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TR2/3/3A Hard start questions....

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K

karls59tr

Obi Wan
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I met a guy I knew the other day that I hadn't seen for awhile. I asked him how his TR3 was running. He said it runs fine when it's running but great difficulty getting it to start. Says he pulls the choke out all the way and pumps the heck out of the accelerator pedal? I thought because of the SU design that pumping the pedal would not be helpful for no start...correct?
Then he said a friend came over with his MGB GT and they swapped distributor from the MG into the TR3 and they got it running. I would think that a renewal of points and condensor in the TR3 dist couldn't hurt but why would the motor run fine after it finally gets started.
Wondering if it is actually a fuel issue? Any thoughts?
 
PUMPING THE GAS DOES NOTHING TO ADD IN STARTING. Starting a LBC is best done this way Full choke no, gas trans in Neutral clutch out. EM brake on. it should fire when fuel gets to carbs. then 1/2 choke until smooth running.

If it does not start check point gap wider point gap hotter spark. check and or change coil to Dis. wire could be corroded. Check number 1 and number 4 spark plug for color rich or lean clean plugs and gap. check oil level in carbs also. Check timing
Three things needed to start and run well. Fuel not rich or lean- air clean filter.- spark requires full battery. ( starter draws down Amps to coil )

Question If ounce started and at temp will it restart quickly??? Madflyer
 
Hello Karl,
Just some thoughts. As you say, new points and condenser wouldn't hurt, adjust the points to 15 thou of course. Have a look at the spark plug gaps, a cold engine will not like to start with wide gaps but once its warmed up it'll fire up with wider gaps more easily . Another consideration is if it has carbon leads, check these with an multimeter. Set it to kilo ohms, measure resistance of each lead, have no more than 6 kilo ohms for every 12 inches of lead. Wire leads are the best if you're not worried about radio interference.
 
Madflyer said:
PUMPING THE GAS DOES NOTHING TO ADD IN STARTING. Starting a LBC is best done this way Full choke no, gas trans in Neutral clutch out. EM brake on. it should fire when fuel gets to carbs. then 1/2 choke until smooth running.

If it does not start check point gap wider point gap hotter spark. check and or change coil to Dis. wire could be corroded. Check number 1 and number 4 spark plug for color rich or lean clean plugs and gap. check oil level in carbs also. Check timing
Three things needed to start and run well. Fuel not rich or lean- air clean filter.- spark requires full battery. ( starter draws down Amps to coil )

Question If ounce started and at temp will it restart quickly??? Madflyer
Click to expand...
I will have to ask him if it restarts quickly. I think your onto something about the guy having a poorly charged battery!
 
Check the battery volts when cranking, less than 10 volts is not good enough. That may mean a low charge or dead cell.
 
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