Club 80-90 Forums

Hi all,

My 2.1 L Injection van has just decided not to start, was running fine this morning but when I just went out to take in for a spin it was no go.

Turns over fine, appears to be getting fuel (there is a little "bleed" bolt on the T-piece in the fuel feed line and undoing that it gave me a squrt of petrol) but no sign of a spark.

Looks like there is 12v on the coil, I get a 12v reading on my multimeter from the green wire on the coil.

When I turn the ignition on I get a short loud buzz (fuel pump I think) which lasts a second and stops, but there is another buzz in the engine bay which continues for as long as the ignition is turned on. I have only had the van about 3 weeks and have always noticed this second buzz but given it started perfectly everytime I didn't investigate further. Is this buzzing normal and if not could it be to do with the non-starting.

Any ideas where to look for the fault?

Andrew

Buzzing is probably the Idle Stabilisation Unit, pefectly normal.
Next step is to get a sparrk plug out and check for a spark.

T

tonytech wrote:Buzzing is probably the Idle Stabilisation Unit, pefectly normal.
Next step is to get a sparrk plug out and check for a spark.

T

Can you do this directly using the HT lead from the coil or do you have to do it with a spark plug in order to see a spark?

Regards,

Andrew

You can use the lead from the coil, but getting a plug out will verify that the dizzy is passing the spark on, and the colour of the spark plug may give further clues.
T

Right, removed sparkplug, looks ok to me; not black with oil or anything (funny type with three prongs), no spark evident when engine turned over.

Coil removed, black wires had poor looking spades on and dirty connections on the coil. Coil terminals cleaned, new spades fitted, reconnected still no start.

Readings taken of the coil with multimeter: Primary winding at 1.5ohms (Haynes manual suggests 0.5ohm - 0.8ohm typical), Secondary winding at 9.6Kohm (Haynes manual suggests 6.9kohm - 8.5Kohm). I have read that if the readings are just a bit off the coil should be changed, do these readings suggest that the coil is faulty?

Is there any way to test that the coil is getting the right voltages / signals by connecting a meter to the coil primary wires (Green & Black wires) now that the coil is removed?

As a second question how do you tell which type of injection system is fitted?

Many thanks,

Andrew.

checksee if the coil itself is giving a spark?(remove the main lead from coil to dizzy hold near an earth an see if theres a spark)
check the rotor arm and dizzy cap for damage.

Ok I have found out it is a DJ model engine, with a coil with a grey label. Any advice on the best place to buy one?

Andrew

Orded a new coil from JustKampers. Told them which one I needed (grey labled one) but the one they sent was wrong, secondary resistance to low (green lable type) so will send that back tomorrow.

Don't think it is the coil however as the resistance of the orignal one is not far out of range.

Now at a total loss as to where to check next.

Andrew

All fixed at last, needed a new (well second hand) ignition amplifier, once fitted it is as good as new. No idea why it went however, just old age I guess.

Andrew

ignition amplifiers do that, usually they fail hot first then totally, good earth is absolute must for them, ie the fixing bolts as well as the earth connections on the loom

if you'd said DJ at the top then amplifier would have been a suggestion from the off

Aidan wrote:ignition amplifiers do that, usually they fail hot first then totally, good earth is absolute must for them, ie the fixing bolts as well as the earth connections on the loom

if you'd said DJ at the top then amplifier would have been a suggestion from the off

Only figured out that mattered towards the end of this saga

All the best,

Andrew.