HT Leads and Distributor...

[riverbum]

Please can someone help me... I drove my Nova 1.2 Merit (H Reg) to Sweden and it conked out after being left for a few days in some seriously low temperatures. The starter motor turns over but the engine is not firing and I suspected ice and damp in the distributor cap and HT leads. As it was super cold I took the leads inside to dry them off but forget that I did not have a Haynes manual here so I do not know in which order to replace them! Can someone please either scan and mail me the relevant Haynes manual page or take look at their own car and post a description! Also - can the HT leads be pushed straight onto the plugs or does the right angled metal fitting (sorry - not sure what it is called!) have to be in between as they seem to be loose fitting and I believe are allowing in moisture. Also if anyone else can suggest a basic 'Nova specific' troubleshooting list for a dead car it would be most appreciated.

Thanks Ben

[Dar]

Ouch!
I have scanned the page out of the haynes manual for you. Hopefully you've learned the lesson - 'When taking HT leads off of a car make sure you know how they go back on'.

I've scanned it quite big so that you can read the writing. If I where you I would right click on the piccy and save it to your desktop, then open it with a picture viewer so that you can zoom in a bit.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v485/DPursey/Firingorder.jpg

[riverbum]

Thank you I really appreciate the help!! I felt like a real muppet last night in the freezing cold!!

Ben

[Nick]

have you managed to get it started ?

or are you still looking for some helr regarding other faults ?

[riverbum]

Hi,

I'm still stuck and could do with a bit more advice! I put the HT leads back in the right order and at the same time took the plugs out and checked them (they are only two weeks old) and they were quite oily? so I wiped them off and put them back in. The hex scews on the distributor cap are too corroded to undo but seems quite tight so I can't imagine it being damp inside. Every time I tried to start the car the starter motor turned over and the engine ocassionally spluttered on one cylinder but would not start. I tried spraying start spray into the air intake but that did not help at all. I did notice that the accelerator feels slacker than usual, perhaps due to the cold? The car has fuel in it!! and oil levels are okay. I would really appreciate any diagnosis and a step by step troubleshooting plan as I am sure a mechanic over here would cost a mint!

Thanks,
Ben

P.S.

I won't be able to fiddle with it again until daylight tomorrow.

[Aragorn]

first off check the cam belt is intact and looking normal

check you are getting a spark to each plug by removing the lead and cranking the engine with the lead(and plug) sitting close to the engine, you should get a spark arcing between the plug and the block

assuming you are getting a spark take the air filter off and make sure there is fuel getting thru from the carb (u should see it spraying out of the jets when u open the throttle)

if both of these are true i'd recommend getting a compression tester and running a compression test

u may have cracked the cylinder head due to insufficient antifreeze and very very low temps

[riverbum]

I'll try your suggestions later, but i need to find someone else to help me first! I don't think antifreeze is the problem as I filled it with virtually neat Swedish stuff within hours of arriving and everytime I have checked the level it has been fluid and not frozen. I'll try what you suggested later and post a reply then. i'd appreciate it if you could then post some more advice based on those 'results'.

Thanks for your help,
Ben

[riverbum]

I did as suggested with the plugs and all are sparking okay, I then took the airfilter off and there was fuel spraying out of the middle jet. I'm a complete beginner mechanically so sorry if my questions sound really stupid but where should I look for the cam belt? Also if I need to go to a mechanic here does anyone know what the Opel version of a Nova is called?

Thanks, Ben

[riverbum]

Anymore tips would be really appreciated!!
Cheers, Ben

[skinj]

As far as i'm aware mate the opel version was called the corsa. they changed the name in the uk from nova to corsa when the "mk3" new shape came out. saw the mk2 in teneriffe 8 years ago with a corsa badge!!

[riverbum]

Cheers for the help so far! Any more diagnostic tips before I give up and go to a garage would be really appreciated!!

[riverbum]

A few more tips please!!

[Aragorn]

this does sound strange tbh

have u maybe been putting fuel in with an octane rating lower than 95?

some countries have 91octane fuel and if u didnt retard the timing before using that u might have melted something

the black cover on the left hand end of the engine hides the cam(or timing) belt

pop the cover off (u may need to remove a bolt) and make sure the belt is intact and tight

if your getting fuel and getting spark then uve either somehow mega mega flooded it (were the plugs wet?) or u have a mechanical fault (pinking caused by crap fuel could blow the headgasket for instance)

if the plugs are wet, dry them off and replace them and try starting the car with the throttle wide open and NO choke, do not pump the pedal etc, just foot to the floor and crank it for 10-15secs and see what happens