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Why wont my car start


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Gents

I am trying to work this through and have not got anywhere so far, the car eventually started last week on one/two cylinders, I had a faff around got nowhere and left it for another day, I then reseated and checked connections to the dizzi and coil and got it running, great! all ready for the weekend satrted last, but come the sunshine it was a no go again.

 

Symptoms are: engines turns over fine, loud backfires and won't catch at all, although when you realease the starter it sort of half catches.

I have changed the plugs, cap/leads, coil. connection from dizzi to coil, installed feed to coil directly from battery, earth from battery to engine, gone from electronic ignition back to points, I am getting sparks and fuel, I put new fuel in carbs, carbs seem to be working ok, pistons rise and fall without a problem.

When lining up the pully hole with the pointer the rotor arm is at 10/11 o'clock(#2), shouldn't it be #1(7/8 o'clock)?

 

The fact that between problems I had managed to start it, suggest it may be something daft, if so it's still cleverer than me, 'cos I'm baffled, have I missed anything? am I suffering from brain fade?

Any wisdom, suggestions, magic wands, will be gratefully recieved.

 

Steve

Edited by Steve R
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I had a bad connection in the low voltage cable between coil an distributor: Error was erratic at best - i swapped the coil: Everything worked for a short time then malfunctions again.

By luck I found that touching/ moving this cable made a difference: The connection within the crimped connector was loose......

 

At the top dead point of cylinder 1 the rotor should point towards spark 1

 

Regards, Johannes

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Steve

With your switch back to points , did it involve putting another / the original distributor back in the car or did the electronic distributor body remain undisturbed.

i.e you removed the electronic and popped the points set back in ?

 

It does sound from the symptoms that the timing is just slightly off and the engine is not catching properly. Check points gap, if not already done. If new points installed , was the protective coating removed ? New HT leads firmly pushed home on all spark plugs.

 

I think I'd just slacken the distributor clamp slightly, just enough for you to rotate the distributor body. Rotate it a couple of millimeters at a time , clockwise to start and see if it fires and idles. Mark your start point either with pencil and masking tape or scratch it a scriber , so you can go back the other way if need be.

Bob

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Johannes, I've replaced the low tension wire to the dizzi,

Stef, thanks

Bob the points were the ones that worked when I changed over to electronics a few years ago, I kept them in a bag as a spare, moving the dizzi clockwise stops the backfire, but still doesn't start, the clamp was tight so I don't think it had moved.

So rotor at 11 o/c at TDC is ok, good, I was beginning to wonder if I had jumped a cog or a key had sheared. I've had the car 18 years and have always managed to coax it into life after the winter layup.......til now.

 

Steve

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You say you put new fuel in the carbs and it started have you fresh fuel in the tank?

Stuart.

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Hi Stuart

No, it didn't start after the new fuel, it had started last week with what I have in the tank. yesterday I emptied the carb bowls and put fresh fuel in, no change.

As it's backfiring (quite violently) I suspect timing, but as the clamp was secure I don't think it could have moved, and when I've adjusted it before you can rotate it quite a bit and the engine still runs.

I've checked the rockers, #2 exhaust lock nut was loose, so i've adjusted them all again (I wondered if a bolt holding the shaft had sheared allowing it to float)

Steve

Edited by Steve R
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Steve,

 

It's either no fuel or no spark (at the right time)

 

Sorry - I know I'm stating the obvious.

 

If you are getting backfiring, it HAS to be the

ignition timing, as you must be getting at least

some fuel through.

Not to say there may be other problems, but

have to get the ignition timing sorted first.

 

AlanR

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Hi Alan

Thanks, I did read a simple way to set up the static timing but I can't remember where I saw it. But logic suggests that if i drove it into the garage, It shouldn't have moved before I tried to drive it out again, I've tried moving it a couple of degrees at a time around where It was but I'm calling it a day today, I may have a eureka moment tonight :o

Steve

Edited by Steve R
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Hi Steve,

the back firing may be intermittent sparks at the plugs.

 

have you got a spare coil, rotor arm and capacitor. Fit them in turn.

 

You mentioned that the engine nearly started when you released the starter button. Attach a wire from the battery to the coil direct bypassing the starter button.

 

have you tried 'start you bastard' straight into the carbs

 

Good luck

 

Roger

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Only because I have been there and got the T shirt, but have you got the coil connections the correct way around? On some cars/coils it seems to make no difference on others very similar symptoms, believe me I wasted a full day once checking the esoteric before noticing the obvious, which wasn't that obvious because if you cranked it over with a plug out you got a spark.

 

Alan

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Thanks all

HT leads are correct and labeled, connections to coil are correct way around, and I connected a feed directly from the battery to the coil.

Reading through the article Ian linked,I should be firing #1 at TDC, but the rotor is at 11 o'clock which is #2, or am I mis reading that?

I have gone through all the simple, most likely stuff I can think of, after all, I drove the car into the garage and It worked fine last time I used it,

I'll get there in the end, but it is a bit odd......

Steve

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If the rotor arm is Facing spark plug No1 push rod tube then this is firing on Number one. If number 2 lead is in this slot then you are out of sequence.

 

The lead sequence anti clockwise should then be from 1 at 11 O'clock, 1,3,4,2.

 

Hope it's this simple......we've all done it!

 

Iain

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Hi Steve,

if the leads are wrong will you own up :o ???

 

Have you checked the battery volts when turning the engine over.

It may have enough juice to turn it over but not power the coil correctly at the same time.

You want no less then 9V when cranking - preferably higher.

 

Roger

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"When lining up the pulley hole with the pointer the rotor arm is at 10/11 o'clock(#2), shouldn't it be #1(7/8 o'clock)?"

 

No, is the simple answer, if TDC for 1/4 is correctly marked on the Pulley and you have No1 at TDC firing stroke as opposed to 4 (7/8 O'clock.)..........then the Rotor should point to 11 O'clock or there about with firing order 1,3,4,2 anti-clock from that ref point.

 

Your ignition sequence is 180 degrees out at present.

 

As I said we've all done it! :ph34r:

 

Iain

Edited by iain
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Get firm with it.

Have a friend with an old Land Rover come and park next to the garage where the TR is and get out your tow rope.

I have found that scares them sufficiently to start of their own accord.

 

This does assume all the basics are right.

 

When switching from points to Petronix electronic iginition I had to retime the distributor more than a couple of degrees.

 

Have you tried the buckets of boiling water in the radiator cooling system and heating the spark plugs with a blow lamp ? - Just to get the thing running.

Peter W

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Steve with your knowledge of your car over the years i doubt that you have something wrong and more likely a component breaking down [ ELECTRIC ] .Just had a spark plug which caused a backfiring.Even new parts can fail .

condensor ?

try your old plugs .

is there a good spark when you manually flick open the points.

 

ROY

 

where in Kent Steve ?

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Hi Iain, No It's not 180 out, the dizzi dog will only engage one way, if i turned it around the vernier would be next to the block, and only a really mean bugger would break into my garage and alter the timing since I last used it!

 

Roy, I'm in Ashford, I have put my old plugs back, I always keep the old bits that i know were working as spares. I've ordered more tools, compression tester and strobe light, if it sees me aim a gun at the engine it may decide to work :)

 

Thanks all for your suggestions so far, I will win eventually, I have always worked as a service engineer, so I know that 95% of the time it's something silly, a 1/2 hour job, the other 5% is when you have to earn your corn, this may be one of those.

I will report back when I find out what it was, even if it's my fault.

Steve

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I have spent a long time trying to start my TR2 and assuming something was wrong with the electric or carbs or pump. I have found that if I leave the car for more than a couple of months it will not start and if it does is misfires, runs on 3 cylinders and backfires through the carbs.

The problem is modern fuel which has a shelf life of a few weeks.

My recommendation is to purge all the old fuel and put in fresh fuel in tank and run through to carbs. Start with a squirt of easy start and use 2 batteries. Once you get it running keep it at 2000 revs until fully warm. Take to petrol station and fill up with fresh fuel. Don't put the car away for long periods (more than a month or two) with more that a couple of gallons of fuel. I also suspect that valve seat additive makes the situation worse but I am not sure about this.

Hope this helps

Keith

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:lol: :lol: Yes, but what's that fella standing over it doing..........is it a magic wand, a light sabre or hi tech holy water dispenser, perhaps that's what i'm missing!

PS the chassis and bodywork look shot :)

Steve

Edited by Steve R
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