Re: 16v missing/misfiring (long)

["David McGowan" <dmcgowan@iwvisp.com>]

Yeah , this is whats happening with my rocco. exact same symptoms. i just
went and bot a new dist.

Dave
----- Original Message -----
From: "T Berk" <tberk@mindspring.com>
To: <archive@porknet.fdns.net>
Cc: <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2000 2:16 PM
Subject: Re: 16v missing/misfiring (long)


> archive@porknet.fdns.net wrote:
>
> Love the ISP. :)
>
> Disclaimer; I am a mk1 8v kinda guy.
>
> > Hi,
> >
> > Recently I've been experiencing some problems with my '87 16v. A
> > little over a week ago I changed the valve cover gasket to fix oil
> > leaks  <snip>
> > In the
> > process, I removed the intake manifold and the valve cover, cleaned
> > everything up with lots of carb cleaner, and reassembled the valve
> > cover. Before putting back on the intake, I removed the distributor
> > cap to use a dremel brush to clean off corrosion on the arc points.
>
> This sounds like a case of Dremel Tool gone bad. Metallic particles in
> the cap will lead to electrical tracks that can cause arcing and
> misfires. Don't tear up inside the cap, or on the plugs, themselves too
> much.
>
> >  When I went to start the engine, it
> > wouldn't catch. I quickly discovered I had failed to seat the
> > distributor cap completely on the housing.
>
> This might have caused the damage to the shield inside the dist.
>
> > After clipping it in properly, the car
> > finally started. However, ever since it has been missing about
> > 1/8th of the time. This percentage increases when it is cold or at
> > a low rpm. The missing creates a real power loss at pretty much
> > all rpms, and I'm of course concerned about what is causing it.
>
> This is a direct example of poor and/or misguided spark. Other than air
> leaks, (you _did_ remove the intake), the dist cap, roto, and Hall
> Sensor are now suspect. Arcing as you ponder around the plug boots can
> be remedied by applying dielectric grease to the boots' interiors. This
> will help seal the boot to the plug body. It doesn't take a lot, just a
> light coating.
>
> > My distributor has been leaking oil for some time...
> > I splurged and bought a new cap > and rotor and installed them.
>
> Now we're talking!
>
> > Motor started and ran, but just as bad as
> > before. A test drive revealed that it had a bit more punch
> > than before (probably because the old rotor was missing the metal
> > clip that keeps it from rotating slightly! oops!),
> >  however, it was still missing.
>
> Newer rotor don't have the metal part inside that fits into the groove.
> They now have a molded part that fits into the cut into the dist. shaft.
>
> > I plan to check the hall sender
> > connector, although a p.o. lost the screw that holds the
> > connector to the distributor housing and its being held on with a
> > zip-tie. I'm afraid to touch it.
>
> This may be the culprit. Surely it was bumped of moved or something
> during the prev. procedures.
>
> > I think the coil being faulty or a fuel mixture problem are both
> > unlikely, but not rule-outable (another invented word, yay)...
>
> Me neither. (Love invented words. Keep up the good work.)
>
> >
> > Anyway, I'm debating what my next step will be after these
> > tests if they fail to determine a definate or likely cause:....
> > I was thinking for a while that my hall sender was the problem,
> > but if I remember correctly these tend to die all at once,
> > right?
> [NO]
> > Would a dieing hall sender cause this kind of missing
> > but still let the car be drivable?
> [YES]
> > I remember reading that the connectors on both sides for the
> > hall sender have flakey insulation that lets oil in, and teensy
> > wires that break and cause problems.
> [TRUE] & [TRUE]
> > Has anyone had a similar problem and found out it was the
> > hall sender.
> > Thanks for your feedback,
> > -Toby
> > '87 16V
>
> I had a flaky Hall Sensor connector that caused the car to miss, then
> fail to run at low RPMs and finally failed all together just as i rolled
> into the parking lot at work.
>
> They DO have funky little wires that pass enough signal on a good day
> but can _look_ OK but not pass a good signal after all the heat and time
> have had at them. You should clean out the connector and spray some
> Electro-Lube or Dielectric grease or Stabilant 22 in there.
>
> Distributors have seal kits or you could just replace it altogether.
> Gotta stop the oil leak somehow though.
> They are not hard to install if you are replacing the whole thing,
> marking were the original is prior to removal will help. You will want
> to retime the car after installation but it could be part of a regular
> tune-up done by a competent shop if you wish.
>
>
> hth,
> TBerk
>
>
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