Hey guys, great forum you've got going on here!
I have done a search and couldnt find anything relating to my problem, so hopefully one of you guys can help me out?
I'm in Australia and I've got a 2000 Magna Sports and it was running a bit rough in the lower revs every now and then, and the other day it just died on the freeway!
I have pulled the front spark plugs out and tested for spark and there is none at all on any of the front 3 leads!
From what I can gather the coil is built into the distributor? Is this right?
I am not really used to newer cars with so many electrical bits and pieces to check over to find the problem, so can someone please suggest where I can start looking for the problem?
I did speak to a mechanic mate, but he is a lazy s.o.b,and couldn't be bothered to come and help me out! He just told me to just replace the dizzy/coil straight up, but I don't want to go through the hassle of that to find out it is something else. Is there any way of testing the components like the crank angle sensor and the dizzy/coil before I go nuts and start ripping thigs off and replacing them?
Has anone had the same or similar problem?
Thanks in advance for any help and advice!
Cheers!
-Whitchy-

Take it to a mechanic? It'll cost money but it'll save you wading through the imminent tide of n00b advice that will start pouring in... That said, there are guys here who know what they are talking about.

If it is only the front bank that has failed, then it is unlikely to be an issue with the actual coil, as this would cause all the plugs to not fire.

How old are the plugs? Are they covered in significant carbon buildup or showing signs of damage? If the plugs are old and look worn down at the end, they may simple be worn out. Significant carbon buildup is unlikely to make the car stop while running, so I doubt it could cause a problem, but nonetheless it is an indicator of other problems if the plugs are carboned up.

Main suggestion I can give is to check the dissy cap and make sure it's not damaged. The rotor button in the middle is made of carbon, and over time wears down, as do the pins around the edge and the actual rotor arm itself. Check all these for wear and damage as they do have a limited lifespan. While the cap is off, also check for cracks and pinholes around the casting marks, as some of these marks can split and allow the spark to find alternate paths through the distributor cap itself.

Someone might be able to elaborate more... but does the immobiliser cut the spark? I think I remember someone else having this problem?

Thanks for the suggestions so far, I'm not sure if the rear bank isn't sparking, I couldn't be bothered to remove everything in the way to test. I figured 3 out of 6 can pretty much assume they are all the same!
The spark plugs don't look too bad, but even with a screwdriver in the lead and touching on a metal surface there was no spark.
I will pull the dizzy cap off and check it all out tonight.
I read a page about the immobiliser screwing things up, but that was saying the people that had that problem suffered from the car starting and then dying straight away, I've never had that problem, mine just started running rough in certain spots and then completeley died!
Thanks again!
-Whitchy-