Poor Spark on v8i disco

diamond dave · Post by **diamond dave** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:08 pm

Hi Guys
I have a major prob with my 1998 3.9 v8i disco
Basically, it wont start !

It's getting fuel ok.
Spark is pi55 poor at pluglead & coil lead.
I have fitted a new coil, cap, leads & rotor arm 2 months ago because of poor running. Even refitted the old coil to see if the new one was faulty, no joy, still the same !
Distributor turns & has no wear in the shaft that i can see.
I did notice there is a wee box on the coil mounting plate & a ballast resistor. What is the wee box for ? Is it an ign amp of some sort ??

I'm kinda beat with it now, please help before i either cut it into wee bits, or torch it, bearing in mind it's my everyday transport & taxis to work are getting bleedin' expensive !

Thanks in advance guys.
Dave.

Post by **Coops** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:17 pm

what voltage are you getting at the + side of the coil?????
and yes sounds like an ignition amp

diamond dave · Post by **diamond dave** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:21 pm

Ermmmm voltage ?
Dont even own a volt meter m8

I used the tried n tested method of sticking a screwdriver into the coil & shorting it out

Can't find a ign amp online anywhere...no one stocks them !

sidecar · Post by **sidecar** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:33 pm

I fitted a new rotor arm a while back and all was OK for about 100 miles, then the insulation of the rotor arm started to break down and eventually the car wouldn't start. I put a new rotor arm and the same thing happened again. I spoke to Jim at JRV8 (he posts on this forum), it transpires that there are a lot of cheap rotor arms out there (Real Steel flog them along with others) and they can cause problems.

Try fitting you old one back on or get one of the one's the Jim supplies.

Of course the problem could be else where. It would help if you could find out what system you actually have. If you do have a ballist restistor system then you need to fit the right voltage coil (i.e. not 12 volts).

Regards,

Pete

diamond dave · Post by **diamond dave** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:36 pm

The coil came from craddocks. They were given all the info they needed at time of ordering, so maybe they sent me the wrong bl00dy coil !

sidecar · Post by **sidecar** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 10:38 pm

Hi Dave,

Maybe they have sent you the wrong coil. I know this seems like a plug (no pun intended) for Jim at JRV8 but its worth giving him a ring. he'll work out exactly what system you've got and what coil you need.

http://www.jrv8.co.uk/

Regards,

Pete

diamond dave · Post by **diamond dave** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 2:33 pm

Update time
I got the right electronic coil from my local Britpart dealer, cleaned up all the earthing points etc & it's still the same.
I got it running ...... eventually but its still a poor spark & it runs really bad at slow engine speeds. Its fine when you get the revs up above 3000, but i'm lost now.
It seems as though i have a different distributor than what should be fitted for the year. The ign amp should be fitted on the side of the dizzy, but mine is fitted to an ali mounting plate & sits to the side of the coil. Now i can't source a new amp. Can anyone point me in the right direction please.
Thanks.

landybob_v8 · Post by **landybob_v8** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 3:37 pm

might be worth getting a cheap 35dlm8 lucas dizzy from ebay or something to get what you should have on there

thats the dizzy with the side mounted amp although they die as well i had a brand new one that lasted about 3 days they dont like heat or vibration

diamond dave · Post by **diamond dave** » Sat Mar 17, 2007 3:40 pm

Cheers Bob, i'll go & have a rake around, see what i can come up with. There's a guy in town that has quite a few range rovers round the back of his workshop, might give him a bell.
Thanks m8

Post by **demo2** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 1:18 am

The setup with the amp on the ally brkt bolted to the coil is what i have, its a better system than the Dlm8 because that is suseptable 2 vibrations and heat where as urs isn't. Mine is bolted to the inner wing with cool air constantly flowing over it( well it would if the car ever moved

)

ian.stewart · Post by **ian.stewart** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 9:14 am

Just an idea, try lifting the rotor arm 3mm, as I know the rotor arms are different height from some manafactures

diamond dave · Post by **diamond dave** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 9:34 pm

Tried that tonight. Still runs like a bag of spanners. Reminds me of the old Rovers when the dwell angle was out. But why is it fine when it's over 3000 rpm ?
I'm beat now, i can't get it looked at in a garage til a week on friday. Maybe i should buy a ign amp & be done, but i can't find any remote ones listed anywhere. Can anyone help with that please ?

jrv8 · Post by **jrv8** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 9:41 pm

[quote=" Maybe i should buy a ign amp & be done, but i can't find any remote ones listed anywhere. Can anyone help with that please ?[/quote]

Hi, We have new remote amps (genuine Rover items ) in stock, if you want to drop me a pm or ring me on Monday, I should be able to help.
Regards
Jim

Pocket rocket · Post by **Pocket rocket** » Sun Mar 18, 2007 10:37 pm

Just a thought but try putting your old cap back on the distributor. A friend had this problem and the "spring" on the central carbon connector inside the cap was iffy. Changing the cap sorted his problem

diamond dave · Post by **diamond dave** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 3:25 pm

Another update guys lol

ITS FIXED

Spoke to Jim @ jrV8(very very nice man) & bought an ign amp from him. Got that on monday, fitted it tuesday & it run fine when it was cold, but still spluttered & farted when hot.
Today, it refused to start completely at the maternity unit & i flattened the battery. Phoned my mate & got a jump start from him. It was like there was no spark at all. I managed to wind it up enough to get her going. It farted & spluttered its way home, where i changed the rotor arm for the old one that i had changed 3 months previous. She started first time & ran as smooth as she'd ever ran. Took her for a quick run round the block & tried gas too. Perfect !
Seems as though i'd bought one of the dodgy rotor arms that are in circulation. They are shiny black bakalite with a brass rivit on the top & only fit for the bin.
Thanks to everyone who helped, especially Jim in Ballymena, top bloke.