Triumph Repair: Spitfire Mk4 Coughing and Spluttering When Cold, fuel mixture, electrical work

Question
Hi,

I've already had some electrical work done on her for other reasons but one of my remaining issues is that it seems to cough and splutter a lot until it reaches temperature.

The garage I have been using says it also appears to 'require a lot of choke', one of their suggestions is that the coil may need replacing. They and another mechanic seem fairly convinced its electrical rather than fuel or engine related.

Would the coil cause uneven engine running while cold? Do you have any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance

Mike

Answer
Mike,

First suggestion... find a better garage.  When the car is cold it will not run at it's best, although it varies from car to car depending on many conditions.

The coil is a transformer, converting low voltage (12v) high current power into high voltage (12,000v +) sparks for the spark plug.  Normally a coil either works, or does not work.

If the timing is off or the fuel mixture is off then you'll get poor performance.


Cheers,

Jim