WARNING

The suggestions given on this webpage are for emergency use only. In certain circumstances, using improvised parts to make car repairs can invalidate your car warranty. Do so only as a strictly temporary measure, and when driving conditions in your judgement make such repairs safe.

No electrics at all

Poor battery connections If all the car's electrics fail when the engine cuts out — from the lights to the starter — the problem is usually poor battery connections. When the connections to the battery terminals are so corroded, dirty or simply loose that the flow of current is interrupted, nothing electrical will work, though enough may trickle through for the lights to glow dimly. The 'earth' terminal is particularly prone to problems.

Flat battery An old or poorly maintained battery may lose its charge so rapidly that it cannot cope with all the demands made upon it. Alternatively, a fault in the charging system may allow even a good battery to run flat (see Ignition warning light comes on, issue 2).

Ignition Problems

Damp. In cold, damp weather, moisture settling on plugs, plug leads, distributor and coil can play havoc with the ignition system — particularly if it is poorly maintained — because the high voltage current drains away to earth rather than creating a spark across the plug gap.

Tracking. The high voltage current may be tracking through dirt on the surfaces of the insulated parts of the High Tension system rather than remaining confined in the circuit.

When the battery connections are poor a thorough clean will normally do the trick — just disconnect the leads, taking the earth lead off first, scrape off all deposits and rub down the terminals to shiny metal and screw the clamps on again firmly. If this does not work, you may be able to improve the connection enough to get you home by wrapping copper wire — or any type of metal foil — around the terminal post.

When the battery is flat top up the battery fluid if necessary - ordinary tap water will do in an emergency, though it will shorten the life of the battery. Then try to push - start the car (providing it has a manual gearbox) or start it with jump leads from another car battery. If you get going, keep the engine revs up all the time - pull out the choke if you have to stop suddenly — and use electrical equipment as little as possible.

If the cable anchorage has rusted away or broken loose you must find a way of securing the outer cable. Usually the most effective way of doing this is to use a Mole grip.

To check for a spark, remove one of the plugs, reconnect the plug lead and,

using insulated pliers if possible, hold the gap end against a clean metal surface, well away from the battery and carburettor — the cylinder head will do. Get someone to turn the engine over for you with the ignition on while you watch for a bright blue spark across the gap. A weak spark or no spark at all indicates an ignition circuit fault. Check each plug in turn to see if the fault can be traced to a particular plug lead.

Damp and dirt can be annoyingly difficult to eradicate, but providing the plug leads and distributor cap are in reasonable condition, you can normally cure the problem by cleaning and drying them with a lint-free rag and spraying with a proprietary damp dispersant — pay particular attention to the place where the leads enter the distributor cap.

Tracking shows up as fine, crooked vein-like cracks across the plastic insulation. To reduce tracking, you can clean the HT circuit thoroughly and then file away these cracks with emery paper — or a nail-file — and spray with silicon. If you have no silicon spray, paint the cracks with nail polish. This should get you home, but the parts must soon be replaced.