well i started the engine up on sunday And it was missing on the cylinder closest to the radiator (Cyl 1) i then noticed ther was a leak from the base of the offending lead on the distributor cap to the distributor base metal clip. so i took it off and had a quick look the cap didnt seem cracked. i think i might need to get a new set of leads what do others think.

If it was a "LEAK" then bars leak
Just get a new distributer cap / rotor button /points and leads. if you replace only one item then the next part in the system will break down

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Research is the difference between speculation and investment. Anyone who copys some one else will always be second
www.minisprintgt.com

so id be better getting a 123 dizzy, that way i have more tuning for the 1100 Sc12 setup.

It doesn't need to have a crack to cause problems. This seems to be a symptom of the older types of rubbers which cracked and then collected dust. This dust would help conduct the charge to ground. So they can still stuff up without any easily visible reason.

A line drawn with a soft lead pencil is enough to conduct the spark down to earth. Apparently it used to be a bit of a practical joke to draw a line on a mates spark plugs for this reason.



No, this is just normal maintenance. A 123 distributor has a bakelite cap and silicone leads just the same. It happens to all ignition systems

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

electronic is the only way to go. you might pick up a pulsar or honda dist to fit cheaply

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Research is the difference between speculation and investment. Anyone who copys some one else will always be second
www.minisprintgt.com

Pulsar ones need less work to fit.
I love em.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

ohh That makes sence with the dust problem ive been doing body prep on the car Lots of dust floating around I will give the whole distributor a good clean up and see how it goes. i was thinking about organising a Pulsar distributor as those 123 distributors are a bit pricey.
ohh yeah im on my first coat of primer since starting Xmas week last year. ive been on working on it sundays only and its coming along realy nice total hrs of work spent so far is about 60ish.