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BonTonRoulet
Samba Member
Joined: September 29, 2020
Posts: 359
Location: Mississippi
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 Posted: Thu May 13, 2021 6:41 pm Post subject: The old "Loaded Condenser" trick |
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Anyone fall for the old "Loaded Condenser" trick in the last, oh, 40 years?  For those that haven't, shouldn't this be a right of passage for our old cars to their next "conservators"? |
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motofly196
Samba Member
Joined: June 01, 2008
Posts: 1467
Location: Eastern WA
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| Posted: Thu May 13, 2021 10:21 pm Post subject: Re: The old "Loaded Condenser" trick |
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| Maybe set a few loaded ones on a swap table...for the shopper who has to "Touch" everything?? |
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BulliBill
Samba Member
Joined: July 09, 2004
Posts: 4572
Location: St Charles, MO
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2021 4:41 am Post subject: Re: The old "Loaded Condenser" trick |
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Apparently after 40 years of playing with old VWs I haven't been a victim (yet) of this prank. Pray tell, How does one "load a condenser" and especially how is it done so that the loader isn't zapped themselves? Now I'm gonna be afraid to touch anything at the next swap meet...
Bill
_________________
I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton
Thanks for any help! |
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FarmerBill
Samba Member
Joined: July 25, 2017
Posts: 766
Location: New England
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2021 4:52 am Post subject: Re: The old "Loaded Condenser" trick |
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An old friend of mine told me about a prank some old timers played at the county fairgrounds when he was a kid. They brazed a nail to a silver dollar and put the nail through a hole in one of the grandstand seats. They then hooked an old model-t coil to the nail with alligator clips.  |
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Lind
Samba Member
Joined: November 06, 2000
Posts: 9913
Location: idaho
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2021 7:04 am Post subject: Re: The old "Loaded Condenser" trick |
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| BulliBill wrote: |
Apparently after 40 years of playing with old VWs I haven't been a victim (yet) of this prank. Pray tell, How does one "load a condenser" and especially how is it done so that the loader isn't zapped themselves? Now I'm gonna be afraid to touch anything at the next swap meet...
Bill |
The condensor holds a bit of charge from the coil until the points give it a ground through the spark plug. If you pick up a random condensor off a joker's swap spot, you can become the spark plug.
Pro tip: don't touch strange condensors at swap meets. It's not like you ever need one anyway. I have only had one go bad on me in 30 years and hundreds of thousands of miles.
_________________
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Wanted:
Idaho VW license plate frames or other dealership items.
VWoA literature and early dealership or distributor literature/pictures/information
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motofly196
Samba Member
Joined: June 01, 2008
Posts: 1467
Location: Eastern WA
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2021 7:15 am Post subject: Re: The old "Loaded Condenser" trick |
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My Senior year of high school, I came into class a bit early and saw a condenser sitting in every one of our chairs. I also saw my jokester instructor taking off his rubber gloves at his podium. This was the day AFTER he had explained condensers, and how they hold a charge.
I didn't touch it, but one by one as students came in...."bang". And that continued as every one of us just sat watching the next student come in. It was pretty funny. 
Probably not very politically correct by todays school standards. But funny! |
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Long-roofs
Samba Member
Joined: March 20, 2002
Posts: 2295
Location: Millwood, Wa
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2021 8:33 am Post subject: Re: The old "Loaded Condenser" trick |
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Lost two condensers over 35 years, big back fire, then dead. I carry no less than 4 extras in my travel box.
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I have been on a treadmill drinking vodka, maybe more than once.
"No, I do not own a bleepin' leaf blower"
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Pruneman99
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2012
Posts: 5013
Location: Oceanside
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| Posted: Fri May 14, 2021 12:18 pm Post subject: Re: The old "Loaded Condenser" trick |
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| Long-roofs wrote: |
| Lost two condensers over 35 years, big back fire, then dead. I carry no less than 4 extras in my travel box. |
Well I guess you're good to go for the next 70 years. |
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jwp67
Samba Member
Joined: February 12, 2012
Posts: 655
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2021 11:37 am Post subject: Re: The old "Loaded Condenser" trick |
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| Lind wrote: |
| BulliBill wrote: |
Apparently after 40 years of playing with old VWs I haven't been a victim (yet) of this prank. Pray tell, How does one "load a condenser" and especially how is it done so that the loader isn't zapped themselves? Now I'm gonna be afraid to touch anything at the next swap meet...
Bill |
The condensor holds a bit of charge from the coil until the points give it a ground through the spark plug. If you pick up a random condensor off a joker's swap spot, you can become the spark plug.
Pro tip: don't touch strange condensors at swap meets. It's not like you ever need one anyway. I have only had one go bad on me in 30 years and hundreds of thousands of miles. |
So you're saying I should only get condensors free of charge
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21 million of these cars were built,and everyone of them were sold...kinda astounding given how unreliable they are.---johhnypan |
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cdennisg
Samba Member
Joined: November 02, 2004
Posts: 20271
Location: Sandpoint, ID
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2021 6:53 pm Post subject: Re: The old "Loaded Condenser" trick |
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| motofly196 wrote: |
My Senior year of high school, I came into class a bit early and saw a condenser sitting in every one of our chairs. I also saw my jokester instructor taking off his rubber gloves at his podium. This was the day AFTER he had explained condensers, and how they hold a charge.
I didn't touch it, but one by one as students came in...."bang". And that continued as every one of us just sat watching the next student come in. It was pretty funny.
Probably not very politically correct by todays school standards. But funny! |
We would charge up a condenser on a snowmobile or lawn mower engine in shop class, then toss it to some unsuspecting guy across the room. Good times.
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cdennisg
Samba Member
Joined: November 02, 2004
Posts: 20271
Location: Sandpoint, ID
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| Posted: Sat May 15, 2021 6:54 pm Post subject: Re: The old "Loaded Condenser" trick |
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| Long-roofs wrote: |
| Lost two condensers over 35 years, big back fire, then dead. I carry no less than 4 extras in my travel box. |
I think I have only had a couple of them fail, too. Coils are another matter.
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22639
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Sun May 16, 2021 4:22 am Post subject: Re: The old "Loaded Condenser" trick |
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I used to run a facility with excimer lasers with big ass caps.
These were big enough that the charge would kill you.
I also learned that leaving these ungrounded, they could charge spontaneously, so it was a safety violation to leave caps without a Bus bar on them
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.ssS! |
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