Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi I have a 1969 travleer but I want to change the coil and other associated bits in the distributer as the car won't start. She does have a weak spark but won't catch, so we think it might be the distributer ?? But how do I change the coil, condenser etc.

Ian

Pick up a workshop manual and all will be explained...

However if the plugs are sparking then I'd take a look at the fuel side of things. What makes you say the spark is "weak"?

Hi, A friend of mine tested the spark to see if it was ok as initially we thought the battery might be low, but I just a battery jump lead thing and it remained the same. He tested the spark and it just had a weak blue spark, so we thought the coil or something might be gone in the distributer ?? Having said that when you turn on the ignition key you don't hear the chugging sound from the fuel pump as you would normally. Should I have a look at this too by unhooking one of the outlet pipes to the carb and see ?? If so what is the safe way to do this ?

Ian.

If there is a visible spark from the plugs then I would look elsewhere first. If the pump isn't making a noise then the fuel pump points may be dirty or worn out. To test it you can take the fuel pipe off the carb, put the end in a jar, turn the ignition on for a few seconds, and see if anything came out. If the pump isn't working, try taking the plastic cover off the end and cleaning the points (with the ignition off) by wiping a piece of thin card between the pair of contacts you find under there. A squirt of contact cleaner spray or WD40 wouldn't hurt too.