Ignition Failure

[RDKeysor]

My '60 BN7 went dead while driving today. Plenty of fuel, the filter bowl was full, and nothing obvious. I think it's an ignition issue and will pull a plug and check for spark. Any other suggestions?

 

[Patrick67BJ8]

My '60 BN7 went dead while driving today. Plenty of fuel, the filter bowl was full, and nothing obvious. I think it's an ignition issue and will pull a plug and check for spark. Any other suggestions?

Good place to start with sparkplug firing.
Check the Battery Shut Off switch to see if the white/black wire is hooked up correctly and not loose and grounding anywhere on the chassis.

 

[DerekJ]

Coil problem?

 

[NutmegCT]

Couple other possibilities:

1. carb jets clogged.

2. engine ground cable loose/corroded

3. loose low-voltage wire on distributor

4. dead condenser and/or coil (coils often "slowly die until useless")

5. generator/alternator failing, or loose wires preventing battery charging, and thus, voltage too low to spark

6. distributor clamp loosened, so distributor has rotated in the socket causing time to be totally "out of whack"

 

[Scargo]

Did it stumble/shutter to a stop (usually fuel related) or cut off totally and instantly (usually ignition/electrical related) ?

 

[RDKeysor]

The car was running perfectly and lost power during acceleration at about 25 mph. I had driven about 20 miles at that point. As it died, I tried putting it back into gear for a rolling restart without success. After it came to a stop, it cranked vigorously without any sign of firing. Under the hood the filter bowl appeared to be full. There was plenty of gas. I'm now looking for information on how I can test the electronic ignition system (and as suggested by another forum member, the coil). I might add that AAA managed to leave me stranded for four hours, sending a lift from a town so distant that the driver had no idea where I was. On the plus side, the lift driver was competent and got the car home for me. Now for the confession that may be relevant. I had been working on the car's electrical system for several days, issues with turn signals and the PO's lighting applied to the reflectors above the tail lights. Everything was again functioning. I was aware that it is risky to leave the ignition turned on when the car isn't running. I have two electrical shutdowns on my car, the one in the boot and a breaker under the hood that many in our Healey club installed. Despite constant switching the car off and on to avoid burning out the ignition electronics, I came out one morning and found I had left the car overnight with ignition on. I have driven the car several time since this blunder, but know it could be the origin of the Pertronix ignition--if that the was the cause and want it on the record. At 86 there are signs of slippage.

 

[NutmegCT]

you got it - leaving the coil and pertronix energized without running the engine - not good.

At 76, my slippage is growing increasingly problematic!

 

[nevets]

I agree, pull a plug and check for spark as a first step.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Swap in a different--preferably, a known good--distributor rotor and see what happens.

 

[John Turney]

Remove the wire from the coil to the distributor cap at the distributor and see if you get a spark from the coil. If you get a spark from the coil, it would be the distributor cap or rotor. If you don't get a spark from the coil, it may be the coil or Pertronix. Make sure you're getting voltage to the Pertronix.

 

[RDKeysor]

I went to the car in the garage this afternoon intending to turn the engine over for a minute or so to check for fuel on a plug and then grounding the plug on the block to check for spark. You guessed it, about 26 hours after it abruptly quit running, the engine started up promptly and ran perfectly well. I ran it for a couple of minutes at about 1500 rpm and then let it settle into idle about 900 rpm. It usually idles a bit higher despite my efforts to get it under 1000 rpm. Now what? I am a bit apprehensive about driving the car for fear of a repeat episode. I also have to wonder whether it might have started during my four-hour wait for the lift. I don't have a clue but am glad I don't have to buy a new Pertronix ignition kit, that being my wrong guess as having failed. Interested in opinions. Thanks to the forum members and their responses, all of which merited my consideration

 

[NutmegCT]

If a coil, particularly an older one, overheats, it can lose function. Let it cool, and it works again.

Just a thought.
Tom M.

 

[BoyRacer]

Check your wire connections. If you have any crimp connectors make sure they are tight and have enough strands of wire into the connector. I bought an old Chevy pickup many years ago and it would die after 20 -30 minutes of driving. I changed everything and it kept doing it. Finally, I pulled the wires at a butt connector to the coil and it moved ever so slightly. It was barely hanging on.. As the resistance in the wire strands would build it would heat up lose continuity, and the engine would die.