That time of year

[Arnold]

Hi guys

Well the temperature is getting colder and it was raining today. Went to start the car and it struggled. Foot on the gas sorted that out but even when pulling away from the lights, the rev dial was jumping all over the place, the power wasnt being applied, and the noise coming from the exhaust was dreadful.

I've had this every year of owning it and instead of keeping a can of WD40 on standby, i need a more reliable and permanent solution! I've got a dizzy cap cover - cover - from a Super S but this hasnt done much. Ive changed all the leads, plugs, fuel filter etc etc, not long ago. Is there anything else i can do to stop this happening? Its a very annoying ongoing problem i have

Arnold

 

[crogthomas]

Points or electronic ignition?

 

[Arnold]

Its electric mate, 1992 K reg

It started roughly this morning too. Held the revs on both 2 and 3K and you could hear it wasnt happy on either - a very agressive drone / bass coming out the exhaust. Just to ensure it didnt die at the lights / pulling away, i just revved it a bit more than normal.

One of these days tho, it will not start - and im not looking forward to walking to work in the rain!

 

[crogthomas]

Sounds like damp HT leads. Causing misfiring.
Does WD40 over the leads help?
Does it go away once the car is properly warm after 20 minutes or so?
What type of HT leads did you fit, out of interest?
My car is always like this when it is damp. I dont do short journeys so it doesnt bother me that much. WD40 on the leads helps, but I think the answer is some better HT leads. When I can be bothered.

 

[ohc_turbo]

it might even be a bad earth to the coil, that would make the rev counter go funny.

it definatly sounds like a ignition problem, is it ok when it warms up

 

[Arnold]

I had this problem last year and replaced the leads (halfords ones btw), i've heard bad things about bosch which are the only alternatives they sell.

Ive also since replaced the dissy cap, plugs, fuel filter, ignition coil and rotor arm in the effort to sort it out - but nothing has worked! Its ok in the dry, even if its cold, its just the dampness. WD40 helps a little, and yeah its a short term problem which goes when its warmed up, but id rather not rely on the wd40 route each time it rains

Quickys given me some tips on my idle bouncing all over the place and thats to turn the heating controls off whilst starting her up. The last two mornings they have been on - as the windscreen steams up - but il try anything to stop these problems.

My main concern is the fact when i go to pull away, she dies on me! I can easily hit 6K rpm in 1st gear away from a junction but for example, i'l have my foot down and it'l freeze on 2K RPM and judder up and down on the same spot.. The power isnt being applied to the wheels, and the car will just stop - e.g. in the middle of the road. I've held up traffic at lights and almost had a collision at a junction because it died in the middle. The only way to get it going again was to put the clutch in, rev it to 5K and drop the clutch!! Not great

 

[Arnold]

Right i've had more advice from quicky

Going to check / replace the dizzy itself. Havent done this since owning the car, and i doubt the previous owners did either!

 

[Andrew]

Try running a bead of silicon sealant round the distributor cap when you put it on. Should keep moisture out. Then once all the leads are attached, give them a spray with one of those coatings to keep damp out.

This is assuming it is caused by damp. Also check the earthing strap going to the engine, it can cause ignition problems.

Andrew

 

[Arnold]

Try running a bead of silicon sealant round the distributor cap when you put it on. Should keep moisture out. Then once all the leads are attached, give them a spray with one of those coatings to keep damp out.

This is assuming it is caused by damp. Also check the earthing strap going to the engine, it can cause ignition problems.

Andrew

Cheers Andrew

By silicon sealant, is that the stuff used on windows, sub boxes etc?

Also, the earthing strap, if thats the thing going to the exhaust manifold heat shield then thats snapped. Ive been advised to change this for 4/8 awg cable and connect it to somewhere more secure on the engine - manifold bolts etc...

 

[Andrew]

Yeah, normal windows sealant. Just go easy on it, just a smear will do.

I can't remember where the earthing strap normally is on a K10. It's a large diameter, short cable going from the bodywork near the battery to the starter or block. There is normally another one as well, smaller, and connects near to the timing belt end of the engine. Bad earthing can cause unreliable ignition.

 

[Andrew]

Also check the condensor and the contact breaker points in the dizzy behind the rotor arm.

Sounds like Arnold has the electronic ignition which does away with the points - but it can still break.

 

[crogthomas]

Arnold, did your car originally have points ignition? And you have since changed it to electronic?
If so, did you remove the ballast resistor when you made the change?

 

[Arnold]

Hi mate. The car i believe came with electronic ignition as standard (being one of the latest ones produced). Ive not personally changed anything over.

Hopefully going to do the dizzy as planned and seal it as andrew suggested. Everything else should be fine, as i've replaced it all already

 

[Speedle]

Is there anything else i can do to stop this happening? Its a very annoying ongoing problem i have

Arnold

bring it to me chap, my car always started first time every time even in sub zero temperatures whilst all the other peeps in the street couldnt start theirs lol come down at the weekend mate

 

[Slim]

all my k10's have always started first time to. However, that doesnt help the cause.

Theoretially, silicone for the dizzy cap shouldnt be necassary because there is a seal anyway so dampnes shouldnt be an issue.

On the note of HT things, i once has had a set-up from halfords - leads, cap and arm. It misfired like a bastard when it was cold and damp. If your going to keep with K10's arnold, i recomend you spend a little and get your HT stuff from nissan - its sure to last a lot longer and help in the cold.

Also, do you have some description of aftermarket air filter on? and is your choke working properly

 

[Arnold]

Yeah choke seems fine, it revs to 2K approx until you kill it and it drops back down to normal. Will look into getting official leads etc, cheers Slim

The airfilter is also a K&N ring filter. Could probably do with a clean

Arnold

 

[Speedle]

nissan HT leads are with out a doubt the best you can get! ive tried all sorts halfords (ok) BOsch(let not go there ####!) hot leads (ok but do nothing special) and mega leads which were nice to look at but that was it worked fine, but the nissan one's i just got of a k10 with 66k work the nicest

 

[Slim]

if your still having problem, put your normal pan on. Cold and damp weather isa particular nusance when you have a different filter on.

 

[Arnold]

It still has the air pan mate, just has the replacement filter in (not the bolt on K&N). Its still set to Summer - it loves cold air once its warmed up, but should i be changing it to Winter yet or does that little switch not make that much difference anyway?

 

[Arnold]

Right, £35 later and new nissan leads are on. Ive removed and sprayed the dizzy cap with wd40, sprayed the edges and stuck it back on. I've also put a shot of redex fuel system / carb cleaning stuff in the tank.

She started first time and didnt sound dodgey at all - however ive done a few miles on her today. The real test is how she is first thing in the morning!