8 Ball

Post by **scimjim** » Mon Jul 02, 2018 9:31 am

So I decided to take 8 ball to Brighton for DJs stag weekend as a test run pre Classic Le Mans tomorrow. It’s had a slight misfire for a while and I was working through the usual suspects to try and cure it, but I thought it would make it there and back - wrong

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We stopped at Reading services for a drink and when we left, the misfire had become a pronounced lack of power if I put my foot down. We limped into Brighton and went for a beer (which turned into a 3am dip in the sea but that’s another story

)

So on Sunday I fitted a new coil (didn’t have any tools with me as I wasn’t leaving them in a Scimitar parked in a travelodge!) and decided to pop along to the Blind Veterans HQ to see some friends as we were in the area. Drove fine all of the way through heavy traffic and parked in a field by the sea for an hour or so. When we got back it didn’t want to start and when it eventually did, we had no power at all so I called the AA.

With some tools we did some more fault investigating - we had fuel (although there was a little debris in the float bowl) and we had a decent spark but as soon as it got hot we had backfiring and no power. Nothing for it but to get recovered.

Got back to the workshop and put the strobe onto each lead in turn to find that number 3 was missing every few revolutions. I rotated the accuspark pickup to see if that was at fault - nope, still number 3. It has magnecor leads so I didn’t suspect them, so dizzy cap or rotor arm?

Gave an old dizzy cap a quick wipe with some wet & dry, fitted and tested - seems to be totally cured! I can’t see anything wrong with the cap (which is of unknown origin but not done many miles).

Tinker man · Post by **Tinker man** » Mon Jul 02, 2018 10:11 am

very frustrating Jim, but at least its all up and running again now.

its hard to decide what to take with you on the tools and spares front when going anywhere with any old car, having to take into account were you will park etc and the internal argument with myself over how reliable the car is and the need to take a spare "everything" and the tools to fit "just in case". i always want to have faith in the car, but never fully dare travel light.

best, Ian.

Post by **scimjim** » Mon Jul 02, 2018 10:59 am

For Le Mans tomorrow, I will take a full toolkit even though I have European recovery.

Post by **MikeyBikey** » Mon Jul 02, 2018 11:53 am

There is a known issue with modern dizzy caps and rotor arms. They are not made of the same black stuff as originally and so break down, and short the HT supply to earth through the black stuff rather than distribute to the correct HT lead.

In the end a useful trial run

good luck with Le mans

Gillsfan · Post by **Gillsfan** » Mon Jul 02, 2018 3:07 pm

Jim + Scimitar + last minute problems =

Not again shippers, is there a case of you having a problem free car ready with time to spare before a long trip

Post by **scimjim** » Mon Jul 02, 2018 3:09 pm

Good project management mate - just in time

First time 8 ball has been on a recovery truck though

Gillsfan · Post by **Gillsfan** » Mon Jul 02, 2018 3:13 pm

The old adage do everything at the last minute, that way it only takes a minute.

Post by **BigBobPilot** » Mon Jul 02, 2018 7:45 pm

MikeyBikey wrote: ↑
Mon Jul 02, 2018 11:53 am
There is a known issue with modern dizzy caps and rotor arms. They are not made of the same black stuff as originally and so break down, and short the HT supply to earth through the black stuff rather than distribute to the correct HT lead.

We had problems with new dizzie caps on the Ford type dizzys on the Marcos. It was cured by fitting cleaned up old parts (before we went distributorless with wasted spark coils). The new ones were generally poor quality (I can't remember where they were bought from), would jump out of alignment on the dizzie, being visbibly canted over, possibly if the rotor arm hit a post? The posts were also very soft, so burned easily. The Bosch dizzys are much better on the whole and the replacement caps & arms are of a higher quality.

This weekend was hot too, with my coupe on Sunday, I had a hot start issue, possibly due to fuel vapourisation?

Post by **scimjim** » Wed Jul 11, 2018 10:49 pm

So 8 ball made it to Le Mans - 8 years after it last went

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Stupopt1 · Post by **Stupopt1** » Thu Jul 12, 2018 10:20 am

well done, that's quite an achievement, especially as it was so hot this year.
where were you staying , looks like a nice campsite.

Post by **scimjim** » Thu Jul 12, 2018 2:32 pm

La Suze sur Sarthe - a municipal site about 10km south of the track. Were you camping inside the track?

Stupopt1 · Post by **Stupopt1** » Thu Jul 12, 2018 3:50 pm

I was camping in Spay Du Houssay, it's about 2 miles from Arnage village.
is that campsite next to the river ? I think we used to go there , very nice setting and you can walk across the bridge to get fresh croissants.

Post by **scimjim** » Thu Jul 12, 2018 6:42 pm

Stupopt1 wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 12, 2018 3:50 pm
is that campsite next to the river ? I think we used to go there , very nice setting and you can walk across the bridge to get fresh croissants.

That’s the one - swimming pool next door and everything you need in the village.

Post by **scimjim** » Thu Jul 12, 2018 6:43 pm

Stupopt1 wrote: ↑
Thu Jul 12, 2018 10:20 am
well done, that's quite an achievement, especially as it was so hot this year.

8 ball has only been in 2010 & 2018 - both very hot years!

Post by **efi_sprintgte** » Fri Jul 13, 2018 9:40 pm

Looking great Jim