why is the TP delicate?

[walsingham]

is it prone to vibrations? heat? Stray electric current? I'm on my third in a year, that's more than bad luck surely? I don't recall my old man's granada having the same problem. Why is is so weak on a tiv?

[Roy C]

I reckon it's either heat (poor under bonnet ventilation) or water (it's close to the bonnet scoop).

[nasz]

Must be having a blonde moment!

Whats a 'tp'?

[shnozz]

nasz said:

Must be having a blonde moment! Whats a 'tp'?

throttle pot(entionnnnnnnnommetter)

[WonkyGibbon]

walsingham said:

is it prone to vibrations? heat? Stray electric current? I'm on my third in a year, that's more than bad luck surely? I don't recall my old man's granada having the same problem. Why is is so weak on a tiv?

I haven't examined the circuit diagrams so I can't prove this but ...

If you put a constant DC voltag across a potentiometer for a prolonged period of times - the carbon track within starts to degrade. It's the same problem you find on cheap hifi's with the volume knob. The voltage in audio is largely AC but can have a DC offset component. If so it slowly knackers the pot - and becomes part of the reason for the crackling noise along with dirt and grime, that you get on old hifi's when you turn the knobs. That crackling noise - is the equivalent of the lurching response you then get from your TP.

The other cause is mechanical, if you spend a lot of time in stop start traffic, the pot wiper is always going over the same part of the carbon track within and it simply wears it out. This mechanical effect won't be helped by heat either (as Roy points out).

Which just goes to show that tivs much prefer it when you drive them with your foot nailed hard to the floor !

[bridgdav]

WonkyGibbon said:

Which just goes to show that tivs much prefer it when you drive them with your foot nailed hard to the floor !

So do the drivers