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Steveof76

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Hello everyone, I hope you can help me out with this. I don't own a Triumph, I'm actually in CA asking the questions for my father-in-law in Ohio who is internet challenged so thanks in advance for your help. Here's what he's told me about the situation via email ( Mom sent it for him);

"the Spitfire is a 1969 Triumph Spitfire. It is a negative ground 12 volt system. I seem to have electricity to at least one side of the points. I have a white black wire to the negative side of the coil and a white wire to the positive side. Both seem to be correct according to the wiring diagram. My problem is that I do not have any spark to the plugs. Also I am not sure where the small black wire from one side of the points and distributor is to be hooked. I think it should go to one side of the coil, probably the negative, but I'm not sure."

I use the Corvette forum for my own car and have always had great luck, that's how I came across this site hopefully you can help me out! He bought this thing as a basket case, If anyone could even send me a picture of how their distributor is wired up that would help a lot.
Thanks!

Steve /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/patriot.gif
 
Go over to the NorthAmericanSpitfireSquadron(NASS)They are the guru's of everything Spitfire.GL.....(on the web) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grouphug.gif
 
Your wiring sounds ok so far, so let's start with something really basic. With distributor cap off and ignition on, do you see any spark between the contacts of the points as you turn the engine (by hand) and the points begin to open?

Meanwhile, you likely will find Doug's treatise (above post) helpful, but you probably have a Delco distributor if the car is original. And I admittedly am not quite clear on which "all black wire from one side of the points and distributor" you mean. Is this inside the distributor?
 
[ QUOTE ]
...If anyone could even send me a picture of how their distributor is wired up that would help a lot.

[/ QUOTE ]

From a TR3A but similar:

points.JPG



The 'layer cake' under that nut has to be in the correct sequence of leads and insulator(s). Careful reading of the manual should explain that.
 
Steve, tell him the black wire and the condenser wire go together under the top of the plastic cap before he puts the nut and washer on top of the stud bolt. A common mistake, I bought a TR4 once because they couldn't get it started and this was the problem. Good luck. Wayne

I made a big typing error and forgot the word under on my first post, thanks for the correction. Wayne
 
Wayne wrote: [ QUOTE ]
Steve, tell him the black wire and the condenser wire go together on top of the plastic cap before he puts the nut and washer on top of the stud bolt. A common mistake, I bought a TR4 once because they couldn't get it started and this was the problem. Good luck. Wayne

[/ QUOTE ]

Umm... It's been my experience that the condenser and the coil lead should go on in contact with eachother and the spring arm and NOT contact the nut/stud as that would just ground them... Hence the shouldered plastic or fibre insulator, or plastic stud in some cases.
 
Make sure that little plastic spacer under the nut that holds the points in place is in the correct place with the other two wires mounted below it. That one has caught me out before now!
 
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