TreeBeard 1 Posted December 29, 2017 Hi, i've recently been having trouble with my 2.0L MK5 estate in wet weather, basically dampness has been causing bogging down for a while, but while driving home on boxing day in the heavy rain, the engine was all over the place... i couldnt get any power out of it at all (maxing out at about 40mph and VERY stuttery). As soon as the rain stopped and the surface spray dissipated, the car returned to (almost) normal running. A friend has suggested that it could be the coil getting wet from the surface spray, and has suggested in the past that it may need replacing to improve starting/running etc. as it may be .ged. I've checked the distributor and all seems ok there, plus i fitted an accuspark electronic ignition in there during the summer, so that should be fine. If anyone has some thoughts/suggestions on this, i would greatly appreciate it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Mack 246 Posted December 29, 2017 It does sound like a high tension issue as your friend has suggested, didn't you replace the coil when fitting the accuspark? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Duke Blues 15 Posted December 29, 2017 Can you get a rubber coil cap for it or maybe some WD40 may help. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TreeBeard 1 Posted December 29, 2017 (edited) Hi John,No I didnt... didnt know I was supposed to.showing my ignorance here... tbh Im no mechanic and this is the first car Ive owned that Ive actually worked on myself.It has new sparks, new battery, and new ht leads... so it makes sense that the coil is the weak link.Any suggestions/ advice on what to pick up to replace it would be greatly appreciated Edited December 29, 2017 by TreeBeard Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TreeBeard 1 Posted December 29, 2017 ok after some digging i'm not any closer to understanding whether or not i need to replace it with a ballasted or non ballasted coil, does anyone know if there a preference for electronic ignitions? (accuspark conversion in a bosh i think) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mk4ste 43 Posted December 29, 2017 non ballast for electronic ignitions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TreeBeard 1 Posted December 29, 2017 Thanks for that, i'll order a new non ballast coil, any recommendations or are they all pretty similar?... i've read that the up-rated "sports" ones aren't really worth it and can cause issues, but apart from that? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
btboy 31 Posted December 29, 2017 Back in the day I had to wrap both the distributor and coil in plastic bags to keep the water out. I also added a desiccant pack to each bag to absorb the moisture. Looked bloody ugly but worked. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfrace 116 Posted December 29, 2017 I've seen folk use a rubber glove on landies before when off-roading where you really deal with a load of water, small hole at end of each finger slightly smaller than ht lead then ziptie around the leads & base. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sheffieldcortinacentre 529 Posted December 29, 2017 Yes it will be spray getting on the coil you can make a simple shield out of some metal, the battery used to offer some shelter on the mk3/4 but when it was moved further back on the mk5 this problem occurred. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Mack 246 Posted December 29, 2017 Thanks for that, i'll order a new non ballast coil, any recommendations or are they all pretty similar?... i've read that the up-rated "sports" ones aren't really worth it and can cause issues, but apart from that? Did you by-pass the ballast wire when fitting the accu-spark ?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
martog 128 Posted December 29, 2017 As above. I use a Sierra electronic ignition coil on mine and replaced the ballast feed wire (thick grey one under the servo) for a normal piece of wire on my Accuspark set-up with no problems. Didn't know about the coil position on later Cortinas but if the wires are long enough try moving it closer to the radiator as i think the holes to bolt it to are there under the battery tray. Once did a run to meet up with mk5Mike to Harrogate in Monsoon weather and a run up to Mr .coms place on the Boxing day when we had the Biblicle Floods and never had a problem. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Danish 294 Posted December 30, 2017 I've seen folk use a rubber glove on landies before when off-roading where you really deal with a load of water, small hole at end of each finger slightly smaller than ht lead then ziptie around the leads & base. Back in the 1980s my mum's Mini Metro had that mod as the dizzie was perfectly positioned to collect water. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beowulf 87 Posted December 30, 2017 <blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="John Mack" data-cid="667450" data-time="1514582819"><p> Did you by-pass the ballast wire when fitting the accu-spark ??</p></blockquote> Yes, there are 2 types of acuspark systems. Mine still uses the ballasted coil. Just make sure you get the right coil. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TreeBeard 1 Posted December 30, 2017 Ok, so, I replaced the coil this morning, took it for a drive and got a noticeable improvement in the dry weather (the coils was obviously beyond its prime. HOWEVER... just took it out in the wet and the shonky bogging down and power loss is back with a vengeance. Nothing more than damp air a slight spitting of rain and its misfiring and stuttering all over the place. Back to the drawing board. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
