loss of ignition spark after 5-10 minutes!

V

virtualand

Hi

Never had a serious problem with my 19 yr old K10 before BUT.....

Recently started conking out after 5-10 minutes, refusing to re-start until 20 minutes later (fuel OK, fuel filter OK [replaced anyway] HT leads new, dizzy cap new, rotor new, plugs no more than 250 miles on them.

When it fails it makes no fuss, no stuttering or struggling, just stops

Heard failing coil can produce these symptoms, so swapped for a known good 'un.
All to no avail.

Allowed it to run and fail yesterday, then checked for spark from HT leads at plugs. Big fat nothing. Checked for spark from Coil HT lead. Also big fat nothing.

Yet 20 minutes or so later it will start like a dream, then fail again 5-10 mins later....

Anyone got any ideas?
 
Check the earth on your battery. If that is all good check the coil by wiring directly to the battery (this will test if the wiring is ok)

Come back to me when you've done that.
 
My Dizzy did this. Does yours cut out when your driving along generally, or say when your going slow (approaching junctions etc). Whenever i went slow, it just died - and would take ages to re-start.

I replaced mine and sorted it all out
 
ollyc98 said:
Check the earth on your battery. If that is all good check the coil by wiring directly to the battery (this will test if the wiring is ok)

Come back to me when you've done that.
Click to expand...

Earth on the battery checks out OK.
Coil wiring checks out OK for continuity and resistance (Coil is new, yet still get same symptoms as with old one, which was not OK for resistance etc)

frank & superls:
Thanks..
now to show my ignorance...

Is that the thingy that Haynes call the ballast resistor, or the little jobbie on the side of the dizzy (actually, not sure if this present on mine, only seen it in Haynes)

Arnold said:
My Dizzy did this. Does yours cut out when your driving along generally, or say when your going slow (approaching junctions etc). Whenever i went slow, it just died - and would take ages to re-start.

I replaced mine and sorted it all out
Click to expand...

Hi Arnold

The car is SORN at the moment and has been for a while, so I don't know if it would cut out while driving. All I know is that it dies suddenly and without a fuss while idling after a short while.
 
virtualand

it is the little jobbie on the side of the dizzy
the balast resistor is bypassed when you turn the key, giving your 9v coil a 12v boost, then when you let go the key it drops the supply back down to 9v
 
Frank

Ahh...

So, it's the jobbie that supposedly stops arcing across the points?
How does it stop the ignition spark when it's ######ed then?
(Showing my ignorance there, but I like to understand things..)

This being the case, if it's duff would new points be in order too d'you think?
 
its a capacitor (akin to a battery) and stores up a charge and like you say limits the arcing i think, i dont know how tho
if the points look alright i,d leave them in
the ballast resistor could be your fault maybe ?
you could bypass it for 10 minutes i think to test it (as long as the coil does,nt get too hot
 
If the car is 20 years old it could be a worn Fuel pump. When you accelerate the Engine demands more fuel for the 'Go' so the Fuel pump has to compensate by going faster, if the Pump is worn out it will overheat and shutdown then something like 5-15 minutes later it has cooled enough to work again...

....or Condenser :)
 
Just bunged some new points and a condenser in. Stays running now, so I guess that was it. Thanks guys!

But...

Now it idles and runs like a bag of spanners, there's a noticable metallic clunk I can't locate. Is this likely to be a timing problem due to inexpertly installed new bits?
 
virtualand

if you point gap is now smaller than before the timing will be retarded and it will tick over slower
what gap did you set them at ?
 
That makes sense. I've no feeler guages, so I just took a punt at it.

Will it be a case of rotating the dizzy a few degrees while engine running till it smooths out? Or d'you think I'd be better off getting in there with some feelers?
 
Can the Points just be removed and replaced without feeler Gauges? If i scribed a line before removel would this work...it's not really my forte so i'm trying to make it esay! lol!

opologies for thread crashing...:blush:
 
I think I'll whip the dizzy out again and reset the points.

By the way, the condenser in mine is inside the body of the distributor, not outside as shown in the Haynes. It seems like a strange mixture of the one shown in the main part, and the electronic one shown in the amends section at the back (ie has anti chatter bush on drive shaft).

Any wonder I'm confused?...:rolleyes:
 

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