Won't advance in power to revs

[itchyfeet]

[Ian Hulley]

Dear lord, PLEASE tell me that the poster really comes from Sheffield and not the Hope Valley

[vanisveryrusty]

It is the wrong way round isnt it ?!

[1_eyed_jim]

How cannot be the wrong way round? It's been like this since I bought it 20k miles ago!

[vanisveryrusty]

Well thats why I raised the question.
It looks different to the diagram though doesnt it !
Change it look like the diagram and see if it makes a difference.
If it does, great.
If not, you have done no harm and it only takes 3 minutes.

[1_eyed_jim]

I can't change it to look like the diagram as I would have to move the cap round which I can't as it wouldn't line up with the distributor body then.

[vanisveryrusty]

Leave the cap where it is and move the leads so it looks like the diagram.

[1_eyed_jim]

Just tried moving the leads round anticlockwise and it won't start and backfires. Moving them back it starts up again but only on 2 again.

[Robsey]

Definitely looks like the leads are one position out.
Unplug the leads from the dizzy cap and then fit them to the correct positions on the dizzy cap.

[1_eyed_jim]

Anyone care to share a picture of the leads in the correct position please?

[vanisveryrusty]

If you grab the top of the distributor cap and turn it, does the whole thing move around ?
Take the two non firing spark plugs out.
How do they look ?
Black and sooty, or grey and clean ?

[1_eyed_jim]

If you grab the top of the distributor cap and turn it, does the whole thing move around ?
Take the two non firing spark plugs out.
How do they look ?
Black and sooty, or grey and clean ?

The distributor is solid and feels locked into place by some locating tabs.

Removed one of the non firing spark plugs and it's black and gunky?? Cleaned it up and refitted and no difference.

[itchyfeet]

Anyone care to share a picture of the leads in the correct position please?

this is mine which is not the same as yours, I read there are two dizzys so no guarantees but try it

[Robsey]

Could it be a simple matter of knackered leads on 2 and 3?

Suppose the only test is to swap leads 2 and 4..
See if 2 now works and 4 stops.
(I mean swap leads in their entirity ).

Then I suppose swap leads 1 and 3.....

And so on

I know it says okay earlier on, but things got dramatically worse later - hence lead breakdown.

Ignition wise, plugs / leads for 1 and 4 do not share anything on the idle stabilisation or anything do they?

Same with 2 and 3...

I cannot think of anything that links the offending cylinders.

The very first post reminds me of a knackered condensor on my first car...
It ran really slow and like a smokey bag of spanners.

[pionte]

If it was mine them a basic service would be my first port of call. New plugs, leads , distributor cap and rotor arm . keep the old ones for spares, change one thing at a time to find the faulty component .

It has to be spark related problem.

I did my daughters Polo last weekend, very similar missfire problem, turned out to be the rotor arm.