12 replies to this topic

[Embeded]

Im having problems with my 1986 mini advantage,
recently when accelerating under load she misfired a few times, then the revs drop to zero, both warning lights come on and I have no power whatsoever.
I have replaced the points, condenser, distributor cap ht leads but there is black oily residue on the spark plugs.
Help please, im a bit afraid to drive it
thanks all
embeded

[sonikk4]

Possibly the coil, if you change this then you have covered the ignition side of things. Have you checked to see if the points are seated correctly?? Is the gap set, what about the spark plugs. Are they new, check for cracks on the insulator.

[Badboytunes]

Black plugs are usually a sign of a running rich air / fuel mixture. The warning lights you mention ( orange & red ) will come on once the engine stalls/ cuts out. If your car starts & runs fine when cold, without pulling the choke cable then I suspect your mixture needs checking. Have you got a CO2 annalyser to test your emmisions?

If it is running rich, it could be various problems. As for the plugs being oily, that could be unburnt fuel, mixing with the soot on the plugs , ( looks like oil ) .

Im sure more answers will come along soon.

[Gulfclubby]

again, do not buy a new coil until you're sure it is the culprit. People on this forum seem to suspect coils at fault constantly, when really, they very rarely fail. Borrow a known good coil and check with that. Provide some more info on your setup too, when does the car stall, when does it run, what spec is it, how many miles has it got, are there any known leaks etc etc.

[Embeded]

55,000 miles 1 litre engine, it has stalled after misfiring going anywhere upwards of 35/40mph, and wont stop misfiring until it stalls, regardless of what I do. I have actually replaced the coil already, and while this is all occuring the radio and the lights stay on, which makes me think perhaps it isnt an electrical problem? No known leaks, but there is some oily thick black stuff around the main block

[IainNeon91]

The 'thick black oily stuff', was this on the thread of the spark plug or the actual electrode?

[Gulfclubby]

Sounds like normal behavior for a stalled engine to me. More interesting is the misfire under load (and under load only?). Have you made any changes to the intake or exhaust systems before the problem started? Including carburettor. Is your headgasket ok? is there any new noise from the engine since this problem started, especially from the timing cover? have you checked your valve clearance to be correct? And finally, have you, apart from replacing every thinkable part of the ignition system, made sure the points gap is correct?

[MIGLIACARS]

Change the plugs for ngks and im sure the problem will go for a while but will prob return when they foul up again.
It could be a rich mixture, it could be the ht leads or a cracked dizzy cap.
new plugs are only £10 for 4.

[jaydee]

recently when accelerating under load she misfired a few times, then the revs drop to zero, both warning lights come on and I have no power whatsoever.
I have replaced the points, condenser, distributor cap ht leads but there is black oily residue on the spark plugs.

Sounds like a stuck needle valve flooding the carb. Is it an HS4?

[Yoda]

Also check to see if you have any oil in the dashpot, this will cause apparent misfire under load and mess with the fuel mixture.

[daenesh]

ive had a similar problem as this in the past and in my case it was a faulty condensor(silver tube) unit in the distributor..worth a check

[Embeded]

Also check to see if you have any oil in the dashpot, this will cause apparent misfire under load and mess with the fuel mixture.

Do you know where the oil should be up to?

[Embeded]

recently when accelerating under load she misfired a few times, then the revs drop to zero, both warning lights come on and I have no power whatsoever.
I have replaced the points, condenser, distributor cap ht leads but there is black oily residue on the spark plugs.

Sounds like a stuck needle valve flooding the carb. Is it an HS4?

That sounds like a plan, i will give that a go today, and yes its an hs4