So we get a '97 Civic towed in today. Crank no start. Put on fuel pressure gage, yup has fuel pressure, so pump and relay ok.. Put screw driver in plug wire and hold near valve cover. Pretty weak spark, but spark none the less, so dizzy likely ok. Pull cap to replace coil. Just for grins I put grounded wire near coil tower and Brent cranks motor. Huge friggin spark. Nearly 2 inch jump. Coil is ok...so either cap or rotor. Well I put ground wire inside rotor and hold with insulated pliers. Figure if spark jumps to rotor tang then it is burnt thru. Well fark me, or us to be exact. Now the shop floor was a bit wet from cars being driven in...Brent cranks engine and I get nailed..badly. Oddly enough Brent gets nailed thru the hoist and key switch and my other mechanics was standing with his hand on the fender, had on blue latex HD gloves and he gets nailed. Hmm, did I mention the coil was good? Well it isn't good, it's awsesome!! I still don't know how 3 of us of us got zapped like we did. My shoulder hurts like hell from jerking my arm back. New cap and rotor and car starts perfectly though. No need for an aftermarket MSD coil for sure.

Wow!

---

Robert.

"You are way too normal to be on Rally Anarchy." Eddie Fiorelli.

Expecting humorous posts from Gene for the next three days till his brain sorts everything out.

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Grassroots rally. It's what I think about.

I'm shocked!

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Welcome to the cult of JVL drink the koolaid or be banned.

I had an MSD do that... through the fancy spark plug pliers, Regulation Blue Glove, down my right arm, and out my right leg via the keys in my pocket, through the painted fender.

I had someone tell me recently that MSD ignitions are a ripoff... Not convinced.

And then there's the Crane setup in Alex (Gravity Fed)'s RX-7! Jumped a three inch gap with finger-thick white sparks. Mind you, this is with the ignition running two coils in parallel.

---

Pete Remner
Cleveland, Ohio

1984 RX-7 (rallycross thing)
1978
Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver.

I've been shocked a few times myself on the Honda--if I recall was a bad set of plug wires. Wowza. Doesn't feel good, and was pretty gunshy about adjusting the timing until we figured out it was the wires.

I wouldn't say it is as bad as straight 110, but still pretty serious.

krisdahl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> I wouldn't say it is as bad as straight 110, but
> still pretty serious.


It's enough to kill you. Literally. Be careful guys.

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Gone fishing

krisdahl Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wouldn't say it is as bad as straight 110, but
> still pretty serious.

Ignition coils can produce voltages as high as 35000 volts and enough amps to weld a cast iron block.

david amor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> krisdahl Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > I wouldn't say it is as bad as straight 110,
> but
> > still pretty serious.
>
>
> It's enough to kill you. Literally. Be careful
> guys.
>


Nah. Not unless you have a pacemaker. There's not enough current.

---

Self-righteous douche canoe

hoche Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> david amor Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > krisdahl Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> >
> > > I wouldn't say it is as bad as straight
> 110,
> > but
> > > still pretty serious.
> >
> >
> > It's enough to kill you. Literally. Be
> careful
> > guys.
> >
>
>
> Nah. Not unless you have a pacemaker. There's not
> enough current.
>
>
>


Says the engineer to the Critical-Care Nurse.........

---

Gone fishing

david amor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> hoche Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > david amor Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> Says the engineer to the Critical-Care
> Nurse.........


Well, I'm certainly not going to try to prove it. I leave that to those in the defective Gene pool.

---

Self-righteous douche canoe

hoche Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> david amor Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > hoche Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > david amor Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> >
> >
> > Says the engineer to the Critical-Care
> > Nurse.........
>
>
> Well, I'm certainly not going to try to prove it.
> I leave that to those in the defective Gene pool.
>
>

Well the defective Gene is still alive. I don't think there is enough amperage to kill with a 12 volt coil. But they will exceed 50kv on newer electronic ignitions. We get nailed all the time, it goes with the job. I've never had one zap the guy cranking the key before. I've been hit with 110 and 220 before. 110 sort of tingles and makes your fingers twitch. 220 put me on my butt on the floor and ouch...

maybe enough umph to weld your cheap honduh block.. what is this you are getting a civic ?

Even a tiny tiny amount of current can cause venticular fibrillation if it passes through your heart from the SA node towards the apex. I'll admit it is not common but it theoretically can kill you dead. When we get electricians in the ER who have zapped themselves (quite common) the standard is to monitor their heart for 6 hours post injury as rogue pacemaker sites in the heart can precipitate V-fib hours after injury.

And no I'm not being a dick. Electricity is no joke. Be careful with sawzalls and plasma cutters too!!!

---

Gone fishing

I don't know all the details, but it is a rather small amount of current that can frag your heart. I have been told the real danger is having the circuit run from one arm to the other, across your chest, so it good practice to keep one hand behind your back (when you can) while fiddling the wires.