Ignition system overhaul cost?

Perrin21

Member
I'm currently having an idling issue, the car seems to be unstable and tries to stall albeit doesn't actually stall when I first start it. It drives like normal and the issue seems to go away after 30 mins driving but I want to sort it. It could be a leak somewhere but it could also be ignition so in the interest of reliability I think I should eliminate this too. What do I need to replace and at what cost? I'm not a mechanic lol so I will have to pay labour too, what's a fair price?
 

williams

New Member
it could also be coolant temp sensor if its just cold idle you have the problem with.

ignition system depends how far you want to go? replacing components or rewiring the ignition parts of the loom aswell?

have you check ignition timing? tps adjusted correct?
 

PobodY

Moderators
Staff member
Is the IAC valve working? - If that's sticking it might not give you the fast idle (although it usually sticks the other way and gives a continued air leak).

As above; when you say "ignition" what are you thinking about?
It doesn't cost much to do something like replace the HT leads and the distributor cap.
It costs a bit more to "uprate" your coil etc (although I think there are some parts like the Bosch GT04 which would just drop-in, but probably aren't that different from the original unit).
Coilpacks are more again.

Have you done a fault code check? If you suspect an ignition problem it might be throwing-up the CAS as a fault.
 

campbellju

Moderators
Staff member
If you're not sure what the problem is, you're better off finding out before spending money.

Could be ignition but could just as likely be fuel or air.

Are you front mount or top mount? front mount will take about 5 minutes to swap over, top a little longer.

I don't mind you swapping parts with my car. As I've said before my family keeps me busy on the weekends but I can give guidance if you can do the work.
 

PobodY

Moderators
Staff member
Plus, if you need to talk about ignition systems, searching the old threads shows that Jim has done a bit of R&D on that already.
 

Perrin21

Member
to be honest i havent actually tried anything to find out the fault yet. Ive had the radiator replaced with aftermarket, would that affect the coolant sensor? I have not driven the car for last 2 months as been too busy. I just want to drop it in to a mechanic and get it sorted. Would Nissan be much use? Im running front mounted intercooler.

Im getting bored of the only time i drive the car its to the garage for something to be fixed. I just want some time to enjoy it.
 

PobodY

Moderators
Staff member
Was it refilled with appropriate coolant when the radiator was replaced? The only thing I could think of would be corrosion from filling it with something like deionised water and no corrosion inhibitor... but that's a bit of a long shot really so I'd suggest it's unrelated.

How good is your local Nissan dealership? They might be a little stumped by the Pulsar if they're just used to dealing with warranty servicing.
 

campbellju

Moderators
Staff member
to be honest i havent actually tried anything to find out the fault yet. Ive had the radiator replaced with aftermarket, would that affect the coolant sensor? I have not driven the car for last 2 months as been too busy. I just want to drop it in to a mechanic and get it sorted. Would Nissan be much use? Im running front mounted intercooler.
radiator is no where near your coolant sensor. Depedning on the dealership, Nissan might be useful. Nissan ignition systems are good quality. Leads, coil, cap and rotor might be close to £150 nowadays as many parts have gone up in price. Fitment with a front mount is about 10 minutes but you'd get charged an hour at most places.

Might just be your plugs need cleaning :)
 

williams

New Member
if the coolant system wasnt bled when refilled you could have an airlock, giving the temp sensor an incorrect reading.
 

Perrin21

Member
I've already changed the plugs, wouldn't an airlock cause the engine temp to rise above normal? It's normal at moment.
 

williams

New Member
have you got datascan or access to it? would be handy as it will show you what your coolant temps and maf readings are.
 

danr

Member
does idle creep up higher than normal when hot? or just low when cold? what thickness oil is in it out of interest? does turning lots of electrics on settle it down? ie. mess with windows, blower etc.
 

Perrin21

Member
does idle creep up higher than normal when hot? or just low when cold? what thickness oil is in it out of interest? does turning lots of electrics on settle it down? ie. mess with windows, blower etc.
It just falls lower than 1000rpm and then up to a maximum of 1500rpm. Haven't tried electrics.
 

campbellju

Moderators
Staff member
It just falls lower than 1000rpm and then up to a maximum of 1500rpm. Haven't tried electrics.
As George says, that sounds more like an air issue than ignition or fuel. There is a sticky on here about idling issues and all the small changes you can make to improve things.
 

Perrin21

Member
i spotted a valve cap missing on the throttle body i think its called (top of the engine near the back) and pluged the leak, looks like that has sorted most of the problem. I have now got an idle of 1100rpm and the car has a very slight misfire whilst idling. It happens every so often so i took it to my local nissan dealer and got them to run a diagnostic scan. they said everything seemed fine but acknowledged the misfire saying it could be any one of many things and left me back where i started. Im guessing next step is, coil pack, rotor arm and dizzy cap to see if that fixes it but no guarantees. they said the timing was 10BTDC at idle, is this correct? im no mechanic and im just wanting to leave it somewhere and let the problem get sorted by someone who knows what they are doing. Any suggestions near Preston Lancashire? I dont want to be financially raped.
 
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