Some Maintanance..

[Jimlad]

Ok.. over the next few days I will be...

a ) replacing dizzy cap & rotor arm

b ) changing spark plugs

c ) changing leads

Are all of the above easy to do ?? Any hints/tips for the above ?

ta !!

[SMiFFAD]

Dont know about dizzy cap or leads, but guess they are ok....this my first car thats had em and not played yet, sparks are a doddle......just be carefull when you first put the new ones in...cross threading not funny <_< start em gently before attaching with a wrench...best off getting the proper socket if you dont have one, got a rubber bit in the end that holds onto the spark plug to get it in the hole ok

Good luck.....

[Jimlad]

Dizzy cap looks fairly accessable.. so should be able to figure out what to do there... what about the rotor arm ? Easy to replace ?.. , and the leads look a doddle. Is it just a case of yank off.... then put new ones on ?

[Dame]

Those tasks should be dead easy - perform them myself pretty regularly. One word of advice, mark the plag leads when you take them off the dizzy cap, so you know which one goes where. You don't want to go about putting them on in the wrong sequence. Also you'll need a fairly long plug spanner to access the sparks so make sure you have one of the right size. When you replace the leads, do it one at a time so you don't mix up which goes where. If they're the magnacor ones, they will be in different lengths depending on location, so make sure you get it right. Also, due to the way the magnacore's fit (i.e. a rubber boot holds them in place, make sure you push them right on to the dizzy cap and plugs to ensure proper contact.

[John R]

Yeah, all pretty easy... I've never done a rotor arm though. Just make sure you clean around the sparkplugs before you take them out.

[Jimlad]

I don't have a plug spanner....... :(

[Dame]

Then you need to get one, should only cost a few quid ;)

[Jimlad]

ok... cheers.. will pick one up tomorrow then.

[SMiFFAD]

ok... cheers.. will pick one up tomorrow then.

halfrauds

[Bibbs]

you may also need to remove some piping to get to plug #3 ..

[Jimlad]

pipng ??? explain a little ?!?

If this is gonna be tricky.. I'll just get my Japo garage to do it.

[pizza boy]

here you go jimlad. The is a written guide only and notes the tools needed. You dont need as much as the guide states but use a small 8mm socket for the dizzy (not a screwdriver) and a small screwdriver with a philips head for the rotor. As bibbs said spark plug3 is the behatch as youll have to remove the pipin in front of the throttle body. REMEMBER the rotor arm position when you put the new one on. And be very very careful when unscrewin/screwin the screws cos they drop very very easily and its a right :censor: :censor: :censor: when it does.

dizzy,rotor,ht leads an plug guide

[Dame]

Also whatever you do, when you put the new plugs in, don't cross thread them. I would say screw them in by hand, but this is impossible on a 2 due to the depth at which the plugs are set into the head. Turn them slowly with the spanner. If you encounter any resistance early on (i.e. before the plug has been fully screwed into the hole - you can gauge this by counting how many turns it takes to remove the old ones), stop immediately and check they're going in straight!

You really don't need to go to a garage, it's easy enough to do, and a DIY Job will save you £'s not to mention will give you the satisfaction of doing it yourself.

[JappyBeast]

Do you have to use a torque wrench on the plugs?

My leads are numbered and the dizzy cap is numbered too but they dont match!

[pizza boy]

Tthe difficult sparkplug/cylinder is number '2' not number '3' as stated eariler.(oops)

The cylinders are like this: ('1' bein the drivers side and 4 being passenger)

1

2 <-- this un has the TB/inlet pipe over it..its easy to remove tho.

3

4

Should be straight forward from ere. Just watch those f :censor: n screws they added a good 30 min of pain when I replaced all this around .

[Dame]

Do you have to use a torque wrench on the plugs?

I suppose technically you should bearing in mind the engine has an alloy head. However, as long as you are careful not to overtighten the plugs (i.e. do not use excessive force) you should be ok.

[Jimlad]

here you go jimlad. The is a written guide only and notes the tools needed. You dont need as much as the guide states but use a small 8mm socket for the dizzy (not a screwdriver) and a small screwdriver with a philips head for the rotor. As bibbs said spark plug3 is the behatch as youll have to remove the pipin in front of the throttle body. REMEMBER the rotor arm position when you put the new one on. And be very very careful when unscrewin/screwin the screws cos they drop very very easily and its a right :censor: :censor: :censor: when it does.

dizzy,rotor,ht leads an plug guide

cheers dude !

[Jimlad]

ok.. I'm set !! got my spark plug socket and ready to rumble.... got the leads and plugs through the door today also.

Petty it's bluddy raining outside ?!?!

[Jimlad]

It said in the guide to get a 5/8" spark plug socket. Dunno i I've got the right size... I got a 14mm socket.

Can't remember if it was 1/2", or 3/8" ..... it's all Halfords had tho.

[Dame]

See if the spanner fits around your new plugs, hopefully they're the same size as the old ones. You want an exact fit or you risk rounding off the corners of the plug's bolt head whoch could make removal difficult in the future, and yes the weather is &#33;Removed&#33; awful - do you have a garage or something?? Maybe a mate's garage?

[pizza boy]

Heh jut get some1 to hold a brolly thats what i did., remeber to reset the ECU as well.