can anyone give me some advice on what to check next to find why my s1 randomly loses its spark. today it decided it didnt want to start, so i started checking that i have no broken wires following the wiring digram. everything seems fine. the coil is getting power when i crank it over, so i tried a spark plug in the lead and nothing. i assumed the next port of call would be the dizzy, but other than checking for continuity im not sure how i can test it.any ideas as i dont have a spare to try and dont really want to buy one to find thats not the problem. any advice much appreciated as im starting to lose patience with this car. its a random problem that seems to happen at the most inconvenient of times. one day it will start then the next day nothing, even if it hasnt been driven anywhere. cheers

 

You are getting power to the coil but is it coming out of the coil? I guess one way of telling is the hold the king lead just away from the dizzy when cranking and it should ark.

If you're anywhere near Dartford you could try a coil and dizzy from my scrote (my daily) that way you will know fo sho

 

im in sunderland mate, very good of you to offer a loan of your bits though.thanks. i put a spark plug in the end of the king lead and nothing.unless this is an incorrect way of checking. ive tried a known working coil and still the same. im only having these problems after the car sat for a few years. before that it was working fine.

 

I didn't think a plug would fit that lead? It has two dizzy cap ends surely?if you are getting power to the "new" coil then maybe you have the two wires the wrong way round? (Though it should be impossible as one pin is larger then the other)

 

the plug wasnt a perfect fit but i got the end of the plug in enough to make contact. i will double check tomorrow now that you have said that. looks like i will have to try and persuade a mate to let me try his dizzy as the next step. cheers

 

have you checked the massively gay green wire that runs all the way around the bay under the radiator. That caused me no end of headache

 

no i havnt checked that one. where does that start and end?

 

im assuming the s1 wiring is very similar to the S2 wiring here mind.

It runs from the coil down into the main wiring under the rad and up the other side to the fuse box i had to trace it out and cut it then rewire it in. i wired mine back in across the heater box

 

This ^. I only done this a few weeks back. Can't believe I forgot that. This could be it

 

S1 has relay behind heater box in bay. Yellow. Change it.

 

What he ^^ said, also the said green wire is prone to breaking.

Martin

 

It was actually you who recommended me to check mine Martin!

 

cheers for that checked it and it doesnt click. so i opened it up and it had a bit of rust inside.
checked my box of spares and had a selection of 4 pin yellow relays, but the only one with matchig numbers has even more rust typically. will any of the other yellow ones be ok as they have different part numbers. but the amp rating is the same and the pin numbers match. cheers

 

managed to get a matching relay so i know its the correct one. i also changed the ecu to a known working one and still no spark. the only part i havent tried now is the dizzy as i havent got a spare. is there any way of checking to see if a dizzy is faulty or is the only way to try a known working one and hoping fr the best. i stripped my dizzy down and there is no obvious signs of damage. am i right in thinking the only bit that breaks down is the hall/ pick up sensor? cheers

 

a dodgy earth at the battery (broken wire were the wire/terminal are crimped) is worth a look

 

One check you can do is see if the fuel pump relay cuts in on cranking, if the hall sensor is sending a signal, the fuel pump relay will cut in.

 

^^ this, as I say the problem is likely on the ignition side.

Martin

 

Would my dizzy fit m8? Your welcome to try it

 

hmmm the fuel pump relay would make sense as i had a brand new one fitted recently, and the way the lad done it was using a live. cheers for that. adam, i think its different mate, was considering asking lance but knowing my luck his car will play up after ha.
just to add i know the relay kicks in when the ignition is turned on. is it possible that when i crank it over the relay stops?

 

When you key on, the pump is primed, then when you crank providing you're getting a hall signal the relay then cuts in again. If the relay doesn't cut in on cranking good chance there's no hall signal, from the sensor itself or associated wiring.

Easiest way of doing it if it's a non-starter, remove the dizzy & cap, then just re-connect the hall sensor plug, turn the ignition on , then turn the rotor arm by hand, you should hear the pump run as the rotor is turned providing the hall sensor/wiring is ok.

 

finally got the thing going yesterday. turns out it was the ecu. im assuming its the amplifier. is this likely? also is there any way of checking and repairing this as it was chipped as im now back to the original ecu which is unopened and dont plan to do so to swap chip over. or is it fubar and another chipped ecu? thanks

 

I don't see what the issue is swapping the chips? I can't imagine an original one is worth anymore than a one with aftermarket software, and you can of course always revert it again.

Martin