Technical Aaargh!!!! Ignition leads Tipo 1.4

[bluejohn125]

Looking for advice from Punto people... I'm having a fr*gging nightmare trying to get a new set of ignition / plug leads for my late runout model (95) Tipo 1.4 ieS.

For my car Fiat upgraded / modernised the 1.4 engine to give coilpack ignition etc, and replaced the older distributor arrangement. My earlier 94 silver car had the distributor and took a plug lead set with 5 leads (one from coil to dizzy) and the traditional brass connectors to the dizzy outlets. The lead set for the 95 (blue) coilpack car are 4 in number and have a pin-type connector to the coilpack.

Every s*dding muppet parts supplier I (or ny mechanics) deal with insists on sending the older 5-lead type even when they have my reg no. (lazy and complacent and unreliable way of checking IMO) and I explain it is for a later coilpack car. My local supplier has tried and tried and nobody seems to do have one I want (one of his suppliers did send one but the monkey delivery driver damaged them... :bang

However digging around I am fairly confident that if I get a set of leads from a Mk1 Punto 1.4 GT turbo or even a 1.6 Sporting these should fit since both bottom ends are the Tipo engine and they are from the same era and apparently use the same widely-used coilpack.

So... can anybody here confirm that I will have better luck sourcing a set of leads for these Puntos? As I said, I am fairly confident.

Thanks

John

 

[blu73]

can't say i found it hard to get leads for my Punto GT at all last time..

 

[bluejohn125]

Correct... if you know that those leads are what you want then they are easy to find, especially uprated, Magnecor, etc.

The question is whether the plug and coil arrangement is the same as for my late run Tipo, and maybe other cars with the same engine e.g. Uno 1.4, Punto Mk1 1.6..

I have actually been to the motor factors who are now ordering the parts, probably not coming till wednesday but from their printoff and Fiat cross-reference it does seem that I will actually get the right leads (they did look slightly different to the Punto GT leads as far as the plug caps went but I reckon they are compatible).

Let's see what wednesday brings..

 

[blu73]

well on a GT the leads go on as follows:

2 3

1 4

But there is numbers on the coil if you look (on the GT there is but they are really small).

 

[bluejohn125]

Well as expected the latest expert parts suppliers provided the wrong leads despite me spendint 10 minutes with them on saturday and them giving me a printout diagram of what they were going to supply - which looked perfectly correct.

I went back to ebay and am now awaiting some leads for a Punto 1.6 which look exactly right and by all logical reasoning must be right. They are described as also being OK for the Tempra 1.6 and Dedra 1.6 which gives me added confidence. Even looking for Tipo 1.6 brings all sorts of confusion.

Fingers crossed again... at least I'll only have myself to blame.

 

[fingers99]

If these turn out to be wrong, ring (or Skype) Big Mick at eurocarcare in Derby.

 

[bluejohn125]

Well finally all is well... the leads I picked from ebay arrived yesterday really quickly - only £5 for the leads (Motaquip cheapos but perfectly OK) and £5 postage. I fitted them and they sit perfectly - I can't decide whether it runs any differently but that's one variable finally out of the way.

It's all very well recommending some supplieror other, but if you'dhad the hassle I have had you would not trust the trade when you have a slightly unusual setup and they all use the same suppliers and lookup databases etc.

I figured out the options myself and with the aid of a photograph of the actual parts was able to make a successful educated guess.

But even if I look on ebay for Punto 1.6 Ignition Leads there is at least one supplier that lists 2 options (from the same manufacturer) for these cars... so who knows waht the differences are and how you would choose !!

 

[blu73]

he suggested them cause of all the suppliers out there the micks are the most likely to know what you need and all round helpful chaps

 

[fingers99]

And if you don't use a specialist, sooner or later you'll have to rely on a generalist. Very few generalists have access to ePer (or can be bothered to use an on-line one).