1987 350i Wedge distributor needed.
Discussion
Hi Peeps.
Im still trying to eliminate a mis-fire that I have at 2-3000 rpm which happens only at load...And a bad starting, Mainly from cold issue.
I have checked...Mostly by replacing with new but putting the old back on as no change was recorded.
1. The dizzy cap
2. Rotor arm
3. Plug leads including king lead
4. CTS
5. FPR
6. Plugs
7. TPS
8. New fuel pump & Filter
9. Fuses & Relays
10. Cleaned up all connector Plugs & Earths
Now I'm led to the dizzy...So would anyone happen to have a good spare knocking about that I could borrow mainly to test with please?....
It is possible that with changing the rotor arms I may have disturbed the bob weight springs as the first initial time I had to be a bit forceful getting it off.
Thanks for any help.
Regards
Ziga
Im still trying to eliminate a mis-fire that I have at 2-3000 rpm which happens only at load...And a bad starting, Mainly from cold issue.
I have checked...Mostly by replacing with new but putting the old back on as no change was recorded.
1. The dizzy cap
2. Rotor arm
3. Plug leads including king lead
4. CTS
5. FPR
6. Plugs
7. TPS
8. New fuel pump & Filter
9. Fuses & Relays
10. Cleaned up all connector Plugs & Earths
Now I'm led to the dizzy...So would anyone happen to have a good spare knocking about that I could borrow mainly to test with please?....
It is possible that with changing the rotor arms I may have disturbed the bob weight springs as the first initial time I had to be a bit forceful getting it off.
Thanks for any help.
Regards
Ziga
mrzigazaga said:
Hi Peeps.
Im still trying to eliminate a mis-fire that I have at 2-3000 rpm which happens only at load...And a bad starting, Mainly from cold issue.
I have checked...Mostly by replacing with new but putting the old back on as no change was recorded.
1. The dizzy cap
2. Rotor arm
3. Plug leads including king lead
4. CTS
5. FPR
6. Plugs
7. TPS
8. New fuel pump & Filter
9. Fuses & Relays
10. Cleaned up all connector Plugs & Earths
Now I'm led to the dizzy...So would anyone happen to have a good spare knocking about that I could borrow mainly to test with please?....
It is possible that with changing the rotor arms I may have disturbed the bob weight springs as the first initial time I had to be a bit forceful getting it off.
Thanks for any help.
Regards
Ziga
MarkIm still trying to eliminate a mis-fire that I have at 2-3000 rpm which happens only at load...And a bad starting, Mainly from cold issue.
I have checked...Mostly by replacing with new but putting the old back on as no change was recorded.
1. The dizzy cap
2. Rotor arm
3. Plug leads including king lead
4. CTS
5. FPR
6. Plugs
7. TPS
8. New fuel pump & Filter
9. Fuses & Relays
10. Cleaned up all connector Plugs & Earths
Now I'm led to the dizzy...So would anyone happen to have a good spare knocking about that I could borrow mainly to test with please?....
It is possible that with changing the rotor arms I may have disturbed the bob weight springs as the first initial time I had to be a bit forceful getting it off.
Thanks for any help.
Regards
Ziga
I have put on facebook try AFM as well
adam quantrill said:
Is the misfire with Wide Open Throttle, or part throttle, or both?
Hi AdamIts more of a pulsing like its missing during throttle at around 3000rpm...It will rev through it and if I take it easy will only miss once or twice on a lower rpm...Im wondering if the bad starting and this are linked...I did notice the other day when I cleaned the dizzy cap with some contact cleaner that it stopped doing it, However this remedy was short lived but may indicate a fault somewhere there..
I never had this fault until I started investigating the bad starting...One possibility is that I may of disturbed the springs inside the dizzy as when I initially removed the rotor arm it was fairly tight so needed a bit more wiggle to remove....That is the only thing that could somehow be related to this new issue???....
So you mean when you hold it at 3000 rpm on part throttle, it misses occasionally? Is it a regular pattern or fairly random?
If the former more likely plug, lead, or something similar related to one cylinder. To identify which one, one at a time pull off an injector lead and drive it up to 3000 rpm. If you get a steady miss with no "extra" missing, you've found the culprit.
On the other hand, if it randomly misses with every position of the disconnected injector, on top of the regular miss, then it's more likely timing-related, or something common to all cylinders such as fueling.
If the former more likely plug, lead, or something similar related to one cylinder. To identify which one, one at a time pull off an injector lead and drive it up to 3000 rpm. If you get a steady miss with no "extra" missing, you've found the culprit.
On the other hand, if it randomly misses with every position of the disconnected injector, on top of the regular miss, then it's more likely timing-related, or something common to all cylinders such as fueling.
Its so hard to explain this...I can rev the car up to and over 4000rpm whilst stationery and its fine however under load its a different story...Floor it and its like a rocket ship until it gets to 3-4000rpm and then its like a continuos popping..Spluttering type of action but then will rev past it...
Ive changed the plugs...Fitted new plug leads...New rotor arm and cap although the old ones are back on as it did the same thing...New CTS but put the old back on as again same thing..Tried a different coil...No change...Checked the wiring...Cleaned up earths and connections...Tried a different FPR...No change...Cleaned the ECU pins and plug...Cleaned bullet connector from dizzy..
At only one point did it behave normally and this was after I cleaned the dizzy cap out with some contact cleaner...It never missed a beat but this was short lived...Although it made a difference initially?...
Im going to try a different ECU and AFM....
Ive changed the plugs...Fitted new plug leads...New rotor arm and cap although the old ones are back on as it did the same thing...New CTS but put the old back on as again same thing..Tried a different coil...No change...Checked the wiring...Cleaned up earths and connections...Tried a different FPR...No change...Cleaned the ECU pins and plug...Cleaned bullet connector from dizzy..
At only one point did it behave normally and this was after I cleaned the dizzy cap out with some contact cleaner...It never missed a beat but this was short lived...Although it made a difference initially?...
Im going to try a different ECU and AFM....
adam quantrill said:
you mean when you hold it at 3000 rpm on part throttle, it misses occasionally? Is it a regular pattern or fairly random?
If the former more likely plug, lead, or something similar related to one cylinder. To identify which one, one at a time pull off an injector lead and drive it up to 3000 rpm. If you get a steady miss with no "extra" missing, you've found the culprit.
Ooo... I can see where you're coming from and on a 'proper' sequential multipoint injection system you'd be right but the bank-firing of the RV8 means that even the cylinders that aren't firing are still injecting and the inspiring cylinder will draw that mixture, so it may not be that obvious.If the former more likely plug, lead, or something similar related to one cylinder. To identify which one, one at a time pull off an injector lead and drive it up to 3000 rpm. If you get a steady miss with no "extra" missing, you've found the culprit.
jimburr said:
dizzy sounds like a good place to start over. changed the rotor arm and cap on mine and popped the weights off. after removing and rebuilding it it was never the same. Took a gamble on a flebay dizzy, put the old rotor arm and cap back on. happy days.
I'm not sure how taking off and replacing the weights and springs would affect anything, unless you over-stretched the springs. Even so, I can't work out how you 'popped the weights off' just by pulling the rotor arm off? 
Do you not know your own strength? 
Thanks for all the suggestions and comments...
I went out there once the cover had defrosted and took the spark plugs shrouds off..Started the car which took absolutely ages, Ill post up the vid once I have downloaded it...
It eventually started so I let it warm up a bit...Then remembered that the last time I cleaned up the ECU pins & Plug I had no contact cleaner...So turned off..Un-plugged the ECU and gave the pins & Plug another clean up...Sprayed them with a fair amount of the WD40 contact cleaner and a load of black liquid came out...Let it dry for 10 mins...Plugged it back in...Started the car, Which seemed to start okay...Went for a test drive and "NO MIS-FIRE"...
....Now I'm hoping it was one of the two things that I last did...What do you reckon.....
1. Removed the metal shrouds which have been guilty in the past on later cars for causing the same kind of issue.
2. Cleaned up the ECU pins & Plug.
I meant to of tested when I removed the shrouds as I like to test every time I touched or change anything....
...Hopefully if this has sorted it for good then at least it has been narrowed down to just two possibilities....Not 10....
Ill keep you informed...Ill probably be back soon swearing and cursing...
Cheers
Ziga
I went out there once the cover had defrosted and took the spark plugs shrouds off..Started the car which took absolutely ages, Ill post up the vid once I have downloaded it...
It eventually started so I let it warm up a bit...Then remembered that the last time I cleaned up the ECU pins & Plug I had no contact cleaner...So turned off..Un-plugged the ECU and gave the pins & Plug another clean up...Sprayed them with a fair amount of the WD40 contact cleaner and a load of black liquid came out...Let it dry for 10 mins...Plugged it back in...Started the car, Which seemed to start okay...Went for a test drive and "NO MIS-FIRE"...
....Now I'm hoping it was one of the two things that I last did...What do you reckon.....1. Removed the metal shrouds which have been guilty in the past on later cars for causing the same kind of issue.
2. Cleaned up the ECU pins & Plug.
I meant to of tested when I removed the shrouds as I like to test every time I touched or change anything....
...Hopefully if this has sorted it for good then at least it has been narrowed down to just two possibilities....Not 10....Ill keep you informed...Ill probably be back soon swearing and cursing...
Cheers
Ziga
Neither of mine have got the metal plug shrouds/extenders - is that what you're referring to Mark? I have heard that they can be unreliable and the symptoms you state are sooo similar to the issues I had the other year when in reality the HT leads were breaking down. It may well be the shrouds????
KKson said:
Neither of mine have got the metal plug shrouds/extenders - is that what you're referring to Mark? I have heard that they can be unreliable and the symptoms you state are sooo similar to the issues I had the other year when in reality the HT leads were breaking down. It may well be the shrouds????
Thats the buggers Keith....Here is the video of the bad starting....It takes just over a minute of cranking...There is a spark but when I watch this video I think fuel but the fuel pressure is up and I can smell fuel in the exhaust...
What I did notice that I wasn't sure about earlier was when I was making sure all the plug connections were firm on the dizzy cap...I then gave the CTS plug a push which sounds like it made a difference to the running?....You can hear it in the video at around 2.13...
Bit more investigating me thinks...
https://youtu.be/YvL4sn1qS5M
Seems appropriate...
http://www.vintagemodelairplane.com/pages/Rover_Te...
What I did notice that I wasn't sure about earlier was when I was making sure all the plug connections were firm on the dizzy cap...I then gave the CTS plug a push which sounds like it made a difference to the running?....You can hear it in the video at around 2.13...
Bit more investigating me thinks...
https://youtu.be/YvL4sn1qS5M
Seems appropriate...
http://www.vintagemodelairplane.com/pages/Rover_Te...
Edited by mrzigazaga on Thursday 29th December 19:57
Mark, Wendy doesn't have any plug extenders. I have fitted thermal socks over the plugs and HT leads.
I think extenders are more pertinent to the Chimps, Griefs and V8S as the exhaust manifolds run across the plugs so heat 'pollution' is greater. With the Wedge manifolds going virtually downwards I don't see the need for the extenders. I would leave them off.
They have a terrible reliability pedigree, even the 'good' ones.
Oh, I still think it's TVR Part 6275.
I think extenders are more pertinent to the Chimps, Griefs and V8S as the exhaust manifolds run across the plugs so heat 'pollution' is greater. With the Wedge manifolds going virtually downwards I don't see the need for the extenders. I would leave them off.
They have a terrible reliability pedigree, even the 'good' ones.
Oh, I still think it's TVR Part 6275.
Metal bits around the HT leads is never a good idea - I reckon you've found the problem Zig.
I just have the bog standard rubber bits to cover the plug ends, I've had these on all my wedges, P5 and P6's and they cause no problems.
They are worth having, mainly to keep road grime from accumulating on the plug ceramic, which could cause arc-over and weaken the spark. Note that they don't extend all the way to the base leaving an air gap, so they themselves won't break down over time.
P.S. @Ian, yes I've used the injector disconnect a few times to track symptoms worn to a particular cylinder and it works well. In one instance I had a missing exhaust lobe on a cam causing frontfiring and it allowed me to drive the car a few more weeks while I got the bits together for a cam replacement. Only thing is watch out for the cylinder filling up with oil....
I just have the bog standard rubber bits to cover the plug ends, I've had these on all my wedges, P5 and P6's and they cause no problems.
They are worth having, mainly to keep road grime from accumulating on the plug ceramic, which could cause arc-over and weaken the spark. Note that they don't extend all the way to the base leaving an air gap, so they themselves won't break down over time.
P.S. @Ian, yes I've used the injector disconnect a few times to track symptoms worn to a particular cylinder and it works well. In one instance I had a missing exhaust lobe on a cam causing frontfiring and it allowed me to drive the car a few more weeks while I got the bits together for a cam replacement. Only thing is watch out for the cylinder filling up with oil....
Edited by adam quantrill on Friday 30th December 11:14
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