Interesting... are you sure it wasn't just the new distributor cap? It
always seemed to me that the water issue wasn't with the point gap (though
it's not inconceivable), but with the rotor-to-cap connection. Though it
could also be general grounding/shorting through the base, which the
enclosed-in-insulating-plastic nature of the optical pickup might very well
improve.
One reason I was dubious is that I have had an optical system in my B for
many years (Allison, I think), and I can think of two occasions on which it
failed to start after a prolonged period of idleness in damp conditions.
Both were fixed by a new rotor and cap.
At any rate, the point about the wonky ground wire was right on; those are
frequently almost completely severed, like Nearly Headless Nick. But I think
my system still requires the ground wire, so that issue exists regardless.
on 1/25/02 4:27 PM, Rocky Frisco at rock@rocky-frisco.com wrote:
> Max Heim wrote:
>>
>> I don't see how this would help starting problems. You are simply replacing
>> the points with an optical sensor as a spark timing mechanism. You might
>> wish to do it for other reasons, but you need to look elsewhere for your
>> starting problems, IMO. Battery, starter, battery cables... or a new
>> distributor cap and rotor, which, I've found, is often a quick fix.
>
> Oddly enough, the Luminition, at least the optical one, seems to
> help cure the rain problem on Minis. I just doubted the hell out of
> that, but it worked. A heavy rain or really deep puddle always
> managed to cause the Cooper S to sputter and cut out, but since I
> mounted the Luminition, it doesn't. Apparently the water still gets
> in the diz, but the optical sensor works anyway. Why it should do
> this is a mystery to me. I would expect the high-voltage to short
> out on the water and cause misfiring and dying.
>
> For some reason, this doesn't happen.
>
> I'm with you that the starting problem probably shouldn't get cured
> from adding the Luminition, but then, the system eliminates the
> points, so if the problem were related to a wonky ground wire in the
> diz or a really bad case of metal transfer or a short, or any other
> problem with the points, themselves, ditching the points would cure
> it.
>
> -Rock http://www.rocky-frisco.com
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the primer red one with chrome wires
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