4 replies to this topic

[steve_hobnob]

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Model:1275 Sprite
Year:1993
Description of problem (please be as in depth as possible):
I recently acquired this low mileage 1275 Sprite and on Saturday I took it on its first long trip. Although it rained it ran fine and got home with no problems. However when I came to start it on Sunday morning, it turned over but would not fire. There was no spark either at the plugs or the HT lead coming from the coil. So I have just fitted a new coil, distributor and rotor arm - and it still won't spark. Ignition is by an electronic unit on the side of the distributor and the coil has two white/black wires and two white wires running to it. One black and one white/black wire come from the ignition unit. The coil is getting hot with the ignition on and there is strong spark when I pull off one of the white wires or one of the white black wires, so current is flowing to the coil, but neither produces a spark from the HT lead to the block.
Could it be the electronic ignition - according to the Haynes manual they should be trouble free but I cannot think what else could have gone wrong between driving home on Saturday and it failing to start on Sunday.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am at a complete loss with this one.

Any non-standard parts that might be involved with the problem? None I know of.

Edited by steve_hobnob, 12 August 2008 - 09:01 PM.

[I-B-Quick]

It could be the module on the side of the distributor. Mine failed , worked one day then not the next.
Go to your local scrapyard and look for Rover 100's. Non injection models have the same module fitted.

Failing that there are a few online companies that sell them for about £12 each rather than the £25 your local motor factor will charge you.

have a read here:

http://www.theminifo...tronic igintion

[steve_hobnob]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Model:1275 Sprite
Year:1993
Description of problem (please be as in depth as possible):
I recently acquired this low mileage 1275 Sprite and on Saturday I took it on its first long trip. Although it rained it ran fine and got home with no problems. However when I came to start it on Sunday morning, it turned over but would not fire. There was no spark either at the plugs or the HT lead coming from the coil. So I have just fitted a new coil, distributor and rotor arm - and it still won't spark. Ignition is by an electronic unit on the side of the distributor and the coil has two white/black wires and two white wires running to it. One black and one white/black wire come from the ignition unit. The coil is getting hot with the ignition on and there is strong spark when I pull off one of the white wires or one of the white black wires, so current is flowing to the coil, but neither produces a spark from the HT lead to the block.
Could it be the electronic ignition - according to the Haynes manual they should be trouble free but I cannot think what else could have gone wrong between driving home on Saturday and it failing to start on Sunday.
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am at a complete loss with this one.

Any non-standard parts that might be involved with the problem? None I know of.

Thanks for the help and sorry for wasting yor time - after much head scratching but before buying a new electronic ignition module I worked out what was wrong. I installed a radio on Sunday morning before trying to get the car going - couldn't think that had anything to do with the priblem - but turned out I had used the black/white wire hanging loose under the dash as the radio earth before I realised it was the wire from the coil to connect to a revcounter! Radio worked fine but of course the coil was earthing through the radio hence the high current being drawn and lack of sparks.