Date:         Sat, 27 Apr 2002 19:35:01 -0500
Reply-To:     Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject:      Re: Spark Coil Failure
Comments: To: jc@AUSTIN.RR.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I don't use a Bentley. I use Hayes, Tom Wilsons Book and Muir.
Without an Oscilloscope and a qualified technician I doubt it would ever
show up on a multi meter since it fails at high Rpms.
The High Rpm function is very difficult to duplicate unless its in real
life action.
This was the coil that came with my West seven years ago and I doubt that
it ever was replaced.
The Westy has 298K on it so its about time.
Another factor in failure could have been, that I ran the last
distributor cap, rotor set for 98,000 miles and it was pretty well
scorched and the rotor had started the reverse plating process onto the
distributor contacts.
I wasn't the least bit surprised, I had a spare that I had packed for my
EB event that I missed.

Stan Wilder
83 Air Cooled Westfalia


On Sat, 27 Apr 2002 18:57:17 -0500 John Clavin <jc@AUSTIN.RR.COM> writes:
> At 05:18 PM 4/26/02 -0400, you wrote:
> >Summary:
> >I found a bad coil before it found me.
> >Most common reasons coils fail:
> >a)Conductive dirt, grit on the end cap causing arching.
> >b)Age and Heat
> >c)Coil has been dropped, bruised damaging case and windings.
> >d)Too much resistance in ignition system.
>
> Stan,
>
> Did you check the coil resistance per Bentley? I'm curious as to
> whether
> this type of failure would show up that way.
>
> John Clavin
> 1985GL Austin TX
>

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