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She wont start!

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NapoleonV

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Warmed her up good last nite (I'm talking about the car now) and drove her around the block, then she konked out /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif. The engine turns strong but it just wont start. What would be your first guess? Battery is new, recently tuned, including carb tuning. Has gas. Points?

Any advise would be great before I take her to the mechanic and you know how much they charge!

-Napoleon
'67 BJ8
 
Points opening? - Sometimes if the little screw that holds you gap adjustment isn't tight enough they can vibrate enough for the gap to close - then no spark - Little block on the points spring okay - if worn or damaged, same thing - gap closes - I always use points lube on the distributor cam to prolong the points set's life.

Did you confirm it has gas at the carbs, or are you going by the fuel guage? - Sometimes they're a bit flakey. If no gas at the carbs start looking for plugged fuel filter, defective fuel pump trash in the lines, etc.

Although flooding is not really too much of a problem with dashpot carbs ( Unless your float(s) are sticking) you might check to see if your plugs are wet, oil fouled, carbon bridged, burnt up from incorrect fuel or timing.

Check Distributor cap for cracks, carbon trace arcing/shorting, moisture. Plug wired all copacetic?

check for Spark at the plugs? this will narrow it down by eliminating coil malfunctions and point maladies.

One last thing and I sincerely hope it isn't this - Timing chain stretched or broken? - If stretched jumped timing is possible, if broken, the valves they no valve no mo'

The old saw applies, if you got air, fuel and spark ( and your timing's correct and your joss is correct)the thing should run.

More members will pitch in soon, no doubt -

Pulling for you -

Bob M.
 
PS - a couple last thoughts - Bad condenser in the distributor will cause you to chase your tail - I've had them be bad right out of the box, or

Ignition switches do occasionally go bad - not very often, but it does happen.

Luck Again
 
Thanks. I'm sure she has some gas since I just put about 5 gallons in her last week. Will check if faliure is in fuel delivery to the carbs. Hope she turns, it was hard pushing her up the driveway!
 
Wel, if it doesn't start may I genially remind you of an old addage? ( Slightly paraphrased) "I'd rather push a Healey then drive a Chevy".

Like I say, most guys are just getting home from work, very soon you'll have more diagnostic help than you can push into your driveway - This forum and it's members is maybe the best single resource LBC owners could have.

Let us know what the outcome is.

Bob M.
 
Did you hear the fuel pump run - pump up and then stop - when you turned the ignition on? If you can't remember, then try it again and see. It's important to hear that pump noise when you switch the car on. AL Bradley
 
One thing to check is the battery cutoff switch in the trunk. The small white wire is an anti-theft device ... goes up to the distributor to keep it grounded to discourage a bump start theft. The switch can go bad and the dizzy is grounded. Actuate the switch a few time and/or try disconnecting the white wire. Worth a try!

Cheers,
John
 
Hi NV, It seems the obvious has been suggested.John's comment above is a good one to check out.However the Wire in question is color coded Black and white.If the wire is fitted in a common connector at the coil, go to the trunk and look at the switch you will see a similar wire connected there disconnect it at that location and see if that helps. Also check the rotor-replace it with a known good one.-FWIW---Keoke
 
What a coincidence, the same thing happened to me just this week end, my diagnoses was the coil, so I bought one, put it all together, complete with a spare set of leads, last night and it still would not start. Close examination of the low tension lead from the coil to the distributer revealed that there was a break in the wire at the connector to the distributer. A little light magic with new wire and connectors and hey presto ready to check. Took a spark plug out and held it to ground whilst starting the engine with the go button in the engine compartment. At this point something went wrong, perhaps I should not have held the plug, 'cause the engine fired up on five and I took the brunt of the HT on the sixth. Managed to switch off and put all together with shakey hands, all works fine now and I have a spare coil to take with me on runs with the club.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/england.gif

Bob
 
She has gas and the pump clicks normally as before. The battery terminal connection is good. I have to check for fuel delivery; can I just take the line to the carb off and see if it squirts out? Is this ok to do? If that's normal, I have to check the ignition and the other good suggestions.

One last thing...the gauge shows 1/3 tank and when i dipped a stick in there, it's about 2 inches wet, is that enough?

The embarassing thing was I washed and waxed her and it ran fine down the driveway into the middle of the cul-de-sac. Then it died there. It looked good but did not run plus pushing it up the driveway was tough.
 
If you think that fuel starvation could be the problem, remove the fuel line from the carb and put it into an clean empty coke bottle that has been marked with a 2 litre mark ( use water and wife's best measuring jug from the kitchen, they like getting involved) then switch on ignition and time the fill upto the mark. This does two things, 1) check that the pump is working and 2) if it is working at near enough the correct rate, I can not remember the litres / hour but will check and report back later, unless some one else gives you the details first.
Have you tried some of the checks that screenprinter has listed, always a good starting point. One thing is for sure, it is either fuel or ignition. If the engine turns over then the main connection should be OK. I assume that you have at least two carbs, it would be unlikely that both were blocked with dirt and the car can run on one but not with full performance. So, check petrol to the carbs :- easy check. Then go for sparks at the plugs :- another easy check, remove one and leave it connected to the distributer and lodge it against a cylinder head bolt / nut or hold it there (with rubber gloves unless you are like me ) and observe spark when turning engine over. No spark then iginition is your problem, the works hand book gives a good run down on all the electrical checks, and in what order to do it in, if you are stuck let us know and I will try to get a copy of the section to you. email:- robert.hughes@gmail.com

Bob

OK. Finally got to the manual and depending on the car you should be getting 54 (100/6 BN4) or 56 (BN6) or 68 litres for the 3000 cars per hour max using the regulation pumps. My method is rough but gives an idea, you can not measure pressures though.
To give you an example of what a car can do, one of my carbs was blocked but it ran upto 70MPH happily and gave good MPG It would not go over 70 try and it was a nightmare, back firing. Ran for 6 Months like that when I first had it but did not know until I gained ienough confidence to try and open her up on the highway.

Good hunting

Bob
 
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