1108 GTL occasionally stuttering up hills

[jjad]

Hello, our 1990 1108cc GTL is occasionally stuttering/losing power when going up hills. Altering the choke or accelerator position makes no difference.

Any thoughts?

Our local garage suggested first changing the points, condenser and leads (which they say they are having trouble getting hold of).

1. Does replacing those parts first sound like a sensible approach? (Or is some other cause likely?)
2. I know that our 688 engine (with Zenith 28 carb) has a Ducellier distributor (at least that's what's written on the rotor), but I'm unsure which points and condenser would be correct? Mr Auto for example lists lots of alternatives for the same engine code.

Thanks!

 

[André4Renaults]

Failing points and condenser would give these symptoms, as they would not deliver the full spark when under high pressure; going up hills is a good example of this. Other causes might be sticky valves, as they would leak when under higher pressure but might behave on tick over or gentle usage. Change one thing at a time, though, or you'll never work out what's going on!

 

[harbourseal]

A dodgy condenser or cracked distributorcap can give symptoms like that.

Points for any ducelier distributer are usually easy to come by.
Just look at the points that are inside your dizzy or take a picture and compare the ones listed on mr Auto.

Any new condenser wil do as long as it has a wire that connects to the dizzy.

If you haven't changed any of your ignition parts in the last two years it's worthwhile changing them.
A small overhaul/ service just before winter is always a good thing.

 

[Andy McGhee]

If your points look like this (Ducellier distributor without external points adjustment), try an eBay search for Intermotor 22900. The corresponding condenser is Intermotor 33650. The Intermotor site will give information on other manufacturers' equivalents.
Before you change anything, it might be worth checking the points gap; they have a habit of closing up over time.

 

[jjad]

Many thanks everyone!

I've taken a look inside the distributor by taking off the cap, rotor and cover. It does look like the points are the same as yours, Andy, so many thanks for supplying the part numbers.

The side of the distributor itself seems to be stamped with the numbers 25187B and R244 D61, while the points appear to have 47481 on them.

Any thoughts on whether it makes sense to replace the cap and rotor as well?

Thanks again

 

[harbourseal]

Once every two years I replace all the ignition parts.
Spark plugs, points, cables, condenser, rotor and cap. Just as a precaution because I don't want to end up on the side of the road in the winter.

And if you are busy replacing parts, put a drop of machine oil on the felt in the middle of the axle underneath the rotor.

The number on the dizzy is the curve number.
The number on the points is a parts number.

Succes.

 

[jjad]

Well of course, as soon as I ordered the parts, the slight stuttering stopped!

Anyway, I replaced the leads, rotor, cap and condenser as all were quite old. I also got new points, but don't have the equipment/expertise to replace them. Also, the points were only replaced last year so hopefully are OK. I'll see how it goes.

Thanks again for all your help!

 

[mojobaby]

Hi Jjad, what you could do in the meantime, is clean the surfaces of the contacts without removing the points.

When the points are in the closed position, take a piece of fine sandpaper (180 grade), fold it in half and then open the points with your finger and slide the folded sandpaper in between.

Slide the sandpaper back and forth quite a few times and it will clean up any irregularities on the contact surfaces.

Is it my imagination or does there seem to be some moisture droplets on the inside of your distributor cap in the photo above? That could have been the problem!

 

[jjad]

You're not imagining things! There were definitely droplets of something - oil or water - I didn't check at the time. I will have a look later (I've not thrown it away yet).

I didn't like the condition of the 'contacts' inside the distributor cap anyway, so changed it and the rotor.

Thanks for the advice on cleaning the contacts.

 

[André4Renaults]

You can check if your condenser has failed by switching the ignition on & opening the points using something that's non conducting (a plastic or wooden stick, for instance.) If you see a big fat spark then the condenser has failed (or is certainly on the way out!) as its purpose is to prevent a large spark arcing across the points. All you should see is a small spark (if at all) accompanied by a faint "tick".

 

[jjad]

Top tip, Andrew!

Many thanks