Not sure what the problem was with that Scenario as I don't HookUp that way ~

I connect the +Side of my T'Light to the +Terminal on the Alternator & the -Side to

any Bare Eng'Metal ~ Usually SomeConvenient part of the Alternator ~

                                                                ORR ~ DeanB

On 4 Sep , 2014, at 5:33 PM, Tom Young wrote:

> Hi all:
> 
> 
> 
> First the good news.  My '82 Westy passed smog, as I was sure it would.
> Still, there's always a lot of nerves around this time of year.
> 
> 
> 
> This time I watched the "technician" (probably 18-19 years old) like a hawk
> since the last two times I left the Westy at a smog shop for testing it was
> very, very clear they had tried to start the in 2nd, but had hit 4th
> instead.  "Stupid low-powered VW!  I've got to really give this thing the
> gas a slip the clutch like hell!"  Both times I came back to the smell of
> burning clutch material and a slipping clutch.
> 
> 
> 
> Anyway, he came back to the running engine carrying his timing light and
> stood there staring in at the engine for a minute or so before I asked
> "looking for a positive?"  He nodded, so I pointed him to the proper spade
> on the coil and he put his positive lead on there.  When he went to attach
> the negative lead on a ground point on the engine the engine began to die
> and he pulled back, claiming he'd been shocked.  He tried it again a second
> time at another ground point with the same results.  His boss walked by and
> the kid told him what had happened so the boss told him to get the jumper
> box (portable battery) and power the light from there.
> 
> 
> 
> What was it about that timing light - a fancy digital model of some sort -
> that was causing that?  I've hooked up my old timing light using that same
> set up dozens of times with no problems.
> 
> 
> 
> Tom Young