SBradley Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 I've steadily been working through getting my TR3 properly on the road after standing for around 14 years. I did get it back up and running ok although carbs running too rich, I rebuilt the jets, sorted the choke movement, and re-tuned and it was much better, felt like I'd made progress. A few weeks have passed and now it won't start. I checked everything, fuel ok, carbs ok, spark at distributor but spark does seem to be weak at the plugs and the cable and connections between solenoid and starter gets very hot with repeated attempts to start. I've swopped out the condenser as I thought that might be the easy culprit , but tried again today, and no better. It does turnover and even fires up very occasionally but not enough to get running. Any advice please? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
harlequin Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 I have just been helping my neighbour with his TR3A, he starts it up once every few weeks through the winter to keep the clutch from sticking but this time it would just not fire. Like you we changed the condenser, even warmed the plugs and plenty of fuel. It turned out to be the fuel had gone stale since it was started in December, we drained and filled the float chambers with fresh fuel and it started immediately. So it may be worth doing the same. George Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John McCormack Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 The usual (90%) reason an engine won't start is ignition. Of the other 10%, 90% are still ignition. If it kicks occasionally and you have done the condenser I'd replace the coil. These two are the usual culprits. Then work through each of the remaining components, one at a time. I carry a spare set of all the ignition components in the boot for long tours. It makes it easy to replace each component one at a time to isolate the cause and then replace the defective component in the boot. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ralph Whitaker Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 Clean and re gap the points and try a new set of plugs. What are the plug leads?, are they copper core in which case no worries, but if they are carbon string they act like resistors and can break down internally and should not be used with resistor plug caps as that will give a weak spark. Also check the engine earth lead, after 14 years this could be badly corroded. Ralph Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ian Vincent Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 (edited) I’m a fan of changing the fuel. It’s a simple enough task to drop the float chamber bowls and refill them with fresh fuel. Rgds Ian Edited January 22 by Ian Vincent Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BlueTR3A-5EKT Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 9 minutes ago, Ian Vincent said: I’m a fan of changing the fuel. It’s a simple enough task to drop the float chamber bowls and refill them with fresh fuel. Rgds Ian +1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SBradley Posted January 22 Author Report Share Posted January 22 Thank you to everyone for the feedback. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ianc Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 Solution suggested by Ian and Peter is relatively quick and easy, and a very likely fix. Best to use fuel with the lowest Ethanol content - probably marked E5 on the pump. If you have Esso available, the E5 may actually be nearer E Zero, but not guaranteed. Particularly in winter time, I favour keeping the tank full as this minimises the amount of water getting in. ian Cornish Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.