Ow!

cshogen · 10-30-2002, 05:05 PM

For those who have a good handle of the electrical/ignition stuff I'm sorry in advance for this question, but I have to ask......

I was poking around in my engine bay with the car idling and my finger brushed the distributor cap.....

ZZZAAAAPPPPPPP

it shocked the bejeezus out of me. And I'm not sure I even actually touched it!

That can't possibly be normal, can it? I thought the timing was adjusted by moving that sucker around at idle to the right position? I've never done it, but watched plenty of times when my mechanic did it.

Any idea what gives?? A short I would guess, or bad ignition wires.

Thanks in advance,

mike95125 · 10-30-2002, 05:11 PM

Possibly a cracked distributor, or wire insulation on one of your plug wires. I would say that that is not normal because you do turn the distributor to change the timeing while the car is running. You may just need new wires, and a cap.
Mike

URY914 · URY914's Garage

I had a strange miss in the engine once and could never find it until it happen one night and I jumped out to look at the engine. It was spark jumping through the boot on one of the wires jumping to the sheetmetal of the engine. Couldn't see it during the day but I could at night. It was at the distributor, and it was the wire closest to the corner of where the sheetmetal meets the fan housing.

Buy yourself a new set of wires.

mikester · 10-30-2002, 09:20 PM

When I used to work on our old lawn mower with my Dad, one time he told me to hold the plug wire to the plug ...he pulled the pull starter and it shocked the heck out of me.

I've never seen my dad laugh that hard in my life.

I think that was about 1984...

I still don't trust him.

Speedo959 · 10-31-2002, 02:18 AM

Yeah I remember once when me and my friends were watching my dad work on our Honda Odyssey. He asked me to hold the wire and to hold hands with my buddys while the last guy touched the frame. I knew what was going to happen, but they didn't. The shock was worth it looking at their faces!!!LOL

I also remember another time a friend decided to piss on a electrically charged horse fence!!!! Now THAT was hilarious! He actually cried it hurt so bad.

1bad914 · 10-31-2002, 02:52 AM

My uncle talked me into peeing on the electric fence when I was about 8. I still remember the pain! LOL I also had a friend (??) that was holding a hot fence while I stepped thru it, he let it go as I stepped over it, right in the twig and berry's. Nice friend! Change the plug wires, cap and rotor!

Randy

cshogen · 10-31-2002, 05:50 AM

LMAO!!!! We sure have a lot of people whose close friends/relatives have electrocuted them one way or another!

You guys are great. Anyway I am going to get new plug wires, cap, rotor, and just to round it off to an even $100 or so, a Pertronix Ignitor.

Thanks again, and stay away from electric fences!

1bad914 · 10-31-2002, 06:16 AM

I have used Pertronics on mw VW's for years, luv them!

cshogen · 10-31-2002, 06:30 AM

Hey how easy is the install on those Pertronix? I've heard mixed reviews on the install part.

1bad914 · 10-31-2002, 08:38 AM

IMHO I think that they are easy. Just make sure you have the connections on per the instructions, use the supplied spacer for the gap and time it. I have heard of some having quality problems with them, bad out of the boxa nd such. I have intalled at least a dozen and have had no problems. All of my experience has been Type I based, so some Type IV people may have a differnt story. I plan on installing one when I'm done building my motor.

Randy

Tom Perso · 10-31-2002, 08:45 AM

I ran an 050 with a Pertronix on my 2270 for a short while, it seemed to work just fine.

It now resides in my friends 912 motor (356 motor) and works like a charm.

Hook it up right or you'll fry it for sure.

Later,
Tom

sammyg2 · 10-31-2002, 01:09 PM

Many moons ago I came home with a new Joe Hunt vertex magneto for my drag boat. My girlfriend at the time asked me what it was. I told her it was an 80,000 volt magneto. She said, "what does it do?"
You all know the rest. She cried, I laughed, she left. Yeah, it was worth it.

JWest · 10-31-2002, 01:17 PM

Sammy, ROFL

My dad used to do that trick with his Vertex Mag.

CoolTool · CoolTool's Garage

Several years ago, I was having a few beers with a few friends and one of them happened to be one of those guys that knows or has done everything there is to know or do. We happened to stop by a 454 Chevy irrigation engine to take a leak, and told the guy that it was possible to kill the engine by peeing on the mag. The 454 was running at about 3500 rpm....... he peed .....and we finally caught back up to him running about 2 miles up the road!!! After that, he figured out that he didn't know everything !!!!

Speedo959 · 10-31-2002, 07:02 PM

What comes to mind? WEENIE ROAST!

sammyg2 · 11-01-2002, 07:12 AM

Shocking. What would spark you to pull a trick like that? I bet that really hertz, hope he didn't press charges.
I'm positive he won't do that again.
If my kids ever did something like I would ground them.
I'll be sure that if I ever run into you I will make a large arc to avoid your shenanigans.

It's Friday and that's all I got.

Tom Perso · 11-01-2002, 07:29 AM

That is the Root of Mean, Squared....

Bada crash!

Later,
Tom

zymurgist · zymurgist's Garage

I really love the current topic since I can participate. I usually feel so insulated.

If you switch a 6V 356 system to 12V, is that revolting or what?

74914 · 11-01-2002, 12:12 PM

So that's what RMS means!