These are valid points about what is and is not directly Lucas but one
element not covered which IS Lucas is the blasted little 'socket'
loops of metal on fixtures to receive the "bullet".
In the interest of economy or perhaps because its cheaper to repair
than design out the flaw, the loops are not spring tempered for a gas
tight connection and are not plated to prohibit oxides (probably
becaus eht bullets aren't plated anyway - which came first?. The
oxidation itself doesn't do as much damage directly as the fretting
corrosion that occurs after the oxidation is present. Fretting
corrosion is the loosening of oxides due to vibration or simply
wiggling the wires to make them work (tapping the glass on the turn
signal). After a while, the loose oxide particles form an insulating
layer between the two circuit components. For some components (high
current), the very high impedances create lots of voltage drop and/or
contact heating to the point of creating the familiar wisp of smoke.
While not strictly Lucas sourced, the bullet itself is indeed ripe
with failure modes:
1) typically the wire is not tinned so bare copper is exposed
2) the bullet is brass with no other plating to avoid corrosion
3) the wire is slid through and folded over the bullet so contact to
the fixture is inconsistent at best.
Having said all that, my 1968 Mog still has the original fittings and
bare wire and when it starts getting flaky, I pull the bullet, wipe it
off (therby adding valuable skin oils to aid the corrosion process),
reinsert it and am merrily away...
I was once pulled over in a small town in Washington very late on a
rainy night because my left taillight was out. I turned on the
lights, tapped the lens a couple of times til it came on, quoted the
usual "blasted Lucas electrics", asked where the local motel was in
town, and was let go without a ticket.
Gerry Willburn wrote:
>
> Yes, Joe Lucas generaly takes a bum rap. With the exception of a period in
> the '70s when the rocker switches as used on the facia tended to fall
> appart, I have always found Lucas components to be quite reliable. It is
> the wiring harness which generaly causes electrical problems in British
> cars. This is particularly true in the older cars (when Lucas got his
> reputation). The insulation on the wiring would dry up and rot causing
> shorts which in turn would burn up components (let the smoke out) and
> generaly wreak havoc with the system. Poor Uncle Joe got the blame! The
> other problem is the Corrosion Gnome which likes to live in the "bullet"
> connectors and fuse blocks (refusing to let the smoke travel from component
> to component).
>
> Good Luck All,
>
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