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Posts
2,439
Reaction score
273
Location
Kansas
The ignition system on the Viper is really quite strong and typically the only parts anyone touches even on boosted applications are the plugs and wires. I'm not sure anyone even makes upgraded coil packs for the cars, probably in part because they are pretty unique (one 6 lead coil and one 4 lead coil). AB's Quality Wires is what a lot of people use for an ignition lead upgrade and what I put on my car several years ago when I finally replaced mine. Really nice quality setup with full length protective jackets. I think the vast majority of people also just run the standard Champion copper plugs as well.

Plugs and wires are a good part of any tune up/refresh, so it's still possible that might have something to do with your potential issues, but I'd maybe lean toward checking the fuel and air system first. Maybe you've got a dirty injector or a vacuum leak that could be causing some rough idle. That being said, these cars also idle super low to begin with. I think hot my car idles something like 400-600 rpm, but I would say that's still relatively "smooth". I do have a cam in mine that gives it a nice chop, but I wouldn't call it a "rough" idle personally.
 
OP
OP
WanaGTO

WanaGTO

Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 18, 2022
Posts
21
Reaction score
2
Location
Atlanta
The ignition system on the Viper is really quite strong and typically the only parts anyone touches even on boosted applications are the plugs and wires. I'm not sure anyone even makes upgraded coil packs for the cars, probably in part because they are pretty unique (one 6 lead coil and one 4 lead coil). AB's Quality Wires is what a lot of people use for an ignition lead upgrade and what I put on my car several years ago when I finally replaced mine. Really nice quality setup with full length protective jackets. I think the vast majority of people also just run the standard Champion copper plugs as well.

Plugs and wires are a good part of any tune up/refresh, so it's still possible that might have something to do with your potential issues, but I'd maybe lean toward checking the fuel and air system first. Maybe you've got a dirty injector or a vacuum leak that could be causing some rough idle. That being said, these cars also idle super low to begin with. I think hot my car idles something like 400-600 rpm, but I would say that's still relatively "smooth". I do have a cam in mine that gives it a nice chop, but I wouldn't call it a "rough" idle personally.
Thank you! I may attempt to do this on my own, so I want to make sure I don’t miss anything. I’ve seen that the coil packs are tough to get to but some say it’s possible without removing the intake. If I can do it with the intake on, I’ll do it myself. Otherwise, I’ll probably pay someone.

Would you recommend a fuel additive to potentially cover a dirty fuel injector?
 

MoparMap

VCA National President
VCA Officer
Joined
Jan 7, 2013
Posts
2,439
Reaction score
273
Location
Kansas
A lot of people have good luck with a bottle of Techron to help clean up the fuel system. I think it's cheap enough and shouldn't hurt anything to give it a go. I think some people have also talked about the IAC sticking from time to time. I think it would tend to cause an idle hang more than a rough idle though, so not sure if that would be an issue for you or not. Probably at least worth pulling the air filter and taking a look at the throttle body to see how dirty it might look in there.

I've heard you can do the plug wires with a long set of needle nose pliers to reach down in the intake to get the wires on and off, but I imagine it would still be a pretty fiddly job and might not be as cleanly routed in the long run. I pulled my intake when I did mine and it wasn't too bad, but some of those bolts are a pain to get to.
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
153,143
Posts
1,681,575
Members
17,643
Latest member
thiagets
Top