Ignition Issue?
Discussion
Hi, my Griff has had a couple of "episodes" the last couple of times I have used it that I believe are now manifesting themselves in a different way and I'm hoping someone can point out the likely fault.
I was sat at some traffic lights about a mile from home the first time I had an issue. I tickled the throttle to move away from the lights in traffic and the car stalled in a manner it wouldn't normally. The car seemed reluctant to start but then went just fine a moment later and was fine again. The second occasion was very similar, another set of traffic lights a mile from home, light throttle application to move away, car nearly stalls (caught with clitch and throttle just in time). Later on in that journey whilst cruising at low revs through a village the engine seemed to stutter a bit like it wanted to stall.
Now before both trips I had needed to jump start the car (I have a new battery and a CTEK now!) and I initially put it down to that. It definitely isn't the car just going rich and flooding itself because I know what that's like and it behaves completely differently. To me it feels like an ignition fault as it's almost like the sparks die if the revs drop? I could take a stab at the likely culprit but am hoping someone else may have experienced something similar and be able to advise?
Any help much appreciated. Cheers.
I was sat at some traffic lights about a mile from home the first time I had an issue. I tickled the throttle to move away from the lights in traffic and the car stalled in a manner it wouldn't normally. The car seemed reluctant to start but then went just fine a moment later and was fine again. The second occasion was very similar, another set of traffic lights a mile from home, light throttle application to move away, car nearly stalls (caught with clitch and throttle just in time). Later on in that journey whilst cruising at low revs through a village the engine seemed to stutter a bit like it wanted to stall.
Now before both trips I had needed to jump start the car (I have a new battery and a CTEK now!) and I initially put it down to that. It definitely isn't the car just going rich and flooding itself because I know what that's like and it behaves completely differently. To me it feels like an ignition fault as it's almost like the sparks die if the revs drop? I could take a stab at the likely culprit but am hoping someone else may have experienced something similar and be able to advise?
Any help much appreciated. Cheers.
Just a thought- if you have disconnected the battery, and reconnected the battery, started and and then driven it straight away the ECU does not have the tickover long enough to get the mixture retrimmed so it will battle away trying to get it right as you drive, that can lead to snatching and a tendency to die. You just need to leave the car idling for say 25 seconds let it sort itself out.
Perhaps I should add that the car refuses to start now... Initially I suspected that this was due to me flooding it by trying to start it on the old battery but even with the plugs cleaned, baked and blowtorched, the engine cranked with the relay removed so minimal fuel left in the cylinders and all HT connection points cleaned and polished it's still refusing to catch, occassionally softly woofling like it's going to on half the cylinders? I know it is said you cannot dry plugs out but mine had the blowtorch, a couple of hours baking at 230C and then a week on top of my boiler until I next had a chance to put them back in and still nothing?
I've printed the notes in this post with a view that I'll have to do some static testing later on this week possibly
I've printed the notes in this post with a view that I'll have to do some static testing later on this week possibly
Eff that, just buy some spark testers - inserting them twixt lead & plug is a lot easier + they're cheap & always handy.
Extremely likely to be the ignition amp &/ its fly lead going from intermittent problem to dead like that I'd say. Buying a 'good' ignition amp is these days rather hit & miss with the demise of the real Lucas & the later 'labeled' product being of dubious quality, best to beg / steal/ borrow one from a known working car as a first diagnostic test IMHO. Personally I'd jump straight to that scenario in your circumstances, but I have another RV8 as well as a box of spares (I'd still test with the one that I knew worked right there & then though!)
Extremely likely to be the ignition amp &/ its fly lead going from intermittent problem to dead like that I'd say. Buying a 'good' ignition amp is these days rather hit & miss with the demise of the real Lucas & the later 'labeled' product being of dubious quality, best to beg / steal/ borrow one from a known working car as a first diagnostic test IMHO. Personally I'd jump straight to that scenario in your circumstances, but I have another RV8 as well as a box of spares (I'd still test with the one that I knew worked right there & then though!)
spend said:
Eff that, just buy some spark testers - inserting them twixt lead & plug is a lot easier + they're cheap & always handy.
Extremely likely to be the ignition amp &/ its fly lead going from intermittent problem to dead like that I'd say. Buying a 'good' ignition amp is these days rather hit & miss with the demise of the real Lucas & the later 'labeled' product being of dubious quality, best to beg / steal/ borrow one from a known working car as a first diagnostic test IMHO. Personally I'd jump straight to that scenario in your circumstances, but I have another RV8 as well as a box of spares (I'd still test with the one that I knew worked right there & then though!)
Thanks Dave, this seems like a good excuse to buy the Classic RR I want! In the meantime I definitely have some sparks to the plugs, I can only assume they're not as strong as they need to be to fire the flooded engine? If I have sparks would that point more to the coil than the amp? My understanding is that dodgy amp = no sparks, dodgy coil = weak sparks?Extremely likely to be the ignition amp &/ its fly lead going from intermittent problem to dead like that I'd say. Buying a 'good' ignition amp is these days rather hit & miss with the demise of the real Lucas & the later 'labeled' product being of dubious quality, best to beg / steal/ borrow one from a known working car as a first diagnostic test IMHO. Personally I'd jump straight to that scenario in your circumstances, but I have another RV8 as well as a box of spares (I'd still test with the one that I knew worked right there & then though!)
Griffit said:
Thanks Dave, this seems like a good excuse to buy the Classic RR I want! In the meantime I definitely have some sparks to the plugs, I can only assume they're not as strong as they need to be to fire the flooded engine? If I have sparks would that point more to the coil than the amp? My understanding is that dodgy amp = no sparks, dodgy coil = weak sparks?
Why not try a blast of Easy Start into the plenum or AFM? Even the most feable spark will ignite that stuff. If the engine then dies once the easy start has gone, it may not be ignition thats the issue.
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