Pattern Rotor Killed my car

[swallet]

Well temporarily...

I posted last week that my car had been running rich for some time and had then flooded and I couldn't get it started again despite a week of trying.

When I got the car in April I put in - new leads, dizzy cap, rotor arm and coil as a matter of course because I didm;t know their pedigree.

I had a spark on all leads and fuel going in so couldn't figure out why it wouldn't run.
I borrowed JoJackson's Roverguage to check there wasn't a fault with the Lucas 14CUX or sensors that might be causing overfuelling and all seemed ok.

Tried new plugs and still just turned over and over without firing up.

I checked the inside of the dizzy cap and it was pristine as was the 6 month old new rotor arm (from a well known TVR supplier)

On a whim I pulled out the "new" rotor and bunged in my old Lucas unit.

Guess what ?

Fired first time!

I guess the pattern rotor arm was reducing the voltage available at the spark plugs sufficiently to prevent firing.

Bit miffed as it cost me £18 and was marketed as - "a superior quality replacement for the Lucas original" , was also from a TVR specialist not an eBay special.


Just a warning to everyone - stick to the Lucas original!

[Colin RedGriff]

I'd contact the specialist you bought it from and tell the. They may have bought the arms in good faith but if they're not as good as they think they are they'll keep on selling them. You should also be able to get your money back.

[swallet]

Yeah I plan to - I've had lots of stuff from them and they do provide a really good service compared to other parts places (I.E parts actually arrive within a few days!!)

[phillpot]

swallet said:

Just a warning to everyone - stick to the Lucas original!

Isn't that the problem though? The "Lucas" items available (apart from genuine old stock which must be getting rare by now) are pattern parts made by companies with the rights to use the Lucas brand name?

[carsy]

When i had a dizzy i used one of these,

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Land-Rover-V8-Genuine-Po...

Apparently manufactured to combat the problems of the present rotor arms. It worked.

This is one of the problems staying with the Lucas setup. Quality bits n pieces are becoming harder or impossible to find.

[blitzracing]

This problem has been around at least 10 years now, I remember the issue the issue when I fitted a £4 pattern bit to my car and it all went horribly wrong. I really cant understand how you can get a rotor arm so wrong, its just a bit of brass on an insulator, and I never found an trace of tracking on the pattern part so how it fails is certainly a mystery to me.

[jojackson4]

Simon
Glad you got to the bottom of it
Have you run the car with the car pluged in to check all is ok

Temp gauge / temp senders ?

Peter

[swallet]

blitzracing said:

I really cant understand how you can get a rotor arm so wrong, its just a bit of brass on an insulator, and I never found an trace of tracking on the pattern part so how it fails is certainly a mystery to me.

Tell me about it! It looks almost identical to the Lucas branded one I put back in. No sign of wear at all.

I changed it in desperate hope more than anything!

[swallet]

jojackson4 said:

Simon
Glad you got to the bottom of it
Have you run the car with the car pluged in to check all is ok

Temp gauge / temp senders ?

Peter

Thanks Peter,
Have been out for a good blast today and all seems to be fine in terms of the sensors.

The long term trim on the left bank is at -100% which I assume means that side is running rich - That's another post!

I'll try and pop your computer back over to you.

[Goaty Bill]

This man here explains the problem with some rotors;

http://www.distributordoctor.com/rotor_arms.html

[Alexc1984]

I had the exact same problem and after going through everything with a fine tooth comb the old rotor worked as well.

[blitzracing]

swallet said:

Tell me about it! It looks almost identical to the Lucas branded one I put back in. No sign of wear at all.

I changed it in desperate hope more than anything!

keep the faulty one to one side if you are not sending it back- it could be interesting to put 20kv up its connector and see how it fails. Ill have a dig around and see if I still have my old pattern one for a test.

[Pupp]

Can I just complain about this thread under trade descriptions... When I see the headline that a rotor has killed a car, I want tales of high speeds and brake discs flying apart, scything through bodywork, chassis members, and kittens, in showers of sparks. Pah, cheated

[swallet]

Pupp said:

Can I just complain about this thread under trade descriptions... When I see the headline that a rotor has killed a car, I want tales of high speeds and brake discs flying apart, scything through bodywork, chassis members, and kittens, in showers of sparks. Pah, cheated

Sorry pup -
Does this make you feel better:

I was enjoying some spirited driving up against some bloke in a Fiat when my pattern rotor arm blew out through my dizzy cap, went scything through the air like a supersonic shuriken slicing his car in two. He span out of control, blowing into a field and taking out a herd of prize Llamas. It’s Ok - he walked away and we had a good laugh about it! (the farmer was pissed though)
PS I was in America at the time.

[Pupp]

swallet said:

Sorry pup -
Does this make you feel better:

I was enjoying some spirited driving up against some bloke in a Fiat when my pattern rotor arm blew out through my dizzy cap, went scything through the air like a supersonic shuriken slicing his car in two. He span out of control, blowing into a field and taking out a herd of prize Llamas. It’s Ok - he walked away and we had a good laugh about it! (the farmer was pissed though)
PS I was in America at the time.

Much better; thanks

[New POD]

Last time I owned an A series, I had just this problem. I refitted the original rotor arm and dizzy cap, and it stopped misfiring.

I also got through 3 condensors in a year.

Moss must buy in the most st parts available.