Theo
Don't be so hard on them... Rootes and Lucas did the same thing in
the alternator system they installed in series V Alpines.
If you leave the ignition on with out the engine running the
alternator field will burn out... At least they gave us a little
red light to warn us...
I don't really blame them too much.. It was a early atempt to use
an alternator and it really dosen't seem to be a common failure.
Designers don't always get it right the first time.
In retrospect they could have had had a much more bullet proof design
by re arranaging the circuit a bit and at the same time saved several
components...
Steve F
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Steve Finberg W1GSL w1gsl@mit.edu
PO Box 397082 MIT Br Cambridge MA 02139-7082 617 258 3754
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<Jim,
<I found no good technical information on the Pertronix website except this:
<Quote:
<What will happen if I leave the ignition switch on when the
<engine is not running?
<Leaving the ignition switch on when the engine is not running,
<can cause permanent damage to the ignition system, and related
<components. This does not apply to the accessory position of
<the ignition switch.
<End Quote.
<Thanks for coming out, guys. I'm amazed that they would market
<a system that can potentially nuke itself, just because the
<ignition is left on. I once built a crank-triggered ignition
<that suffered the exact same problem, but it was a one-off,
<designed specifically for a racing application, and not for
<everyday use by people not totally familiar with everything
<in the car.
|