Hey there,

2 Litre warm pinto - cylinder one is not firing. Changed plugs, and I have checked for a positive spark from the dizzy to lead and lead to plug.

After warming the car up I can basically hold my hand on cylinder 1 header without burning, while the others are red hot. And pulling out the lead on cyl 1 shows no difference in the idle tone.

Where to next?

Dodgy valve maybe? I had a pinto that had a stuffed valve in it. Still went, just had not much power

Burnt valve, no valve clearance, head gasket, any or all of the above.

Does it have spark at the plug lead?

The temperature check with your hand wont mean anything.

Do a compression test next and the picture will become clearer

Hi there,

I checked spark at lead to dissy and lead to plug, swapped leads around and swapped plugs. Cylinder 1 still down.

Pulled off rocker cover, no visible issue with valve spring - adjusted exhaust valve minutely - it seemed tighter than others. No difference after running.

Compression test will be next at local mech. I'll see how that goes. Meanwhile, any ideas let me know.

Fill radiater right up and with engine running look for bubbles in coolant. This should provide another clue.

You can do a bush mechanics compression test.

1- disconnect the coil so the engine doesnt fire
2- remove no 1 spark plug
3- place finger tightly over the spark plug hole
4- get a friend to crank the engine with the starter

you should be able to feel the high and low pressure with your finger as the motor turns over. if not then its a problem with head gasket or valves or rings or a hole in the piston.......

good luck

It's been a long time but I got it all figured out. Turned out there was a leak in the inlet manifold gasket underside cylinder one. Don't know how three different people missed it, but once the gasket was replaced - turn key - start.

Been running on all four cylinders for a good two months now as a daily driver and loving it. One thing though, it made sure that I checked every other system in the process!

This was the first thing that was looked at, but clearly overlooked.

All good for now!