Cutting out

[Guest]

My car has started cutting out completely and will not restart, but eventually does. It is definitely an ignition problem. (My garage has tested it when it wouldn't start, and confirmed it is the ignition)

I had a lumenition optronic electronic ignition put on about a year ago. As a first step the coil has been replaced, but that didn't do the trick.

The electronic ignition has been back to lumenition, and been tested, and I am currently awaiting its return - apparently it has passed all the tests. I have bought a new rotor arm - on the old one the copper/brass bar has slight movement, but I find it hard to believe that this is the reason for the cutting out.

My garage has jiggled the ignition key when it is running, and this makes no difference.

Anybody any other suggestions, or is it going to be the rotor arm? I stillbelieve the electronic ignition itself is faulty, but they do say it is not.

[peter f]

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Hi bud,

Whereabouts in Yorkshire are you. I am at Tingley near Wakefield, and have a spare Lumenition box if you wish to borrow it, as I know it's a good 'un.

cheers,

Peter

[floyd]

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I had something similar and I eventually traced it to a break in the low tension cable from the coil into the distributor, I don't know if you have this cable on the lumenition but there must be a cable to the coil either from the distributor or the luminition and it might be worth popping a fresh bit of cable in to see if it cures it.
Regards,
Floyd.

[Guest]

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OK, I think we finally bottomed it!

My garage had taken the electronics out to send back to lumenition (Autocar) for testing. I looked under the distrubutor cap for interest, and fiddled about with the cap. The centre bush (from the main HT lead to the rotor arm) came away in my fingers - the spring holding it had broken. This was hardly noticeable, as when I pushed it back in place it would stay there, albeit it was obviously making a loose connection.

I have therefore spent a tenner or so on a new distibutor cap, and think we have now fettled it.

However, we did then have some problems with the wires - I'll go into that another day when I've more time!

The lesson is that a tiny broken spring can disable your motor!

[Guest]

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accidentally sent three times so I've deleted the text in this one and the next...

[Guest]

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[maverick]

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floyd wrote:

I had something similar and I eventually traced it to a break in the low tension cable from the coil into the distributor, I don't know if you have this cable on the lumenition but there must be a cable to the coil either from the distributor or the luminition and it might be worth popping a fresh bit of cable in to see if it cures it.
Regards,
Floyd.

Floyd,Hi,I am having theses same problems,is the low tension the thin white an slate wire that fixes onto coil?

Mark

[floyd]

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Hi Mark, my wiring had been butchered by a previous owner when it had lumintion and when that failed they converted it back so all my wires were of the home made variety and not the correct colour. From memory I think there's only one small wire from the coil to the distributor and I think it should be black and white.
I've fitted a pertronix electronic ignition now so my wires are a different colour again.
Hope this helps,
Floyd.

[Guest]

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I presume alow tension wire from coil to distributor would be to the points, would it? With electronic ignition, I don't have these of course- I assume (not near the car at the moment) there is a LT lead from the coil to the electronic box (which is screwed to the bulkhead under the bonnet). (I'm not exactly a very technical guy, so why I runa classic car I don't know). I guess if there was a break in the HT lead from the coil to the distributor, it would have the same effect as the broken spring inside the distributor - i.e. intermittent contact, so intermittent running, and thus cutting out (don't fancy that at 70 on the motorway).

The electronics I have, has an electronic eye inside the distributor instead of points - the charge is still distributed manually by the rotor arm (so I suppose it is really only an electronic spark). This is where we come to the fun bit - having had the electronics off, sent back and tested, and found OK, but then realising it was the distributor cap (already got new coil and rotor arm...) we put stuff back together with new distributor cap.

Now, the electronic eye is connected to the electronic box by three LT (?) leads - thin wires anyway - which run around inside the distributor. Unfortunately, these got mangled somehow by the rotor. My garage did repair them, but the fault still recurred. We then fully sleeved the wires, but unfortunately there are still visible breaks in the insulation, and a continuing fault.

Therefore I have now ordered a new electronic eye bit, and hoping it will be on the doormat later today!

Lumenition (Autocar) have been very good - they tested my ignition for me free (but it was only a year old) and they have given me a reasonable price for the new component. Their details are below (I've cut and pasted them). I don't assume they normally sell direct, but in these sort of situations, I am pleased with their customer service.

Touch wood the old rust bucket is now back to being my everyday runner!

Visit www.autocar-electrical.com for more information on our products and dealers

Autocar Electrical Equipment Co. Ltd 49-51 Tiverton Street London SE1 6NZ

Tel +44 (0) 20 7403 4334 Fax: +44(0) 20 7378 1270

[Andy Rundell]

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PJ W Yorks wrote:

Visit http://www.autocar-electrical.com for more information on our products and dealers

Under the 'support' section of their website there are the fitting instructions for the PMA (the power Module) this includes description of all the connections and a reasonable fault-finding procedure for the PMA and the optical switch:

http://www.autocar-electrical.com/ne...stallation.pdf

others may find it useful........... Andy