Fooking typical. As soon as i talk about possibly parting with the old girl, she decides she aint gonna start for the 1st time since i bought her 2 years ago. Put her to bed last nite and everything was ok. Tried to start her this morning and she won't. She turns over fine but there is no spark to the plugs. Fuel getting through fine. Had the dizzy off and without taking it apart to check the connections inside, it seems ok. Could it then be the coil ? Opinions please. cheeRS, Dry

 

Is the pump running when you are turning the engine over? Or does it only prime?

 

It running all the time. Well i assume it is cos when we were seeing how far the fuel was getting, my mate had the nut on the fuel filter slightly undone and it continuously sprayed petrol over him while it was trying to start. Does that help ?

 

Hmmmmmmmm, from what you say it would probably be a wise assumption to say the pump is running, however - i want you to give me a definate answer.........

Go and get the keys

 

Dry i have a workin coil you can try as i put a GRP A one on my s1, can drop it off tom if needed

 

Thanx Andy but borrowed a working one off my mates S1 and it's still the same. Did manage to get it running for about 15 mins and then it stalled. Tried my mates coil and it's still the same. Will start now but stalls immediately. She was popping and farting and stalling when i was limping back home in her. Any ideas folks? cheeRS

 

Mine done this mate it was one of the plugs i coud not belive it aswell when i changed them

 

Will soon see as i was about to change the plugs anyway. Doubt it though as i had no spark on any of them yesterday. This could have been a poor connection on the lead from the dizzy to the coil. I made sure there was a good connection before and i got it running for 15 mins but now it starts but won't tick over. Now it could be a dodgy plug. Fooking cars

 

same symptoms as mine mate , i had to drive mine home farting and burping away on just above tick over (every time i put my foot down it got worse) changed the plugs and away she went again

 

As said in the PM gut feeling is the dizzy packing up. HOWEVER have you checked your dizzy cap and rotor arm lately

 

Yeah checked them and seems fine. The centre bit on the dizzy cap that touches the rotor arm is spring loaded is'nt it. How much tension should there be when you try and push it in? Mine pushes in and does come back out but there is'nt much force behind it. Could it be there is'nt a good connection to the rotor arm ?

 

Its only a soft spring as long as its springing back thats fine.

So the contacts aren't pitted or burn't or anything then? My Orion broke down just short of a year ago and it was the brush stuck in the cap, but after i free'd it off it kept playing up anyway cos the contacts were all so badly pitted and stuff.

Bought a new cap and arm and its been mint ever since, AND it had always had a really annoying intermittent mis-fire which also turned out to be that.

 

Contacts are fine mate. Shiny as a new pin. Also cleaner the rotor arm and centre contact connection but still the same. Could it be that the contacts are just worn down ?

 

No if they are as clean as you say then it should be fine. I still have my money on the sensor in the distributor personally..........

 

Is this the black plastic connection on the distributor with the wires running inside the distributor ? How can i check if it's this ?

 

Indeed it is. Well....this is why i ask you about the fuel pump. The fuel pump relay takes a signal directly from it, so if the pump doesnt run its a dead give away

You could try a simple bulb wired from it to the battery but i dont think it will show a fault very well being as the car still tries to run.

Does your mate have a spare dizzy by any chance?

 

Right. Just found that the fuel pump primes ok then when you turn it over it runs for a second then stops. This would either point to the relay or a fooked pump i would presume ? Where is the relay ? Is it one of the yellow ones in the fuse box ?

 

Check to see if you have spark when it does this aswell.............

 

Check to see if i have spark when it's turning over with and without the pump running do you mean? Also, are s1 and s2 pumps the same ?

 

when it does the thing where the pump only runs for a second check for spark.

Do that before u do anything else.

 

Distributor fooked. Problem solved. cheeRS

 

 

Told ya so

You can be happy again now

 

Funny how once you solved a problem on your car, it turns from a worthless piece of shit you wish you had never bought, to a beautiful RS that you would'nt part with for anything

cheeRS for the input guys. . . well, safechav and Andy anyway