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[Rattlebattle]

You probably would have to replace the coil to change the HT lead because it is attached to the coil. However, my seven months old C5 has sufficient slack in the HT lead to allow maybe 1/2 inch shortening ( more than I found necessary). I also removed-routed it, using a new cable tie. I chose to remove the tank to have a good look before I changed the cap.
With regard to the BPR6ES plugs, I had a look on the back of the card; I bought them for use in a mid-nineties Renault 5, but it covered a whole range of eighties/early nineties cars. It may well be listed as a lawn mower plug now, but it certainly used to be for mainstream cars.

[Rattlebattle]

BTW another old trick was to cut the HT lead into two pieces, screw a small screw into each end and join the two ends with neoprene tubing. This produced a so-called spark intensifier on the basis that the spark would be stronger at the plug electrodes having already jumped across the small gap between the two lengths of HT lead. It was also handy for observing the spark with the engine running, though whether or not it actually did any good I wouldn't know....one of those Motorcycle Mechanics tips IIRC.

[Beezabryan]

Why replace a coil when HT leads can be spliced
http://www.gsparkplug.com/1x-ngk-j1-cab ... cable.html
Plenty of others on ebay

[Rattlebattle]

Quite; it wasn't me that suggested coil replacement would be necessary. Then again, life would be easier if RE used coils that had detachable HT leads...

[sudburys]

So, turns out it was the throttle body or a sensor within.

The garage replaced it and so far so good....

Thanks for the advice and input, much appreciated.

[Boxerman]

Glad you got it sorted. Did they say which sensor it was? TPS or MAP? for future reference. I didn't think it was an ignition problem but didn't want to contradict the experts.
Frank

[jefrs]

Motorcycle Maniacs Tips and their "20 ways to oil your speedo cable". Did you ever notice they issued the same tips in the same month each year?


For some reason I find their 'spark-gap' trick very amusing and nearly covered the keyboard in tea.


It takes 10kV to jump 1cm in dry air. It takes more volts at higher pressure like 8 atmospheres in the cylinder. Each time you introduce a resistance, like a spark gap, you drop the voltage (by whatever it took to jump that gap). Back of envelope (very rough approx) if you have 1mm plug gap you need 1kV in air and 8kV (plus some spare) in the cylinder under compression. Thus if we know the voltage we can calculate the spark gap hence 0.6 to 0.8mm or whatever it is.


It is however possible to join HT leads with a long thin self-tap screw with the head cut off, screwed into both leads, and well covered with sticky-back plastic - more of a get you home bodge than anything else.

[Revband]

You could and I believe you still can buy these "spark enhancers" Spitfire comes to mind.they can in fact serve a useful purpose, a slightly contaminated spark plug will drain the spark voltage as it rises causing a weak or no spark, the enhancer stops this happening as the spark will not jump the gap until the full required voltage is achieved, this full voltage then hits the spark plug without loss, it's a well known trick from old to pull the plug cap partly off a reluctant starter.

[ric]

"The BP6ES could well have been a car plug, the V.Nova is a thing of the past now too. Looking at the NGK BPR5ES and the BPR6ES they do look different. The ceramic of the 6 is more creamy than the white of the 5, the printing is smudged and the ceramic not moulded as finely, it's as if they were made in different factories"






It might be worth checking out your 'NGK' plug - there are a lot of knock off copies coming into the UK/found on £bay from China. There are valuable pointers on how to detect a Chinese NGK plug - I suspect a smudged branding could well be among them.
The couple of videos of how the knock off plugs are made in peoples back rooms (youtub) are very interesting.

http://www.ngk-sparkplugs.jp/english/techinfo/fake/

[ric]

https://youtu.be/PjBjVjcLcgc