Club 80-90 Forums

pionte wrote: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.

I will look into replacing them again as soon as possible but the distribution cap, rotor arm, ht leads and spark plugs were all changed on it's last service in August. all bought from Brickwerks too.

check your ignition amplifier and your coil.

Would that affect just 2 cylinders ?

ghost123uk wrote:Would that affect just 2 cylinders ?

Wouldnt logically think so would you.
But you wouldnt think a misfire would be caused by low oil either
Maybe if the ignition amplifier is playing up, the spark is less strong,and its more noticable on the two weakest plugs , leads, or HT leads.
I would at least unscrew it and give the connectors a clean up.
And check the rotor arm for cracks.
Apart from looking for dead rats in the manifold of course

ghost123uk wrote:It could be that a rat has got stuck in the inlet manifold.

You jest, but my mate once found a rather crispy dead frog inside his washing machine, with his legs shorting a couple of the terminals on the controller!

vanisveryrusty wrote:

ghost123uk wrote:Would that affect just 2 cylinders ?

Wouldnt logically think so would you.
But you wouldnt think a misfire would be caused by low oil either
l

I think your problem was more serious than a misfire sounded more like the engine about to seize, you where very very lucky

Engines need 3 things to run, air/fuel mix, compression and a spark.... remove or reduce one or more of these and you will not get combustion on that cylinder, the important thing is to work out which has stopped and why.

working methodically and not assuming will lead you to the cause. A top tip is always keep any old but known working service parts as spares, that way you can swap out one thing at a time.

I'm wondering if your timing is just massively out

Look at you dizzy and trace the leads then look at mine its almost 90 deg different

Also look at the position of my vac unit compared to yours

Try undoing the pinch bolt and rotating the dizzy anti clockwise , mark the position first so you can go back

itchyfeet wrote:I'm wondering if your timing is just massively out

Look at you dizzy and trace the leads then look at mine its almost 90 deg different

Also look at the position of my vac unit compared to yours

Try undoing the pinch bolt and rotating the dizzy anti clockwise , mark the position first so you can go back

Problem with that theory is that the dizzy is tight at the moment and it has not been moved prior to the van running ok.
According to a previous comment made by the OP.
So how would it have got 90 degrees out on its own ?
I agree, it does look different, but apparently its been running OK like that for over a year

Loose pinch bolt?
Did he say its tight?

If it is then perhaps a new fault such as an air leak has just tipped it over tge edge

itchyfeet wrote:Loose pinch bolt

Yes:
BUT
I asked him to grab the top of the dizzy last night and see if he could turn it by hand.
He could not.
Unless, you are saying its slightly loose and vibrating its way slowly around on its own ?
Does seem very odd

Ok so perhaps its been set badly but did run until a new fault such as an airleak just tipped it over the edge

Its worth checking timing or just trying moving the dizzy for now if he hasn't got a timing light

yes, could be a combination of factors.
Those leads certainly look skewed.

Thanks for the information. Yes the dizzy is solid and will not rotate under force. Yes I guess it is a timing issue that someone has moved the distributor to sort??? Anyway I'm going to buy a timing light and put the HT leads on correctly and rotate the dizzy back. Is there a guide for this anywhere or will Haynes surfice? Wish I knew someone around here that could help.

Timing is all in haynes