Date:         Mon, 15 Jan 2001 14:16:24 -0500
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: High voltage havoc from coil?
Comments: To: Karen Olson <kdosmm@WORLDNET.ATT.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <002801c07f29$c34a7f80$0100a8c0@maurer>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 02:31 PM 1/15/2001, Karen Olson wrote:
>Has anyone ever heard of high voltage from the secondary winding in the
>ignition coil, intermittently finding it's way over to the 12 volt system
>in the rest of the vehicle, and wreaking havoc.

In a word, no.  The ignition coil is utterly unable to make any significant
difference to the overall 12v system voltage, and if it *did* the first
thing to get hit would be the ignition controller which would blow and stop
sending pulses to the coil.
>
>I have had my taillight brake bulbs blow like old flashbulb cameras,

I've told you over and over not to put flashbulbs in your
tail-lights.  Seriously, describe more fully?  How did you happen to be
standing there watching them when they blew?  Could they be six-volt bulbs
(not too likely I know)?  How long did they last?  Did every other bulb
that was lit also burn out?  How about the headlights?  Did there happen to
be a large wire hanging down from a nearby pole and resting on the roof?
<g>  How many times did the lightning strike?  Are there pranksters in the
neighborhood (or the house)? That sort of thing...

>  and yesterday, I heard a buzzing like sound and noticed my tachometer
> was red lining with just a little acceleration.

Is there possibly a warning buzzer in the tach for overspeed?  If so any
failure that made the tach read high might set it off.  In general, I would
look for tach problems of that nature in the tach itself, though I
certainly wouldn't call it impossible for an ignition fault of some sort to
make the tach read high (or possible either -- I just don't know).

>
>I have to admit this is not on my Vanagon, but on my '85 Trooper, and
>plead for mercy in my inappropriate inquiry.

Page!  Bring the wet noodle!  Well, *wet* it, man, don't stand there with
your mouth hanging open!

david


David Beierl - Providence, RI
  http://pws.prserv.net/synergy/Vanagon/
'84 Westy "Dutiful Passage"
'85 GL "Poor Relation"