Engine cut- out problem

[BlueTR3A-5EKT]

40 minutes ago, Anschutz said:

I had trouble with my Luminition module last year and it would misfire badly when it got hot.( it was 30years old!) replaced with points and it was fine.

Fiest poit of call though is the rotor arm.

I am having problems now with the coils, they don't last long and I presume they are all made in China?

My Bosch one is made in Brazil

[RobH]

1 hour ago, Anschutz said:

I am having problems now with the coils, they don't last long and I presume they are all made in China?

No they aren't.  Decent Bosch coils are made in Brazil I think.  Remax coils are made in the UK.  Pertronix coils are made in the US.

Having said that, the country of manufacture isn't the point really, some decent stuff is made in China but so is a lot of rubbish. Best to stick to known reputable brands and suppliers rather than possibly counterfeit stuff off e-bay,  or do as Stuart says and contact Martin.

[mleadbeater]

A way to check the rotor arm is to remove the central ht lead from the coil at the cap, remove the cap, 

then hold the lead end near the rotor arm and crank the engine , ignition on.

If there is a spark from the lead to the rotor arm, then the arm is shorting earth and therefore failing.

An RAC mechanic showed me this when my Midget had this fault, a new arm cured this.

Another device which can analyse the ht performance is an oscilloscope, with a pickup on a plug lead. The resulting trace has characteristic stages of the ht voltage, which can pinpoint a specific fault in the ignition system. 

Plenty on youtube on this.

The photo shows a trace from a cheepo oscilloscope bought on ebay for about £20 or so, the trace shows a healthy system from a BMW I used to own.

Hope this helps, good luck.

Mike

[Ernest]

Thanks Mike

 

Lots to think about and try out now I am back home.

Best Wishes

Ernest

[Ernest]

Hi all

Just an up-date one my engine cut-out problem.

I fitted a new red rotor arm today and the car then run well for 50 mins - I then turned her off and

15 mins later it started up again fine. As the problem was the engine cutting out after about 15/20 mins

and then not starting again for over an hour, I am, if cautiously, thinking that the rotor arm was the cause

of the problem.

I would say that the 'Distributor Doctor' person was really helpful and clearly explained what he thought would be

the cause of my problem and recommended (as most of you had) fitting a new rotor arm.

I am left rather curious to know how a rotor arm fails (metal fatigue?) as the old red one looks fine.

Fingers crossed for my next longer run!!

Thanks all for the range of helpful advice you offered.

Best Wishes

Ernest

 

[Mk2 Chopper]

Good to hear and thanks for reporting back. I wonder if similar to the distributor cap, you can get tracking, with the flow taking a different path and not jumping the gap?

Gareth

[Steve-B]

Hi Ernest, thanks for sharing your results which others (myself included) have been through and I'm pleased for you. If it happens again, were it me, right when you've pulled over I'd remove the Inertia Switch, join the 2 wires and see if your car then runs fine. Should it do so, you'll be homing in on the culprit however if it don't, then a proper new coil may be your next play.

[RobH]

2 hours ago, Mk2 Chopper said:

I wonder if similar to the distributor cap, you can get tracking, with the flow taking a different path and not jumping the gap?

If the moulding is poor or the surface is dirty it is possible for 'tracking' to happen, either across the surface of the rotor arm or even internally, from the contact to the distributor spindle which of course is effectively earthed.