Landlover99

Landlover99

Active Member
Hi all,
I'm having problems with the ignition system on my '89 V8 3.5 litre County 110. In order to work out what's going wrong, there are two components I need to identify but I have no idea what they are or what their purposes are. Just wondering if anyone here can assist in IDing them? (see attached pix)
Cheers,
LL
PS: the little thimble-sized 'thing' bolted to the inner wing has a single wire which goes off to the negative terminal of the HT coil. The other thing that resembles a fuse-holder has two wires in but only one wire out to the ignition coil (and those two wires do NOT come from the ignition amplifier).
 

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The "other two"?
kermit_rr said:
The fuse type thing are you sure it's not a fuse?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure why a fuse would have two wires in; one wire out to be honest. In any event, it doesn't come apart so far as I can tell.
As for the condenser theory, I think you'll find they actually used an inductor for screening out radio interference - and it was in the positive supply close to the radio, not in the engine compartment.
 
kermit_rr said:
Condenser/capacitor.. all the same thing.

Fuse with one in and 2 out? Any other wires to the coil?
Click to expand...
Beats me too. Other wires: there are the two that come from the ignition amplifier that go to the coil (-) and (+) terminals. Those two are inside the corrugated sleeve which runs alongside the 'fuse-holder' (or whatever it is) in the photo. Plus the single wire from the (-) terminal that goes to ground via the other mystery object.
 
I just took another look and noticed RIST'S embossed on the side of the 'fuseholder-looking thing' so Googled it and it turns out it's these: https://www.3waycomponents.co.uk/pr.../e-series-connectors/e-series-connector-kits/
"3-way connectors" which "reduce the risk of failure" in ignition systems. However, it doesn't say how or in what way! Looks like it might just pull apart (I'd been trying the usual unscrewing and bayonet manouvers to no avail). I'm still NONE THE WISER!
 
It might well pull-apart and I'll give that a go tomorrow when I next have access to it. However, it still doesn't explain why it - if it is simply a connector as seems to be the case given the web link I found - there are two wires going in and just one coming out!
And a belated apology to Phill: it seems you're right! It is indeed a condenser and used for interference suppression. Soz, Phill!
 
Landlover99 said:
It might well pull-apart and I'll give that a go tomorrow when I next have access to it. However, it still doesn't explain why it - if it is simply a connector as seems to be the case given the web link I found - there are two wires going in and just one coming out!
And a belated apology to Phill: it seems you're right! It is indeed a condenser and used for interference suppression. Soz, Phill!
Click to expand...
It's probably pulling 12v from the coil feed to power something else
 
Hmmm. I hadn't considered that, Kermit. So I could just solder those 3 wires together and have done with this weird and confusing 'fuse-holder type thing' arrangement.
 
No2 is a water proof wire connector, just remover the seal (rubber band) and twist pull to open if u haven’t done it so far, if not leave it if the circuit through it proves ok, old stuff has a habit of breaking when touched😊

My 1987 3.5 RR had few of them.
 
Last edited:
The rubber outer sleeve on those connectors can be folded or slid back with some workshop spray, but don't try to twist both halves of the connector.
Just pull them apart. There's a location groove inside them.
 
Landlover99 said:
Hi all,
I'm having problems with the ignition system on my '89 V8 3.5 litre County 110. In order to work out what's going wrong, there are two components I need to identify but I have no idea what they are or what their purposes are. Just wondering if anyone here can assist in IDing them? (see attached pix)
Cheers,
LL
PS: the little thimble-sized 'thing' bolted to the inner wing has a single wire which goes off to the negative terminal of the HT coil. The other thing that resembles a fuse-holder has two wires in but only one wire out to the ignition coil (and those two wires do NOT come from the ignition amplifier).
Click to expand...

Disconnect it and see what stops working
 
Er, yes. Yes, I have. It pulled apart really easily. Typical of me not to think of that. Anyway, inside, it's just a connector and it doesn't join 3 wires together after all. It really only connects one to one. So hardly a "component" at all really! My ignition is still playing up so I put a scope across the coil's primary to see what the ignition amp was doing. I got a 4.5V square wave of about 10 pulses per second on cranking, but they were all sorta smeared. When I zoomed in I found each pulse was composed of hundreds of tiny ones, which doesn't seem right to me at all. :stars:
 
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