....... > Now in all fairness, if those caps in question had anything to do with > filtering/smoothing the car's 12VDC supply voltage, in the manner that most > electrolytics are used in automobile electronics, and which a reader of the > years-long Governor Computer thread would very likely assume from all the > discussions about them failing from inductive kickback /counter EMF off of > jump starts and the like (I suspect you assumed this too, Ralf), then I'd > agree completely on the risk of shorts, heat and explosion from improperly > installed capacitors ...... Mark! Your suspicion is true. I never actually saw a GC and I don't have a schematic for it (I don't need to, because I have a D with manual transmission). My assumption that the caps in question were used for filtering the 12V supply was based on hearsay and is wrong. I think, now I have to apologize. For a really profound analysis I should have taken a look at a schematic in the first place. Nevertheless, my statements hold true in applications were caps are used for supply voltage filtering... :-) Thank you for your detailed explanation of the GC. I now can fully agree to your statements. A hazard of fire or explosion is only given if there is enough current flow through the reversed cap. With a high enough series resistor in front of the cap the situation isn't very critical. I am sure that this resistor is the main reason why your caps worked such a long time in "reversed mode". How about putting an improved schematic in the files section? A while ago someone gave some clues how to "strengthen" the GC against inductive kickback etc. Was it you? Matthew! Like Mark states correctly, voltage surges are no concern in this application. So it is absolutely safe to use tantalums. Other than electrolytic caps, the tantalums will last nearly indefinitely in this application. But once more: Observe the right polarity. If you are unsure about the markings on the case: The longer lead is the positive terminal. Ralf. VIN10284