Non Starter

[cliff wilkins]

Hi Chaps.
Any ideas why my car wont start. Please bear in mind i am no mechanic.

Bought a Stag and it wont start from cold.

So far checked plugs cleaned and gapped, cleaned distributor contact points and rotor arm.
Cars got spark at plugs, fuel pump in boot clicks when ignition is swithed on so ok.
Car just spins and spins eventualy flattens the battery, jump leads on will spin for a further 15 mins before it eventually starts but of course very roughly untill cleared runs sweet when warm and starts warm.
On turning it over will give the occasional kick like it wants to go but does not.

On checking things over 2 days I have found the battery is a new one but a 44ah would this be the cause?
1 choke cable is not moving at all thus no choke on 1 carb. But when held on choke by hand still hard to start.

Any ideas welcome please if not looks like it will have to be recoved to a stag specialist or try to get it going again which on the both occasions took over an hour each time.

Thanks in advance for any info

[milothedog]

Hi Cliff,

Just thinking about this, it could be that the Ballast resistor is not being bypassed when starting. there should be 2 small wire connections on the starter solenoid!

Ian.

[cliff wilkins]

Cheers Ian.
Do you mean 1 of the wires might not be connected to the solenoid.

[cliff wilkins]

I have just had an Email from the guy I bought the car from whos says it might be the ignition coil breaker down. What do we think?

[martin]

Hi Cliff, sounds very much like firing order, have you disturbed the HT leads ? easily done. Martin.

[cliff wilkins]

Hi Martin
Thanks for the suggestion.
But no the leads are fine only took 1 off at a time to check plugs and they are the same as when bought car.
They are numbered anyway with tape.

[V Mad]

Cheers Ian.
Do you mean 1 of the wires might not be connected to the solenoid.

Yes that small wire puts a full 12volts onto the coil+. You can test at the coil+ to see if that happens: use a meter or a 12v bulb which will brighten up when turning the starter.

In this weather you need a rich mixture in each carb to start it. So the choke cable needs to pull each lever to the fully rich position to start. If you want to prove that it is a carb problem, you could use 'Easy Start' to check that.

[71Stag]

Line the engine timing marks up on the front pulley check that the rotor arm is pointing to number 2 ht lead, take the plug out of number 2 cylinder and check that its at tdc. Also with the car running check the engine timing with a timing gun it should be 14 degrees before top dead centre for a mk1 and 12 degrees for a mk2 broadly speaking.
thats where I would start anyway
Cheers
Bruce

[KOY 23]

You mention only one choke working, this should be sorted as it will make cold starting difficult, especially if ballast bypass is not working. One of my chokes never worked as the disc had been assembled 180 degrees out. The manual should show correct way.

You are not too far from Vmad who is a carb, electrical and a Stag specialist. Usual disclaimer.....

[wilf]

Sort the choke actuation out first, then see what happens. Very sensitive to the choke when its very cold, these things.

[cliff wilkins]

Thanks Chris will try that when the snow stops.

Thanks also Bruce but thats way beyond my limited technical knowledge .

Looking more like a recovery to my nearest Stag indy which would be Robsport which is about 35 miles away.
Otherwise it will just sit.
I have ordered some Diaphrams for the carbs someone suggested that. I think I will manage those myself hopfully.

Cheers Guys.
Any other simple checks I might carry out for a novice would be very welcome.

[cliff wilkins]

Yes I did suspect the choke when finding only 1 was working the other day.
I got a friend to hold the choke on manually but was still a bugger to start.

I did ring Robsport and they seem to think it more than a choke issue.

But thanks guys

[milothedog]

Hi Cliff, sounds very much like firing order, have you disturbed the HT leads ? easily done. Martin.

If that were the case Martin, once started no matter what it, would misfire. It runs fine when started and warmed up.

Ian.

[milothedog]

Yes that small wire puts a full 12volts onto the coil+. You can test at the coil+ to see if that happens: use a meter or a 12v bulb which will brighten up when turning the starter.

In this weather you need a rich mixture in each carb to start it. So the choke cable needs to pull each lever to the fully rich position to start. If you want to prove that it is a carb problem, you could use 'Easy Start' to check that.

Nasty stuff fills the engine with soot and too much squirted in can cause it to lock up when turning over with the risk of starter damage,I wouldn't use it in a petrol engine.

Ian.

[Stagdad]

I presume it fired up to get you home from buying it ok? if yes it cant be too far out ,probably a combo of poor timing and tired electrical parts which can all be swapped out for not big money.If it were me instead of paying a garage an hours labour or 2 i would buy all the cheap ignition bits like coil,leads,plugs,points & condenser (if it has them) then swap one by one.at the end of it even if you dont get it going you will have eliminated a large amount of problem areas and have some spares on the shelf for next time.

Also you could by pass the ballast resistor setup just for a minuite or two to see if it that, by running a wire from the battery straight to the coil temperaly, after all thats what happens when you crank the engine it shoves 12v straight to the 6v coil to give a big fat spark for starting.If it fires up on cranking then stops when you release the key back to the run position it is probably the ballast wire as it swaps from the 12v back to the 6v ballast wire.


Cheers Steve