I have a 1.6i Mfi engine that hasn't been started in at least 18 months or more and today was the big event!

All fuel lines connect, £4's worths of the finest unleaded, turn the key and.........

Well it turns over which is a start, pump is priming, done all the usual checks - cleaned the plugs etc.....plugs smell of fuel so its getting in there but no firering up. I took out a plug, connected it to the HT lead and rested it aginst the head, turned her over but theres still no spark I know i'll ring Damo Gave some very good advice which i'll follow up on during the week, but i've got this niggeling feeling that the problem might be the ignition module amplifier that sits on top of the distributor

When the car was running a few years back, i had one of these fail on me and it controls the spark, the last one was knackered. I managed to get a replacement one, stuck it on and she fired up.

Does anyone have one or a few of these laying around? Its a just in case thing, but its something that maybe needed to be replaced at some point if nothing else works.

I have a few other things to check, wiring, coil etc....

Does anyone have any further things that i could check on while i'm at it?

 

I might have one some were, also check the main earth wire that goes from the inner wing to the bonnett.
Mine had broke and the car wouldnt start.

 

 

is it the same on a mk4 mfi engine?
If so ive 'probably' got one somewhere!

 

its there a spark from the coil?

you tested the coil?

 

And i'd do that how?

Theres defo no spark from any of the plugs while rested against the head.

 

leave the main coil lead on the coil and unplug it from the dizzy cap, rest the exposed plug end onto a conductive metal surface. If there's a spark from there you will hear & see it, if there isnt then its either of 2 things, the coil's FUBAR or there is not feed getting to the coil. To check the feed to the coil you will need to remove the 2 plugs on the coil and put a multi-meter between the 2 points, to see what, if any, voltage is getting through. If you've got voltage, i.e 12+ Volts, then the coil's FUBAR. If you havent got any juice getting there, you need to check you wiring.

To go back if you do get a spark from the main coil lead then you got a few options, 1 the dizzy cap and/or rotor is faulty, the leads are fualty, or the multi plug on the dizzy itself is FUBAR.

HTH.

 

Cheers, i'll give that try tonight then.

What ya think on my theory tho?

 

yes it could well be the dizzy itself, as the wires often brake inside the dizzy and around that little black plug, but you want to check whether the dizzy is getting any feed first.

 

Cheers Ryan.

Any more thoughts?

 

do what i said above and that ilimates 80% of the things it could be.