If you follow my Dorg's Morg column, you will have read an article in the ... Devon, from Roadways Towing, brought me to
that I looked at the engine. So I left the hood in the upright open position and called upon my old reliable memory to come up with 10 numbers. The numbers of course are 604 293 2222. That is the BCAA Roadside assistance number. To me, owning an old Morgan and not being mechanically inclined means you have to memorize the number for a tow truck, and the number of your credit card as well. It’s a heck of a lot easier than memorizing the names of a bunch of tools, and of different motor parts, and where they fit into the scheme of things according to a complicated engine manual. Devon, from Roadways Towing, brought me to my mechanic Dave Gilmour’s shop, BMC Motorworks on Franklin Street in Vancouver. Dave was there at the time and met me out front. As we stood in his back alley on the crisp fall day I tried to put the my cars breakdown into context and summed it up for Dave with the following technically mechanical statement – “You see, one minute it was running and the next minute it wasn’t”. Then I handed him the keys and hopped back into Devon’s tow truck for ride home.
It was the
Electronic Ignition by Dave Doroghy If you follow my Dorg’s Morg column, you will have read an article in the January/February, 2014 Volume 34, No. 1 issue, of the NW Mogozine. It is about an interesting positive perspective I had while waiting for a tow truck to rescue me north of the Massey (Deas) tunnel last October. In the following issue of the Mogozine, March/April, 2014 Volume 34, No. 2, I related the exciting high-speed series of events that lead to the breakdown. If you indeed did read both of those articles you clearly have too much time on your hands. Just to let you know, this one reads a lot better if you have read the previous two. Now, as promised - the reason behind the breakdown in the tunnel will be revealed.
Three weeks later when I picked the car up at Dave’s Garage he told me that he had to replace the ignition. When I went to move my car I found some of the parts from the old ignition lying in a box on the front seat. The procedure of giving the car owner the old parts has happened to me at different garages in the past when I have had repairs done, and I have found it a bit odd. My immediate thought when I see the pile of used wires and a small round aluminum gadget in the box is “What the heck am I supposed to do with these?” Then upon further reflection I realize that it is probably just standard policy to give the customer back the old parts so that they can be inspected, and by doing so confirm that the job needed to be done. I am just glad that this same policy isn’t used in hospitals after patients get operations or transplants. Can you imagine getting your tonsils or gallbladder removed, and then upon leaving the hospital, receiving them in a box to ensure you that the operation was required.
I must start with a confession; I have no mechanical skills whatsoever. The only skills I have had to possess to keep my Morgan on the road for the last ten years have been sales and marketing skills to help me earn money. And, the ability to remember my four-digit credit card PIN number at the garage I take her too. I wouldn’t know what end of a wrench to hold if, Heaven Forbid, you handed me one. I bought the car for a bunch of romantic based reasons, the primary one being how cool it looked. I can still remember telling a friend of mine about my plans to buy the car, and how he responded with “Half the fun of owning an old British car is to tinker with the engine. Dorg, with no interest in mechanics why would you buy an old car like that?” Like I said, I bought it because it looked cool. In a future article I will expand on the joys of my maladroit Morgan mechanical misunderstanding mis-haps and misses. I think it would be quite humorous to record on paper my simplistic and vague understanding of just how the whole car works. I’ll save that for later; this article starts where all engine problem stories start – with the act of lifting the hood.
After paying Dave for the repair and driving my 1966 Plus Four Morgan home I examined the box more carefully. The small box that the old parts were in was about three times the size of a pack of cigarettes and in big black letters said “Petronix Ignitor Electronic Ignition” on its front. It was obviously the box that the new part came in. I liked the flame motif and the colors and retro art design of the box. Just for fun I thought that I would carefully read all of the features of my new ignition, that were listed on the box, to see if I had any semblance of a clue of what they meant. After all, I was the proud owner of a new ignition and wanted to understand just what I had bought into. First of all, on the front of the box it clearly stated “Easy to Install”; the three words that, from my experience, represent one of the biggest lies in the world.
It is quite a manly thing to do. Lifting the hood that is. You get out of the car, strut around to the front of it, and in with a masculine tug, hoist up the metal cover. I have no problem with that part. My problem is that after I lift the hood and gaze down at the engine I have no idea what I am looking for. It’s kind of like I lift the hood and think to myself “Ok the engine is still there, that is a good thing”. So after lifting the hood, at least I can identify that my car still has an engine. But that’s it. I suppose if some wire was obviously hanging near some hole it should be plugged into I might accidently notice it. Or, if steam were pouring out of the radiator it would register with me that I need to add water. But nine times out of ten when I lift the hood after an engine problem I just stand there and think to myself “I have no idea what is going on here”. I am not proud of it; I am just being honest.
Word for word here is the description on the back panel of the box along with my honest understanding of each point. My thoughts are the italics in parenthesis. The copy was divided into three headings which I have bolded. 40,000 VOLT COILS *Higher voltage increases power and fuel economy (We are off to a good start; how can I not be in favor of more power and fuel economy?) *Available chrome plated or black for that “stock look” (Ok, I completely understand this, but at the same time could care less what my ignition looks like. You have to remember I hardly know what my engine looks like.)
That day last October on Highway 99 was no exception. After my complete engine failure, I coasted to the side of the road, came to a quiet standstill and lifted the hood. As explained in my last article, after examining the engine for about 2 minutes, I came to the conclusion that everything about the engine looked exactly the same as it had looked about 3 months prior, the last time NW-Mogazine Volume 34, Number 3
*For use with inductive ignition systems 10
May & June 2014
(I’m lost. Is my system an inductive one? Must be, otherwise Dave wouldn’t have put this part in.)
NP St. Patrick's Brunch Pam Mahony
*1.5 or 3.0 Ohm primary resistance values available (I’m lost again. I think this line has something to do with the flow of electricity. I recall the term “Ohm” being part of a question in a grade 8 science class test that I failed.)
On Sunday March 16th, a few Morganeers, braving the rain, in their daily drivers, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Ford 500, Audi A8 and to top it off an Astro Van. We met at Ceili's, a modern Irish Pub, for an Irish breakfast on square white plates, to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. We were all wearing some green - gloves, jewelry, pins, even little green hats! Pat & Ken Miles, Verna & Laurie Fraser, Malcolm Sparrow, Chris Allen & Pam Mahony enjoyed the brunch!
*Legal in all 50 states and Canada (I understand this statement and am pleased to be complying with the law. I would hate to be pulled over by some redneck cop in Alabama and then be arrested for an illegal ignition. I can just imagine being thrown in the county jail there, and confessing to my 300 pound tattooed cellmate who just robbed a liquor store that I was doing time for an illegal ignition.) SPARK PLUG WIRES *Two current paths for reliability and redundancy (I guess two paths are better than one.) *Low 500 Ohm per foot resistance (Damn, there is that word “Ohm” again. I wish that I had paid more attention in Mr. Nakishima’s science class 43 years ago.) *8mm or 7mm silicone jacket to resist high temperatures, moisture, oil and chemicals (I usually put a jacket on to resist low temperatures but I understand this line conceptually.) *Fiberglass-reinforcing braid adds strength and flexibility (Again, I have a rough understanding of the benefits outlined here. I remember back in grade eight watching my sister braid her hair and it did add a degree of strength and flexibility. But what does that have to do with electricity?)
NP Coffee & Cars Run
*Lifetime Warranty (Bingo! I love it. I understand this one beyond the shadow of a doubt and am as pleased as can be that I will never have to buy another electronic ignition as long as I own my Morgan.)
Pam Mahony On Saturday April 12, we went on a Morgan Run to scenic Spanish Banks in Vancouver for a "Coffee & Cars" event. There were many exclusive and unique Lamborghini & Porsche cars as well as their enthusiastic owners. Chris and I were joined by Bob & Judy McDiarmid, Doug & Gill Seager, Laurie & Verna Fraser, and Steve & Susan Blake. Afterwards we drove to the U.B.C. Golf Club for a brunch at the Westward Ho Restaurant. The lunch was good, the conversation lively and it was a brilliant day weather-wise!
BILLET PLUG n’ PLAY DISTRIBUTORS *Available with Ignitor II or Ignitor III technology (Huh?) *Polished CNC machined housings (Huh?) *Top ball bearing and sintered bottom bushing (Huh? I had to look up the word “sintered” in the dictionary and still don’t really get it.) *Precision-machined and heat-treated gear (I sort of get it.) *Proprietary adjustable mechanical advance permits multiple limits (Huh?) *Compatible with most Captive Discharge Systems (This one got me thinking of my imaginary cellmate being let out of that prison cell in Alabama.) So there you have it, a detailed analysis of the back panel of a car part box and how it relates to a breakdown in the tunnel. I know what you are thinking – this is exhilarating automotive journalism. And I guess it comes as no surprise that 90 percent of what you just read on the box went over my head. But at least now I have a rough idea of the complexity of this part. And how something went wrong with my old outdated ignition on my 1966 Morgan, causing me to break down on Highway 99, while chasing that little Mini. As stated earlier, I leave this important mechanical stuff to the experts.Finally, just like the great creative “wizzes” that work for the Ignitor Company and wrote the copy for the ignition box, I’ll just stick to marketing instead of mechanics. All of my Dorg’s Morg articles, including the past two that are part of this story thread, are available on my personal website – dorg.ca NW-Mogazine Volume 34, Number 3
Blakes missed lunch
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Michael, an Alfa friend of the Frasers May & June 2014
