• 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

Major timing issues?

jmwuva05

Senior Member
Country flag
Offline
Note before I started this restoration this car ran perfectly. I have already checked all the points etc and I am sure they are correct. I have followed the procedure for setting static timing in the manual exactly. Still no fireing despite multiple attempts at rotating the dizzy body. I was wondering about the 180 degree out possibility. When I try to insert the drive spindle 180 opposite the centrifigal weights wont engage they only engage in one position. Also concering the positioning of the rotor cap, should the portion of the cap with the metal curve be pointing at the position of the #1 plug wire or vice versa? Any sage advice appreciaed.
 
I'll bet your got the wiring on the points shorted out. Recheck the wiring connections in the dizzy. Easy mistake to make.
 
It will try to fire if 180 out, it is not that.

My guess like Jims is that points were installed grounded. The spring part of the points is not to touch metal. There is a lower and upper sleave that prevents that. It goes between the post and the spring.
 
I checked the wires out and they arent shorted. Just before leaving for work this morning I noticed that the dizzy drive spindle didnt appear to be pointing in the 1 oclock direction as in the manual (with #1 at TDC). I will try to remove the spindle and replace correctly this evening.
 
Oh, I thought you said you did not have the spindle out??
 
Actually jack I may have accidently dislodged it when I had the engine on its stand. Seems like when I turned it over on the stand the thing feel out the side or something (MAN A YEAR GOES BY SO FAST AND YOU FORGET SO MUCH). I probably didnt have the thing lined up right when I slipped it back in. I just noticed the figure in the manual showing the spindle orientation and realized mine was lined up something more like 6 oclock. Anyhow I will report back later this evening when I get home from work.
 
Ahh, cool, should be at two O clock. Easy fix in any case.

Good on ya.
 
Sure enough the spindle was backwards. Stopped by Ace and picked up a 5/16 UNF bolt pulled it out, replaced it, and tried to fire it up. The thing is now making sounds as if it wants to crank and sputters sometimes. A little more adjustment to the timing and I think I will have it.
 
Back
Top