• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

Missing Graphite Electrode

Rob Glasgow

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
My car seemed down on power today so I started to check the points. Opened the distributor cap, everything was coated with graphite, turned over the cap and guess what's missing???? Not a bit or piece remained. I'm amazed it ran at all. My question is "is the graphite electrode available by itself?" Does anyone know of a substitute for a quick fix?
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6180.JPG
    IMG_6180.JPG
    1.7 MB · Views: 98

Bob_Spidell

Yoda
Gold
Country flag
Online
Is it a Lucas cap? I used to have a broken Lucas cap; if I can find it--I'll check tomorrow--I'll see if I can extract the electrode. Can they just be pulled out? If it's not a Lucas cap it might not fit. FWIW, I haven't had great luck with aftermarket caps.
 
OP
Rob Glasgow

Rob Glasgow

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
Bob, it doesn’t have any Lucas markings so I think it’s an aftermarket. I don’t remember when I installed it but probably over 15 years ago. I think I’ll drive down to Moss and pick up a new one.
I still don’t know how it manages to run with this part missing. I’m assuming the spark must have jumped from the primary cable directly to the rotor. Must have been pretty sparkling inside the cap.
 
OP
Rob Glasgow

Rob Glasgow

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
Craig, Here you go. I found a used cap in my spares and switched the HT leads and am back in business. I did notice the electrode hole in the old cap was slightly larger than the one I replaced it with. Don't know if it was that way from the beginning. The failed cap had been on since 2006.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6194.JPG
    IMG_6194.JPG
    1.3 MB · Views: 100
  • IMG_6191.JPG
    IMG_6191.JPG
    1.4 MB · Views: 92
OP
Rob Glasgow

Rob Glasgow

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
On the failed cap, the spring was still in the bow but there was not one bit of the carbon electrode left. I had a new electrode and spring which I installed in the replacement cap. Thank you to the person who, on an earlier post about inserting the electrodes, suggested “winding them in at a 45 degrees angle”. It worked perfectly.
 

Keoke

Great Pumpkin
Country flag
Offline
Craig, Here you go. I found a used cap in my spares and switched the HT leads and am back in business. I did notice the electrode hole in the old cap was slightly larger than the one I replaced it with. Don't know if it was that way from the beginning. The failed cap had been on since 2006.
I would replace the rotor also if you look carefully at it there seems to be arcing on either side of the brass contact.---???
 

RDKeysor

Jedi Trainee
Bronze
Country flag
Offline
I, of course, found a different problem with the graphite bit centered in the distributor cap. I had one jam up inside the hole, and it resisted every effort to remove it. I ended up damaging the cap and got a new one, a Lucas version.
 

gonzo

Jedi Warrior
Country flag
Offline
What would be a suitable substitute for the graphite electrode nub? Something similarly shaped in brass - like #4 or #6 brass screw fit to length? Or perhaps a solid piece of copper rod?
 
OP
Rob Glasgow

Rob Glasgow

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
RD, I noticed a small shoulder in the bottom of the electrode bore that surrounds the spring when inserted. If you try hard enough to push the graphite electrode too far into the bore, I can see where you could jam the soft electrode past that shoulder area and it would come stuck. Its a bit tricky to push it far enough to seat the spring, without jamming the graphite portion.
 

Bob_Spidell

Yoda
Gold
Country flag
Online
What would be a suitable substitute for the graphite electrode nub? Something similarly shaped in brass - like #4 or #6 brass screw fit to length? Or perhaps a solid piece of copper rod?
I think brass on brass would wear pretty fast; I'd stick with graphite (it's meant to be sacrificial). They should last 100K or more miles and usually the whole cap is a tune-up replacement item (or used to be).
 

steveg

Yoda
Gold
Country flag
Offline
Bob, it doesn’t have any Lucas markings so I think it’s an aftermarket. I don’t remember when I installed it but probably over 15 years ago. I think I’ll drive down to Moss and pick up a new one.
I still don’t know how it manages to run with this part missing. I’m assuming the spark must have jumped from the primary cable directly to the rotor. Must have been pretty sparkling inside the cap.
Rob,
Is Moss's storefront open? It was closed before for the virus.
 
OP
Rob Glasgow

Rob Glasgow

Jedi Knight
Country flag
Offline
Rob,
Is Moss's storefront open? It was closed before for the virus.
Steve, I stopped by this past week and the sales office is still closed. I talked to a friend who works there and he was not sure when they were planning on opening. He has been working remotely and doesn’t miss the compute.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
Scotsman TR4/4A Moss seat covers for TR4A missing spring tensioner pocket Triumph 0
P TR2/3/3A 1958 TR3A missing on cyls 2 & 3 Triumph 8
K Missing spring clutch release lever Other British Classifieds 1
Bayless Missing important part Spridgets 0
bighealeysource Wanted Looking for missing BN2 door and cockpit moldings Austin Healey Classifieds 0
Jim_Gruber Missing Bugsy IV / Transporting a BE on a U-Haul Car Carrier Spridgets 18
warwick-steve Missing grease cap in front hub Austin Healey 8
TAS525 TR2/3/3A Missing zerk from inner tie rod end Triumph 7
P TR2/3/3A Convertible Top Frame Missing Hood stick advice needed. Triumph 4
T TR2/3/3A Missing bush Triumph 4
G Brake fluid missing Austin Healey 6
R brake master missing seal Austin Healey 11
P TR2/3/3A Missing rear seat back rest/bulkhead. Triumph 7
KVH TR4/4A I Can't Stop Burning Oil; Engine Missing at Take Off Triumph 5
Simmo MGA Missing under load MG 3
B Valve Cover Plate Rivets: Useless junk or am I missing something? Austin Healey 10
S TR4/4A Exhaust manifold missing stud Triumph 8
P Is my shifter bushing missing? Austin Healey 25
J Help with 61 AH Sprite missing parts. Spridgets 3
GTP1960 TR2/3/3A hesitation and missing between 2000 & 3000 rpm Triumph 3
tomshobby Shift knob insert is missing Spridgets 12
KVH TR4/4A Still Learning: I'm Missing, But Only Slightly Triumph 4
richie TR4/4A Missing since rebuild with Pertronix Triumph 9
B Installing New Leaf Springs on 100-6 - Am I missing something obvious? Austin Healey 19
bighealeysource Why is it missing now ? Austin Healey 4
RedTR3 TR2/3/3A Periods of Intermittent Missing Triumph 34
6TTR3A TR2/3/3A MIssing Zerk fitting? Triumph 7
bighealeysource Can't figure out why engine is missing on BN2 Austin Healey 6
J MGB MGB missing and perhaps knocking under load MG 10
angelfj1 TR2/3/3A HELP! Need quick fix for missing bonnet hinge pin. Triumph 5
Boggsy64 MGB King Pins appear fine am I missing something? MG 3
PHerder Door Parts missing :[ Need to beg, buy or steal... Spridgets 0
PAUL161 MGB Strange Reminder of a Missing Friend. MG 4
Parker MGB Headlights won't work after full repaint/restoration... what am I missing? MG 6
S MGB Radiator cap missing MG 1
P New tires, missing spoke Triumph 4
bighealeysource BN2 still missing, think it's carbs not ignition ? Austin Healey 8
mgbmedic Wire Wheel Conversion - What am I Missing? Triumph 11
S TR2/3/3A missing problem with this tr3 Triumph 10
bighealeysource BN2 missing on acceleration Austin Healey 11
H Missing Oil Filter Spring Plate Austin Healey 2
M Missing zerks Triumph 10
judow Is a Registry missing??? Austin Healey 12
jsfbond Missing Plate Triumph 1
E How to identify Healey carbs, Tag missing Austin Healey 1
P Missing grille bar Triumph 3
M Missing at the Olympics Triumph 3
RAC68 The Missing Brake Fluid Mystery Depends Austin Healey 11
F Missing and hesitation, only after a hot start Austin Healey 6
kurts100 Am I missing something? Triumph 8

Similar threads

Top