This has never happened to me before. I was turning my distributor with one hand on the panel right below the windshield and the other on top of the distributor. As I started to turn it counter clockwise, I got the crap shocked outta me!!! It felt like I stuck my finger in a light socket (I did that once when I was a kid)! Like I said, I've adjusted my timing hundreds of times and never been shocked. Why did it happen this time?!

 

Either the cap or one of the wires is leaking electrons.

 

It's happened to me before...

And YES - I can tell a big difference between the old points type ignition and a HEI ignition!!

The jolt factor of an HEI will leave you speechless.....unless you count cussing as speech!!...

 

Yeah, I muttered a few explitives!!!

 

next time keep a hand off the metal. you made a nice path through you to ground, when i play with electricity i keep a hand free or in pocket. no path to ground no shock....

jeff

 

Happens to me all the time, I think I possibly am going brain dead from it because now it kinda feels good to get zapped.:werd:

Last week I got nailed real bad testing an MSD box, They do put out a nasty spark. My left side was numb for 10 minutes.

 

yeah.. it happened to me the day after my teacher said to be careful when timing a car you could get shocked... lol.. i don't use my keys to start my car so they were haning out of my pocket grounded me to the car... and ZAPPPP!!!!.. lol.. i looked really funny we got it on tape for some reason

 

Ouch! I've been whapped a few times with HEI, if it happens consider it a good indicator that it's time for new plug wires.

I also make a point of grabbing the cap and not touching the wires.

 

last time i got zapped was when i first learned how to test spark and i stuck a screwdriver in the plug wire and held on the the screw driver. zapped pretty good

 

lol and to think, my friend was so upset that he got zapped with a half-charged camera capacitor...


note to self: dont touch stuff while touching other stuff.

 

ha ha.. thats always a good one

 

It happen right after I installed new wires.

 

I got zapped by my cousin's Flathead Ford once... I had the bright idea to touch a spark plug when it was running, lol.

 

IF you really want to have a good time, grab the spark coil on an HEI system. Was checking the wires when I accidentally knocked teh coild wire off. Hand spontanously grabbed the coil terminal when it shocked me and I couldnt let go untill the engine finally stopped spinning. I did have the presence of mind to take my other hand off of the fender, though.

 

I actually heard a 'bang' when I got zapped by that Flatty, lol. It wasnt loud, but it was there

 

I too have been bitten by HEI. Nothing like getting a smack from your new MSD blaster coil. It will put you down for a minute to say the least. I always manage to touch the wires as I try to touch the cap only.

 

adjusting my time again and whilst listening to the engine purr and looking over everything I didn't realise the timing light cable was melting onto the the manifold. I quickly pulled it off to stop it burning and ZAPAWOWY.
Now whenever I'm adjusting the timing ZAPAWOWYSONOFBIOCTH
This has happened more than once and I need to get the duct tape out of the back and wrap the cable.(but I try not to open the back till I fix my brake light connection. currently it's 2 grafted wires some cardboard to push it down and duct tape to keep it all in place.)
I allways forget about the melted cable till I get shocked again.
Yep stings more than household electricity, no need to ask how I know.

 

wear gloves

 

wear gloves?
if I was carefull all the time I wouldn't know what it felt like to slide down the road at 40mph,get electrocuted,fall off a roof,out of a tree,ladderfalls are funny, falling down stairs is scary but it's not like in the movies when you hit your head and your neck fatally snaps,scars and more scars.

Wear gloves..wheres the fun in that?
But your right ..wear gloves Kids and be safe.


dude below is right it's not funny but it was to me in a what a relief my hair isn't on fire and myclothes smouldering kinda of funny .but best to be avoided especially if theres any gas fumes or small kids or animals nearby.

 

Gloves don't seem to help much, at least not with my MSD Digital 6... I've got plastic pliers to pull and reconnect plug wires that work great.

 

I used to do it your way, with the free hand in the back pocket... Then I grounded out my head against the hood one time adjusting the timing because of the weird awy I had to stand with one hand in the pocket and the other reaching for the whirlygig... talk about an experience!!!

The twitch my kneck made gave me whiplash and I was almost knocked out... so much so that I burned my hand on the hot exhaust manifold and didn't even know it for several minutes because I was floating so close to being totally out. I wondered inside the house and really freaked out my wife with my drunk sounding disoriented speach.

A $200 ride to the emergency room and four or so years later, I'm fine (so the doctors told me), but ever since then, I use gloves, a fender skirt, and lean way down to adjust my timing... Watch the "F" out when adjusting timing. It's not fun at all!!!

 

After getting bit once, I've always used a rag since!

 

Youll get shocked no matter what. The reason I dont want to leave my hand on the fender or something is that I dont want that current going across my heart on its way to the chassis. I need my heart to keep going

 

I got you all beat.
Way back in automotive shop, I was looking through the plug boss into the cylinder on a briggs and straton, not noticing the plug wire was touching my cheek just under my left eye. My buddy thought it would be great fun to yank the cord.

 

after i got shocked by my car i was soooo afraid to touch my car again. sucks MAN!!!:shrug:

 

Electricity definatly sucks... Another thing that sucks is those metal pull cords for overhead sockets. Had one get partially stuck in an overhead socket in the garage when something was plugged into it. Came by with bare feet and went to pull the cord to turn off the socket and got a nice long zap of 120 VAC.

 

Did it once after a rebuild, dist was in 180 out and adjusting while cranking. BIG spark, BIG flame, head to the hood, cut hand on edge of hood.
Lots of swearing! Especially because my wife (cranking the car) jumped out and blasted my motor with a powder fire extingusher!
But there was a fire honey...