Thread: Disco 93V8i- engine dies, cranks, no spark?

Mate cheack out the cir clip on the rotor shaft in the dizzy hasnt perished...mine had the same symptoms your decribing and after some time found that to be the problem ...the cir clip is made of nylon and can perish over time ...just a thought

i know theres a pic of what im talking about somewhere on here ...just trying to look for you now

cheers

Your ignition amplifier has died .....
Either located on the side of the dizzy, or beside the coil

Mike

I will try Mike's suggestion first (replace the amplifier). Shall check out the circlip too, although I could not see it in the "workshop manual"? Thanks.

Where are you, so that others may help?

AFAIR, STC1184 is the ignition module part no. Lucas/Intermoto are reliable brands. The changeover should take you about an hour. If the module is on the distributor, it's a bit fiddly, but do-able. If it's on a plate on the radiator support panel near the coil, it is easy fix.

HTH

Pete

.... Delete ... posting error ....

I'm not so sure that the amp has died. The first symptoms of the amp giving up are repeated cutting out due to heat build up. Once it's cooled down the enegine will usually start again.
Smearing the base of the amp with heat sink compound is a good idea and some suppliers actually provide a small tube of the white paste with the new amp.

If there's current going into and coming out of the coil it is most likely:

1. coil king lead, especially where it enters the dissy cap;
2. rotor button (a notorious no go causer);
3. dissy cap itself, especially the spring loaded carbon button in the top.

Its always worth checking spark at the coil first, use a jumper lead firmly earthed at one end to check for spark at the coil. If you get a spark then go to the king lead, rotor, and cap for faults.
Then disconnect the negative wires at the coil and tap the negative terminal with the jumper wire (ignition on!). This checks the coil.

If you get a spark that way then I suggest next checking the magnetic pick-up in the dissy with a multi meter. Its connected by two pins behind the early amplifier (on the dissy) and at a small plug on the later remote mounted one. Any sensible ohms reading will show its working, then spin the dissy and it should cause the meter to wander about.

Usually its the amplifier anyway. They can die partly, intermittently or completely, depending on which chinese component inside decides its going on strike. I have replaced about a dozen Lucas amplifiers with the locally made Bosch BIM024 module. It's available at just about any parts shop. This shouldn't be hard for a competent sparky to wire up for you.