84 Telstar starting problems

Astaroth · 20-06-2006, 10:31 AM

I've got a 1984 carburetted telstar ghia that's having some intermittent starting problems. Generally in the cold it has difficulty, when it's warm (e.g. above 5 degrees) it doesn't seem to struggle as much.

When the problem occurs, the car kicks over fine but will not fire. The (digital) tacho does not give any sign of life while it's kicking and it doesn't even struggle to fire. Battery voltage at full charge is 12.8v, with car idling is 13.6v, while cranking is 9.9v. We pulled plugs 1 and 3 out and kicked it with them on the head, and it threw a fairly weak but visible spark.

In a flash of brilliance I decided to short the ballast resistor to see whether the switching circuit or relay itself was stuffed. This turned out not to be too brilliant an idea - the wire from the resistor to the coil melted

I fixed this up and removed the short, and everything works fine. It even started this morning

It's really starting to bug me and I'm in need of a bit of help. Was going to take her to the auto elec but I just thought I'd see if there's anything else I can try? I was going to swap in the coil from my pulsar to eliminate that, any other ideas?

Thanks!

JohnoTX5Legend · 20-06-2006, 09:23 PM

Do you mean it cranks, but won’t actually start? I have the same car – 1985 AR TX5 Ghia, and it had the same problem not long after I bought it. I replaced the Distributor Moduel and the Ignition Coil which were the culprits, and it’s had no problem whatsoever since.

dirty hands · 21-06-2006, 02:23 AM

the battery readings are ok cranking voltage I would like to see a bit better but i am fussy

replace the coil as above

no good if only giving off a weak spark

then recheck the automatic choke settings

Astaroth · 21-06-2006, 09:39 AM

Cheers guys. I have another coil so will drop that in soon. Got a haynes for it yesterday so that'll help with stuff like choke.

Astaroth · 21-06-2006, 03:32 PM

Sorry something I forgot to ask, when you say you replaced the 'distributor module' are you referring to the whole dizzy, the breaker or the coil?

dirty hands · 22-06-2006, 02:49 AM

just the electronic module inside the dissy

replaces the old points set up

thats all it means

it will be all in your haynes thats a great repair manual
dont you like the 5 pages of the carby how to do's

:

Astaroth · 03-07-2006, 11:25 AM

Wouldn't start this morning - replaced coil, still wouldn't start.

It's starting when the battery is FULLY charged, but when it's even the slightest bit down it won't fire. I'm having to put the battery on charge every 2-3 days, really bugging me.

Was looking at replacing the breaker module but it's like bloody $70. :( Might do plugs and leads (got spares) first...

dirty hands · 03-07-2006, 07:47 PM

module needs to be looked at
$70 oops well that should work for a few years
have you gone to a wrecker see what they want for one
may be able to get a whole dissy for that price ?

starter motor and the solenoid last thought

:

normxb · 04-07-2006, 05:58 AM

Could it be that the battery is "on it's way out" , wifes ED wagon was the same a few weeks ago , we've been having -3 to -7 frosts and the car would only just start . New battery & now it doesn't miss a beat ?
If the battery is a bit old , having to crank the motor & supply spark may be a bit much for it ?

dirty hands · 04-07-2006, 08:48 AM

if you are having to recharge the battery
when a starter motor is faulty it may drain the voltage off the battery
also try taking the battery terminals off over night and read the battery voltage
cold
if there is still no spark then the module is also faulty
so you may have 2 electrical problems
still looking into the carby problems for you

:

Astaroth · 04-07-2006, 11:20 AM

thanks guys. The battery should be fine, it's less than 12 months old. The cranking voltage is reasonably high (9.9v) so I'm figuring the starter should be ok, will look into it and the battery though if the module doesn't work. Will look at module soon, see how things go. Is there any way to test the module or do I just have to replace it and pray?

I'm going to pull the carby and put a kit through it soon so hopefully that'll fix that area...

dirty hands · 04-07-2006, 02:21 PM

no specs on the breaker and pick up coil (module) either it works or not

oh thats very helpfull !

:
also the part is listed as a mitsubishi product ??

also you have to pull the whole distributor down to fit the unit

good thing you got the manual

ing_sm

Astaroth · 04-07-2006, 03:17 PM

Yeah there's a lot of mitsu parts in these things although most have a bosch equivalent (altenator for example).

Knocking the dizzy down isn't too much of a worry. Although:

Quote:

no specs on the breaker and pick up coil (module) either it works or not

I was under the impression that the breaker WAS the 'module' as you guys are referring to it. So when you say 'module' you're referring to the pick up coil?

dirty hands · 04-07-2006, 07:01 PM

well I read up and decided we better call the part by its proper name
not called a module in the repair manuall sorry !
you might look smarter than the parts fella at ford/mitsubishi
unit is 2 seperate parts
so ask for a breaker -and the pick up coil -for the distibutor
see the reaction