Not starting

[2011dandd]

Hi guys

How do I know if fuel is getting to the plugs? Pump is clicking to fill up the bowl!
Took the plugs out and expected them to be obviously wet, but they seemed dry to me. Please help I'm not sure how wet they should appear. Thanks. Dan

[RobThomas]

Personally I'd pull out one plug and light a LONG twig (keep hands safe) and wave it over the hole. Whooof = fuel getting in. My own experience is that it creates a jet of flame about 4 inches long, approx. Play safe!

Wet is a relative term. If they smell of fuel and you can ignite something then fuel is getting in. Since the fuel is heavy it will drain down to, and eventually past, the rings.

[bmcecosse]

If the pump is ticking - then stopping (?) there should be fuel. If it's ticking constantly then sounds like there is no fuel coming through - just air. Tip an egg cup of petrol down the carb inlet and crank the engine . it should start and run for a few seconds which would at least prove that the ignition is ok.

[simmitc]

You can also check that each plug is firing by removing, attaching HT lead, and setting plug so that it gets a good earth. When cranking eninge with ignition on, you should see good strong sparks. Has anything been done to the car since it last ran OK, or has it suddenly not started?

[2011dandd]

Cheers

Well I bought the car from a mate a few months ago he had it for five years on the same spot of his drive. He had done loads of welding on the car and drove it to the mot test centre and it broke down on the way, which is why it say for five years. To many projects.
I have changed everything thing you could think of to get it running or thoroughly cleaned and stripped and rebuilt things like the carb and dizzy and starter.
It's had new points
New cap/leads
New coil
New battery
New battery terminals
New fuel pipe
It does smell of fuel when I'm turning it over but when I removed the brand new plugs they were a bit sooted with a tiny fleck of white

[simmitc]

If you are getting a good spark at all the plugs, then check that the plug leads are in the correct order. 1-3-4-2 anti-clockwise, and make sure that the lead to plug one is adjacent to the rotor arm when No 1 is around TDC on compression.

[bmcecosse]

Have you tried the petrol down then carb? It WILL then run if there is a spark at the right time. If it doesn't - investigate the sparks timing. Too many 'new' things on there at the one time - new coils are particularly useless if made in far away tin huts.......

[amgrave]

I think we need a better and full description of the problem. The thread is titled Not Starting but you have fitted new plugs then say they are sooted with a fleck of white. How did this happen if the engine will not start?
BMC suggests tipping a small amount of fuel down the carb inlet to see if the engine fires. The reason for this is if the engine fires after doing this then the problem is on the fuel side of things, if the engine does not fire then the problem is on the ignition side thus narrowing the problem down. Get back after trying the above and with a better description. Good luck

[2011dandd]

I can't work out why the plugs were sooted either, I'll investigate and get back

[bmcecosse]

Theremust be some firing going on if they soot up. Either wrong order or badly retarded. But do check with a bit of fuel - and not with burning twigs..........

[2011dandd]

It turns over lovely on the starter but it's not getting a spark I think. The plugs were wet with petrol
I could not get a light on the plug tester not could I get a spark on the with a plug removed and earthing on the engine.

I need to get a multimeter on the coil but when I fit the same with a removed spark plug again I got nothing.

Really am perplexed about the sooty plugs.
When I stripped and rebuilt the engine I screwed the advance retard all the way home, what's a good place to start with its setting?

My dizzy firing is 1,3,4,2 from the fan/front of the engine, anti clockwise

[simmitc]

Are the points opening and closing correctly? Is there a 12v supply to the coil? Is there a short to earth that is bypassing the points? Is the condenser OK?

Disconnect the coil completely. Put an HT lead direct into the HT hole on coil and put the other end where it can create a spark. Connect the non-earthed coil low tension to the non-earthed battery terminal (this deppends on whether your car is +ve or -ve earth). Take a normal piece of wire from the other coil low tension and touch it rapidly on and off a good earth. This simulates the points, and you should see a sprak from the HT lead whilst bypassing the ignition switch, wiring and dizzy.

[myoldjalopy]

And if you don't get a spark this way...gasp! It could be the coil is faulty!

[amgrave]

NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[bmcecosse]

It's all changed round now - first it was dry/sooty plugs - now they are wet ?? It's impossible to diagnose at a distance without good information. So now - with wet plugs, we have to indeed assume it is an ignition fault. Nothing for it but to start tracing - is there a spark at the coil king lead - that's the first check. If not - work back through the coil and dizzy.

[amgrave]

Now we know the plugs are wet and not dry it could be black oil on the plugs. That opens up a lot more possibility’s.