Ignition setup advice

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swanny

Guest
Hi guys,

I have recently experienced several ignition / running style problems (lumpy, running on 3 etc etc). Had the car into the garage, they said my plugs / leads / dizzy cap and rotor arm were all screwed and therefore required replacement.

I have been running the car without issue for approx 2 months, however I am now starting to have problems once more.

Two weeks ago the rotor arm itself worked itself loose and actually came off totally (i removed the dizzy cap to find it rattling around inside). I refitted the rotor arm, and have been driving around without issue since. Today however I have noticed that under load (ie when i put my foot down when i'm going onto the motor way etc she is very hesitant and appears to be having problems once more).

I have contacted the garage via telephone, they advised that with the spec of my car (ie running uprated fuel pump, 1 bar of boost producing 298bhp) it is worth sourcing uprated ignition parts (ie uprated coil, dizzy, leads and plugs).


I understand that there will be more heat under the engine due to increased boost and power, however this aside, I cannot really understand why I require uprated ignition parts - Am I not correct in assuming that as my ignition system is standard, I should therefore be fine to run standard parts and that they should be more than up to the job ?

Aside from the fuel pump and additional boost, the car runs pretty much standard. FYI my car was previously owned by "little miss road rage" who was a member of this board.

Please please help as I really want to get the issue resolved, but do not want to spend out money upgrading parts if they are not required.

Thanks,
Swanny
 

youngsyp

New Member
If you're using standard Nissan parts and decent 1 grade colder plugs (Denso or NGK), you current set up should be find for that power.

If it was your coil or ignition amplifier, I'd expect it to misbehave at any engine speed, not specifically under load etc... ?!

Have you checked you fuelling recently ?

I had similar issues with the hesitation at motorway speeds and initial pick up. After replacing all the consumable ignition parts, it turned out to be a partially blocked fuel filter ! Worth a try for the £10 or so it costs for a new one or, you could remove and check it to see if any black crap comes out ?!

I percieved the problem to get better as I changed the various ignition parts (they all needed doing anyway really as, they were each at least 2 years old!) but, the overall effect was the still the same.

Just a thought !
 
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swanny

Guest
Fueling could be a problem here I guess so thanks for the pointer. I am still concerned as to why the rotor arm would have clean come off inside the dizzy cap ? Do you think this was due to incorrect fitment by the garage or is it under spec'd for the job ? :S
 

youngsyp

New Member
I'd say incorrect fitment is a distinct possibility. They probably didn't do the screw up tight enough ! Have you replaced the rotor arm and dizzy cap since this incident ? If not, they may be damaged and not performing to their best !

The garage saying about uprating the ignition system is a bit of a worry aswell. They obviously know nothing about the car ?!
 
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swanny

Guest
Excellent, this was my thought. I found the garage to be very helpful but they are not really a specialist garage for the pulsar itself.

On to my next question, who can I trust to work on my 'R around the south coast ? I really don't mind paying money for good work. I use my 'R daily and do a fair bit of mileage so i really need her to be reliable (not to mention tip top performance wise) I'd like to put her in the hands of someone I can trust to get the job done FIRST TIME and who understands the car.

I live in the portsmouth area (gosport to be exact) any advice ?

Cheers,
Swanny
 
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pulsarboby

Guest
how can the rotor arm fall off? as the cap will hold it in place, unless its cracked its impossible for it to fall off as its on the shaft about 1cm:?
 

campbellju

Moderators
Staff member
swanny said:
Hi guys,
Two weeks ago the rotor arm itself worked itself loose and actually came off totally (i removed the dizzy cap to find it rattling around inside). I refitted the rotor arm, and have been driving around without issue since. Today however I have noticed that under load (ie when i put my foot down when i'm going onto the motor way etc she is very hesitant and appears to be having problems once more).
This is where I'd start with a new cap and rotor. Either from Nissan or a motor factors, they're not big money

Standard ignition is good for about 400hp, you a quite a way short of that ;-) Your coil or leads could be at fault though?
 
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swanny

Guest
Cheers for the pointers.

Pulsarboy, you are correct, it couldnt come off inside but when I took the cap off it just was loose so fell out.

The leads were replaced about 2 months ago, so I wouldnt expect them to be faulty after such a short period - although I agree, not impossible.

I'll get myself a new arm and cap tomorrow from the local nissan dealer / motor factors and replace them first.... We'll see how it looks from then on.

Is it worth picking up a fuel filter at the same time ? Where is the filter located ? And is it an easy job ?

Cheers,
Swanny
 
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swanny

Guest
BTW i'm running a 255 Walbro fuel pump, do I need to get a specific fuel filter or is the standard Nissan one ok ?
 
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pulsarboby

Guest
standard oe filter will be fine, its on the rear bulkhead to the right, near the abs pump, and is quite easy to change
 
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