One thing fixed, another thing going wrong!

[x95ybk]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the advice a week or two ago about my alternator. It's working fine now (the alternator - not the car!)

Over the weekend, I noticed the car started running roughly - stalled every time I turned off the choke, and almost dying when pulling away. In the past, have had trouble with this, and a bit of redex has fixed it. Had another fit of this about 3 months ago, and new plugs and HT leads seemed to do the trick. A month or so again started acting up and I cleaned the distributer cap well which seemed to do it.

One of the problems is the distributor cap, I know - the person who had it before me striped one of the threads where the cap is mounted to the car - so the screw doesn't hold the cap tight. He got around this by using a cable tie to keep it in place.

The cable tie looked loose to me, so I took it off, inspected the distributer (it looked fine - no obvious signs of damage) and put it back on with a new tie which seemed pretty tight. Hasn't helped.

I'm thinking now that maybe I need to replace the whole distributor mechanism - cap and all - but judging from my Haynes book, I don't know if I can manage it.

So, my questions are as follows -

1) Anything else I should check before resorting to renewing everything? Is it worth trying to renew the cap to see what happens?

2) I am pretty wet behind the ears as a mechanic - should I leave this to a professional?

3) If I DO leave this to a professional, what will the cost most likely be?

Any help, as ever, happily received -

Peter

:confused:

[E_T_V]

Sorry which engine does your car have?

If it is a 1.3 which I'm assuming it is in this post then I'd check out the oil level in the carburettor damper (the black plastic screw on the top of the engine poking out of the middle of the air filter). Pour a little oil into the inner centre hole until it reaches the top. It doesn't take much oil, only a dribble or two. (Don't try to fill the whole thing up as you can't and you will simply be filling the fuel intake up with oil.- you'd not be the first to try!)

Also check the vacuum pipes for splits and leaks as these are critical to the smooth running of an A series. Check out the link here (http://www.maestro.org.uk/forums/showthread.php?p=25696#post25696) as it explains about them.

The above things will cause the engine to die and hesitate on acceleration. If the engine is coughing and spluttering and regularly missing (mis firing or a regular cough or knock), then you can suspect a spark plug ht system problem.

If the distributer cap is loose then water can get in and also as the cap moves the ignition spark has a tough time getting to the spark plugs which gives coughing and spluttering. To replace or fix the stripped thread in the hole you can either try to tap a new thread into it, (perhaps of a larger size), or the easiest solution is to fit an appropriate sized nut to the rear of the thread if you can get to it (which I think you should be able to). This of course will cost nothing apart from finding a longer screw and a nut to suit!.

If you want to make a proper job of it you could either swap the distributer for one from another car which is a straightforward job so long as you have the facilities in order to time the ignition timing afterward (the distributer is rotated in order to advance or retard the timing). Or you could remove the old one and have a helicoil insert put in to make a new thread, but this is best left to someone with the appropriate tools. Removing the distributer is
straightforward with only a couple of bolts to undo before withdrawing the unit, but bear in mind that if you move or remove the distributer you'll probably need to set the ignition timing again.

I'd recommend changing the HT leads, the distributer cap and rotor arm whilst you are fixing the loose distributrer cap. These will cost you somewhere between 15-30 pounds from a motorfactor and once done you can then be almost sure that if there are any further problems that they lie elsewhere.

Changing the cap rotor arm and ht leads will take about half an hour and is certainly something the novice DIY mechanic can do themselves.

If you need any further advice or anything clarifying then let us know and I'll try to put things in understandable english.

[Slaphead]

One of the problems is the distributor cap, I know - the person who had it before me striped one of the threads where the cap is mounted to the car - so the screw doesn't hold the cap tight. He got around this by using a cable tie to keep it in place.


I've got the same problem on my Ledbury,though i think i may have been responsible. :banghead: The new dizzy cap has screw head fixings and the old one had bolt head ones,i think i may have over tightened it with the spanner! :giveup:
I was thinking of wrapping some electrical tape around,where the cap joins the body. It worked on the roof beacon,on a van i used to own. The tape never came off, or let in water,despite being exposed to all the elements.

Mind you,pherhaps Dan's idea of putting a bolt up through the dizzy body and then through the cap,might be the best solution. :thumbup:

[Ricky]

Yes, I'm in this boat too - why can't it have clips like the earlier one did, they're easy to sort out! Mine is currently held in by pair of huge wood screws which are far too large , but they bite into both the distributor body and the cap so it doesn't move at all, and then I have cable tied it into place for good measure! It isn't the most aesthetically pleasing solution, i'll admit, but it works!

Ricky.

[Green Maestro Man]

Hi all,

Yes, I had gone down the cable tie route too. I have checked the vacuum piping (all seems fine) and the HT Leads and Spark plugs are all only 3 months old (I replaced them another time when the car seemed to be running poorly).

I am not equiped (with expertise or equiptment) to sort out the timing or do anything major re; the distributor.

(oh, and yes, it is a 1.3L)

I can't remember if I said it earlier, but I am now wondering about the carb. I am running out of things to check now, and, while the distributor cap itself may be the problem, because it is mounted pretty well (the cable tie is as tight as hell!) and I checked that everything was as it should be... well, not sure.

From what I understand, symptoms of bad distributor (rough running, etc) can be also attributed to a bad carburator. To describe these symptoms again, they are:

1) Won't run without the choke on - once I take it off it sputters a bit then dies (when I am idling, not driving)
2) Rough running - sounds like a misfire - but misfiring irregularly
3) Tendancy to die or stall when I try to accelerate - or lurch forward a few times before "getting up a head of steam"
4) Generally being a collosal pain in the :censored:

Thanks all

Peter

[E_T_V]

1) Won't run without the choke on - once I take it off it sputters a bit then dies (when I am idling, not driving)
2) Rough running - sounds like a misfire - but misfiring irregularly
3) Tendancy to die or stall when I try to accelerate - or lurch forward a few times before "getting up a head of steam"
4) Generally being a collosal pain in the :censored:


1. Sounds like the carb needs a good tune or cleanout or both
2. HT leads, rotor arm distributer cap etc or vacuum leaks or dirt in the carb/needs re-tuning
3. Check the carb dash pot oil level. If not this usually indicates too weak a fuel mixture, (Check the colour of the spark plugs after a good run), or an air/vacuum leak or a blocked carbutrettor jet.
4. Yup they can be a sod when they aren't set up properly but once they are they trundle on forever.

[G Force]

I am running out of things to check now,

Hello peter, I would check as ETV says, Because you say it won't run without choke that sound like an air leak / weak mixtrure problem.

If you have a can of WD40 or carb cleaner, try spraying around the inlet manifold where it meets the cylinder head whilst the engine is running, if the engine speeds up or changes note the manifold gasket may have gone.

Check to see if the manifold nuts are loose as they have a tendency to become loose.

Another thing to consider is the head gasket as they have been known to burn between cylinders 2&3 a compression test will diagnose this.

Good hunting Cheers gary :)