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haircutmike

Original Poster:

22,511 posts

234 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
I can't believe it, (said in a Victor meldrew voice)!

Newly built engine, running well, 150 miles trouble free.

Wanted to use it yesterday and it wouldn't start, a few minor phuts and a lot of starter whirring.

The spark is very weak and small, not a nice crack as you would expect.

I tried one of those spark testers, the ones that look a bit like a plug but with a much wider gap to test the strength of the spark and there is no spark on that off the plug leads.

I then but the tester on the king lead and it sparks well, result I thought!

so I changed;

The king lead,
The dizzy cap,
The rotor arm,
The coil,
The spark amplifier,
Remade all the connections on the coil,
Binned the dizzy plastic connecter and soldered solid connections.

Same result, no improvement furious.

Very rapidly losing the will, sun shining and I need to put some miles on the clock.

Any ideas?

Jammy Dodger

2,449 posts

185 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
Peter, you're going to end up with a reputation as unluckier than me - and that's not good !

haircutmike

Original Poster:

22,511 posts

234 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
Your not fecking wrong at this rate!

I have a 100 mile round trip arranged workwise this afternoon and wwas very much looking forward to taking the chim.

On it's inaugural trip on Saturday after the engine fit, my wife and I took a trip to the coast for lunch, the only tool in the car, (please, no funny remarks!) was the wheel wrench and all was fine..........

haircutmike

Original Poster:

22,511 posts

234 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
Took stepper motor out.

Switch on ignition and it buzzes for a second and then nowt!

Isn't it supposed to wind out when not in it's housing?

TV8

3,557 posts

205 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
Hi Pete,

the stepper should move to one end of the travel when switched off. Mine didnt reset and gave me cold starting problems. Amazingly, the AFM was to blame. Dont think that is linked to the spark though!

MADMAX2

2,336 posts

224 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
Jammy Dodger said:
Peter, you're going to end up with a reputation as unluckier than me - and that's not good !
No one else can be THAT unlucky

haircutmike

Original Poster:

22,511 posts

234 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
TV8 said:
Hi Pete,

the stepper should move to one end of the travel when switched off. Mine didnt reset and gave me cold starting problems. Amazingly, the AFM was to blame. Dont think that is linked to the spark though!
Just tried that spark tester on the other chim and that doesn't light up! The sparks are fairly weak I suppose??

I think I'll investigate the other chim as my stepper doesnt move.

TVR Thunder

274 posts

258 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
Hi,

Try resetting the ECU (disconnect battery for 30 secs) also, check your Earth strap connection to the engine.


dbv8

8,676 posts

250 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
My first thoughts were earths and fuses.
Check the fuse to the ecu!

Then go sit on the toilet and concentrate.

Chilliman

12,432 posts

191 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
ears

haircutmike

Original Poster:

22,511 posts

234 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
I will continue later but please confirm the following.

Cold engine, (stepper motor out and connected
switch on ignition, the stepper buzzes for a second but doesn't move. Is that correct?

Chilliman

12,432 posts

191 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
haircutmike said:
I will continue later but please confirm the following.

Cold engine, (stepper motor out and connected
switch on ignition, the stepper buzzes for a second but doesn't move. Is that correct?
Sorry Peter don't know the answer would help if I could frown

TVR Beaver

2,874 posts

210 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
when its cold.. it should retract back into its housing to let the ait flow around past the butterfly and give you some RPM's... as it gets warm it should come out a stop the flow returning the car to run via the air screw bleed... Hope that helps smile

haircutmike

Original Poster:

22,511 posts

234 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
TVR Beaver said:
when its cold.. it should retract back into its housing to let the ait flow around past the butterfly and give you some RPM's... as it gets warm it should come out a stop the flow returning the car to run via the air screw bleed... Hope that helps smile
Thanks matey!

haircutmike

Original Poster:

22,511 posts

234 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
Problem I think, solved.

A dam good tow start as the engine was flooded from trying to start it.

The slight missing at low rpm has now dissappeared so I put that down to the dodgy wires that were breaking away from the plastic connector.

I believe these were shorting out and prolonging the starting prodedure, (you could hear a cracking from this area as the engine was spinning over).

The strange thing is, there isn't enough power in the tiv system to spark up the tester off a plug lead!

120 mile round trip this pm and the car was running brilliantly.....happy days smile.

dbv8

8,676 posts

250 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
haircutmike said:
The strange thing is, there isn't enough power in the tiv system to spark up the tester off a plug lead!

.
One of the main reasons i upgraded to MS. Nitrous can literally blow a weak spark out.

An aftermarket ECU with coilpacks etc has got to be next on the list hasn't it Peter?

SILICONEKID340HP

14,997 posts

261 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
haircutmike said:
Problem I think, solved.

A dam good tow start as the engine was flooded from trying to start it.

The slight missing at low rpm has now dissappeared so I put that down to the dodgy wires that were breaking away from the plastic connector.

I believe these were shorting out and prolonging the starting prodedure, (you could hear a cracking from this area as the engine was spinning over).

The strange thing is, there isn't enough power in the tiv system to spark up the tester off a plug lead!

120 mile round trip this pm and the car was running brilliantly.....happy days smile.
Whats your engine spec Peter..?

Simon says

19,461 posts

251 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
dbv8 said:
haircutmike said:
The strange thing is, there isn't enough power in the tiv system to spark up the tester off a plug lead!

.
One of the main reasons i upgraded to MS. Nitrous can literally blow a weak spark out.

An aftermarket ECU with coilpacks etc has got to be next on the list hasn't it Peter?
+ No more over-fueling cold starts that the Hotwire system insists on doing frown

TV8

3,557 posts

205 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
haircutmike said:
The strange thing is, there isn't enough power in the tiv system to spark up the tester off a plug lead!
Hi Pete,

I thought that the standard should be ok assuming all is well. A mate of mine has an old fashioned krypton tester that would tell you what is going on with the ignition system if you are interested? He is near Jcn 7 so could put a few miles on the car at the same time!

dbv8

8,676 posts

250 months

Wednesday 21st March 2012
quotequote all
Ideally you should see the spark jump 20mm on one of those pocket testers. No old school Lucas system will give you that strength