Technical Tipo Ignition

[Eggynogger]

I'm new at this so please help me if i go wrong.
My Tipo will start morning noon and night. IF IT WANTS TO!
I have changed the plugs, the coil block thing, and HT leads.
There is power to the distributer constantly. But when i check power to the plugs........ nothing. When she's running she's a smashin little car. But this is doin my swede now.

 

[Hellcat]

Have you tried changing the dissy arm?

 

[Eggynogger]

electronic ignition

 

[Hellcat]

The roating arm in the distrubuter i mean.

 

[Yorky]

Also the Distributor Cap. Mine had similar problems. The rotor arm had a hair line crack in it and the copper contacts in side the Distributor Cap were worn down plus the little carbon brush in the middle was worn flat. Changed both and hey presto !

 

[Hellcat]

Might be worth while just cleaning them down with a fibreglass stick. Did wonders for mine. They were all black and horrid looking until I spent 5 mins with a fibrestick.

 

[SteveNZ]

What engine? If its a 1.6 the crank angle sensor is a common fail.

 

[carpy sy]

I've had my Tipo for 18 months now and i've had the same problem( 1994 1.4ie),not starting,leaving it for 10 mins and then it starts first turn of the key.I changed the dizzy cap,rotor arm etc.But to no avail.Untill it didn't start the other day.I noticed that the contact on the rotor arm was a bit 'iffy so i cleaned it with fine emery paper and hey presto started again.Talking about it to a freind of mine who's a mechanic and he heard that it's a common fault with the 1.4 tipo engine.

 

[sumplug]

Yes a common problem on a lot of cars. Many like Ford fiestas and Escorts, would fill the dizzy with water, so a trick was to drill a tiny hole in the dizzy cap to release the water. Worked a treat. Maybe a similar thing could be done on the Fiat engine.
Every 12000 miles, i would replace the rotor arm when plugs are done. For a few pounds, money well spent. As part of a service, dizzy cap should always be checked. Well worth cleaning the cap out every 1000 miles to keep it clean. Be careful what you use inside the cap, or you might scratch it and cause tracking.
Also, keep the coil connections nice and clean with a blob of vaseline on them to stop rust. This makes sure the spark generated to dizzy is nice and strong. HT leads should be in tiptop condition for optimum performance.

Andy.