Date:         Sun, 5 Nov 2000 12:36:00 -0800
Reply-To:     aatransaxle@JUNO.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Daryl Christensen <aatransaxle@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Re: PETRONIX MELTDOWN
Comments: To: kokopellis@ATT.NET
Content-Type: text/plain

Ken...Thru my career of 30+ yrs as a VW Tech...I have seen many more
electronic ign systems disabled than actually hooked up &
running...Seldom knew why as the customer always said "I dunno..it was
like that when I got the car". The few that actually were functioning
were fairly new setups....all the older stuff was back to using the
points..always had a funny taste for those retrofits due to that...go
figure...

Daryl of AA Transaxle
Duvall, WA.(Seattle area)
(425) 788-4070
1-877-377-0773 toll free
http://www.aatransaxle.com (web site)

On Sat, 4 Nov 2000 18:19:28 -0700 Kw <kokopellis@ATT.NET> writes:
> Howdy,
> Some of you may remember I had a stall problem in my 82 after it
> warmed
> up a few minutes.  Well today I had a chance to examine.  I tried a
> cold
> start to see if I could get it running and it would not even fire.
> I
> thought, Fuel, spark, compression, timing.
>
> I figured it was getting fuel since it started previously.  I opted
> to
> check spark first.  I opened the distributor cap for a quick
> inspection
> and voila, the reak of melted electrical components and plastic.  My
> Petronix pointless ignition is TOAST.
>
> This is not good.  Has anyone ever had a set of Petronix burn up.
> Mine
> are fried plastic and melted wires.  It Stinks.
>
> The only thing I can think of that is different is I installed a new
> coil a month back. I've only run it a few times since then.  The
> replacement coil was not an exact duplicate of the original.  It is
> a
> black one from BusDepot.  Are these different from the blue coils
> like
> my old one?
>
> I am not sure of it is the Petronix unit, the new coil, or something
> else. Any ideas what went awry.  Man that reaks.  I can still smell
> that
> crisp electric plastic odor.
>
> Ken Wyatt
> 82 fried going back to Points I guess.
> PS, Hiked up and skied at Alta today, AWESOME Snow. They got 40
> inches
> this week.