Morris Minor Owners Club

Hello.

I'm wondering if someone could help me out. On my minor 1000, I've replaced a ton of new things, and it's been off road for a while as these things have been fitted. I've almost managed to complete it all, but one major thing is proving an issue...It won't fire up.

I've replaced the sparks, the dizzy, the rotar arm, the solenoid, ht leads, oil filter, air filter, etc etc, and it's just not giving me anything. Last week, I was turning it over, and there was no clicking, which lead me to believe the solenoid was dead, today I was proven right, as the new solenoid was popped in, and the clicking came about again. However, still no spark is coming through, everything is fine, the new stuff has been double checked to make sure it's the correct type, I've also put the OLD stuff back on, and mixed and matched when the old stuff together didn't work. Still nothing.

The fuel pump is fine, checked all that over, the wiring is also all in the right places, I've checked out nearly everything with a multimeter, and there's power in all the correct places, no dead fuses or anything. Can anyone suggest anything, no matter how strange it sounds, to help me get her back up again.

Thanks all!

It might be the coil!

les wrote:It might be the coil!

Checked the coil, it's giving the right readings out on the multimeter

Did you refit the three main earth cables to "clean bare " metal.1. by the battery to bodywork 2 engine strap and 3 gearbox by the gearbox support ?
Points ...new ? Did you clean the coating off the points before fiiting ?
Bob

Bob's suggestion of checking the engine ground cables and points is spot-on. You might also try:

Have you pulled the plugs back out to be sure you're getting fuel in the cylinders? If you can't smell fuel when you pull the plugs, pour a little gasoline directly down the carburetor throat and see if that changes anything.

Also try holding the plugs' business ends against the head nuts while turning the starter over. Best to do this at night. You're watching for a minute spark across the gap.

You say you have replaced the Dizzy, have you reset the timing?
Because you have replaced so many parts you need to go back to basics.

mogbob wrote:Did you refit the three main earth cables to "clean bare " metal.1. by the battery to bodywork 2 engine strap and 3 gearbox by the gearbox support ?
Points ...new ? Did you clean the coating off the points before fiiting ?
Bob

Hiya bob, I've connected the gearbox to chassis, and the battery to the body, I'm not quite sure what you mean by engine strap, I've not had the car long as I haven't had time to get to know everything really.

I've got an electronic ignition so I don't have points or condenser.

Trickydicky wrote:You say you have replaced the Dizzy, have you reset the timing?
Because you have replaced so many parts you need to go back to basics.

I meant to say the dizzy cap, the dizzy itself is the one that was still on before I did any repairs.

Ok, take the king lead from the dizzy cap and hold it against the cylinder head with a pair of insulated pliers, does it spark? if it does then the fault is with the dizzy.
Have you replaced the condensor? if you have, did you connect it up correctlly,, it could be shorting out.

If you've still got the original points, I'd put them back and see what happens.

Let's sort this from basics.

An engine needs fuel and air in approx the correct proportions, compression and a spark at the right time to run.

No point at all in trying to address possible problems if you know it has no spark. It will never run without a spark at the plugs!

There is absolutely no need to crank the engine to check for spark. Manually operating the contact breaker points should induce a healthy spark between the coil HT lead conductor and metal of the engine. The spark should be fat and blue and jump an air gap of about 6mm easily. Less than 3mm and yellowish would indicate a poor system, but may not preclude the engine starting.

If no spark, check for battery voltage to the coil. If/when there is voltage, check that there is battery voltage at the coil and contact breaker live point while the contact points are open. Next check there is current through the coil with the points closed (and none when the points are open!).

There is bound to be schematics on the net for step-wise logical diagnosis of the system. This ignition system was around before computers, as we know them, were even thought of. Most electrical systems were serviced/repaired with little more than a test lamp, so no rocket science involved whatsoever!

So work through in simple separate steps until you get a spark, or report back with your exact findings, so we can advise further. Simple tests, simple observations and simple fixes will eventually get to a running system. No doubt about that.

Everything like earth connections, timing, fuel pump, tyre pressures and such like are things for later.

Good luck and get back to let us know exactly how you are progressing, or if you are stuck.

RAB

Electronic dizzy fitted.if you have fitted the low tension wires the wrong way around the dizzy will prob have failed.check for spark at plug as already mentioned.

Engine earth strap location.
Lift the bonnet and on the right hand side of the engine block ,looking at it , you should have a braided metal strap attached to the engine block ( timing chain cover bolt using , although people move them around). The other end should be " under" one of the engine steady / mount tower bolt heads.
This " bridges " the insulating rubber " electrically " providing an earth return for the distributor.
No earth = equals no circuit = car won't start.
Bob

I dont have points on at the moment. But I have access to points and a condenser, would it be simple to just take off the electric ignition and give these a try?.

But, the low tension wire was removed by the previous owner, when he fit the electronic ignition, how do I go about wiring up the points to the coil?.

Cheers for all the information everyone. I'll take everything here into account before making my next move.

Just for an extra tip, I've spotted this new electronic ignition on eBay, http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Morris-Minor- ... g_4Rc1lqCw

Would this one work in a 1098cc Minor 1000? I'm not quite sure what the difference is between 23-25-45D dizzy caps too.

Ahh! Electronic ignition system installed? Just a small omission on the part of the OP? Have fun. Suggest the instructions are read, and adhered to precisely.

It could be a faulty ignition module so my post on how to test the coil output with the king lead would be a good place to start. If that works as described then yes, installing points and condenser is the only way to prove if the module is faulty.
I would suggest if you dont have a manual to search for the free download available. This will prove invaluable.

is the car wired negative earth ? as the electronic ignition module probably won't work on positive earth and will be damaged

Well, after a lot of buggering about, I've swapped over the electronic ignition for the condenser and points, and low and behold, the car is now firing up, which lets me know the old eleky ignition was buggered .

Who here prefers the points over the electronic ignition, and why?

You might consider why the Kettering system is no longer used in modern spark ignition engines. Think here component life, improved spark quality for extended periods, fewer parts, better and more consistent/controlled timing, only one spare needing to be stocked in the event of failure, etc, etc.

Of course, it depends on the quality of the item and the abilities of the end user to a certain extent. I built my first electronic ignition system from discrete components back in the 1970s. One would use integtated circuits these days, of course. They have improved substantially over the years and can take many parameters into account for the timing curve for any particular engine, especially in conjunction with fuel injection.

Only relatively slow revving engines with only a few cylinders are appropriate for the old system nowadays, so not any advantage or benefit for fitting electromechanical systems for any new installation.