Ignition Electrickery Problem.

[Bob Tucker]

OK.

The XE is ready to run so I checked the ignition system Ive installed.

Its an 8V dizzy, ECU & coil from an 85 1.8 Cavalier, complete with the original wiring loom.

 

The strange bit....

When I hold the coil HT lead near the cylinder head & spin the motor I get a spark you could weld with.

A big, fat, blue cracker.

 

When I fitted one of the original plugs the spark was thin & feeble, so I bought a new set of NGK BCPR7ES

Same result.

 

Any ideas?

Or is this what I should expect?

Are these plugs resistance types (from the R in the type?)

Should I try a non-resistance set??

 

Appreciate any advice,

Bob

[Grizzly]

All day gone Bob and not one reply.

I'm no electrician (as you probably know) but I think a fat spark on the HT lead is normal.

Someone else on here may profer as to why though.

With regards to the Spark Plugs, I think the R (for Resistance) is there simply to donate something to do with not upsetting your ICE.

Now stand back and watch me get lambasted

[Bob Tucker]

Ta Grizzly!

Nice to know someones out there....

And your ideas do fit with what I think I know...

 

Dont worry,

Now stand back and watch me get lambasted

We only "lambast" our turkey at Christmas...

 

Im not much good at digital photography either....Ive spent all day clicking away while my wife

turns the starter key.......not one single picture of my feek & weeble plug spark to post....

 

Ta Bob

[Guest salty_monk]

Bob,

 

I've been through all this recently with my Bike.

 

The R stands for resistor & is there to prevent it upsetting any electrics in the car (injection, pumps etc etc). There are various other ways to deal with it though & resistor plugs are uncommon now. Two other methods are restistor or Shielded leads (pretty much the norm these days) or plug caps with resistors in them (also uncommon these days).

 

I suggest you have probably got shielded leads & Resistor spark plugs (so double protection) each layer will reduce the spark available.

 

My first instinct would be to try a set of BCP7ES & see if the spark gets bigger.

 

It could also be due to old leads. The shielded leads can break down over a period of time & as they do so the resistance rises greatly. Did you buy old leads from the scrappy in the end or a new set???

 

I'd say there is definitely too much resistance in there somewhere.

 

To test the leads you could get a known good set (or walk into Halfords with your meter) & measure the resistance then compare it to the resistance on yours see what the difference is. You could also nick a lead off someone else & try it (I think it's only the block end that's special on yours so for connecting a plug & aiming it at the block it won't matter) see if you get a bigger spark.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Dan

[Bob Tucker]

Hi Dan,

 

I'm using the original Pinto plug leads, they came from Halfords & arent marked as "resistive"

 

The Ecotec leads were all too short, & had the wrong connector for my dizzy cap.

 

I dont have any spare plugs at the moment (cant understand why) so I'll call round a few friends tomorrow to borrow some old style non-resistor plugs.

 

I'll post the result when Ive checked them out.

 

Cheers, Bob

[Guest salty_monk]

Sounds like a plan. I'd be very surprised if your pinto leads aren't shielded type, you have to work really hard to find Copper Core leads with no shielding these days. If you open them up they have white carbon filaments running down the centre with some white powder around it. Still if they worked on the Pinto they should work on the XE.....

 

There's no ballast resistor on the side of the Dizzy is there?

 

Cheers,

 

Dan