Ignition help needed please!
Turbo Mini Forums

Right guys, we've been playing about with the car tonight, just trying to get a few jobs sorted. Anyways, we had the car running really nice, then it cut out. I tried to start it again and one of the lads noticed a spark coming from near the coil. It turned out that the metal casing on the choke cable, was touching a bracket on the coil and was causing a spark - I find this odd myself.

Anyways, we cleared everything out of the way so that nothing was touching, and moved the ignition coil so it couldn't touch anything, but now the car won't start at all. Turns over fine, plenty of fuel, but no spark. Could something metal rubbing the bracket on the coil really have blown it? We've checked everything else obvious like fuses etc... All wires are still in place on the coil and intact. I even moved the coil back to its original position so see if it was something odd causing it.

Now the strange thing is, it doesn't have the original electronic ignition. Its got a points based distributor, a lucas DLB105 sports coil, and on a bracket on the coil is a little black box with Ducellier printed on it, with 6 wires going into it - 2 of which go to the coil (white, white and black) and the others go into the distributor itself. I'm guessing from this then that I have a Ducellier dizzy, but what does the black box do? It was the metal bracket that this black box is attached to that the choke cable was sparking against.

We're gonna check it over with a multimeter tomorrow, but I can only think the coil must have blown. Any other idea's?

Sounds like you have one of the early style electronic setups with the ignition module mounted seperately. These ignition modules are available cheaply new, do a search on the forum as someone posted a web source to get them at a good price.
Either you have knackered the coil or the ignition module, follow the test procedure in the Haynes manual to determine which.

I can't see anything in the Haynes relating to the Ducellier dizzy - although I am going off a Mini manual, and not an MG Metro Turbo manual as I don't have one.

I can't find anything on the web really about these Ducelliers, nor anyone that sells them!

Buy a Metro haynes manual as a first step.

Will do.

Did a search on here like you said, and only found one thread about these dizzy's. Followed the link and they don't stock anything for Ducelliers. I need the car running for this weekend, is it going to be easier to just replace it with the Lucas Metro Turbo Dizzy?

Hi,
It would require a little wiring, but first you'll have to get hold of a dizzy!
Cheers,
Gavin :)

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What sort of wiring are we talking about? What extra is there on the Lucas that isn't on the Ducellier?

The other alternative, is to get an Avonbar Turbo Dizzy I suppose - might be the easiest solution - would there be any extra wiring involved with that?

For the price of an Avonbar dizzy your could nearly get a Megajolt set up. It is superior to any dizzy but I guess it depends if you just want the car running without any fuss or want the best.

For now I just need the car running and by this weekend for the Wirral to Llandudno run. I will probably be going Megajolt when I build the new engine, but for now I just want to get it running again.

How likely is it that we've blown the dizzy amplifier? I'm hoping its just the coil, but I'm guessing that little amplifier is much more sensitive? Gonna get a coil from my local autofactors, they know me, so if its not that, I can take it back and get a refund.

Does anyone have another link where I could get a Ducellier amplifier from? I can't find anything anywhere.

Hi,
EDIT: Before you go buying things check you have a good engine earth. Stick a jump lead from the battery negative to the egnine block then try to start it....
Your local auto factors should be able to get you one.
Finding a place with one in stock would be highly unlikely!
You're right it's more likely to be the amp than the coil, but strange things do happen
Cheers,
Gavin :)

Edited by Bat on 8th Jan, 2008.

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Hi,
The fact you've getting sparks off the choke cable is the clue
Cheers,
Gavin :)

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Hi,
I'm guessing the choke cable was your engine earth! :)
Cheers,
Gavin :)

VEMs Authorised Installer / Re-seller. K head kits now available!

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I don't think so, because I've had the car running without the choke cable touching the coil, it was just when it touched the bracket that the ignition module is sat on (which is on the coil) we got a spark and the car cut out. Thats what makes me think either the coil or the ignition module has blown.

I'll try the earths tonight though, but I'm not holding my breath! Been to my autofactors and they haven't got any coils in stock (crap!) and they don't list the Ducellier distributor for the Metro Turbo, only 3 different Lucas ones so we can't find the ignition module either.

Think I'm gonna have to scrap the lot and start with a fresh ignition system :(

Right, just doing some digging, and this is the dizzy cap thats on my car:

http://www.minispares.com/Product.aspx?pid=37799

Which dizzy would I have going off this?

I thought you said that it had points?

Edited by theoneeyedlizard on 8th Jan, 2008.

In the 13's at last!.. Just

Thats what I was told when I picked the car up! This gets stranger and stranger.

The little box that is on the coil that sparked looks exactly like this:



but has Ducellier written on top. I'm guessing these units are interchangable as Lucas and Ducellier are listed on the page that I got the above photo from.

Is this an early type electronic ignition then?

Right, now to go to my autofactors and give them the actual part number that they couldn't find for themselves! They are an Intermotor stockist, so you'd have thought they could have found that!!!

Cheers for the help guys, I'll let you know when I get the car running again! Which will be whenever I can get the part probably!

"Turbo's make torque, and torque makes fun"

"did you know you can toast potato waffles?"

and this:

http://www.turbominis.co.uk/forums/index.php?p=vt&tid=170424

"Turbo's make torque, and torque makes fun"

"did you know you can toast potato waffles?"

and this:

http://www.turbominis.co.uk/forums/index.php?p=vt&tid=5839

"Turbo's make torque, and torque makes fun"

"did you know you can toast potato waffles?"

so you have a few starting points now, good luck

"Turbo's make torque, and torque makes fun"

"did you know you can toast potato waffles?"

All sorted now guys. My mate found a spare later type dizzy, so we ditched all the old crap, replaced the coil and tidied all the wiring up and now she's running again.

Cheers all.