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The Healey has been sitting since late Fall while we've had the holidays, rain and a few repairs/upgrades not involving the ignition or fuel. Those are done and we have a break in the rain, so I decide to fire it up and do some other tests. Battery charged, boot switch on, key on, fuel pump ticks and stops as the bowls are filled. Press the starter, engine turns over just fine, but no start. Not even a hint of firing.
Some additional background: The engine is a later 3000, but not BJ8. I have a Crane XR-700 trigger replacing the points, etc. I have a Sports Coil, and Bumble Bee (BB) ignition wires.
The lack of even a hint of firing makes me think it's ignition. I put my timing light on the wire for plug #1, and no blinks. I put the timing light on the wire from the coil to the distributor and it happily blinks away. Primary circuit and coil are fine. Problem should be in the HV section of the distributor.
Put on a new Advanced Distributor rotor. No change.
Put on a new cap from the UK where the manufacturer, Commercial Ignition, is not embarrassed to put their name on it. No change. Thought about putting a spare Chinese no-name cap on, but couldn't bring myself to put that pos on.
I put the timing light on the other five plug wires, no blinks.
I pull the wire from the coil to the distributor out and measure the distance spark will travel from the end of the wire to ground. I get a hot spark of least 6 mm, which exceeds the spec of 5 mm.
I pull #1 plug and see if I have a spark between the electrodes. I get a weak spark. Plugs are gapped at 0.030", as recommended with a Sports Coil and Crane XR-700 primary system. Try 0.025". No change.
I measure the total resistance of the BB plug wires and plug caps (where the resistance is) and get 13 k to 15 k Ohms on all. BB plug wires look fine.
I try a new BB wire from the coil to the distributor. No change, except the black stripe on the wire is wider.
I try a non-resistor wire and plug cap to plug #2. Still no blink.
I'm running out of ideas.
Some additional background: The engine is a later 3000, but not BJ8. I have a Crane XR-700 trigger replacing the points, etc. I have a Sports Coil, and Bumble Bee (BB) ignition wires.
The lack of even a hint of firing makes me think it's ignition. I put my timing light on the wire for plug #1, and no blinks. I put the timing light on the wire from the coil to the distributor and it happily blinks away. Primary circuit and coil are fine. Problem should be in the HV section of the distributor.
Put on a new Advanced Distributor rotor. No change.
Put on a new cap from the UK where the manufacturer, Commercial Ignition, is not embarrassed to put their name on it. No change. Thought about putting a spare Chinese no-name cap on, but couldn't bring myself to put that pos on.
I put the timing light on the other five plug wires, no blinks.
I pull the wire from the coil to the distributor out and measure the distance spark will travel from the end of the wire to ground. I get a hot spark of least 6 mm, which exceeds the spec of 5 mm.
I pull #1 plug and see if I have a spark between the electrodes. I get a weak spark. Plugs are gapped at 0.030", as recommended with a Sports Coil and Crane XR-700 primary system. Try 0.025". No change.
I measure the total resistance of the BB plug wires and plug caps (where the resistance is) and get 13 k to 15 k Ohms on all. BB plug wires look fine.
I try a new BB wire from the coil to the distributor. No change, except the black stripe on the wire is wider.
I try a non-resistor wire and plug cap to plug #2. Still no blink.
I'm running out of ideas.