Steve,
Run a jumper wire from ground to the blade of a plastic handled screwdriver.
Hold the insulated handle and approach the distributor with the blade. I
suspect you'll see the spark jump a gap where the leakage is occurring. You
might have to try this in relative (gotta see what you're doing, though!)
darkness to see the spark, but given the jolt you got, you might see this
electrical arc even in fairly bright light.
Duncan
----- Original Message -----
From: "SJC Worldwide" <ssage@socal.rr.com>
To: "Tiger Mailing List" <tigers@autox.team.net>; "Alpine Mailing List"
<alpines@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2001 3:18 PM
Subject: YEOUUUUCH!!! Electrical Question
> Messing about with the Tiger's timing yesterday, grabbing the
> distributor cap to advance timing a bit with the car running, I got a
> very electrical reminder how much voltage is flowing through the system
> with my new Ignitor II electronic ignition and Flamethrower II coil.
> Man, that was a serious shock, very painful at first, and I had a bruise
> on my hand where I had attempted to grab the cap. I've done the same
> thing (adjust the distributor with the motor running), without the
> shock, on numerous Alpines and my last Tiger, with no ill effect. When I
> had my previous shocking experience with the Tiger a few weeks ago, I
> changed back to my original plug wires to see if this was the cause, but
> again got another shock, so changed back again to my new wires.
>
> I've got new plugs, new MSD 8 mm plug wires, a new rotor and a new
> distributor cap installed (along with the new ignition and coil).
>
> Since I don't want to re-experience this much fun, how can one check to
> see where the voltage is leaking (the dist. cap, wires, etc.) without
> doing it the old fashioned way and experiencing in a small way what the
> electric chair must feel like? After my first shock, I ran the car in
> the garage (door opened, of course) in the dark to see if I could see
> any electrical "tracking" but I didn't notice anything that way.
>
> Also, should that metal tab on top of the rotor actually touch the
> inside bottom of the distributor cap (where that contact is on the cap)?
> I think mine does, and I wonder if this could contribute to my little
> jolts.
>
> Steve Sage
> 1967 Tiger MK1A
> (And lots of Alpines through the years)
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