• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

GRRRRR No Start

Share this page

weewillie

weewillie

Darth Vader
Country flag
Offline
After finally getting everything put back in the midget,(haven't bled the clutch yet) the darn thing won't start won't even try all I get are some little puffs of smoke(fuel vapour) out of the carbs. Starter seems to be a little slow so i may have to put the other one back in. Any one have any ideas, Ignition timing ,valve timing, am willing to try anything. I am getting spark. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazyeyes.gif
 
Spark as in: "OUCH!!! THAT ain't it!"

Chuffin' back thru the carbs can be indicative of valve timing (cam timing) OR ignition timing off. Check your TDC on #1 first with mechanical means (dial indicator or *carefully* with a screwdriver down #1 plug-hole) to line up the dizzy... you *may* only have an electrical timing issue.
 
I bet it is 180 degrees out.
 
If it was 180 out wouldn't i just have to change the plug leads over ?
 
Goodness no.

Got to set it up correct, rotate distributor 180 degrees on its gear.
 
That assumes of course that all else is correct which it prob is.
 
It is nice to see somebody with that kind of faith Jack
 
Shoot, mostly they will start or try to unless they 180 out. Might not run much but will try.
 
For a test you should be able to swap the 1 / 4 leads and the 3/2 leads to see if is 180 out (1342 firing order) but I agree with jack that if that is the problem the dizzy drive gear needs to be rotated 180.
 
[ QUOTE ]
For a test you should be able to swap the 1 / 4 leads and the 3/2 leads to see if is 180 out (1342 firing order) but I agree with jack that if that is the problem the dizzy drive gear needs to be rotated 180.

[/ QUOTE ]

Tried that yesterday and no change will try changing the dizzy today /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
You can use valve timing to determine TDC compression stroke, and if you have the dizzy gear in there 180 out, you'll be able to extract the "drive dog" with a long (IIRC) 5/16" NF bolt and reposition it.
 
Hayns manual tells you exactly how.
 
It wouldn't hurt to check timing,plug gap, valve clearance, and of course that your wires are in the correct order. I've also had a defective ignition box which created the same symptoms. Hopefully, you'll get off easy on this one. Good luck-
 
Not the best solution but occasionally I will run one spark plug wire straight from the coil to one (any) of the plugs for a test. If nothing more you will have ONE plug firing and the engine will hobble for a few seconds. This just tells you that you have fuel and fire and that you need to look at the timing.
Bill
 
Had not thought of that trick.
 
not so sure you could get it that far out without trying.
 
If the engine was taken apart or rebuilt it could be out that far. Sometimes the obvious timing marking on the sprockets are not the correct one's to use. Phil
 
Back
Top