5 replies to this topic

[Minigirl]

mini wouldnt start again tonight had to use the jump pack which worked fine but noticed that the ht lead connecting to the starter motor (i think thats what it is??) was arking against the body i could see blue sparks when the engine was running.

does this mean that i have a bad earth strap?

does this mean i have faulty ht leads?

does this mean i have a faulty battery wire?

if theres anything you think it could be or that would stop my mini from starting please help

thankyou for your time and sorry for the numberous posts asking for help recently but mini still broke

[R1minimagic]

Sounds like a dodgy engine earth strap. Make sure the starter cable is tight and then check the engine earth strap on the steady bar is grounded properly (and even in one piece!). It can be a pain to remove as the bulkhead bolt can rust and get stuck in the bush (and usually covered in brake fluid).

Easy option is to add a new earth strap from the engine to the car body which will likely solve the problem and give you better earthing in future.

[THE STIG]

theres no ht leads to the starter the ht leads go to the distributer

there are 4 leads from the spark plugs to the distributer cap and one from the coil to the distributer cap

if the sparks are jumping around between the ht leads then the outer rubber has broken down and their arking as they are sending the spark to the spark plus

will get wosre in rainy weather and need replacing

can you put a picture of hwere the sparks are coming from sso we can help you

Edited by THE STIG, 03 January 2010 - 09:25 PM.

[bmcecosse]

Nothing to do with starter! New HT leads required - although interim measure will be to CLEAN them carefully, and refit them so they run well away from any metal parts. But ideally - get a new set asap.

[dklawson]

As others have suggested this may be a problem with terminology and getting the semantics ironed out may allow everyone to offer the correct advice.

The starter motor is a large diameter cylinder mounted horizontally across the bottom, front of the engine block. There are two standard types as well as aftermarket types so I'll skip detailed descriptions. The cables/wires connected to the starter operate at battery voltage. They would not be considered HT leads.

The distributor is a smaller diameter cylinder mounted 45 degrees from vertical off the front of the engine block and pointing towards the car's grille. It will have a plastic cap on it to which 5 high-tension wires will be connected. Four of the wires go to the spark plugs while the fifth wire goes to the ignition coil. The spark plug wires are often referred to as the HT or high-tension wires because they are designed to operate at high-voltage.

Based on that description, which component has the sparking/arcing wire that you are concerned about?

[Minigirl]

hi again

well yesterday replaced the earth strap and new ht leads but hasnt made any difference whatsoever

any other ideas??

dklawson - thanks for your reply. i'll get my bf to reply to you when he comes home he's the one that's trying to fix it for me


It was the dizzy to coil ht lead sparking against the slamp panel appaerntly!
The HT lead have been changed and stopped the sparking but still the battery warning light comes on and the pod(dials) only work when the main beam is on (not sidelights) very annoying! If I took the 3rd fuse out of the fusebox is this connected to the dials because on mine if i do nothing happens (lights n dash stay on)?????

Edited by Minigirl, 06 January 2010 - 03:25 PM.