Bantam Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Not mine but a friends MK2 Ford Escort 1600cc running an Lumenition ignition, turns off sometimes when driving. lights, horn etc still work Engine stops and won't start for a while. Lets it rest and pokes a few wires then it comes right. Think the magic box might be stuffed. he's coming over tonight for me to have a look Any ideas???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
punkoutnz Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Really you've gotta get it to shut down so you can test things... See if it still has spark when it shuts down, my guess is it doesn't. I'd be more likely to look at a faulty coil that's failing once it gets a bit of heat in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bantam Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 Yeah, mechanic had it and wouldn't shut down for him. He came back from Rotorua yesterday and it shut down. I will swap coils and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flash Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 A bit of useless information - I had a similar issue with a Ford V6 a good few years back that was running standard points setup. Turned out to be a dodgy condenser. I'm guessing the Lumenition system has done away with the condenser, so it can't be that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostchips Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 i had a ballast resistor that did that but i guess the magic box might have a solder joint that an electrician said was "dry", i don't know how to test the magic box though, but if it has ballast resistor (unlikely) try swapping for a known good one. or coil, coil does that too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrome_GT Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 I had same symptoms on my capri. Would pull up at lights an the car would just die as it dropped to idle, ten wouldn't restart. Another symptom at te same time was on cold humid nights the car wouldn't fire unless the the distributor was kept reasonably warm. I honestly had a hair dryer in the garage to help in those situations The problem: I was running a non ballast coil when I should have been running a ballast coil. So even though I could see the spark whenever I checked, it must have been quite weak. I'm unsure I this helps you though with you elec ignition. The knowledge it was a weak spark may help narrow it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yetchh Posted January 17, 2015 Share Posted January 17, 2015 Is it optical or magnetic? I hear of a few issues with optical setups.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Vapor lock in the fuel system, pin hole in a fuel line or a failing fuel pump, had this exact issue with British cars in the past. Sounds stupid but it might be the problem especially if it still has the factory plastic fuel lines. They are a known problem in the Cortinas and Escorts even the Sierras had issues. If magic box was kaput wouldn't it be missing to start with before stopping. Could also be a bad earth strap to the points plate, would weaken the spark even with electronic conversion, add a little oil or moisture in there as well and you've got a perfect storm, again a known issue with the Ford 4 cylinders through the eighty's. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bantam Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 I see it at Woodheads Electricial today. He is getting the magic box replaced. It just shuts downs when cold,warm or hot, then starts 30 minutes latter. Think some workers from Lucas went to work for Lumination in the 80's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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