cough, splat, splutter

[neilchadburn]

Wilson had a bit of a problem this evening, started OK and then after about a mile there was a mahoussive bang, I mean the biggest bang I've ever heard with an engine misfire, anyway on we carried for another couple of miles, stopped, had an ice cream, and then he wouldn't re start.
I tried choke, then no choke, and couldn't hear the gentle ticking of the fuel pump, so kept trying to no avail, thought things through and unplugged the fuel line after the fuel pump, switched on the ignition and out poured the fuel, so connected that back again, but still nowt.

I checked the brass topped leads from the distributor were all connected to the sparking plugs, and tried again, nothing, recovery were called, and as I waited I unclipped the distributor cap, took off that black plastic thing ( is it the rotor arm?) gave it a wipe, and re clipped the distributor cap, and just as the recovery chap arrived, Wilson my old boy sprang into life, no way was he suffering the humiliation of being carried away by a German lorry!!!

The problem is, I don't exactly know what it was, or what I did....some kind passer by told me the timing may havee slipped and taking off the dizzy cap would have cured it?

Anyway a nice cool uneventful 4 mile drive home.....do I need to do anything now or is this a little average Minor headache that occurs now and then?
Tell you what though, I felt like a demi god of mechanics when something I had done resulted in him starting

[PSL184]

You can't affect the timing by removing the dizzy cap unless the distributer is loose and you moved it around at the same time. Most likely cause, sounds like, you have a cheap Chinease rotor arm fittied that shorted out. Get on ebay or go to auto jumbles and find a proper Lucas one then see how it goes....

[bmcecosse]

Well done finding the problem! There seem to be some pitiful rotor arms around these days = best carry a spare in future. One 'trick' if the rotor arm (or dizzy cap) is thought to be tracking - is to rub some engine oil (from the dipstick!) into the crack as a get-home measure.

[neilchadburn]

Thanks guys....I'm going to buy a new rotor arm Lucas sounds good.

[bmcecosse]

Buy two - from different sources! And carry the spare in the glovebox - along with the spare dizzy cap, condenser, points and spark plugs! The spare coil can stay in the boot.........