Hi all, I'm having problems with my 1992 Mini City 998cc. It stopped running right a while ago and has been off the road ever since. The problem lies with the ignition system. The spark is intermittent. I took all the spark plugs out and turned the engine over and they all sparked in the right order with a nice blue spark but then after a few seconds stopped sparking and then started again. It's really confusing me. When the spark plugs are in the block the engine will fire and run for a few seconds and then stop. I've tried new plugs, HT leads, dizzy car, rotor arm and coil and it's now got an Accu-Spark electronic ignition in the Lucas 59D distributor in an attempt to cure the problem but it hasn't. I thought maybe a dodgy connection somewhere as there is no way I can tell when the plugs will spark. Any help will be much appreciated as need to get it on the road as soon as possible due to the crank going in the other motor. Thanks, Ross.
Intermittent Spark
Started by
rosswalki
, Oct 19 2011 03:42 PM
4 replies to this topic
#2
dklawson
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Posted 19 October 2011 - 04:45 PM
I have not worked on a 59D distributor so forgive me if this does not apply.
Look inside the distributor at the breaker plate on which the points are mounted. On earlier distributors there is a high-flex earth wire connected between the dizzy housing and the breaker plate. That wire insures that the points (or electronic ignition module) have an earth connection. Without that earth wire (or if it is broken under its insulation), current has to pass through the bearings of the breaker plate and that can cause problems. Since you have seemingly replaced everything else, that's the only new thing I can think of. That said, did you buy the right coil type for your car (ballast type for a ballast ignition or standard 3-Ohm type for a standard ignition)? Also, condensers can be bad right out of the box so don't hesitate to try a new/different one.
Look inside the distributor at the breaker plate on which the points are mounted. On earlier distributors there is a high-flex earth wire connected between the dizzy housing and the breaker plate. That wire insures that the points (or electronic ignition module) have an earth connection. Without that earth wire (or if it is broken under its insulation), current has to pass through the bearings of the breaker plate and that can cause problems. Since you have seemingly replaced everything else, that's the only new thing I can think of. That said, did you buy the right coil type for your car (ballast type for a ballast ignition or standard 3-Ohm type for a standard ignition)? Also, condensers can be bad right out of the box so don't hesitate to try a new/different one.
#3
rosswalki
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Posted 19 October 2011 - 05:16 PM
Hi Doug, thanks for the advice. I took the earth wire out of the dizzy when i installed the electronic ignition as there is a new earth that comes out of the module onto the coil and it doesn't need a condensor now it has the electronic ignition. Thanks for the help. Ross
#4
dklawson
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Posted 19 October 2011 - 07:59 PM
On the electronic ignition module you will typically have two (2) wires. One will go to a switched power supply. That wire is typically "red". The other wire will go to the coil (-) terminal. That wire is typically "black". Strictly speaking, the module's black wire is not an earth connection and the black wire is not the one I was speaking of.
The mounting surface of the electronic module (or points) is an earth connection point. When the points close, current flows through the coil, through the wire to the points, through the points, THEN through the earth wire to the dizzy housing and finally from the dizzy housing to the engine block. The same is true of the ignition module (coil to module via the black wire, through the module, out the module's mounting foot, through the breaker plate wire to dizzy housing and finally to earth via the engine block). The wire I was talking about goes between the breaker/advance plate inside the dizzy and the dizzy housing. I was not talking about the wire (white/black for points... black for electronic ignitions) that goes from the distributor to coil (-).
The mounting surface of the electronic module (or points) is an earth connection point. When the points close, current flows through the coil, through the wire to the points, through the points, THEN through the earth wire to the dizzy housing and finally from the dizzy housing to the engine block. The same is true of the ignition module (coil to module via the black wire, through the module, out the module's mounting foot, through the breaker plate wire to dizzy housing and finally to earth via the engine block). The wire I was talking about goes between the breaker/advance plate inside the dizzy and the dizzy housing. I was not talking about the wire (white/black for points... black for electronic ignitions) that goes from the distributor to coil (-).
#5
rosswalki
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Posted 19 October 2011 - 08:06 PM
Ahh i see now, i'll make up a new one tomorrow and see if that does the trick. It does fire and run for a few seconds though :s. Thanks for the help.
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