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On 7 Oct 2002, at 18:57, Michael D. Callahan wrote:
> > Moreover, Nissan also have terrible problems with the individual
> > coils that sit between the cams dirrectly on top of the plugs.
>
> Can't say as I agree, Leon. My '90 300ZXTT has 130,000mi and still
> has
> the original coils. That's along with the extra under-hood heat of the
> turbos. Mike C.
>
G'day Mike,
Thanks for the reply. I appreciate you trying to put me straight on
this, but I'm not in the habit of making statements that I can't back
up with practical experience.
It just so happens that I have a CA18 Turbo powered Sylvia (180
SX) in the workshop with a dud "plug over" coil RIGHT NOW!!
Recently, there was an SR20 Pulsar with a similar problem. So
I'm NOT making this up!!
But just to confirm the veracity of my statement and my personal
observations - (as I make no claim to being a Nissan guru) and to
make sure that I wasn't halucinating - (the petrol companies over
here are lacing fuel with up to 20% + Ethanol these days) , I took
the trouble the other day to speak to Geoff at SSS Automotive,
who IS a Nissan specialist.
He tells me he does a roaring trade in them! $20 AUD a pop S/H.
Geoff says that he found by removing the cover between the cams,
(he has a seriously tough RB26 4WD Skyline R32 GTR), the extra
air circulation does wonders and adds considerably to their
longevity, especially since he races his GTR on a regular basis.
So the fact that YOUR car hasn't had any trouble YET is beside
the point. You probably just haven't got to the critical MTBF ...
YET. Perhaps you live in a really cold climate, or maybe, just
maybe, you just don't drive the sucker hard enough often enough
to get them hot enough to cause a problem!!
So any time you wish to check the veracity of my statement, you
(or anyone else for that matter) are cordially invited to call either of
my importer mates Geoff or Joe or Mark at SSS Automotive in
Sydney.
0011 61 2 9896 6111. http://www.sssautomotive.com.au
See Mike, I just happened to give a practrical example drawn from
my own personal automotive experience of Nissan coils sitting in
the valley between the camshafts of Nissan twin cam engines
(which, admittedly, is an extrreme case).
The point I was making was that heat kills things electrical, like
coils, coil igniters, alternator voltage regulators etc.. Apparently,
I'm in good company with Tracey as he has said exactly the same
thing. So just don't believe me, but beleive Tracey, he's got the
runs on the board as far as rotaries in aircraft are concerned.
The problem equally applies to RX7s and Subarus, Hyundais etc..
RX7 Series II & IIIs are notorious for blowing the modules on the
dizzy, whereas the Series I rarely have problems The modules are
mounted in a box on the inner skirt away from the heat.
My own 1979 Series I, which I have had since new (and is now
fitted with a Series V non turbo engine has over 570, 000 Km on it
and is still on the original modules!.. It used to be the workshop
"Mule", but is now my good lady June's daily driver - Paul Lamar
took a photo of it the last time he was here.
But Series IV & V coils blow as well with monotonous regularity,
and I SUSPECT that a lot of the early apex seal failures on the
Series VI REW engines is due to detonation caused coil cross fire.
The coils sit on top of the engine, buried under the throttle body
and inlet plumbing. Insanity!
Additionally, we have already had at least a couple of rotary
(un)powered gliders due to coil failure. We don't want any more!
Fortunately, nobody has been hurt so far.
So for anyone who wishes to court trouble, by all means mount
your coils on top of the engine, and don't blow cold air over them.
All I can say is that you have been warned.
To (mis)quote that shampoo advert on TV says:
"It (failure) won't (necessarily) happen overnight. but it WILL
happen!"
Cheers mate!
Leon
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