james mackenzie Posted November 9, 2002 Share Posted November 9, 2002 My car just can't stand this damp weather! First time I've driven it after 3 weeks of wet & slime, nice fully charged battery, fully serviced back in the summer with oil change & new set of plugs and it's repaying me firstly by not wanting to start and then driving like a complete dog. Performance is non existent and it won't drive above 60mph. I don't own a garage but always keep it under a good quality waterproof cover, the plugs and leads are dry as a bone, what's going on? I've pampered this car for 9 years and have always had problems with damp more than any other car i've owned. I'll be filing for a divorce soon, please help!! ☹️ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger King Posted November 9, 2002 Share Posted November 9, 2002 James, You don't say what engine type you have, but if it is a Crossflow I would check the ignition system out. The standard Caterham supplied Lucas kit is dreadful and can cause variable timing figures as well as suffering from a weak spark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheds Moderator Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 Sounds like the usual stuff, grotty electrics. IMO 95% of ignition probs come from LT electrics, so if you still have points(!) change them, set the gapproperly, etc, try again. After that, and if you have some sort of elec ignition system, thentry running it in the dark. Look for tracking (blue sparks, hence running it in the dark) - if so then you have a duff component. HT leads and dist cap are your next port of call - both cheap and if they are the original 9 yr old items then they owe you nowt. If no joy then spend £15 on a Krypton, this will tell you and you will avoid all the pain. Those machines don't cost 20 grand for nowt, y'know. Good luck. Steve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elie boone Posted November 10, 2002 Share Posted November 10, 2002 James, Spray WD40 on the leads and dizzy this works really well against moisture but to cure you will have to change probably the dizzy cap and the leads aswell with the plastic cover inside the dizzy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james mackenzie Posted November 11, 2002 Author Share Posted November 11, 2002 Roger, Engine is a Ford Xflow and yes, It does still boast it's original Lucas parts! Looks like it's finally time to get out of the dark ages! Thankyou all for your comments. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve anning Posted November 12, 2002 Share Posted November 12, 2002 James, Don’t give up I’ve got a 1989 ford xflow and she starts no problem in all weather, why you may ask, well I fitted a new distributor cover , replaced the HT leads, plugs and the coil (Lucus DLB120) after that no problem, Colonel Bogie all done in the best possible taste.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now