OT Why $7.50 is enough

All that proves is that some are very effective diagnosticians and says nothing useful about formal education in that field.

Are you the guy that believed Senile Joe had a plan to slay the FauciVirus-19?

Sometimes it pays to just look at things. A friend was taking an automotive course at the local comumity college. He had a 1966 Chevell with the big 296 engine. That thing started cutting off with him. The automotive course let the students repair their own cars as part of the training . They replaced much of the electrical system and the engine would still stop running at various times. Cutting the story short, the problem turned out to be he had instlled a tackometer on the dash and one of the wires insulation had rubbed through and was shorting out.

I live very near the heart of the NC racing. Back in the 1960's or so a good number of the Bootleggers ran what is the NASCAR and local dirt track and drag races. As the cars were much simpler back then those boys could really do lots with them.

Now there are engineers that probably do more computer modeling on the cars than actually working on them to get the most out of them.

I gave up on watching racing many years ago when they went from a car you could go to the dealer and buy to the frames with a body on them that sort of resembles whatever car they want.

Not at all uncommon on early electronic tachs. Good idea to install a very low value fuse (250ma or less) on the "P Lead" at the coil - or with the new high impedence tacks, a high value resistor. That's why a lot of experimental aviation guys use an "induction tachometer". On inconvience on a 396 Chevelle becomes life or death at 6000 feet.

On Sat, 27 Feb 2021 00:21:52 -0500, Clare Snyder posted for all of us to digest...

They fired the "parts cannon"

On Sat, 27 Feb 2021 12:13:14 -0600, Jim Joyce posted for all of us to digest...

He may mean to return it under the lemon law. I took advantage of that law.

On Mon, 01 Mar 2021 00:44:22 -0500, Clare Snyder posted for all of us to digest...

Clare, I second Bob F's post. I used to do the work, BUT it was a long time ago when things were simpler.

An old school guy would just read the plugs.

Loaded with "grape shot"

The lemon law is no respector of financial arrangements - and was not in effect in 1972 / 73.

The resistor that caused all the problems was used from 1972 to 1980 Chryslerpart # 3656199 upgraded to 3874767 - Napa Echlin number ICR24

Ther early one had exposed resistance coils - the later ones were ceramic embedded - which helped their reliability just a WEE bit.

On Mon, 01 Mar 2021 18:34:34 -0500, Clare Snyder posted for all of us to digest...

I had a Dart with one. I kept a spare, although I don't recall it being a double... I towed many a car that had the problem, hence carrying the spare.

Echlin, from what I hear is, like most other parts these days, a former shell of itself. They used to be good parts, brass in the distributor caps and rotors, points that work so out of spec because the rubbing block lasted. I think they are mostly relabeled Dorman crap now.