Please help, engine hasn't started since Sunday!

Hello!

Ok, here's the problem.

I went offroading 3 weeks ago and the car started missing a bit when in water. This is unusual for me as the dizzy is sealed with forced ventilation, and the leads are greased and cable tied at both ends, and the system is in good nick.

Anyway, towards the end of the day the engine started running very hot, it had been rather too hot all day though. When it finally got roasting, it soon after started missing badly and then cut out. And would not start again.

A while later with some fiddling I noticed ATF oil had fed through the breathers from the gearbox and into the dizzy.

Washed this out with wd40 and it fired right up, and drive us home, albeit very missy on the motorway.

Anyway, few days later, got a new dizzy cap, washed out the dizzy with brake cleaner and sprayed a bit of oil on the advance mech below.

Sealed the new cap on with silicone and put back together, would not start.

Messed about for hours finding a fault - no idea so gave up.

Got a tow next morning and bump started, cracked up immediatly, bit of a miss at first, then ran fine for 2 days.

Drove to another off road day on Sunday, without issue. Parked up for an hour, got signed in, had a butty etc, and then it ran for about 50 yards, started missing, and then cut out and would not restart or bump start.

3 hours of messing about and still could not find a fault. Borrowed a dizzy cap off someone and it fired right up, took it for a drive and it wanted to start cutting out at the top of a hill, few backfires, then it ran, went down a hill and it then cut out again.

Messed about a bit more, no ideas so gave up.

Called RAC, no ideas there, tests showed weak spark coming out of dizzy, would not run on carb cleaner spray so suggested ignition not fuel.

I got it home, switched coil and dizzy cap with a running car and still same symptoms.

There may be a tiny earth leak through the rotor arm, but the rotor arm just came off a running car!

Any ideas?!

I'm going to check compression and igntion timing tonight, anyone know how to check injector timing?

Any help appreciated,

I'm nearly all out of ideas with this one!

Cheers

Amp!

But I'm getting a great pulse at the coil, and a nice spark from the coil!

What symptoms can the amp give?! Do they just fail like "that" ...?!?!

Thanks for helping, please help more!

Mr Noisy said:

What symptoms can the amp give?! Do they just fail like "that" ...?!?!

Click to expand...

Yes (apparently).

From your description I would suggest try cleaning the rotor arm, or better still get a new one (Genuine Lucas Only!!!).

Yeah I'm planning to get a new arm and cap. I have an intermotor arm and britpart cap on at the minute, but they have always been fine for me!

Another question is where to gettje arm and cap from? Rpi sell them on eBay, genuine Lucas for 53 quid posted.

Other people I have read saying not to buy Lucas off the shelf, only from main dealer.

Where should I be looking for an ignition module?

Will an aftermarket/intermotor/britpart item work well, or again is it recommended dealer only?

Normally I buy all bits from britpart and I'm very happy with them, but I can see now that ignition is more demanding!

Thanks, Sam.

Mr Noisy said:

Yeah I'm planning to get a new arm and cap. I have an intermotor arm and britpart cap on at the minute, but they have always been fine for me!

Another question is where to gettje arm and cap from? Rpi sell them on eBay, genuine Lucas for 53 quid posted..

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Pattern ignition parts are at best a gamble.

Take a look at dingocroft and famous four, both sell genuine Lucas, a cap should be something like £15.00 - £20.00 and a rotor arm I think is £20.00 -£25.00.

Mr Noisy said:

Where should I be looking for an ignition module?

Will an aftermarket/intermotor/britpart item work well, or again is it recommended dealer only?

Normally I buy all bits from britpart and I'm very happy with them, but I can see now that ignition is more demanding!

Thanks, Sam.

Click to expand...

Ignition module ( I assume you mean ignition amplifier). Well I have an intermota one on mine, its' been fine, got from a local motor factors, certainly cheaper than a Lucas one and so far more reliable. I have had a number of problems with pattern caps and arms though.

Ignition module ( I assume you mean ignition amplifier). Well I have an intermota one on mine, its' been fine, got from a local motor factors, certainly cheaper than a Lucas one and so far more reliable. I have had a number of problems with pattern caps and arms though.[/quote]

I agree, dubious even from landrover and certainly from lucas sometimes!

I cant remember how you spell it but a bermach one should be ok , they have a good rep i think?? and they were only £10 from a bloke on ebay a while ago-see if he still has them?

stuart had a place he recons he is getting the silicon coated rotor arms from , with all the same marks as the genuine ones but cheaper. I think maybe £13??? PM him

Oh and amps do fail, especailly with the heat and you seem to like cooking yours even with a new rad in it

Hi guys

Thanks for the great replies!

The car ran tonight! I got out the strobe light, and the timing appeared to be about 6 degrees retarded.

Loosened the dizzy and advanced it and it fired right up.

It was running on 7 cos I foolishly snapped a plug yesterday.

I didn't run it for long, but it didn't seem to like running much on less than 6-9 degrees advance, but this could be due to 7 cylinders.

SO, I'm going to obtain a lucas rotor and a new set of plugs asap, and then see how it goes. I've got the brand new britpart dizzy cap there which I've modified for my breathers already, so I'll run that for a few days and if I'm feeling flush will invest in a genuine cap.

Thankyou for your advice on the ignition module but I'm guessing there is no fault there tbh.

I feel kinda stupid for not checking the timing earlier this week, but I just reset it last Wednesday and the far ran fine for a few days so I didn't think there could be a problem with it.

Will have to make sure there isn't an underlying problem that's throwing the timing out.

Anyway, thanks for your help so far folks,

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!!

Mr Noisy said:

I got out the strobe light, and the timing appeared to be about 6 degrees retarded.

Loosened the dizzy and advanced it and it fired right up.

It was running on 7 cos I foolishly snapped a plug yesterday.

I didn't run it for long, but it didn't seem to like running much on less than 6-9 degrees advance, but this could be due to 7 cylinders.


Will have to make sure there isn't an underlying problem that's throwing the timing out.

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Mmmmmm one to watch I think. If your timing starts wandering and you have to adjust it regularly you may well have a stretched timing chain.

Well!

I had the sump off recently to do the rear main seal and I had a bit of a peer around.

I fiddled with the timing chain and it seemed very loose. For a short chain there was a lot of play in it.

I have never inspected a RV8 before so I don't know what's normal, but this one definitely had play on both sides of the gears.

I plan eventually to remove the engine and rebuild it, something to do when I'm bored.

I'd like to fit a new water pump, piston rings, seals throughout and a hot cam. Probably tappets and followers too.

Either way, I'm gonna keep it running for the time being. What sort of job is a timing chain done in the car?

Cheers, sam

all the jobs are ok till you break a bolt , it rains or the parts you get done fit and its sunday night! :doh:

you can do the top end with it in the car. note though you dont need to take the heads off to do the chain etc when people do take them off for other reasons alot of people on here seem to have real trouble with headgaskets and bolts after.

Mr Noisy said:

Well!

I had the sump off recently to do the rear main seal and I had a bit of a peer around.

I fiddled with the timing chain and it seemed very loose. For a short chain there was a lot of play in it.

I have never inspected a RV8 before so I don't know what's normal, but this one definitely had play on both sides of the gears.

What sort of job is a timing chain done in the car?

Cheers, sam

Click to expand...

Definately sounds like the timing chain needs changing. Not a difficult job just a bit of a faf removing the ancillaries to get the timing case off. Make sure you have all the parts you need before you start,watch out for a couple of the bolts - they are hard to see, it is better to drop the sump off but doable with it in place. You will need to remove the dizzy and you will also need to prime your oil pump when you put it back together. You also need to remove the radiator so a good time to give that a good clean out too.

If you are minded to, I would definately say you should consider camshaft and followers if you are going to do the chain. It's not much more work and a lot better than having to take off the timing case a second time to change them out. I know because I regret not doing that myself.

Overall though, a new timing chain on its' own should not take more than about 3 maybe 4 hours assuming everything comes apart and goes back together with no problems. BTW be extra careful tightening the timing cover bolts, the threads in the block do get a little fragile!!

Thanks very much guys

Tbh I'm leaning towards waiting until I fancy taking the motor out, and doing the job then.

It will be a hellalot easier when I can work around it rather than peering over the wings etc.

It's only a playtime car so there's no particular time constraint.

Maybe when the weather gets grim and I don't fancy taking it out on salted roads I'll look at giving it a go.

Any favourite places to get parts from?

Who is the best engine parts supplier?! I guess they'll be able to supply a kit for me, rather than guessing what's required!

Cheers!

get genuine stuff , no chep ****e!

stu fits all gen plus a piper cam for some extra poke

Ahem:

Who is this Stuart person?!

I have read people raving about his services etc, but have no idea who he is!

Is his username "stuart" ?! Where does he normally hang out? Dont think ive seen him in the Disco section...

Cheers

he is a range rover man but works on all cars.

voguese39 is his name and he really knows his stuff!

Ahhh, now i recognise!

Great, I will be pleased to speak to him when the time comes!

Cheers!

A year and 3 months later, it's still not has any kind of overhaul, just maintenance.

I know it should be done, but it pains me to take apart a running engine

Ok ok it's only just running after the events of the last few days but you get my meaning.

Kev, timing seems to be very happy these days, I think I rebuilt the dizzy after that episode where it went out, a spring had stretched from memory.

Anyway regards my semi rebuild, definite plan is cam, followers, upgrade chain and vernier gear. Not taking heads off, no need to make work.

One day

lol, resurection.

is yours a 3.9 noisy? I cant remember

3.5 hotwire old boy