HT lead advice needed

Hi there

Got an 83 tin top 1.8 GTI with a DX engine. I've been having a few problems recently and the latest has been the car running on 3 cylinders. I went through disconnecting one HT lead at a time while the engine was running and found one that made no difference so I'm going to replace them all. GSF didn't have any in stock so I popped to Halfords. On the car model guide it said that the DX engine was one type that they don't stock. When I spoke to the guy on the parts desk he asked my registration and on the computer it said about choosing between two different types. One for EV or JH engines and one for EX or PB engines. On the car model selection list it said that these were both cabriolet types. The guy said to go for the EX ones and they are also suitable foro MK2's including G60's.

Got them home and they are totally different lengths to the existing ones. That's not right is it?

Also I stupidly took off all the old ones and can't remember which one goes where. Does it matter? Is there a guide anywhere?

Anybody know where I can get some good ones over the counter? GSF said they could get me some in tomorrow.

Obviously you need to replace the leads in the right order, ie position on the dizzy to cylinder. It shouldn't matter which lead you use except to say that they're different lengths for a reason, so the longest lead goes the longest distance, etc.

You'll have to find where no. 1 is on your dizzy and then know that on a 8V the rotor arm goes clockwise and the firing order is 1-3-4-2.

I don't know why EV/JH and EX/PB are different since I don't actually have a car with these engines, but there might be a slight variation in the fittings on the coil, or length of the king lead eg on a Mk2.

Thanks Paul

Are the cylinders 1 - 3 - 4 - 2 from left to right looking at the engine from the front of the car?

Any idea where to get good ones? GSF ones good enough?

Yes & Yes, but you need the rotor on TDC on No1 to start with

1 is furthest from the flywheel. I never use left-right while looking in the engine bay! What if I look from the side? Or the other side? Front becomes right, then far is left, etc. So I always use left right front back etc in relation to the way the car is pointing. In that sense, No.1 is rightmost and No.4 is leftmost.

I bought GSF ones and they did the job fine.

Technically you don't need the rotor to be at No.1 TDC, you just need to know where it is……but since dizzys get taken on and off on an old engine etc, its good practice to put it at TDC and physically look at the rotor arm, to be 100% sure. In theory there is a marking on the dizzy (on the inside somewhere) but in practice you could misfit things, say 90° out, and connect it up so it works.

Oh and also....the cylinders are 1-2-3-4 from right to left, not 1-3-4-2 if you know what I mean....

Which one is one on the dizzy cap?!!!!!

Cero said

Yes & Yes, but you need the rotor on TDC on No1 to start with

sorry being a total retard here! Don't get this at all!

Also should all the leads be the same length? The ones I took off weren't! Don't particularly trust GSF at the moment!

TDC = top dead centre. As in, the No.1 piston is at the top and both valves are closed. This is the point in between compression and ignition strokes, and at approx. TDC the spark plug is fired to light the mixture.

You turn the engine to achieve TDC. Make sure its "valves closed" TDC too, since the crank turns twice for every 1 turn of the dizzy rotor arm. Basically its an standardised way to see where the engine is. You'll need to be able to find the timing marks on the crank pulley and/or flywheel, though. Once again its a case of, if you know what you're looking for its easy, if you've never seen it before its vague.

If the above is meaningless to you, there's 2 options:

1. Try the leads (in the correct firing order) in all 4 possible positions, since one of these will be right

2. Give it to a garage or mechanic to do the work (but you'll need to pay for this).

Right, I got a spanner and a torch and I think I sorted out TDC. There were red paint marks on the crank pulley and flywheel so aligned them and then had a look at the rotor arm. I then put the cap on and put the leads on the cap and set them to 1-3-4-2 (one being the far right hand side looking towards the front of the car). Nothing! Could I have flooded the engine so much that it won't start?

If It doesn't start in the morning I'm calling out a mobile mechanic!

Didn't start!

Any ideas before I get somebody in who knows what they are doing?

Can't really add any more than I've already said. Best getting someone out to look at it. If it ran before and you muddled up the leads, then it can't be any other issue really.

Could I have flooded it that much when trying different lead arrangements that there would be nothing at all?

Rotated them round on the distributor to try all options but still nothing. Checked and each lead is producing a spark. If it isn't the leads what else should I check?

Was the car working before you changed the ignition leads?

Yes it was but not on firing on all cylinders.

Well….replacing the leads has made it worse. There's 3 possibilities:

1. You've fitted them wrongly. Could be wrong order, or that you've not pushed them fully in, etc etc.
2. They're broken (since they're new, I doubt this. But you could refit the old ones to double check).
3. They're the wrong ones. It might be this, and that the electrical connection isn't being made. Compare it with the old leads. It might be that you can bend the terminals or something, in some way, to make the electrical connection.

But then you have a spark so 2 and 3 seem unlikely???

I'm assuming you've not fiddled with anything else, or run out of fuel, or have an immobiliser and not turned it off, etc etc.

Right, got so fed up I called the AA as I've got homestart through my bank. Turns out I had them round the wrong way on the plugs. I thought that the cylinders were 1 to 4 from right to left looking at it from under the bonnet but no it's left to right.

Had tdc correct and the leads correct on the cap. The engine was totally flooded so he showed me how to sort that by removing the fuel pump relay.

Anyway it's all sorted now!

Hate to state the flippin obvious but how difficult is it to remove and replace one at time so they don't get mixed up. :dontknow:

Mate with a mini did this trick of removing 10 similar connectors in similar places and trying to remember where they all went and had me waste an afternoon trying to start is car. He got the ones at the dizzy end out by 1 position, 12 oclock was at 3 oclock and 3 was at 6 etc.