Linus is having some problems....I've just had the head dipped and cleaned and reassembled after one of the exhaust valves pulled a sleeve inside in the valve guide out and wouldn't let the valve shut.

In doing that I discovered that I'm not getting the right spark to cyls 1 and 3.......if I pull the lead off while it's idling there isn't any difference. He's chugging and down on power, and isn't burning fuel right. I've got all new plugs and new leads from the dizzy to the plugs. My brain and limited knowledge is telling me it's a problem with the dizzy cap or rotor, but is there a chance it could be the dizzy itself? or the coil or coil lead??

If anyone can help, or can lend me a distributor cap for the day to find out, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm in Toowoomba.

I've got to go out, so I don't know when I"ll be able to check back, but if you send me an SMS (0407676040) I'll get back to you.

Thanks

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"I'm sorry, but a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part!"

Got a new one sitting here your can borrow or buy - I'm in Brissy though - west side

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

Pull the centre lead off the distributor and hold it near the block and get a friend to crank the car for you. If the sparking seems erratic or uneven then it is probably a problem with the points or condenser (although it could also be coil, or loose connections etc.)

The firing order is 1342, so if it is missing on 1 & 3 and the problem is in bottom half (low tension) of the dizzy you would expect to see 2 sparks, followed by 2 missed sparks if you test it like this. If there are strong sparks that are nice and evenly spaced then you have eliminated the bottom half of the distributor and the coil, which leaves the dizzy cap and rotor as the two possible causes of the problem.

As you are looking at the engine straight ahead through the grill, this in the other that the plugs are in



As the dizzy spins anti clockwise, that should be the right order, but they are in different positions to Asha's minis plugs, which seem to be the way you are talking about, RIcharde. Nick came around with Oscar to try to use that dizzy cap, but it was for a 45D and I have a 43D.

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"I'm sorry, but a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part!"

This doesn't make sense to me. If the coil isn't even attached to the distributor, how can you deduce that the dizzy is the problem???

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"I'm sorry, but a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part!"

When I was over there today I noticed alot of corrosion in the top of the dizzy cap of two of the area's where you attach the plugs to. The little contacts in the dizzy cap seemed to be a bit pitted and worn and the rotor button was a bit uneven and had a couple of little gouges out of it.

It was a bit hard as we didn't have access to any spare parts today so there wasn't much I could do but stand around and scratch my bum

Any thoughts (BTW, I got the model's mixed up, Ash's car has a 29D and Chow's car has a 43D).

I told Danny I would get a new Cap and rotor button for it but I just wish I had another 43D cap / rotor there to test.



He is talking about the lead that goes into the centre of the cap - not the ones that go to the plugs. I never tried that It is a good idea though! I'll talk to chow and let him know - hopefully Tash will be the head car starter

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"In two years time your car will be like a lady's clothes, out of date, my car will still be in fashion when I am dead" - Sir Alec speaking to Pininfarina

The bottom half of the dizzy controls the coil and makes the sparks. It basically turns power on and off to the coil using the points and this creates a voltage spike that goes from the coil in through the centre of the dizzy cap then on to whichever plug the rotor is pointing at. Damaged points can mess up the timing of the sparks and they become erratic/weak etc.

Basically if you test it like this you can test the bottom half of the dizzy and confirm that it is a problem with the top half (rotor and/or cap)

the most obvious suspect are the plugs or leads, then the dizzy cap. if the problem is only on 1 and 3 I cant see how it could be a problem before the dizzy cap (could be wrong but I'd be really suprised)

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Noli Illegitimi Carborundum