Quote Originally Posted by jdurand View Post
My wife had a Triumph when I met her, Lucus electrical systems are the king of the dark. The only car I ever had to replace the entire wire harness on.

Also the only car where you had to keep the carburetor tanks filled with oil.
Being from England and originally a motor mechanic, I have had, and worked on, many many Triumphs. While it is sadly recognized that Lucas systems on motorbikes is less that optimal I have NEVER seen a problem CAUSED by Lucas equipment on cars. You don't say how old the Triumph was, and if it was pre-alternator, then yes, the old dynamo's did have their problems, but the likes of Delco-Reme were no better. It was the inherent design, not the manufacturer that was the problem. Car manufacturers used this equipment because there was nothing better at the time.This seems to not be the issue with Lada (discounting the that they are Russian and that may be the "Lucas" problem), the difference, as far as I can see is one of quality control, and although communism may not still be the political system in Russia, I have seen first hand the attitude that that system generated, still prevalent in some Russians (it's a government business,...chuck it together).
With respect to "the carburettor had to be filled with oil", that was a design consideration of SU carburettors and was there to produce an acceleration pump action. Many manufacturers fitted SU's because they were very efficient carb's, the likes of Jagua,r Bentley, Rolls, and a plethora of BMC vehicles.