Discussion
Probably ignition although I had a B which did this and turned out to be the fuel pump, does it splutter and die or simply cut out?
Could be coil/condensor/ and rotor arms are a favourite, especially if it's a black one as these are of poor quality these days and fail when hot ( replace with a red rotor).
Could be coil/condensor/ and rotor arms are a favourite, especially if it's a black one as these are of poor quality these days and fail when hot ( replace with a red rotor).
I used to have a Mk1 Cortina that used to do this. Turned out to be the bottom edge of the distributor, where it clamps into the block, had cracked and broken away. After driving for 20 mins or so the distributor would have rotated enough to put the timing out as the clamp wasn't gripping the whole circumference.
Thinking about it though it's probably not the same as I always had to rotate it back a bit to get it to start again, until I managed to source a replacement.

Thinking about it though it's probably not the same as I always had to rotate it back a bit to get it to start again, until I managed to source a replacement.

Echo the previous advice, and one other thought:
Do the carbs have waxstats in them? Have a google if you're not sure what that means.
They can cause symptoms similar to those you describe, and it's dead easy to fix:
http://www.dunlopclassics.co.uk/waxstats.htm
Do the carbs have waxstats in them? Have a google if you're not sure what that means.
They can cause symptoms similar to those you describe, and it's dead easy to fix:
http://www.dunlopclassics.co.uk/waxstats.htm
Another possible cause is moisture inside the distributor. When the engine's cold, the moisture sloshes around in the bottom of the distributor doing no real harm. When the engine warms up, the distributor gets heated up, the moisture evaporates and condenses on the inside of the cap, the points and the condensor causing rough running and ultimately cutting out. When the engine cools, the moisture retreats back into the distributor body. I've seen this on an old BMW 525e, a classic Range Rover and a pinto engined kit car. All vertically mounted distributors. A long damp layup over winter was the common denominator - several winters in the RR's case.
Another possible cause is moisture inside the distributor. When the engine's cold, the moisture sloshes around in the bottom of the distributor doing no real harm. When the engine warms up, the distributor gets heated up, the moisture evaporates and condenses on the inside of the cap, the points and the condensor causing rough running and ultimately cutting out. When the engine cools, the moisture retreats back into the distributor body. I've seen this on an old BMW 525e, a classic Range Rover and a pinto engined kit car. All vertically mounted distributors. A long damp layup over winter was the common denominator - several winters in the RR's case.
Previous replies seem sound.
If the coil gets hot (very hot - take care when touching) when the car starts to cut out then that is very likely to be your culprit.
I have also had a distributor cap with ultra-fine cracks in it which - when hot - expanded just enough to allow the spark to track down them. Very difficult to spot at first but reasonably obvious once you had seen them. The car had overheated a few days before this problem started to occur, which was presumably what caused the damage to the cap.
Is the fuel tank venting properly? See if the car runs reliably when the tank cap is slackened off enough to allow air in through the cap itself. A blocked tank breather can cause enough of a vacuum to defeat the suction of the fuel pump, starving the engine of fuel.
Best of luck with the diagnosis.
If the coil gets hot (very hot - take care when touching) when the car starts to cut out then that is very likely to be your culprit.
I have also had a distributor cap with ultra-fine cracks in it which - when hot - expanded just enough to allow the spark to track down them. Very difficult to spot at first but reasonably obvious once you had seen them. The car had overheated a few days before this problem started to occur, which was presumably what caused the damage to the cap.
Is the fuel tank venting properly? See if the car runs reliably when the tank cap is slackened off enough to allow air in through the cap itself. A blocked tank breather can cause enough of a vacuum to defeat the suction of the fuel pump, starving the engine of fuel.
Best of luck with the diagnosis.
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Edited by mariamunir on Saturday 17th January 07:01
I'd go with ignition too.
My old Princess 2200 was quite susceptible to poor points. It's amazing what a new cap, points, leads and plugs will do. There are electronic ignition kits that will fit entirely within the distributor cap that work really well and leave the bay looking original. I run one in my Locost racing car because the rules stated it must be within the cap though I think my car was the only one that complied with this; everybody else had large external systems.
The Princess was a very reliable car when these service items were replaced.
My old Princess 2200 was quite susceptible to poor points. It's amazing what a new cap, points, leads and plugs will do. There are electronic ignition kits that will fit entirely within the distributor cap that work really well and leave the bay looking original. I run one in my Locost racing car because the rules stated it must be within the cap though I think my car was the only one that complied with this; everybody else had large external systems.
The Princess was a very reliable car when these service items were replaced.
cmsapms said:
Another possible cause is moisture inside the distributor. When the engine's cold, the moisture sloshes around in the bottom of the distributor doing no real harm. When the engine warms up, the distributor gets heated up, the moisture evaporates and condenses on the inside of the cap, the points and the condensor causing rough running and ultimately cutting out. When the engine cools, the moisture retreats back into the distributor body. I've seen this on an old BMW 525e, a classic Range Rover and a pinto engined kit car. All vertically mounted distributors. A long damp layup over winter was the common denominator - several winters in the RR's case.
I had this problem on my W124 - new dizzy cap fixed it.Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff


