Jump to content

AA Patrolman Fixes Land Rover with a potato!


landroversforever

Recommended Posts

Have a read here: http://www.theaa.com/breakdown-cover/news/aa-patrol-repairs-car-with-potato.html?AffinityID=MAFFILIATEWINDOW&ito=34934&awc=3938_1424273856_350bdcd63da8684709ec0a36677d87c8

The humble root vegetable came to the rescue when an old 1960s-vintage Land Rover on a farm in Hertfordshire failed to start due to a broken condenser, which is part of the ignition system on older vehicles.

With no replacement part available, North-east London AA patrol Mario Papademetriou, 59, decided to fabricate one. Unfortunately, his first attempt using tin foil and silicone repair tape didn’t work so he was faced with a non-starting Land Rover and 12 miles to the nearest garage.

Mario Papademetriou: “As the vehicle was on a farm, there were a lot of vegetables around, so I thought I’d try wiring up a potato with a couple of screws to act as a condenser.

“Amazingly, it started instantly, so I followed the member to the garage and he said the vehicle had never driven so well!”

:rofl:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Top man, I understand the principal but would never have considered it.

Given his name I wonder what his background experience was or maybe he is just a sientificly mined person?

It does give us hope in these computer lead times though that this kind of thonking still exists.

Marc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Deadly ingenuity! Not convinced you'd get that from a younger generation, or the will to hang around trying to make a solution. What on a farm is conductive and has enough mass to draw current away from a set of points? I heard they were going organic condensers on the Series originally but in the end it was deemed too difficult to secure a spud to a dizzy long term.

You hook Pontiacs up to other cars to help them die I think Iain

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nice story but i think its a coincidence that it started with the potato in place. The capacitance of 2 screws separated with a large (for a capacitor) gap would be near zero.

Oh i can't 'resist' it either - Did he get the 'sack' for stealing a potato?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not convinced that removing the condenser completely wouldn't also have got him home. The main function is in suppressing points erosion - the coil is inductive, so breaking the current without a condenser would lead to arcing, loss of spark energy and eventual points failure. The secondary function is to provide a ringing circuit which provides a controlled rise time and consequently more effective ignition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By using our website you agree to our Cookie Policy