In a message dated 8/20/2003 4:42:01 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
jonmac@ndirect.co.uk writes:
> Hi, Paul
> Try not to take the horror stories too much to heart. There's nothing
> inately
> wrong with Lucas products anymore than there's anything wrong with Bosch,
> Ducellier, Paris-Rhone, (European) Motorola, Magneti-Marelli electrics. I've
> never had any trouble with Lucas kit. Many assume (wrongly) that harnesses
> are
> Lucas products - and mostly, they're not. The majority were supplied by a
> major harness manufacturer called Ripaults Cables who were OE suppliers to
> all
> the UK car makers. Try not to overlook the fact that Lucas - and all the
> others - made their products for an overall car life expectancy of ten years
> at the most. The fact that many cars still survive after the 40th birthdays
> and many with original electrical systems suggests to me there wasn't much
> wrong with the original stuff in the first place. Of course, there are
> always
> exceptions to a rule - but if Lucas products are good enough for (British
> made) Rolls Royce cars and aero engines, they're good enough for me.
> Nomex on
>
> Jonmac
>
I must completely agree with the gentleman above. There
really is nothing inherently wrong with Lucas systems that
are not found in other systems and applications too. Past
experience has found most problems are traced back to
two concerns 1) Bad grounds 2) Owners who hack up there
wiring in an attempt to defeat bad grounds.....I might add
installing radios and theft alarms are contributing problems
too. Like all things mechanical on a 40 year old car, the
electrical system must be maintained too. I would posit this
is an area of maintenance greatly neglected and all too
infrequently discussed.
Recently, someone posted a message about a gentleman who
made an upgraded harness for a TR6. This harness had additional
fuses and relays to allow for upgrades like inertia switch, theft alarm
etc. I am all for making a safer more reliable car....especially if you
must dodge the ever present cellular phone talking, coffee drinking,
chip consuming SUV potatohead on today's roads. However some
of us will continue to carry on with our original equipment.
Lastly, why anyone would put a theft alarm on a Triumph, especially
an open top car, is completely and utterly beyond comprehension.
Nomex? I don't need no stinkin' Nomex.
Best Regards,
Percy Ballentine
(out of lurk mode)
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