I was adjusting my timing a couple weeks ago and got a shock every other time I grabbed the distro cap to turn it.

Is that normal? I don't ever remember that happening before, but what do I know.

Perhaps it might be part of the reason I hear a knock...

Thanks in advance for the advice.

Nope you either have a cracked cap or a bad wire. Or maybe just one of the wires is not pushed all the way in.....

Could be a lot of things, none of them good. Bad cap, bad boots on your wires, bad plugs (that voltage is going to go somwhere if it can't jump at the spark plug), cracked insulation on the wires, moisture on the wires from humidity, some types of road dust are conductive (iron ore is a common road and driveway material in a lot of the country)--but, if everything is as it should be, No--it shouldn't happen. At night, start your car and look at your wires and cap in total darkness. You will be able to see arcing if you have problems.

we call that game "shock the monkey"

Well, this monkey was zapped!

I have another cap with wires ready, so I'll pop that on.

I'm hoping this is the cause of the mysterious knock I could hear at 2500rpm. I could only hear it in gear, but when I started turning the rotor, I could hear it while she sat in neutral.

Thanks!

Did you grab the new one?

I'll be putting the new one on this afternoon. I'll check everything there to make sure the wires/plugs/etc are all still good, too.

I don't think that will be the cause of your knock. On another hand I have been shocked few times and I cannot call it a bad system. It could be but I would not say always. Voltage is very high and if you are well grounded (like bare foot or touching good car ground) the high voltage can find a better path thru your fingers touching the cap. Just in case I now always use gloves and rubber shoes. The dark room test is very good if you have serious problems.

quote Originally posted by buddycraigg: we call that game "shock the monkey"

My mower broke a weld loose Monday, so I took it to the welder that is down the road for a quick repair. He had the ground lead on the deck, and I was sweatty from the heat. He accidently brushed up against me with the welding rod. My sweatty leg was touching the deck. < CONTACT > Earth to Enterprise. Talk about "Shock the Monkey"!!! I saw all of the planets in our system, a few two times I think.
Joe Crawford
Texas