N3K Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Hey guys, Escort started misfiring and pulling the other night but stopped for a few days until yesterday when in first gear she's just spitting and sputtering and misfiring and has become a bit old heavy paperweight in my driveway. Checked carby, looks clean and seems to be jetting fine. Checked fuel-filter, clean as. Looked over dizzy leads, look fine on ends but need to actually test them. Plugs are brand new. Opened up dizzy and noticed the breaker points seem to be a bit worn out, actually quite worn out so I'll pop those in tonight fingers crossed. Has anyone had a similar issue where their engine was almost like it wasn't firing on 1 cylinder? Such a rough idle, sometimes won't even stay on and spitting and sputtering and won't rev at all without hiccuping and dying? Just a quick heads up, thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyteler Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Moisture in the dizzy could cause it. Poor cap/leads/points/condensor. Alternatively it could be a vacuum leak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N3K Posted May 17, 2015 Author Share Posted May 17, 2015 Thanks. I'll get those replaced tonight if I can. What's involved with a vaccum leak, I've never worked on anything like that before. A bit of a novice but I'm learning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyteler Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Any tubes/pipes that come from the motor. Check along them for splits or cracks and replace as necessary. If the vacuum advance line that leads to the dizzy is holed or ruined the advance won't be working correctly and can cause rough running. Basically though, any air/vacuum lines around the motor. Check them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajg193 Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Do the condensor at the same time you do the points 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N3K Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 Checked. Checked. Checked! Still nothing. On the back of the trailer tonight, heading down to my mates for a closer look! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Checked or replaced? Run it in the dark and see if you can see one of the HT leads "glowing" in one spot if it has a break under the insulation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostchips Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 i had that, it was moisture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N3K Posted May 18, 2015 Author Share Posted May 18, 2015 i had that, it was moisture. Have a hairline crack in the dizzy cap or? What fixed your issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvmyvl Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Plugs are brand new. did it do it with the old plugs? if not then put your old plugs back in. i have had brand new plugs not work from the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pusherman Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Check your fuse box dude. Thoroughly. I chased a misfire around for months (weekend car). Until one rainy day i pulled seats out and dash out and sat there following everythiing re crimping and soldering shortening and extending cable, removed imobilisers re installed imobilizers was a 5 hour mish to finally find that the ignition fuse was slightly loose and jiggling around in there. Mother flipper i 2 had tryed leads,points,plugs,coil, wires to coil every flipping thing. Had to hang my head when i found it was a measly fuse issue when everything under the dash was hnging out and needed putting back together. damn ha ha 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostchips Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Have a hairline crack in the dizzy cap or? What fixed your issue? The moisture in the cap had causes carbon tracking, if you find no carbon tracking you may be able to re-use the cap, if it's tracked a replacement might be required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N3K Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Just got a compression test done, running about 50%. Not good at all. Bloody hell! The daily has turned into a big old paperweight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mof Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 On all cylinders? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N3K Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Yup. Getting a grinding done asap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horse25 Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 i had water in my fuel caused it to run like a sack, put some meths in it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unclejake Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Just got a compression test done, running about 50%. The daily has turned into a big old paperweight!Hold on a minute You need to have a few things go right before a compression test can be relied on, and if it's still low it could be as simple as tight tappets. I only tell you these things as perhaps you haven't done a comp test before and I'd hate you to pull the motor for no reason As the vehicle was running fine a few days ago it's more likely you are doing the test incorrectly or misinterpreting the results. What PSI readings did you get, did you have all of the plugs out, did you have the throttle fully open, did you crank it over four or five times for each cylinder, and is your battery and starter motor good? If a mechanic did the test for you it's quite possible that he's expecting 150psi in each pot, where 90 - 120 is probably more realistic. If the plugs are not oily then you are having a good day. I would eliminate (in the following order): 1) Points & Condenser 2) Plug leads 3) Dizzy cap and rotor 4) Vacuum leak (just spray brakeclean around the inlet manifold and associated hoses when the engine is running. If the engine stalls when you are spraying in one spot then there's your leak) 5) Accelerator pump diaphragm 6) Aliens 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllTorque Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Plus a compression test should be done on a warmed up engine. As said above, replace points & condenser, check valve clearance and report back. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostchips Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Hold on a minute You need to have a few things go right before a compression test can be relied on, and if it's still low it could be as simple as tight tappets. I only tell you these things as perhaps you haven't done a comp test before and I'd hate you to pull the motor for no reason As the vehicle was running fine a few days ago it's more likely you are doing the test incorrectly or misinterpreting the results. What PSI readings did you get, did you have all of the plugs out, did you have the throttle fully open, did you crank it over four or five times for each cylinder, and is your battery and starter motor good? If a mechanic did the test for you it's quite possible that he's expecting 150psi in each pot, where 90 - 120 is probably more realistic. If the plugs are not oily then you are having a good day. I would eliminate (in the following order): 1) Points & Condenser 2) Plug leads 3) Dizzy cap and rotor 4) Vacuum leak (just spray brakeclean around the inlet manifold and associated hoses when the engine is running. If the engine stalls when you are spraying in one spot then there's your leak) 5) Accelerator pump diaphragm 6) Aliens And heavy oil down the sparkplug holes after the test, then test again and compare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N3K Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 Got some feedback from my dad's mechanic. Broken piston rings. Had absolutely no idea. Car has been running fine for ages! Oh well. Getting fixed, back on the road tomorrow. Crikey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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