98 Won't start in high humidity...

> Example: My first car, an MG TD, was one of a group often criticized as
> being overly sensitive to moisture.

More likely a Lucas problem. While what you say regarding dirt is true, MG
and most British vehicles of their day had greater problems because of the
crappy Lucas electrical components. Loved my old Healey but hated it's
wiring.

wkearney99 ) wrote:
: > Example: My first car, an MG TD, was one of a group often criticized as
: > being overly sensitive to moisture.

: More likely a Lucas problem. While what you say regarding dirt is true, MG
: and most British vehicles of their day had greater problems because of the
: crappy Lucas electrical components. Loved my old Healey but hated it's
: wiring.

I realize that this is rather off-topic for a VW newsgroup, but there
*might be some cross-brand value here, so I will continue. :-)

Having owned and driven a wide range of British cars over the past fifty
plus years, I can say with confidence that *most of the poor reputation
re. Lucas was much more a fad than a fact. With one possible exception, I
had no more problems with Lucas components than I have had with any North
American or East Asian vehicle.

The electrical problems of the British cars were almost entirely with the
*wiring, NOT the components being connected. This lets Lucas off the hook
..... unless they manufactured the wiring harness for all the British
vehicles. Even then, they may not be to blame.

I learned, only recently, that the standard practice of Brit car makers
was to paint the bodies and frames **before installing the electricals.
This meant that the body ground points for many / most electrical
components were at least partly insulated by paint! NOT a good way to
build a trouble free electrical system.

The 'possible exception' that I mentioned above was an Austin Marina - the
most badly under-engineered car I have ever owned. I gave it away when, as
I was road testing yet another mechanical repair job - that had nothing to
do with any electrical system - smoke started to curl out from under the
dash! Enough was enough!!

BTW, I currently own (along with the '84 Westfalia) a 1974 MGB and a 1966
Jaguar 3.8 Liter Sedan. :-)
(NO electrical problems with either.)

Ben F.

In article >, sf-
says...
> Try running those caps in high humidity areas. My caps worked fine too in
> the summer but caused a lot of missfires during winter times...

Believe it or not, when it rains in AZ, it rains lots!

In PHX we got average about 7" of rain a year, and there are about 7
rainy days a year

OK, that's an exaggeration (the days, not the rain), but it's not
unusual to get over 1/2" during a storm. That's usually preceded by a
BIG mountain of dust blown all over and in everything.

Besides, that's what dielectric grease is for...

Mark
'95 Jetta GLS

In rec.autos.makers.vw.watercooled, Mark Randol wrote:

>In article >, sf-
says...
>> Try running those caps in high humidity areas. My caps worked fine too in
>> the summer but caused a lot of missfires during winter times...
>
>Believe it or not, when it rains in AZ, it rains lots!
>
>In PHX we got average about 7" of rain a year, and there are about 7
>rainy days a year
>
>OK, that's an exaggeration (the days, not the rain), but it's not
>unusual to get over 1/2" during a storm. That's usually preceded by a
>BIG mountain of dust blown all over and in everything.
>
>Besides, that's what dielectric grease is for...

You don't mean that you goop dielectric grease on the place where
the arcing was visible when humidity is high? I thought I might be
the only one to admit to that.

I cleaned the place with alcohol and distilled water. Let it dry
well. Applied the grease: no more rough running at high-humidity
times.

I had had the coil pack replaced earlier, after I thought I had a
different cause to my problems. My $600. The new pack is probably
more resistant to carbonizing the arcs that occur, but the arc
distance was not any less. It was just not permanently damaged by
the arcing.

In article >, se
says...
> You don't mean that you goop dielectric grease on the place where
> the arcing was visible when humidity is high? I thought I might be
> the only one to admit to that.

You're right. I don't

Actually I haven't used it on my Jetta at all. I have used it on my
motorcycle's connections. But a bit of dielectric grease at the
connections to keep it clean is what it's for. Should keep stuff out of
the plug boot and make things generally happier to come apart when
needed as well.

OK, I did use it at the MAF sensor connector. Cleaned the contacts and
put some on VERY sparingly. When I changed the air filter it looked
like it was dirty/corroded/just needing it! Didn't fix anything or
break anything.

Mark
'95 Jetta GLS