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TR2/3/3A TR3 No Start?

karls59tr

Obi Wan
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After I removed the Petronix and installed a plate in the Dist with new points and condensor the motor will crank but not fire. There is gas going to the carbs.
Here is what I have done so far:
Checked to see if the hole on the crank pulley matched up with the pointer when # 1Cyl was at TDC on compression stroke.
Rotor pointing to #1.
Turned dist till points just opened on cam. Instead of centering the vernier scale I turned the knurled knob in all the way in direction of retard then backed it towards Advance one section on the vernier scale which I believe to be 4 degrees......or 1/2 a turn? I then turned the motor a bit till the points were at the top of the cam and set the gap at .015

Wires and cap are new....plugs are used but still good....going to try new ones tomorrow.

Getting spark at the plug wires when grounding them against the block?
Strong spark from Coil when grounded to block.
There dosn't seem to be a good spark when I manually pull the points apart???
Any ideas where I went wrong?







Could the new Condensor be bad?
 

pdplot

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Check the points installation. The plastic washer must fit entirely in the hole thus insulating the points. If metal touches metal, there is a short and points will not work. Don't ask me (and others) how I know...
 
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karls59tr

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Your right. Initially I had that plastic washer on the wrong side. I reinstalled it so the plastic isolates the points. however the plastic washer looks very thin to me. I have another set of new points(Intermotor brand) that has a thicker plastic washer....maybe I will try that set.
Is it possible I have a bad condenser?

I have a new set of plugs but they are NGK BPR5HS rather than the BPR6HS I normally use but they should be OK to just get the motor going. Correct?
 

TR3driver

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My usual trick is to put one or both of the wires on top of the little plastic "top hat" instead of underneath it where they belong. But since you seem to have spark, that isn't likely to be the problem unless you only put the condenser wire on top.

It should start and run with the timing anywhere close to the mark, so that's probably not it. Wouldn't hurt to double-check that you got #1 on compression stroke, though and that the timing is still close to the mark.

I would try putting a healthy shot of Gumout down each carb throat and then immediately trying to start it. If it fires and dies, you've got a fuel problem.

PS, yes a bad condenser is definitely a possibility. I had the same symptoms years ago, looked like a spark at the plugs but it wasn't strong enough to fire under compression. The condenser had failed just driving down the road. Now I always carry a spare.
 

sp53

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I would think you were 180 out, but you did not remove the distributor, right, so you should be close enough to get a pop or something because you have spark at the plug. Have you looked at the plugs? if they a too black with carbon, they will not firer. I always keep about 3 sets around for problems like this. I would put clean different plugs in and squirt some starter fluid in, and it should start or at least firer off. Did it run before you replaced the electronic ignition? Because with had starting problems the plugs get easily fowled.
 
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