No spark

[m9fdb]

Morning

My stag wont start as there is no spark at the plug leads !!

Can anyone give me any advice as I'm not the most mechanically minded \

Thanks

Darren

[4x4]

Morning

My stag wont start as there is no spark at the plug leads !!

Can anyone give me any advice as I'm not the most mechanically minded \

Thanks

Darren

Do you have points or electronic ignition?

Main thing to look for is whether or not you are getting power at the coil.
Then, and the voltage appears and disappears at the coil, a spark should be generated.
This should tell us if the low tension side of the ignition is to blame, or the high tension side.

If LT, you probably have some kind of wiring fault - and we'd need to know if it's a Mk 1 2 or 3.
If it's HT (as in you can get a spark from the king lead by either opening and closing the points or waving a screwdriver through the optical pickup in the distributor if you've got Lumenition), then think leads/cap/rotor or the little carbon brush in the middle of the cap that contacts the rotor arm.

In terms of possible catastrophe, is the rotor arm actually going round when you crank the engine over?


Good luck.


Adrian.

[m9fdb]

It has a Piranha electronic ignition on it and it don't look that great to me either

Its a mk2 car

I took all the HT leads of one by one and was getting no spark from any of them.

This may sound like a silly question but is it ok to crank the engine without the dizzy cap on to see if he rotor arm is spinning -i'm not that mechanically minded ?

There was a few dodgy connections on the wires to the coil which i tidied up and made good but it still just turns over but wont fire

[4x4]

It's fine to crank it with the cap removed.
Just make sure everything is clear of the rotor arm - as it's a pin in the bum if you get an HT lead tangled up in it!

Look to see if you have a spark from the king (centre) lead going to the cap.

I think Pirahna is an optical pickup.
So, make sure there is nothing blocking (as in one of the blades of the chopper disc) the optical pickup in the distributor.
Turn on the ignition, and wave a screwdriver in and out of the optical pickup.
This should generate a spark from the king lead.

[m9fdb]

Ok so i am clear here, you mean remove the lead from the coil to the cap and see if i have a spark form it at the cap end ?
If there is a spark then check to make sure the rotor is spinning ?

"Turn on the ignition, and wave a screwdriver in and out of the optical pickup.
This should generate a spark from the king lead"

The above bit i am a bit lost what you mean - and don't fancy getting a bolt up me arm LOL ?
Thanks for all the help.

Darren

[4x4]

Ok so i am clear here, you mean remove the lead from the coil to the cap and see if i have a spark form it at the cap end ?
If there is a spark then check to make sure the rotor is spinning ?

"Turn on the ignition, and wave a screwdriver in and out of the optical pickup.
This should generate a spark from the king lead"

The above bit i am a bit lost what you mean - and don't fancy getting a bolt up me arm LOL ?
Thanks for all the help.

Darren

So - remove the distributor cap.
Crank the engine, make sure the rotor arm turns.
Assuming it does, then pull the lead from the coil out of the middle of the distributor cap.

Under the rotor arm, there is probably a toothed disc, which passes though a sensor as it turns.
You want nothing blocking the light beam the goes from one side of the sensor to the other.
Then, with ignition on, wave a screwdriver in and out of the sensor.
This should provoke a spark out of the end of the fat lead you have disconnected from the distributor cap.

[m9fdb]

Adrian

Thank you very much for explaining - I will give it a go this week - away from home for a couple of days and report back

Thanks
Darren

[m9fdb]

Adrian

just gave what you said a go and she has fired up - it's running rough and needs a tune up but it least it runs now

thanks for the advise

Darren

[4x4]

I think you've disturbed whatever the problem is.

Check the little spring in the middle of the cap that contacts the rotor, and the leads

[m9fdb]

Will do cheers D