Re: Gold Box

[jlandry@domain.elided (John A. Landry)]

At a recent NATO press briefing, ScoutIIMan@domain.elided was heard threatening
Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic...

>Geez John. Reliable? Is that why we have all the hundreds of posts about "My 
>Gold Box quits on me at the most inopportune time" submitted to the digest? I 
[snipage]

Steve,

Personally I never had a problem with my gold box ignition (when I still used
it.)  I've seen countless Scouts and a few T-Alls running the Gold box without
problems.  Many of the rigs I see still have the factory original box after
all these years.  I know of more trucks running gold box ignitions *without*
problems than those that have problems.

My theory as to why the gold box has a bad reputation is this... just like
with customer complaints in a business, a dissatisfied customer will tell ten
people about his bad experience, but a satisfied customer might tell one if
you're lucky.  The fact that *you've* had a problem along with a hand full of
other people (who have asked for help on the Digest) doesn't mean it's an
unreliable ignition.

That being said, certainly there are *better* and more reliable ignition
systems out there, but the gold box is adequate and very reliable for a stock
IH engine *if* you take care of it.  There are so many corroded and beater IH
rigs out there that the gold box doesn't have a prayer of working correctly
through all those rusty and nasty high resistance electrical connections.
Install a new ignition system with *new* wires and WOW, how reliable
everything is all of a sudden!  Replacing the gold box ignition system is just
an expensive... and maybe even lazy... way of correcting lack of preventative
maintenance.

>So, how come you're running a Pertronix instead of 
>the Gold Box anyway?

Because I want redundancy!  *If* the gold were to fail in the middle of no
place, no amount of bailing wire will help.  One has to at least carry a spare
gold box and a replacement pickup unit to insure getting back to civilization.
I feel more comfortable having an ignition system that gives me more than one
option.  So I run the Pertronix because I want the performance, reliability
and low maintenance of an electronic ignition.  But I also want to be able to
drop in a set of simple breaker-points just in case the Pertronix gives up the
ghost.

>Sorry John. After all the excellent advice, information and knowledge I've 
>gained from reading your posts, I'm just . . . disappointed. ;-)

As they say, my advice is worth what you paid for it, and to each his own!
<grin>

>Mack, do yourself a favor and get a points distributor and install the 
>Pertronix, and don't look back. I (shameless plug) have information on the 
>Pertronix at:
>http://members.aol.com/slarsonih/ignition/ignition.htm

If you can afford it, this is my choice also.  But if you need to save money,
keep your gold box and spend some quality time cleaning all the electrical
connections of the bulkhead connector and the gold box pig tail.  Use silicone
grease in the connection to help prevent corrosion.

Regards,

John L.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
jlandry AT halcyon DOT com      |
Conservative Libertarian        |  Scout(R) the America others pass by
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Commercial Helicopter - Inst.   | 1976 Scout II Traveler "Patriot" model
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