hi guys have an el that has a miss, it is a distributor model. i have put new leads, plugs and have bought a new cap. do you think it could be a dizzy cap problem

Hi There
Is the miss at idle ??
Or all through the rev range ??

the miss is sometimes at idle but mostly when you accelerate on take off or when you go to climb a hill.

Hi
Just a few more questions for the benefit of myself
and other members who may read this.....

How many K's has the engine done ??
Auto or manual ??
Is it petrol, gas, or dual fuel ??
Did the miss appear recently ??
Was anything done in the engine bay
immediately before the miss appearing ??
Blowing abnormal smoke / haze from exhaust - if so what colour ??

1. Run a self test / diagnostic and see if any fault codes
come up - hopefully this will show all the sensors are OK.
2. Reset BASE timing - this has to be done when in a special diagnostic mode.
3. Faulty Coil - the faults tend to appear when the car is hot / warmed up.
4. Faulty TFI module on Dizzy - again more so when hot.
5. Fuel Pump iffy / Fuel Filter clogged ??
6. Injector(s) clogged.
7. ISC Faulty / dirty - more of a problem when idling.
8. Air / vacuum leak - particularly around inlet manifold.
9. Also a compression test would be good to eliminate things
like rings, valves, springs, head gasket etc.

Unfortunately the list goes on - I'm sure other members can add to.

Good Luck

When was the fuel filter last replaced?

yeah hi im not sure when it was last replaceds so ill replace that and change dizzy cap while im at it. thanks

I would do the filter first as you have no idea when it was last done and it does sound like its starving of fuel and or air so again if you dont know when the air filter was last changed do that too. The dizzy cap can last 300,000 k's plus unless cracked or damaged but it would cause a miss all over the revs and even backfire.

A long shot but check how tight your rotor button is on the dizzy shaft. My old mpi EA had a slight miss and I ended up tracking it down to the rotor button.

The contact was fine but the plastic notch on it that slides on the dizzy shaft had worn away. And there was about 3-5mm of play in either direction with the engine off.

Cheers

hi guys im still having the probloem with a miss at high rev range and a little on take off. i have replaced fuel and air filters as well as dizzy cap. it has new plugs and second hand set of leads which are in good condition. when i accelerate it takes off ok but doesnt seem to have the power it should. my wife has an ef and it goes much better than mine. any suggestions.

Im fairly sure I had this exact problem, got my car serviced and it went away, but now on take off sometimes I get the same thing again, sort of stumbles a bit then goes ok... before I got mine serviced if you pushed your foot down at say 3000 RPM, it would hesitate and miss, if you backed off it was ok cruising, put your foot down agian and it would do it again, slowly accelerating... but rough as and with no real power... I've got a 95 EF auto with 170,000ks on the clock...
only thing i can remember being replaced during the service was oil, oil filter and plugs... doesnt matter if the car is hot or cold either...

i have no idea what else to do i start it up and i accelerate and it splutters abit then picks up revs. doesnt have a lot of power either do you think it could be the injectors.

test all the injectors with a multimeter to check if they are all the same resistance or Ohms... not sure what they should be but they should all be the same, disconnect them from the wiring harness first of course so you are just testing the injector.... if one is blocked or clogged up though i doubt you will be able to tell unless you pull them and get them flow tested... test the fuel pressure as well, have you checked the ECU for error codes? im only new to owning a ford so dont know how but im sure there is a tech writeup on it... have you checked the spark on each plug? or just unplug each lead, see if the engine doesnt change with any of the 6 unplugged... will show up which cylinder (if its isolated to one) is playing up... could be either fuel or spark in that case... chuck an old plug in each lead holding the threaded part against the engine and see if there is a spark from each lead.... thats all my ideas, hope you sort it soon mate

Have you checked to see if you are using/losing any coolant? If you have a small crack or leak from the cooling system into one or more combustion chamber, it will cause a miss at idle, and under load if it's a bad leak. If your not sure, get a good radiator shop to check if there are any combustion gases in the cooling system. They can check with a sniffer probe in the radiator tank. Many alloy head engines get a similar problem over time, especially with s**t coolant. Best of luck.

Hi all.
I have this exact same missing / poor Idle problem with My EL!
The Car starts First Time, but Motor Shakes and the Car feels like i'm sitting in a Rattle!
The Drivers Mirror Vibrates and the Exhaust is clearly shaking from side to side.
When I set off slow, the Car nearly Stalls, and you feel the Computer Compensate and Revvs increase!
If I Gunn it, she picks up OK! This Miss stays even when the Car is Hot.
This all started After I had the "Faulty" Coil Replaced!
I had a Good Quality BOSCH Coil Fitted, so I do not think the Coil is the problem?
Prior to the Coil Failing completeley (car refused to start and smelled Rich like a Petrol Spill!) the EL Ran PERFECTLY on Petrol!
Fortunateley my EL is Duel Fuel, so have tried Running on both Fuels and the problem only persists on Petrol!
This may assist other EL Owners, with this problem.
She Runs Perfect on Gas, No Missing at All! So clearly the problem is on the Petrol Side.
Because she Runs Great on Gas, the Fault is Not the Plugs, Leads, Dizzy Cap, Coil, Rotor, Vaccuum, or Gasket related!
I Looked for Petrol Leaks around the Injectors and there is Not.
I took it to a Garage, and $99. later, they Claim Dirty Injectors.
I am now Running 98 Octane Fuel and Injector Cleaner. The Mechanic Claims 3 Full Tanks should Fix the problem?
I am not convinced, as the Car Ran Perfect before Coil Died. Why would Injectors Suddenly be Dirty?
I think it may be Seals on Injectors or Dirty ISC Unit?
But will Run the Car with 98 and Injector Cleaner asnd see what happens.
Darren

I wouldn't dismiss a vacuum leak as the cause. I have never run gas, but it may be more tolerant of unmetered air than petrol. Possibilities that come to mind:
- vacuum leak
- blocked fuel filter
- weak ignition leads
- bad spark plug
- blocked catalytic converter

Have you read your spark plugs after running at normal operating temp on petrol? The insulators should be white to grey/tan, no wet or black residue, and consistent across the plugs.