7 replies to this topic

[ejs-1995]

Hey all, changed the head on my mini to a 12g295, tried to start it, it fired up instantly then cut out! If you keep the key in the crank position it will stay running and will rev to 5000rpm but as soon as you release the key it dies....I was thinking compression but the engine runs sweet as a nut with the key in the crank position and doesn't misfire/smoke/run rough. Could it be an electrical fault? Its really starting to bug me, any help would be appreciated!

[Dan]

  Is the car ballasted?

[ejs-1995]

Is the car ballasted?

Hi Dan, thanks for such a quick reply, how can I find out whether it is ballasted or not? It is running an aftermarket electronic ignition with 3 wires to the positive side of the coil and one wire to the negative. It is a 1985 998 Mayfair with the a+ engine

[Deejayry]

Is there a pink wire with a white tracer connected to the positive side of the coil? If so then it is ballasted.

This would then point to it being faulty, if you have a multimeter or a test lamp check for 9v between the coil positive terminal and the body with ign switch in position 2.

In my opinion ballasted ignition is a waste of time and itIs worth replacing the he coil with a 12v one and replacing the pink/white wire with a normal non resistive wire.

[ejs-1995]

Does the ballast wire run through the solenoid? If so, I replaced a red and white wire that runs from the ignition to the solenoid with standard red and white wire. May this be the problem? May it have damaged the coil? Will this non ballast set up work with electronic ignition?

[lrostoke]

sounds very much like you do not have a feed to the coil when the key is released.

 

On a ballasted system when the starter is spinning the coil receives extra voltage from a wire coming off the solenoid..when the starter stops spinning this supply turns off.

You should then only be getting power to the coil via a white/pink wire.  It will be the white/pink that is dead or missing

 

also it sounds like your after market electronic unit is wired wrong.

 

2 ways of doing it.

 

keep the coil standard

 

this will give you a white/pink and white/yellow to the coil positive and the black wire off the electronic module goes to coil negative.

 

the red wire for the electronic module needs a new feed, run a wire from the white wires on the fuse box to it.

 

or option 2 you can buy a new non ballast coil

 

tape up the white/pink and white/yellow

 

then run a new wire from the white wires on the fuse box to the coil positive..keep negative side standard..

 

the electronic module then wires direct to the coil..red positive, black negative.

Edited by lrostoke, 03 October 2013 - 07:31 PM.

[ejs-1995]

Cool I will try and rewire the electronic ignition and see what happens. Is there a possibility the coil itself is damaged?

[lrostoke]

very much doubt it...

 

what you describe is classic ballast wire failure or not wired.

 

If you have a multimeter, see what voltage you have at the coil with the ignition in the normal running position. I'd guess at nothing.