cannot get my car running right

[stew]

Hi can you help me please I have an 83 excel and its running rough I have set my ignition timing to 11 degrees and checked at 3500 and it does advance to around 25 degrees
When I start it it sounds fine and when I rev it on the drive quite hard it sounds like it should with a nice exhaust crackle but when I drive it down the road it runs terrible like one of the ht leads has come off.
I have put a new distributor cap and leads on it as well and it’s the same with new or old.
On the side of my distributor there is a metal plate which is held on with two screws near where the wires go in to it. I took this plate off the other day just to have a look and a small metal object fell out which I have taken a photo of and was wondering if this is causing my problem. I have enclosed two pictures of it with a penny for scale.
Any help would be greatly appreciated
Regards
Stewart

http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj21 ... G_0153.jpg

[steven popay]

That looks like the little clip that holds the cap retaining clips in place, it goes into the hole where the retaining clip swivels on the distributor body, that should not cause any problems with misfiring.

[AndyC]

You can get some really awful faults that don't show up under idling, things like breaks in pick-up wires that make contact until enough turbulence in the engine bay moves them, plugs that fail to work under load and whole host of others, but it could be fuelling where the idle is fine but there's an issue with main jet.

Worth a look.

[MrCoolA]

may be worth trying a new coil, may be starting to break down

[amarshall]

Aren't these the symptoms found when the lead from the distributor to the amplifier is playing up ?

[alanmoss]

Certainly similar to what I experienced until that lead was replaced.

[stew]

thanks for your coments i was also told today its worth trying a new rota arm as they wear out which i will do and i also sent my original message to paul matty sports cars with photo and this is what they replied
Many thanks for your email.
Judging from your photos, it looks like one of the clips that push into the clips that hold the distributor on.
We know of problems with pick up in the distributor for the electronic ignition. You need to check the resistance across two wires.
You could also disconnect the rev limiter module on the inside o/s front wing.
I hope this information is of some help.
Regards

[ttedj]

Had the same sort of symptoms. having replaced everything in the igntion circuit, it was broken wires from the distributor. As it advanced, the wires bend causing a fracture after a while. Try pulling the wires that come out of the distributor. If they stretch, the wires inside are broken. Will need a new distributor base plate if they do.

ted