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Lucas Mfg'ing secrets reaffirmed

To: "TR8 List \(E-mail\)" <tr8@mercury.lcs.mit.edu>,
Subject: Lucas Mfg'ing secrets reaffirmed
From: "Jim Altman" <jaltman@altlaw.com>
Date: Fri, 7 Sep 2001 18:09:33 -0400
As I had previously posted to the list I had recently been suffering through
a clickety EFI system when first turning the car on cold.  The injectors
would click away even though the engine was not running.  After wiggling
this connector and that and seeming to have an effect I was just about
convinced that it was the plug to the TPS.  Today I came out of the office
to hop in the car and fight with it to start when I noticed that lovely
smell of cooking electronics.

Lucas electronic components are manufactured by compressing smoke into the
component.  When the part fails, Lucas designed he part to be able to make
itself known through a release of the compressed smoke.

There is a capacitor to ground in the wire that goes from the ballast
resistor to the distributor.  Its reveals itself in no catalog, in the ROM,
in the wiring diagram, nor any other location.

That capacitor was a dead short to ground and it released all of its smoke
in a most dramatic fashion.  Pulled it out taped the connector up and the
car started cold without incident.  I'll see how it starts in the A.M. when
its REALLY cold (such as cold is in Atlanta during the summer, last nights
low was about 75F).  I presume its a radio noise prevention matter and not
integral to the system.  I'd like to find a replacement, but it doesn't seem
to exist in the first place.

Thanks for all the suggestions along the way, y'all.



Jim Altman  jaltman@altlaw.com Illigitimi non Carborundum
http://www.altlaw.com/metro/jaltman.html    69-TR6 76-TR7 80-TR8  W4UCK

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