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To address comments privately to the moderating team, please address:
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are 19 messages in this issue.
Topics in this digest:
1. ADMIN: Egroups Bought by YAHOO
From: "Dave Swingle" <dswingle@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
2. RE: Responding to a judging question
From: "Gus Schlachter" <gus@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
3. Re: Another strange occurance
From: dherv10@xxxxxxx
4. Re: Another strange occurance
From: dherv10@xxxxxxx
5. Re: Another strange occurance
From: dherv10@xxxxxxx
6. Re: weird factory writings
From: efren hicks <marty_mcflyJr@xxxxxxxxx>
7. Re: MSD pros and cons
From: kayoong@xxxxxxx
8. MSD and Coils
From: wingd2@xxxxxxx
9. Cleveland Deserts
From: scottmueller<scottmueller@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
10. More on my strange occurance
From: "Scott Cagle" <sharkywtrs@xxxxxxxxxxx>
11. Re: Fwd: MSD pros and cons
From: Marc A Levy <malevy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
12. cooling fans and fanzilla
From: "Sean Spurlock" <sean_dmc1@xxxxxxxxxxx>
13. Dash Plaque
From: scottmueller<scottmueller@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
14. PRV-6 Differances: Volvo vs. DeLorean
From: "Robert Rooney" <dmcvegas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
15. Idle speed motor.
From: "Robert Rooney" <dmcvegas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
16. New Ads Posted
From: "Dave Swingle" <dswingle@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
17. Concours summary -- from a judge point of view
From: "Grimsrud, Knut S" <knut.s.grimsrud@xxxxxxxxx>
18. Re: cooling fans and fanzilla
From: senatorpack@xxxxxx
19. Re: Auto Transmission Governor Secrets Revealed...(long post)
From: "jtrealty@xxxxxxxxxxx " <jtrealty@xxxxxxxxxxx>
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 1
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 23:12:14 -0500
From: "Dave Swingle" <dswingle@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: ADMIN: Egroups Bought by YAHOO
Group
I received the following announcement today. This should have no immediate
impact, but based on the experience with eGroups last merge, and reported
annoyances when Yahoo took over GeoCities, I thought I post a reminder that
if the list EVER falls apart due to mechanical issues, please check at
www.dmcnews.com for latest information. If I have any information on
difficulties with operation of the list that's where I'll post it.
I do not plan any immediate changes, but will be looking into alternatives
in case I feel that this is not going in a good direction.
Keep your fingers crossed, don't expect any changes for a few months at
least. The merger will not be finalized until September/October.
Dave
============================================================
Dear eGroups Moderator:
eGroups is very pleased to announce that we are joining the Yahoo! family of
services! To learn more about the announcement, you can read the press
release at http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/000628/ca_yahoo.htmlYahoo! will continue
to provide the same level of service and commitment
that you have come to expect from both companies. We are very excited
As a group moderator, you can assure your group members that eGroups and
about extending the opportunities and new offerings that will emerge
from this relationship to you and your group. We're just beginning to
explore the possibilities and new features that we'll be able to offer
as a combined company. As we go through this process, we pledge to
solicit your feedback on any proposed changes and keep you up-to-date on
any changes to the eGroups service.
We are committed to sharing accurate and timely information with you
about the service and the merger as it becomes available, but at this
time, we don't have any specific details beyond what's included in the
press release. We will keep you posted, but in the meantime, please
continue to use the service as normal.
Thank you,
The folks at eGroups and Yahoo! Customer Care
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 2
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 23:19:57 -0500
From: "Gus Schlachter" <gus@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: Responding to a judging question
For judging, my car may as well have looked like Dave Stragand's (no
offense, Dave) since there were only enough cars in my category (100k+) to
justify a single award. :-( But the winner deserved it. :-)
Speaking of the winner, Bill Swilley also won the "farthest drive" award,
which I considered nominating myself for since my car come from Houston just
like Bill's, only mine started in Austin almost 200 miles further away. Of
course, I didn't do the driving so it seemed cheap to try to claim the
award. Maybe it should have gone to James Espey for doing all the driving
for me?
I still say we should judge the cars with nothing but a stopwatch...(tee hee
hee)
Gus "Drag Racer" Schlachter
Austin, TX
VIN# 4695
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Marc A Levy [mailto:malevy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 28, 2000 7:27 AM
> Subject: Re: [DML] Responding to a judging question
>
>
> Since you mentioned it...
>
> How were the "Modified" cars judged? I felt that deductions were made
> on my car for the after market stereo and huge rear speakers..
>
> Will the judging sheets be made available? I'd like to "fix" some
> things for memphis...
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 3
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 00:33:46 EDT
From: dherv10@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Another strange occurance
Scott & Gus
Has anyone tried the accessory relay. It is turned on and off by the inition
switch. Relay #17. I can fix or clean if it's the problem.
John
11004
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 4
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 01:10:59 EDT
From: dherv10@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Another strange occurance
Scott,
The circut breakers are self healing, meaning that after the ignition is
turned off and they cool off if they over heated, then they would reset
themselves. Not being used for a long time could make them a little crusty.
Have you installed the new 40 Amp. If not I have them.
John
11004
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________________________________________________________________________
Message: 5
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 01:23:28 EDT
From: dherv10@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Another strange occurance
Scott,
Do you have diagrams on the electrical system. There is relays for the fans
and circut breakers. Has the fix been installed. If you have fans or any
other electrical items that is drawing higher curent but not blowing the
fuses. That is part of what is causing the melt down on the fuses. Also,
Leave the lid off the fuses to get better circulation. I will be taking the
fan motors out of my car for service. New bearings and brushes for the
motors. As they get older the brushes wear out and bearing dry out,
causing them to use more current, thus causing over heating and more current
drain on the electrical system.
My $0.02's worth
John
11004
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 6
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 00:30:28 -0700 (PDT)
From: efren hicks <marty_mcflyJr@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: weird factory writings
well i found on my 83 delorean
"albert for king" inside the cars fiber glass
efren 16072
--- jus4sho@xxxxxxx wrote:
> I've had the quarter panels of my D for several
> months now, but just last week, I was wiping some
> dust off of the lower left corner of the left rear
> pontoon (Behind the left rear wheel) and found
> someone had scribed their initials and a 1981 date
> in the fiberglass. Has anyone else found scribings
> in this location?
>
> Steve
> VIN 2650
>
>
>
>
> Before posting messages or replies, see the posting
> policy rules at:
> www.dmcnews.com/Admin/rules.html
>
> To address comments privately to the moderating
> team, please address:
> moderator@xxxxxxxxxxx
>
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________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 7
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 04:06:11 EDT
From: kayoong@xxxxxxx
Subject: Re: MSD pros and cons
Mike,
Hi. This is Kayo, again.
Modifications? None. Twenty-five minute job. No modification to the
original wire harness is necessary at all. All you have to do is unplug the
two wires that are on the Bosch coil, next remove the two hold down nuts on
bracket which is holding the coil to the firewall.
Visually look at the Bosch coil. Look at the "shape" of the fittings and the
markings on the coil which is marked negative (-) and positive (+) terminal,
before removing the fittings. The fittings are different. The shape of
these original fittings on the coils are made with a male and female fit and
the wires in the car's harness plugs are respectively and complementary to
these fittings. You really can't make a mistake on re fitting the wires
plugs.
Remove and reused the original fittings from the original Bosch coil. These
fittings are held down with hex nuts. The fittings are made of brass. Clean
them if they are tarnish or slightly corroded. Replace them, if they are in
poor shape. Transfer them to the MSD coil with the positive fitting to the
positive side and negative fitting to the negative side. Both the Bosch and
the MSD coils are marked ( - ) and ( + ). Use the new hex nut supplied
with the MSD coil to secure these fittings. Do not over tighten or you may
pull or brake the terminal and its housing.
Reused the old bracket from the Bosch coil or you can get a new bracket and
install it on the MSD coil. Do not over tighten the screw that clamps the
coil on the bracket. You can deform the coil housing and create a leakage.
Most ignition coils are generally fill with oil and the MSD and the Bosch
uses oil. (The oil is for cooling and insulation. Leaking coil will result
in a poor and or erratic ignition performance.)
Then mount the MSD coil back on the firewall and refitting the wire harness
plugs onto the MSD coil (use dielectric grease on the terminal). Double
check everything, then start the car up and enjoy the difference.
The cheapest way for more performance and driving thrills, and if you don't
like its performance -- reinstall the Bosch coil. Nothing to lose except $50
and 1/2 hour of time.
Kayo
#5508
Lic. 9D NY
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 8
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 00:35:33 EDT
From: wingd2@xxxxxxx
Subject: MSD and Coils
The MSD coil that Kayo and others have talked about is a direct swap for
the original Bosch unit, It bolts right in and puts out more voltage.
Accel also makes a high performance unit just the same as the MSD unit,
only at about half the cost. Try an Accel # 8140, about $27. I've been
running this unit ever since we did the "Dyno Days" testing last fall and it
has fixed the ignition problems we found on the cars on the top end.
I just think the original Bosch units are getting weak after 18 years.
Marty
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 9
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 05:04:04 -0700 (PDT)
From: scottmueller<scottmueller@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Cleveland Deserts
For those of you that went to Cleveland, did you happen to eat any of the fantastic
deserts that were served at the dinners.
I heard that they were made by Ken K's wife.
Thank you for the wonderful deserts.
Scott Mueller
Get 100% FREE Internet Access from Freei.Net. 100% FREE, 100% Anonymous, 100% Jam Packed with features. Check us out at http://www.freei.net.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 10
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 08:09:53 -0400
From: "Scott Cagle" <sharkywtrs@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: More on my strange occurance
Okay, after all the input from everyone, and some help from DMC Joe, this is
what I've come up with, as awkward as it may, it's the only explanation I
can figure out; When I got it out of storage, it was hot. The hottest day
we've had yet, therefor, the first time I've really used the AC for any
length of time. (I usually just use the windows for a good draft, it's good
enough for me) This caused a good amount of heat buildup on the old circuit
breakers which hadn't been replaced, causing the fuse to heat up, but not
blow. That being said, at the same time, from going over numerous speed
bumps and rocky roads in the area, one of the connections on the ACC relay
came loose. Also, not enough for me to see, but enough for me to fidget
around pulling the fuses and such for it to push itself back on. As for the
fan only having fourth speed, I believe it's probably the switch, as I've
checked the resister connections and they all look tight. Possibly
completly unrelated, or it could also could have been on it's way out, and
the sudden electrical problems just finished it off. I'll report my
findings later. Thanks everyone for your help!!
Scott
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 11
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 09:00:01 -0400
From: Marc A Levy <malevy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Fwd: MSD pros and cons
So this is more that just a replacement coil? There are some brains in
this thing?
Any more detail on how the coil for the DMC application works?
Bob Brandys wrote:
<SNIP>
> Why is the MSD better than stock, because it fires the spark plug 4 times in a
> row. This way you have not chance of misfire at any time, even with lean
> mixtures. Some people have a concern about premature spark plug wear due to this
> multiple spark discharge (MSD get it?). I have never experience premature spark
> plug wear on my cars.
>
<SNIP>
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 12
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 12:30:12 CDT
From: "Sean Spurlock" <sean_dmc1@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: cooling fans and fanzilla
Group,
I am redoing the colling system on my car...and it seems like my fans
aren't even cycling. What could be wrong? The car heats up and the fnas
don't kick on....sensor? could fanzilla help this? Thanks!
Sean
VIN 7003
Oh...as of right now my car is no longer for sale.
I will keep everyone posted if I decided to put it up for sale after I get
the work done!
________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 13
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 14:32:17 -0700 (PDT)
From: scottmueller<scottmueller@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Dash Plaque
Ken K. and others working on the Graceland Show.
How about having a small dash plaque for each of the registered cars. I have been to
many shows, and always enjoy recieving the dash plaque. It helps remind me of where
I have been. The plaque I got at the Cleveland show will always bring back great
memories.
Scott Mueller
Get 100% FREE Internet Access from Freei.Net. 100% FREE, 100% Anonymous, 100% Jam Packed with features. Check us out at http://www.freei.net.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 14
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 00:05:33 -0000
From: "Robert Rooney" <dmcvegas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: PRV-6 Differances: Volvo vs. DeLorean
When looking at a '76 single turbo PRV enigne, I could have sworn
that I was looking a DeLorean engine, but there is a huge differance!
The crankshaft on the DeLorean has 2 slots for drive belts: 1 for the
A/C, and another for the water pump/alternator. But the Volovo
crankshaft has 4 notches: 1. Alternator 2. A/C 3. Water pump (why the
shaft is longer) 4. Turbo (optional). Although you could probably
swap oil pans & everything else to mount it, the crankshaft would
never clear the muffler. In order to use the engine, you'd also have
to swap crank shafts with the DeLorean.
-Robert
vin 6585
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Message: 15
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 00:31:13 -0000
From: "Robert Rooney" <dmcvegas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Idle speed motor.
Last week the idle speed motor seized. The cross over is for an '82
Volvo GLE. I found an '86 GLE, and while I can't see the motor, it
does feel like the same unit (hidden below the intake manifold).
Looking at a '76-79 PRV-6 motor, it uses a differant motor, but it
does bolt onto the motor in the same place. My question is can this
second type of idle speed motor be used on the DeLorean? It's already
on a PRV-6 w/K-Jetronic fuel injection. Aside from physical
appearance, the only other differance is that the 2nd motor only has
2 wires where the D's has 3. Since the workshop manual doesn't have
any schematics for the unit, I can't make a full comparison. Is the
extra wire for the warm up period only? And ideas would really help.
I'm not trying to be cheap, but I just need my car running to get me
by untill I can order an official unit from a parts supplier. Plus
I'm not looking forward to removing the enitre manifold on the Volvo
in 108 degree heat. But if I have to, I will. The things I go through
for my car!
-Robert
vin 6585
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Message: 16
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 22:40:21 -0500
From: "Dave Swingle" <dswingle@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: New Ads Posted
I've been away for a while and the ads really piled up. Must be the season
to sell DeLoreans. Be sure to check the current ads at
www.dmcnews.com/BuyNSell/dmcforsale.html Current price range is from $8500
to $24,500. Available all over the world.
Also be sure to browse the DMC Memorabilia Wanted and For Sale pages at
www.dmcnews.com/buynsell.html
I'll try and get the Pix of the month updated over the weekend (on time for
once).
Dave
________________________________________________________________________
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Message: 17
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 08:23:21 -0700
From: "Grimsrud, Knut S" <knut.s.grimsrud@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Concours summary -- from a judge point of view
At the Clevelant event (and what event it was!), I once again had the
opportunity to participate in the Millenium Concours judging sponsored by
DMC. All the judges from the St. Louis Millenium Concours participated again
this time, and the benefit of accumulated experience was clearly evident.
All judges focused on a different aspect of the car this time than at the
St. Louis event in order to further increase the knowledgebase and to add
some variety for the judges.
I thought that the carry-over of experience was extremely useful in refining
and improving the judging process. For example, I judged operating controls
this time and through the throughtful suggestions and comments Bill Swilley
provided based on the operating controls judging from St. Louis, we
developed a streamlined coreography to judge operating controls that would
be as efficient as possible. Such improvements will undoubtedly continue to
be made during the course of the next judging events and I expect each DMC
sponsored concours will be even better than the previous ones. In addition
to making improvements to the specific judging areas, changes were also made
to decrease the overall judging time for each car. Although each car still
underwent approximately 2.5 person-hours of judging (DMC has developed
judging standards for the Millenium Concours that are highly detailed), the
time each owner had to spend tending to his/her car was reduced to slightly
over 1 hour by having several aspects of the each car judged simultaneously
(for example, the trunk area and engine compartment were judged
simultaneously, etc). This hopefully made the experience better for the
concours participants.
Once again we had the pleasure of judging some of the finest examples of
DeLoreans around and once again DMC did an outstanding job of keeping
everything organized and keeping the judges well informed of their
responsibilities. All the details were already worked out for us so that all
we had to concentrate on was doing the judging -- everything from judge's
breakfast for pre-judging briefing, to judges shirts, and even refreshments
in the DMC "mother ship" was provided by DMC. Thanks to James for all his
hard work that made the judging such a nice experience.
Several of the cars that participated in the concours had also participated
in the previous concours in St. Louis. I believe that without exception, the
returning cars scored better this time than they did in St. Louis (one would
expect this since deduction areas are identified and can be corrected).
Altough all the cars were very fine examples of excellent condition
DeLoreans, the point-spread between the cars was sufficient for the rankings
to be unambiguous. With the granularity of deductions assessed, I would
estimate that the closest spread between cars was about 7-8 deductions.
I discovered a few common deduction areas in my area of operating controls
that some of you may be interested in if you are preparing to participate in
future competitions (or if you participated in the Cleveland event but have
not gotten the judging sheets back yet).
- I think every car had some deduction for door operation. Unfortunatley, I
believe that this will necessarily be the case since there is a fraction of
a point deductioed for non-original struts and there is also deduction for
doors that don't rise all the way to the top. Since there will be no
original struts that raise the door all the way to the top all the cars end
up with some sort of door operation deduction. However, there were also
several cars that had replacement struts where the doors still did not
operate quite to spec. A properly operating door should rise all the way
against the stops unassistend when opening the door.
- Nearly every car got a small fraction of a point deducted for the concole
clock not being set properly. The judging handbook points this out, but it
is easily overlooked.
- A couple cars got point deductions for A/C that was not charged well and
did therefore not cool well.
- Nearly every car got a small fraction of a point deducted for the license
plate lights. For some reason nearly all of the plastic lenses were very
dirty from the back side. This is probably due to the fact that the lenses
are horizontal and thus dirt/grime will settle on the inside of the lens.
Also, there may be tendency for dust to enter this space during driving.
Overall , the cars were outstanding examples and having gone through the
judging process once again I identified many minor things that I could
readily improve on my DeLoreans. I found the judging to be a rewarding
experience and I would encourage others to consider participating as judges
if they get the chance. And again thanks to DMC and James for making the
judging such a good experience and to Ken and all the others that put on
such an outstanding show.
Knut
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 18
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 01:08:06 EDT
From: senatorpack@xxxxxx
Subject: Re: cooling fans and fanzilla
When I had the FANZILLA installed it made a significant improvement to the
operation of the car when the A/C was on.
Example,
When I had the A/C on, driving at 60-65 mph, when the compressor would
cycle the car slowed and you could feel a power drain. This was in VIN 6058,
Nov 81. This car had the fused wire jumper wire instead of the Blue Original
relay.
I had PJ Grady DeLorean service the A/C in an another DeLorean of mine
VIN 3713, Sept 81. This car had the Fanzilla installed and it made the car
smooth and effortless when the compressor cycled.
The fanzilla seems to help ease the spikes, surges, and scariness of the
DeLorean electrical system. I highly recommend it.
Mike
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Message: 19
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 18:05:02 -0000
From: "jtrealty@xxxxxxxxxxx " <jtrealty@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: Auto Transmission Governor Secrets Revealed...(long post)
I would like to add that I had trouble with my automatic too. I was
driving and the car started slipping and wouldn't move in foward or
reverse. Before that the car was acting funny about shifting but
nothing I could put my finger on. Upon removing and dissasembling the
trans I discovered c-1 and c-2 frictions wiped out and the steels
burnt. The filter was clogged.I cut open the filter and discovered
that the mesh and the support baffle was assembled in reverse causing
the pump to be starved for fluid and causing the line pressure to be
lowered. With the low line pressure the clutches slipped and burnt.
After rebuilding the trans I was able to fully apreciate an
underlying
shifting problem with the shift computer. After replacing the vacum
modulater, adjusting the line pressure, adjusting the cable to the
shift compter,and adjusting the micro switch I gave up and bought a
"new" shift computer. It seems to have cured the shift problems. I
have an old shift computer I diseccted ie: I cut up the cables, the
multi switch and the plug.I can send You the diagrams I made of the
wiring connections and I am trying to build a test stand to test and
troubleshoot shift compuers.I am also trying to get the documentation
that Chrysler Corp had when they used the shift computer in one of
their imports.I agree that we need a Transzilla but short of that
there are some things that can be done to improve the shift computer.
If anyone else on the list has anything to contribute to this effort
please respond and maybe we can fix this source of problems once and
for all with an upgrade or patch for all of the unlucky owners of
automatic transmissions. It's not a matter of if your shift computer
will fail but when.
David Teitelbaum
Vin 10757
2nd place winner 2000 concours
n dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxx, "Mark Hershey" <dmcinfo@xxxx> wrote:
> OK, maybe not everything we'd like to know. But as promised awhile
back,
> here's enough to explain
> some strange auto transmission symptoms and get started on the
story
in
> detail.
>
> First, I'd like to thank Dave Santos and others who have
contributed
bits
> and pieces of knowledge, experiences, and spare parts to my What
Makes the
> Governor Computer Tick and Why Most Eventually Fail project.
>
> Over the years I have experienced multiple failures of the GC and
have
> gained considerably more experience with them than I intended. Been
> able to repair my own, but experiences reported by other owners
revealed a
> variety of failures, only some of which I saw on mine.
>
> To determine what was going on I reverse engineered the mis-named
"computer"
> and made my D into a test fixture for several possible circuit
changes. I'm
> working on a comprehensive document but for now here's some of the
> results. I'll also report perodically on how well some changes work
after
> they
> have more time and miles on them.
>
> Here is some key info for the technically inclined among us. I'll
try to get
> schematics and pictures up on
> a forthcoming Web page after I get 'em cleaned up.
>
>
> Missing parts:
> Good Engineering practice dictates some preventatve measures that
simply are
> not included in the original design. I'll describe a few examples,
but first
> it may help to understand a bit about how the GC works.
>
> The GC works by comparing a variable voltage derived from a small
alternator
> attached to the transmission (and reduced by advancing the throttle
> position) to a constant 7-volt source derived from the battery with
a
> voltage regulator device called a Zener diode. When the variable
> speed/throttle position voltage equals the 7 volt constant voltage,
the
> first transmission control solenoid valve drops out and the
transmission
> shifts from 1st to 2nd. Similarly, when the variable voltage
continues to
> climb to a specific point (about 9.5 volts), the second solenoid
drops out
> and the transmission shifts to 3rd. All this depends on keeping the
7-volt
> reference at 7 volts no matter what-- and in a hostile electrical
> environment, that can be difficult. The cheap Zener diode circuit
used in
> the GC is a typical design, and it appears adequate so far.
However,
Zeners
> can be forced out of their Zener regulation "knee" by large spikes
and
> transients. Though they rarely fail with permanent damage the
circuit can
> behave erratically. Expected symptoms:if your transmission goes
flakey
> (downshifts erraticlly, refuses to upshift) BUT you can immediately
stop,
> shut off the ignition, restart the car, and everything is OK for
days and
> weeks at a time this circuit is a likely culprit. I'm interested in
feedback
> if that happens to any of you; if so I'll test a design with a
better
> regulator. For now I'm leaving that as is.
>
> The main "computer" devices are two integrated circuits technically
> referrred to as op amps configured as voltage comparators. These
particular
> Siemens Corp. chips are long unavailable but rarely fail. The
circuit they
> are used in is extremely sensitive; even condensation on the board
will
> cause the circuit to function improperly. Holding your thumb on the
board
> while driving around (don't try that one yourself)will even cause
it
to
> fail! This was the core of my research since the most common GC
failure
> symptoms are caused by this circuit, that being the car randomly
downshifts
> from third to second with no cause/effect pattern other than perhaps
> relative humidity. Reason for such instability: two things...First,
there
> are two electrolytic capacitors ("caps") on the GC board that, when
new,
> help filter out transient variations (electrical noise)from the car
battery.
> These caps nearly always fail, just time and transmission heat will
kill
> 'em. Every single GC I've looked at (5 years or older)had bad caps.
That in
> itself would be OK, except the comparators depend on a good, clean
reference
> voltage and without these caps they are less likely to get it. The
fix:
> replace the caps with more rugged parts (I used tantalum caps seven
years
> ago, still OK)AND add .1 microfarad bypass caps across pins 1 and 4
(supply
> and ground)of each of the comparator chips. Yes, all you incredulous
> engineers out there, the Renault designers actually left out the IC
bypass
> caps!Amazing...Anyway I added these last week so time will tell if
they
> reduce instability long term. I can, at least, handle the board
live
on
> rainy days without downshifting :-)
>
> Also for you engineers, they left out antispiking diodes in the
solenoid
> driver circuit-- an invitation to intermittent / erratic operation.
Add
> reverse biased 1n4007's (radio shack)across the transistor output
leads.
>
> The number one problem I saw on examination was poor solder joints!
All
> seven units I have examined (two mine, one Dave's, and various
Dallas
> friends over the years)had really bad solder job all over the
board.
Worst
> problem is where the 8-wire cable attached to the two boards and
where the
> six-wire inter-board jumper cable solders on to both boards.Can't
stress
> enough how removing the red conformal coating (I used lacquer
thinner),
> generously fluxing the board, and resoldering everything can help.
Certain
> it causes many of the intermittent problems.
>
> Drive Transistors:
> The two transistors that drive the solenoids are RCA units long out
of
> production. Although they only fail ocassionally, they can be
replaced with
> a more rugged TIP42 or TIP42C part from Motorola. TIP42Cs can still
be found
> in some Radio Shack stores and are available from Radio Shack's
online
> store. Symptoms:car starts out in second gear but shifts OK to
third, or car
> starts out in 3rd and stays. Note that a blown A/T fuse can also
cause it
> start and stay in 3rd. Generally these transistors don't fail
> intermittently, so if your car sometimes shifts OK but gets screwy
on
> occasion, this ain't it.
>
> Multiple switch
> The multiple or "combination" switch controls backup lights and 1st
gear
> hold when you move the lever to "1". The switch rarely fails, and
isn't
> repairable in any case. Just make sure the retainer screw that
holds
it to
> the transmission case is firmly in place. I'll offer more detail on
this
> switch's complete function later.
>
> Well, enough for now...I'll try to write up a more coherent
description with
> pictures for download. Perhaps Mr. Zilla could be persuaded to offer
> TransZillas with various design improvements. I'd like to see
someone
> replace the whole circuit board set with an A/D converter driving a
PIC
> microprocessor and let you adjust shift performance curve via a
Laptop
> serial port connection. Wouldn't be all that hard to do...
>
> Bye!
> \\ Mark Hershey
> Vin 2790,now full-time automatic (so far)
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