Today was kind of a damp day here, plus I finally got around to cleaning the frame under the steering pump. In doing so I carefully used high pressure only on the affected area, careful not to douse any electrical components.

As I sat there with the engine idling I could hear a steady pop, pop, pop, which sounded like a spark going to ground. I started checking the wires (which appear to be original) and could not find any arcing. But when I looked into the spark plug recess at #8 I could see the spark going to ground. The spark looked like it was coming from under the resistor end.

Is this a sign of a bad resistor end, or is it due to damp conditions, made worse by adding more water? Examination of the inner face of the resistor end shows some burn, which leads me to believe this has been on going, although today was the first it was bad enough to hear.

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Mike Tangas
73 280 SEL 4.5