Steve Whiteley Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 Hi all, Happy 07. Had my first 'breakdown' the other day.....turned out to be the small piece of wire that connects to the inside of the distributer cap and closes the circuit with the coil (discovered after fitting a new coil and still no spark from it!....Still, at least I have a spare now:) So, used a piece of speaker wire that a mate had to get me home. The wire in there was of a black fabric outer sleeve type. Question is, what to replace it with? Would PVC coated auto cable be ok as I guess the wire has to be somewhat flexible to allow advance/retard of the dizzy. Any advice welcome... BTW....was surprised to discover that coils are full of fluid! (Yes, I'm not too mechanically clued up!) What's that then? Thought at first that water had somehow got in and that was the problem Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted January 2, 2007 Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 The cloth covered cable you’re referring to is part of the connection for the low tension circuit (12v) to the coil. There are actually 2 cables (not sure if they are interchangeable); one which earths the moving plate to the fixed plate & another from the white terminal block visible on the outside of the dizzy onto the points terminal post. Replacements are readily available from any outlet that sells Lucas Spares (you may even get one from Halfords). The moving plate one comes separately but the other one usually comes in the box as part of a new point’s kit. The cable is braided as opposed to stranded which gives its flexibility; light stranded cable will do as a stop gap but it will keep breaking & may hinder the mechanical advance if fitted to the moving plate. The liquid in the coil is to aid cooling & avoid internal hot spots which could damage the unit or shorten it’s life; I suspect it’s probably glycerine based but don’t know. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Whiteley Posted January 2, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2007 The cloth covered cable you’re referring to is part of the connection for the low tension circuit (12v) to the coil. There are actually 2 cables (not sure if they are interchangeable); one which earths the moving plate to the fixed plate & another from the white terminal block visible on the outside of the dizzy onto the points terminal post. Replacements are readily available from any outlet that sells Lucas Spares (you may even get one from Halfords). The moving plate one comes separately but the other one usually comes in the box as part of a new point’s kit. The cable is braided as opposed to stranded which gives its flexibility; light stranded cable will do as a stop gap but it will keep breaking & may hinder the mechanical advance if fitted to the moving plate. The liquid in the coil is to aid cooling & avoid internal hot spots which could damage the unit or shorten it’s life; I suspect it’s probably glycerine based but don’t know. Great, thanks a lot Richard. Yeah, I have a spare condensor and points set. This is the separate black wire that mounts to the inside of the cap. I'll pop down Halfords and see if they have one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Whiteley Posted January 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Any pointers on the ampage that this cable would need to be able to take? http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/71 Sorry to be thick.....have looked in the workshop manual and handbook and can't see a reference for it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Any pointers on the ampage that this cable would need to be able to take? http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/product/71 Sorry to be thick.....have looked in the workshop manual and handbook and can't see a reference for it. Steve Don’t attempt to bodge it with after market auto cable; get the right part for the job! The terminal block & lead is BL part number 511086 - Moss part number 600329A or RTC175A. The other earth lead is BL part number 503690; Moss don’t seem to list it separately but, as I said before, I believe it comes with a new points set. Phone Moss/Rimmers etc. & get them to send you a copy of their parts manuals; all sorts of other useful info in them both & if you intend doing any serious work, buy yourself a copy of the original BL parts manual, it’s money well spent. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Steve Whiteley Posted January 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 SteveDon’t attempt to bodge it with after market auto cable; get the right part for the job! The terminal block & lead is BL part number 511086 - Moss part number 600329A or RTC175A. The other earth lead is BL part number 503690; Moss don’t seem to list it separately but, as I said before, I believe it comes with a new points set. Phone Moss/Rimmers etc. & get them to send you a copy of their parts manuals; all sorts of other useful info in them both & if you intend doing any serious work, buy yourself a copy of the original BL parts manual, it’s money well spent. Thanks once again Richard.....I don't wish to bodge but at the moment it has speaker wire in there!! It looks like it's BL part number 511086 - which only seems to come with the block included. So I'll order one. Incidentally, what do you tend to keep in terms of dizzy spares on the road? I have a service kit from rimmers which includes points, condensor, rotor arm etc. Do people keep almost a complete set of dizzy parts with them? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Richard Crawley Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Incidentally, what do you tend to keep in terms of dizzy spares on the road? I have a service kit from rimmers which includes points, condensor, rotor arm etc. Do people keep almost a complete set of dizzy parts with them? Since the resto, I’ve been running a Lumenition electronic system which is probably the biggest & easiest single improvement you can make to a 6! Spares in the car; I keep the last replaced cap, rotor & 1 plug, the longest HT lead (old one) & a set of points & condenser (used) in case the electronic goes T/U; but these days I must confess that if I did break down, I would be more inclined to ring my recovery service than fiddle with it at the side of the road! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
badshead Posted January 4, 2007 Report Share Posted January 4, 2007 Steve I've converted to Aldon electronic ignition but still carry spare points and condensor as back-up. I've also got a dizzie cap complete with HT leads, spark plug, spare coil and rotor arm (new batch from Distributor Doctor). A visible spark tester has also proved it's worth to quickly diagnose ignition problems at the roadside. Another must carry spare in my book is an injector. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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