Coil problem?

Bit last reading this thread but...

"I've tried this and have noticed that the HT lead appears to want to arc to *anything* - touching it makes small arcs to my fingers."

This is a very dangerous way to find a faulty HT lead. Look but don't touch. OP still around :-) ?

Heh, yup, still here.

I've removed and re-seated the HT sparkplug leads and there does seem to be a bit of an improvement but the problem returns after I've been driving a little while?

Also, I've noticed a thin, red hose hanging loose around the back of the engine (air intake of some sort?) - the elbow connector seems to have perished and is now broken. What is this and what effect would it have on the running of the engine whilst it's disconnected?

Will

This a post about a problem solved. Car E reg Nissan Micra, 33000 mileage. Problem - misfiring. I narrowed it down to the ignition electrics and finally discovered arcing and tracking from the HT lead on the coil to the LT connections. Checked the HT lead from the coil to the distributor, OK. Tried cleaning and extra insulation, which helped a bit but didn't solve the problem. Changed the distributor cap, helped a bit more; changed the rotor arm, helped a bit more but there were still intermittent misfires. Finally I Googled this group and found an article from Will Payne 12 Feb. 2004 about a coil problem. What really hit the nail on the head was the bit by Dave Plowman :

So as I'd already eliminated the dizzy cap and rotor arm, I decided to check all the HT leads from the distributor to the plugs. Bingo! Cylinder 1 lead failed. Replaced it and problem solved. Touch wood.

So big thanks to all who contributed to that thread, especially Dave, and of course, Google is your friend.