wont run

[redlodge]

I have a problem.. Bsides living in the UK.. I have a healey BN4 with a 3000 engine running twin SU carbs. Lucas Ignition.
I ran out of petrol{gas} silly fool but the guage had become faulty without me knowing. I was I arrange a tow back home and put the car in the Garage.
Three days later I put some petrol in and tried to start her up... NO GO.. turning over but not firing at all. I cleaned the float chambers out as these were full of crud.
The car then fired but would not run except with full choke. even then it was very rough. Its was spitting back through the carbs with plumes of white smoke and the occassional flash {more like back firing through the carbs.}
I took the carbs off and blew the lines through with compressed air. and tried again.. still the same. will fire but wont run except on choke and then only for a few seconds. still plumes of smoke from the carbs and the spitting back.
I thought I may have go an ignition fault.. so I checked it over. all seems well I replaced the condenser. with no difference. I changed the contact set. No change. I changed the coil. no change. I changed the plugs no change. I checked the timing. no change... the only thing I have yet to try is the rotor arm.. thats next but if you have any idea as to what could be the problem I would like to hear from you. The car was running perfectly prior to running out of juice.

cheers

 

[Dave Russell]

I think you are still not getting enough fuel. When the power is first switched on, the fuel pump should make a ticking sound for a bit & then slow or stop. If it never ticks, tap the pump lightly to free a possibly stuck contact. If it is ticking, check fuel flow by disconnecting at a carb & measuring/observing fuel flow into a can. A good pump should flow about a pint per minute.

There is a filter screen in the pump itself that may be plugged.
There "could be" a screen in the tank itself on the pump pickup that is plugged.
There may be an extra add on filter somewhere in the lines that is plugged.
Original SU carbs had a filter screen right in the fuel inlet fittings.

The float chambers being "full of crud" is a good clue that something is still plugged.
D

 

[golf]

I agree with Dave.It sure sounds like you pulled some gunk from the bottom of the tank when you ran out of gas.Good luck.

 

[redlodge]

Hi thanks for the pointers.. I tried these last night.
Checked the fuel delivery of the pump.. no problems there at all loads of nice burny stuff {gas}..
Took the dash post off the twin SU's and could see fuel at the jet.
Took the plugs out.. mmnnn lot of fuel there as well.
Tried the start up. full choke.. thats the only time it will fire and then NOT very well. touch the throttle nothing really happens.. then the spit back through the carbs and lots of white smoke.
PHEW.. getting a bit fed up now.
SO. I tried the following. Compression check.. all are 150PSI bar for number 1 cylinder which is a little lower.
Checked the timing again.. SPOT on.
check the firing order... no problems there.

one thing I have noticed... this may be nothing but... I checked the power to the coil {runs negative earth} i dont have a volt meter yet so it was the bulb method...
it's not very bright.
the spark looks pretty weak.
could i have an electrical issue?

 

[Keoke]

Redlodge, Do you have a spare known good coil .? You might just try jumpering it in. Wet plugs sounds like an ignition problem if fuel delivery is ok. Additionally remove the plugs dry them out clean them check the gap and reinstall.Severly fuel fouled plugs can inhibit starting and running---Fwiw---Keoke

 

[redlodge]

Thanks for the input.. again.. I got home from work today desperate to sort 'Squealy' out.
I know I had the fuel sorted so I went back to the ignition side of it.
I had checked the static timing and it was spot on. Could not check the timing with the strobe as it will not run.

I had changed the distributor {timer} cap from the old style to the original Lucas side entry one.
I had done this changing the leads over one at a time so I knew they were all in the right order. I turned the engine over on the solenoid and watched the contact.. as it passed the fourth segment and then the sixth I noticed that the gap was slightly larger... 10 thou! larger. So I backed off the points on the low segments to 12 thou. averaging out across the range to 18thou. a bit big.. but worth a try.

I pushed the starter button and it fired.. a bit better than the last attempts. I checked the pattern part {lucas replacement} Dizzy cap {timer} after this and noted the positions of the contacts inside the cover. They were slightly off.. about 1/8 inch.. humn.. funny that.
So a moved the distributor a little to get them to line up a little better.
Tried it again... VROOM!!!!!!... we had lift off.. still some spitting back but at least it was running.
I need some tippex correction fluid now to mark the pulley so I can set the timing better. At least its running!!

Little problem that may be rectified by the timing is that she is running on a little after the ignition has been switched off. I am putting that down to.. the carbon on top of the pistons being saturated with fuel.. hope fully that will sort its self out.. also she is puthering out white smoke from the exahust.. mixture? what do you think?

Thanks for your help... Limey car, Limey.. back on speaking terms.

 

[Keoke]

Hey thats a good un Huh. I felt that you had ignition problems. Here is how I mark the timing mark on the damper.Paint the mark Black then paint the section on each side of it white. The dirtier the notch gets the better you can see it---Cheers ---Keoke /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif OH! about the white smoke thingy it may be that the brake booster,if you have one, is leaking brake fluid into the vac canister which allows it to be drawn into the intake manifold producing white smoke out the exhaust.Doesn't Poo though.