16 replies to this topic

[ed4ran]

hmmmm cars been sat in garage for about to weeks,
so i decided to start 'er up, and nothing!
the starter turns and theres fuel (wet spark plugs)
but no sparks :sad:
I checked the voltage to the coil and its 12.4v
the points gap is within limits,
but they are a little pitted but overall in good condition
recently had new leads, cap, rotor arm, and battery

Is there anything else i can check?
Got a new coil on order and will probably get some new points

Mini is an 84 mayfair (with different engine)
Still 998cc with HS4

Its kinda rendering me Stage 1 kit (thats on order) useless as the car wont start.

[dklawson]

There are lots of things to check.
Where and when are you measuring the voltage at the coil? If you're measuring between coil (+) and chassis ground with the ignition on, this is OK. If you are measuring between coil (-) and chassis ground... the coil has power and the points are open... that's all it indicates.
1) Start by checking for spark at each plug. Pull each plug individually and clamp/rest it on the block such that it has a good ground. Have an assistant crank the engine while you watch the plug(s) for spark. If you have spark this way, check your static timing and make sure your problem isn't really flooding of the carbs.
2) If no spark in the test above, pull one plug and clamp it to chassis ground. Pull the center wire from the dizzy cap and connect it to the test spark plug you clamped to ground. (This way the coil fires one test spark plug... eliminating the dizzy cap and rotor from the equation). Remove the dizzy cap and turn the engine over until you see the points are open. Switch on the ignition. Use a screwdriver to short the two halves of the points together (repeatedly and quickly) while you watch the test spark plug for sparks.
3) If no spark with the screwdriver, pull the low-tension wire off the coil (-) terminal (the wire between the dizzy and the coil) and place a jumper wire on the coil (-) terminal. With the ignition on, tap this jumper wire to chassis ground (tap... not hold). If you do not see a spark on your test spark plug, suspect the coil. If you see a spark, go back to the dizzy.
4) If test #3 gave you a spark, reconnect the wire between the dizzy and the coil (-) terminal. Look for a short holding the points at ground potential. The points have to open and close... making and breaking a path to ground for the coil power. If no obvious problems are seen, remove the condenser and repeat the screwdriver test. IF this still gives no spark, look very hard for a something shorting out the points to ground. If removing the condenser gave you a spark, install a new condenser.

This is a succinct explanation of what's supposed to happen:
The ignition coil is fundamentally a transformer. Since it is part of a DC circuit it only produces current on the "secondary" or high-tension windings when the DC current flowing through the primary windings is switch "off". With the ignition switch on and the points closed, current flows through the coil creating a magnetic field in the coil primary windings. When you crank the engine, lobes on the dizzy cam rotate causing the points (which are effectively a switch) to open. When the points open, the magnetic field in the primary windings of the coil collapses producing a sudden, massive voltage to be generated in the secondary coil windings. The condenser is wired in parallel to the points to absorb a voltage spike on the primary windings as the magnetic field collapses. The voltage generated in the secondary windings is routed via the coil center post to the center of the dizzy cap. With proper timing, the rotor inside the dizzy cap directs this energy to a spark plug post/wire and subsequently one of the spark plugs.

If the points never close, if the points fail to open, if the points are shorted to chassis ground, or if the condenser is internally shorted, the primary windings effectively do not "switch" and no voltage is generated on the secondary windings.

[ed4ran]

sorry for not replying sooner,
i have been abit busy.
i did try test 1, 2 and they both gave no spark,
i ordered a new coil on sunday, and supposed to be 24 hr delivery,
but its still not here, (i rang up and they said it will be going out today!!!)

i will try 3, 4 soon (probably after lunch) and get back to you

[Jordie]

You sure its the coil? No point wasting money.

You can test coil by pulling the lead from centre of dizzy, put a spark plug in it and test as normal.

If you get a spark.....then its the dizzy. If not, it could be coil or the wiring.....

[ed4ran]

already tried that and didnt get a spark

[ed4ran]

pull the low-tension wire off the coil (-) terminal (the wire between the dizzy and the coil) and place a jumper wire on the coil (-) terminal. With the ignition on, tap this jumper wire to chassis ground (tap... not hold). If you do not see a spark on your test spark plug, suspect the coil. If you see a spark, go back to the dizzy.

On my "low-tension wire" there is a jumper in the middle anyway,
so i disconnected that and put a spark plug on the end of the coil-diss HT lead,
put the ignition on and tapped the LT coil-diss wire.

LT wire sparked, but HT sparkplug didnt do anything.

Does this mean its the coil?

[dklawson]

Your last test could mean that the coil is bad, but make sure you repeatedly TAPPED the coil (-) terminal wire to chassis ground. You must tap it, not hold it. If you touch the low-tension wire to ground and you get a low-tension spark it means that current is flowing through the coil. You won't get a high-tension spark out of the coil until you pull that low-tension wire back off of chassis ground (simulating opening of the points). If you don't get a spark when you pull the coil (-) wire OFF of chassis ground it likely means there is something wrong with the coil. High-tension sparks only happen when the points open, not when they close.

[ed4ran]

When i did it i tapped it several times and only got sparks on the LT wire.

[ed4ran]

GRRRRRRRR something i ordered arrived, but there was a message saying
"Sorry but we are currently out of coils, so one will be sent when they are instock"


so ill have to wait till it arrives.

[dklawson]

Don't put up with that.

Go to your local car parts store and tell them what car the coil came out of and have them recommend a suitable replacement. The only question to selecting the right coil is whether or not it is designed for use with "ballasted" ignitions... and whether your car has this type of ignition. (Assuming you have a stock ignition system).

If your coil (+) terminal is fed by a "pink" wire, it's likely a ballasted ignition system and you need a ballast ignition coil (about 1.5 ohm). If your coil is fed by a "white" wire, its likely a standard ignition and needs a 3 ohm coil. There is no reason you need to wait with a car that won't start until someone makes/buys/delivers coils to your source. There will not be anything unique or special that forces you to use a Rover/Unipart replacement.

[ed4ran]

Im going to ring them anyway because they (im sure it wasnt me) messed up the order,
I oredered

a HS4 Carb service/rebuild kit,
stage 1 kit for HS Carb,
Sports Coil.

The service kit had the wrong Jet in it (mines a Waxstat?)
and i only realised this when i saw it was different (but they had nothing about this on the website!!!! so how was i to know :sad: ).

The stage 1 kit they sent was for a HS6 Carb!?!?!?! so the K&N Filter doesnt fit.
the exhaust y piece is a very tight fit (probly just the car) and the link pipe goes in the Y piece and in the box but its such a tight fit because the Y piece doesnt have slots in it (easily added),
and im guessing the the Carb Needle is wrong for it,
i think the red spring is right though isn't it?.

and of course they didnt send a Coil, so overall its pretty C**p £200!!

So Im going to ring today and complain!!

They also messed up with my brothers wheels, by putting the wrong picture on the wheels, so my brother wants the ones in the picture, so when he orders them he gets the wrong ones!!!!

Who are they I hear you say?

Anyone else had problems with them??
I think ill be avoiding them from now on.

[Jammy]

Yea, I've heard a few bad things about MiniSport. I try and stay clear of them now. I use MiniSpares (Potters Bar) or MiniSpeed. I can't say enough good things about MiniSpeed, the first time I ordered something was over the internet, I think it was like a head stud or something, a few months later i ring them to order a carb + manifold + filter, i begin to tell them who I am and where to deliver (which wasn't my home address) and the guy I'm speaking to says he remembers my first order!! Incredible!

[dklawson]

I've had good luck with MiniSport for some NLA parts for my Mk1 but I found them too pricey for most of my parts. I usually use MiniSpares or DSN (both via internet). I only have two real choices in the U.S. and they are both in California. If I can justify shipping charges (i.e. I'm ordering enough stuff but not too heavy) I order from the U.K. because it's cheaper and quicker. (9 days from California, 5 from the U.K.)

[Dan]

I can't say enough bad things about Minispeed. They took my money for work they didn't do, more than once. They nearly killed a mate with their dodgy work. They built me the worst gearbox and engine I've ever pulled apart. They failed to pay invoices to a mate who they bought some stuff of several times.

But there you go, that's just my experience of them. It was all a few years ago now but you'll notice there's more than one person on here who refers to them as the 'nasty people in Byfleet'

[Jammy]

Ahhh, I've never used them for anything other than resale of parts, and I think they are quite competative on that front. On a side thought they might be nicer to me because of my connections to Bill Richards as they are trying to get him to switch his main sponser from MiniSpares to them.