Well, the Lucas gremlins are preparing to rear their ugly head (must have
heard my pondering the switch to a Chevy HEI distributor)
My TR4 is hard to start when cold. When hot, it (sometimes) has a bit of
a miss on start-up. This just appeared 2nd drive ago (Sunday).
I'm suspecting the coil or condensor (oh no! Not that thread!!!) ...yes,
I know they're different. I am going to replace the condensor first
because it's cheap. I may bite the bullet and replace the coil too as the
one currently on the car is looking quite ancient (BTW, it's got a little
screw in the center terminal too- Maybe it holds the "lid" on?)
Replacement coil from parts house in town is $50 cdn (+tax...). It is a
Blue Streak.
I can probably get an MSD or Crane hi-power coil from them, which will
probably set me back $80 or more. :-(
Any ideas on how I test the coil? I tried the 1/2" of airspace-crank
motor (no sparks), then 1/4" of airspace (no sparks) -- this while the car
wasn't starting. I haven't tried it since it ran- had to yank the choke
and it came to life. Hmm... <running outside>
OK, we do have sparks at cranking speed, with 1/2" of airspace... but it
is not fat, bright, or blue- thin, and yellow.
As I'm on a Starving Student's budget I don't really want to buy a coil
just to see what happens. Is there any way to diagnose it at home?
Should I pull it out of the car, and take it to a shop?
thanks in advance,
-Malcolm
* There is a FAQ for this list! Its temporary home is:
http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/walker/triumph/trfaq.htm
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