Y'all try this... I speak from experience !
Short pants, sitting on a concrete floor, grab the "Hot" big brown wire
under the dash, hold the connector in you hand, make contact with the inside
of your thigh with the car.
Tell me if you have any sensation.
-----Original Message-----
From: Barry Schwartz [mailto:bschwart@pacbell.net]
Sent: Friday, June 02, 2000 8:24 AM
To: Bill Miller
Cc: spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: Shocking shifting
>Don't look for a frayed OD wire.... You can't get shocked from 12VDC (go
>touch the two battery terminals with your hands!)
****************************************
While its basically true that 12V *DC* won't cause a shock (although the
current of a typical batter can very well kill you in the proper
environment. It's not the voltage, but the current that does the damage.
Arc welders are typically only a couple volts but at extremely high
amperage), if its broken DC voltage caused by a bad ground or connection
then you most certainly can get a tingle, and if the wire is heavy enough,
quite a shock. By broken voltage I mean an intermittent connection similar
to AC but not reversing the polarity, not unlike open and closing a switch
very rapidly. Not only that but the relay coil if used and/or solenoid can
generate a substantial kick when de-energised from the collapsing magnetic
field similar to what the primary circuit in your ignition coil does when
the points open after being closed which will, if not properly grounded or
connected, take the path of least resistance to ground which may likely be
you.
Chances are in this scenario, one or more of the connections in the
overdrive wiring circuit, is not good -
Barry Schwartz (San Diego) bschwart@pacbell.net
72 PI, V6 Spitfire (daily driver)
70 GT6+ (when I don't drive the Spit)
70 Spitfire (long term project)
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