Renault Clio misfire

[Alpina Jim]

My other halfs Clio recently started misfiring when under load, a typical symptom of an electrical fault I decided.

Step 1. I changed the spark plugs as they were embarrassingly overdue for replacement. Cost £27 including a new air filter and rear wiper blade. End result was a slight improvement.

Step 2. Must be the HT leads. £12 later and a vast improvement but still an intermittent misfire when idling or under load.

Now back in the old days I would have suspected the points, distributor cap etc but this car is fitted with an electronic coil / distributor module so could that be at fault I wondered?

I decided to try an old trick from years ago and ran the engine with the bonnet up in the dark and there the fault was......the electronic module was intermittently breaking down and the spark was arcing inside giving a nice glow.

Step 3. Module changed although be it with a second hand unit due to its relatively high cost. Outlay for this was approx £18.

Third time lucky then.

The end result is a happy car and a happier woman, very important as you all know.
For me I had a bit of satisfaction in carrying out a bit of car repair work which was like a trip down memory lane for me.

Now how do I get to use my old dwell meter and timing gun again????

[Geoff]

Nice one, keep up the good work