1.6 GTI Dizzy cap

[MJS 0]

Hi all, 

Another question.

After the last thread I got the car started for the first time in years...Thanks!

 

Came to start it up again today and the dizzy cap has two very worn contracts and now it doesn't start. The contacts are completely gone. I'm putting this down to not having it on correctly when we put it back together. It didn't start, but when I put it on correctly it did. Anyway, I'm putting this down to us just getting it wrong...

 

The question.

Putting the cap on, there is a small amount of play, it rotates a few degrees, surely this will affect the timing? Do they all do it? It is the clip on type.

 

Cheers

 

 

 

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

The two very worn contacts you mention sound to me like they are actually supposed to look like that. From memory a couple of the contacts stick out from the cap plastic moulding, while 2 of them sit almost flush. Don't rush to buy another cap as I think you'll find it is about the same as yours. I wouldn't worry about a small amount of movement, the cap is not a precision fit.

[MJS 0]

Cheers, that's interesting. The old and very broken cap has the four contacts that stand proud. 

 

It's weird that it was running in the afternoon, then in the evening it didn't, no changes to anything. I thought the dizzy cap was at fault .

 

I'll check the spark at the plug.

[welshpug 1,662]

Check at the king lead also, i have seen the resistor in the rotor arm blow!

[MJS 0]

Cheers, will do

[MJS 0]

A bit of follow up to this. The dizzy cap is okay, it's meant to be like that with two contacts set into the side wall.

 

I now think the car is only firing on cylinders 1,2 and 3. Number 4 seems to be problematic. 

Cylinder 4 is getting a spark, tried two different spark plugs and it's the same result, sounds like 3 cylinders firing and the exhaust port of 4 is not getting hot.

 

If it's not the spark, it's compression or fuel (I think).

 

Listening to the injectors, 4 does sound different to 1-3. I have a compression tester coming soon to check that.

 

I'm loath to take the injectors off (it's not my car) until it's in its new home in the garage. It will be transported there, but needs to get itself up a short but steep drive. Feels like it should be able to do this.

 

Small steps in the right direction!

 

[Tom Fenton 1,542]

The injectors can stick if unused for a long time. With the engine running give no 4 injector a few sharp taps with the end of a spanner or similar, that might be enough to get it going for now.

[MJS 0]

1 hour ago, Tom Fenton said:

The injectors can stick if unused for a long time. With the engine running give no 4 injector a few sharp taps with the end of a spanner or similar, that might be enough to get it going for now.

Do you know what, I think this worked. Or has worked for now. Cheers!