Club 80-90 Forums

After having the distributor cap, rotor arm and ignition control unit stolen from our van, we replaced the parts but the van is failing to start. Before the parts were stolen the van was running tip top.

When the key is turned the engine struggles to turn over. The starter turns very slow and sluggish. Battery is fully charged and starter is ok.

Occasional smell of fuel.

Any ideas

is the firing order correct?

how long has the van been standing not running?

timing can cause the symptoms you describe, has the timing been changed- did you remove the dissy, or has it been turned during the theiving process do you think?

Van was standing for no more than 2 weeks after the parts were stolen.
My father in law replaced the parts but Im now unsure if we got the correct parts from GSF. I have been informed we should have bought the rotor arm with the rev limiter???

Unsure if the dizzy was moved by the theives.

As for the starting order. No idea!! This is all new to me!!

the rev limiter rotor makes no difference, it limits the revs at 5600 revs, not many use them nowdays......it isnt that!

you maybe need to check the electrical contacts to the starter motor, make sure they are clean, and the earth strap to the nose end of the gearbox, but i suspect its just the plug leads are on in the wrong order of the dissy has been turned , thus changing the timing, and its trying to spark when the fuel isnt there, and fuel when the spark isnt there......
where in the world are you?
have you got a haynes manual?

No haynes manual. Only just aquired the van so Its a new ball game to me but dont mind getting hands dirty!

Perhaps the dissy cap is the wrong one??

How do I check the firing order. Which leads go where??

right, im trying to find the info you need, my old brain cant be sure the firing order i have in my head is correct, im getting me 3's ,4's and 2's mixed up and i dont want to tell you wrong

Firing order 1 - 4 - 3 - 2
Number one is the front right cylinder. When viewed from the rear

i knew it would come back to me........

what position do the leads go at the dizzy??

ok, the correct way is to turn the engine over (manually, with a spanner) untill the rotorarm lines up with the mark on the dissy case( indent slot) and the timing mark on the alternator belt pulley in at the top(12 oclock and against the timing mark which is the split in the casing of the engine) and that point is TDC, and the plug lead the rotor is pointing to is number 1, the firing order is 1 - 4 - 3 - 2
Number one is the front right cylinder. When viewed from the rear,

[img:800:533]http://www.club80-90.co.uk/techhelp/dgfo.jpg[/img]

edited to change picture for one that is correct

oh, and by the way, your email is not accepting emails from the forum telling you about replies to this thread.......they are bouncing back to the forum.......

After having the distributor cap, rotor arm and ignition control unit stolen from our van,

Charming! Bet they're local... how'd they get the tailgate up?

Just had our Micra trashed for the 3rd time, both door mirrors, both wiper arms bent back 90 degrees and aerial ripped off - getting sick of it, have obviously upset some turd around here. Reported it this time...

If coughs of backfires when trying to start, definitely what Mocki says... or over-advanced if dizzy has been loosened, check if dizzy loose and moves!

HarryMann wrote:

After having the distributor cap, rotor arm and ignition control unit stolen from our van,

Charming! Bet they're local... how'd they get the tailgate up?

Just had our Micra trashed for the 3rd time, both door mirrors, both wiper arms bent back 90 degrees and aerial ripped off - getting sick of it, have obviously upset some turd around here. Reported it this time...

If coughs of backfires when trying to start, definitely what Mocki says... or over-advanced if dizzy has been loosened, check if dizzy loose and moves!

Dizzy is solid. No movement at all. Im thinking it has something to do with leads and cap or something

the van previously had a Governed Rotor Arm?? Does it matter that I have the normal type??

no, makes apsolutely no difference, it only limits the top end revs to either 4700 or 5600 depending on which one it was, the non regulated one is better, less to go wrong.

its your firing order, have a look at the picture up above, ive edited my post with a better picture which shows where the leads are.......

if you have yours to match that picture, and it wont run, its possible that it is 180 deg out, some rebuild engines have the dog drive for the dissy in incorrectly, and so the leads need moving round 180 degrees on the dissy cap, but its not that common, and if the engine is original, its not that

where are you?

Checked the leads and they are exactly the same.