-----Original Message-----
From: Milo's Kitchen [mailto:sagmoore@zoominternet.net]
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2003 10:15 PM
To: tom ring
Subject: RE: Cold Starts

I agree, I misstated, more voltage will be required to the capacity of the
system. However, in the normal scheme of things, age and loss of the
dielectric fluid (oil) due to loss of seal, engine bay heat etc, will
eventually cause the failure of the coil. What it gets down to is a lack of
maintenance of the plugs in the long run, not the materials (platinum or
copper or iron alloy) being utilized. A smaller, sharper gap will require
less voltage to produce a spark.

Dave

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com]On Behalf
Of tom ring
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2003 9:47 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Cold Starts

I've seen a couple misunderstandings in this thread.

A plug with a larger gap than specified will force the coil to produce
greater
than normal voltage to fire.  Coil current in this case will generally
decrease
unless the ignotion system can somehow force more energy into each pulse,
which
a standard system will not do.  The coil will not run hot, but may fail due
to
insulation breakdown.  This may be an intermittent failure, and may be
temperature sensitive due to interwinding distance changing.

A plug with a smaller gtap than normal will require less voltage than normal
to
fire, and will draw greater current.  This will cause greater heating of the
coil.

Follow old, worn, high gap plugs with new, too tightly gapped plugs...

tom

------
Tom Ring K0TAR, ex-WA2PHW  EN34hx
85 Westphalia GL Albert
96 Jetta GL The Intimidator
taring@taring.org

"It is better to go into a turn slow, and come out fast, than to go into a
turn
fast
and come out dead." Stirling Moss