not starting, help please SOLVED

[bmcecosse]

All the usual suggestions apply - pour some fuel down the carb - if it starts, the problem must be fuel related. If it doesn't - then get back on the Ignition trail.........

[mike.perry]

Start with checking for a spark at the plugs, if not then work your way backwards.

[katy]

Check that new rotor very carefully.

[sevrien]

little update

There's no spark on any plug
but current is fine thru the whole distributer.
so the only thin I can think of is a bad rotor, although its a brand new one, including a new dizzy-cap.

Could this really be the problem?

[katy]

Try another rotor, preferably a known good one from another car.
Sometimes the high voltage will burn through the rotor from the brass arm on top to the steel shaft that it sits on, so you have to look for evidence of this. Look for little black (carbon) marks at the end of the hole where it sits on the shaft.
Poor quality replacement rotors are prone to this.

[sevrien]

seems fine to me

if broken, it would be very poor quality, it has driven for only 150 Km.

[MarkyB]

That is the type that fail.
I think it's to do with the rivet, there is not enough insulation between it and the cam to stop HT going that way.

It isn't something you can see, substitution is the way to test it.

The Red "high performance" ones are said to be OK.

[bmcecosse]

Check for spark at the king lead coming off the coil......

[sevrien]

And where can I get a 'red'-one?
Can't find it at ESM or Bullmotif

[mogbob]

www.distributordoctor.com is the man....a lot of imitators have jumped on the band wagon, so beware of " look alikes "
Bob

[bmcecosse]

King lead sparking ok ? Carbon brush present and correct in the dizzy cap? Any sign of tracking inside the cap?

[sevrien]

king lead is fine, carbon brush is present.
What do you mean by tracking inside the cap?

[bmcecosse]

Fine crack or just a 'spark line' on the surface of the cap running from the centre post to other contacts.

[sevrien]

Nothing funny to see at the outside or inside of the cap.
Only some very small irregularities on the bulge where the carbon brush comes out at the inside of the cap.
I doubt this is a problem.

[bmcecosse]

Hmmm - doubt it too - but if the spark is arriving at the carbon brush - then it will be getting to the rotor arm - and from there should be getting out to the contacts on the cap. Do you have another old rotor to try?

[sevrien]

No, the old rotor was worn out and I trew it away.
I guess the bad insulation of the new rotor seems to be plausible, but weird too because it only functioned for about 150 Km

[sevrien]

Marky B was right, replacing it with a red rotor did the trick

[bmcecosse]

Amazing - now refit the old one for a trial - if it's still faulty - can you see why? It is the simplest thing in the world - hard to see how they can go wrong. And - carry a spare rotor arm from now on! Thank goodness it wasn't the coil......

[sevrien]

haha, you owe the first one who can proof he has a faulty coil a bottle of champagne.

I can't see where it's faulty, I assume the plastic is of low insulating quality, but where?

[bmcecosse]

I think I have heard of a problem with a rivet through the middle - passing volts down to the clip that secures the rotor to the drive shaft. As for the coil - all the folks that have been saved from buying an unnecessary new coil can send me a Pound -and I will be a millionaire in no time! It's the same on the Mini Forums - everyone wants to put on a new coil at the slightest sign of Ignition problems - and the sad thing is that some of the coils being sold today are not well made and seem to give endless problems. A good old original coil lasts 'for ever' ! Of course - it shouldn't be abused by leaving the Ignition switched on with the engine not running!