Too true ! My first car, in 1965 or 1966, was a Mini, and if it ever broke down it would be either the SU petrol pump, which was exposed to all the road muck and spray on the rear subframe, or something in the distributor, (typically the points closed up or condenser on the blink). The petrol pump would always respond to a clout, resuming its tick-tick noise; and the distributor to adjusting the points or renewing the condenser.
When I look under the bonnet of my Honda Accord, I hardly know what half of the ‘black boxes’ are for ! Engine Management Computor, sensors for all sorts of things, and wiring that is almost unbelievably complicated. Even the automatic gearbox doesn’t work all on its own, and is partly controlled by computer. I can’t diagnose a fault without it being plugged into a separate diagnostic computer at the local garage. GOOD ENGINEERING IS SIMPLE ENGINEERING ! My Scotts have no battery, no dynamo or alternator, no lights, and the only wires on them are the plug leads and the magneto kill switch wire. Lovely !
Brian
