Hi.
I have recently replaced the combined coil/ignition module on my wife's Sharan. This was at the recommendation of the AA patrolman who spotted a small crack in the old one which caused the car to cut out and then failed to start. He checked everything linked with the ignition whilst he was at it, and in the process removed the water cover for the distributor cap, which he said later i may or may not wish to replace. He then towed me home....
I bought and fitted a new coil, and the car started up fine. knowing absolutely nothing about cars, i was particularly pleased with myself. However, from that point on, the car was tempramental in starting - fine once running but dodgy starting. some days fine, others not. this was not just on first start up of the day - sometimes it fired up fine, i drove to the local shops, then couldn't start it again. however, if i kept trying, eventually it did start up.
With my new found confidence running away with me, i wondered if it was because this water cover was left off, so i pulled out all the HT leads, stuck the cover over the distributor cap, then wondered if it mattered which leads went in which holes. Not knowing, and not remembering which came out of where, i stuck them in the most logical order i could - ie, determined by the length of each lead. The car hasn't started since.
I now know, having trawled through countless web pages and forums, that the order the leads go is crucial. I also hear concerning things about the rotor arm needing to be lined up with no#1 cylinder, etc.
My problem is, i have no idea which cylinder is number 1 - as i stand in front of the car, i am reading left to right and assuming 1234.......and i have no idea which hole in the distributor cap relates to which number. All i now know is that there is a firing order, but i don't know what that is either. Various websites seem to suggest the firing order is likely to be 1342, but i still don't really understand where i have to put the leads. As i look at the dist cap, i have the central hole which links up to the coil, then i have holes at roughly 10 o'clock; 1o'clock; 4o'clock and 7o'clock.
Could anyone possibly tell me which of these would be no#1, and then whether i read the numbers anticlockwise or clockwise.
Any help at all greatly appreciated
Cheers Col