Engine will not fire

[abri]

Ok, I have a strange problem. Over the last month or so I've noticed that my car takes longer and longer to start in the morning...to the point where the battery has started running out. Last time I got the car started it ran fine, with no problems at all. I've tried a lot of things and thought I'd post here in case you can think some something I missed.

Thus far I have:
Swapped HT leads and plug caps with those of another car
Swapped coil
Swapped solenoid
Changed points and condenser
Checked point gap
Checked power in low tension circuit (fine everywhere, control box, ignition switch)
Car has a new wiring loom
Checked that it is getting fuel (plugs damp with fuel when the choke is pulled out all the way)

I haven't changed plugs because the car ran fine a day before (after taking forever to start).

When it starts you can literally take it for a drive and it will run perfectly only to not want to start at all once it's stood for a day. WTF?

[rolesyboy]

Have you tried a new earth strap engine to body? Could be the earth deteriorating. Get a decent jump lead from clean point on engine block and find a bright earth on the body then see if you problem clears. Good luck. Mark

[Spider]

Try re-gapping the spark plugs.

[foxy52]

Ok, I have a strange problem. Over the last month or so I've noticed that my car takes longer and longer to start in the morning...to the point where the battery has started running out. Last time I got the car started it ran fine, with no problems at all. I've tried a lot of things and thought I'd post here in case you can think some something I missed.

Thus far I have:
Swapped HT leads and plug caps with those of another car
Swapped coil
Swapped solenoid
Changed points and condenser
Checked point gap
Checked power in low tension circuit (fine everywhere, control box, ignition switch)
Car has a new wiring loom
Checked that it is getting fuel (plugs damp with fuel when the choke is pulled out all the way)

I haven't changed plugs because the car ran fine a day before (after taking forever to start).

When it starts you can literally take it for a drive and it will run perfectly only to not want to start at all once it's stood for a day. WTF?

...may sound simplistic but if I don't use mine for a couple of weeks,i take out plugs,clean and dry them and leave in the warm for 5 mins then after I replace them she fires first time !!!...its the damp and cold from the autumn thru winter that can cause the simplest of starting probs..just try it and let me know.. I agree a warm engine presents no problems with starting up....foxy52

[swifty]

What I tend to do when my car doesn't start is give it a ten second verbal warning . If it still doesn't start give it a damm good thrashing ........!

[steve65]

It may sound daft, but make sure that the choke opens fully, if it doesent then cold starts will be a problem. Worth checking.

[abri]

Hi guys, thanks for all the advice. I think I cracked it so I'm reporting back. After checking the earth strap I removed and cleaned the plugs. Tried it again and I almost had a start. At this stage I swapped the battery, removed and oiled the starter motor and it started. I ran it for half a minute and thought let me turn it off and see if it starts again. No such luck. After running another battery down I figured ok, let me swap the only thing that I haven't swapped, the full set of plugs, with the plugs from one of my other cars. That did it!! It started right up, first time.

What I don't get is why, when the car started with its own plugs, it would run perfectly with no misfires or anything....and with the next swing it would be dead as a door nail.

[ricardo]

Abri, you say you oiled the starter... how much oil did you put in there? Starters shouldn't be oiled as it may get into the clutch.

Did you try the plugs out against an earth point to see if the spark is good? I was about to say you could have left the dizzy points closed (gap too small) when you readjusted it, but since it started with another set of plugs... start by checking the plugs gaps (0.8mm). Earth problems are also common.

I'll be opening a similar topic soon about a friends engine which also doesn't want to fire up.

[Tim]

I always have a can of this stuff in the shed. Its not a substitute for actually fixing the problem, but if you have something that is hard to start this will often get it going enough to work out what the other symptoms are.



I think its an Australian product but there are several other ether based starting sprays available, they just don't have as satisfying name.

Tim

[abri]

Abri, you say you oiled the starter... how much oil did you put in there? Starters shouldn't be oiled as it may get into the clutch.

Did you try the plugs out against an earth point to see if the spark is good? I was about to say you could have left the dizzy points closed (gap too small) when you readjusted it, but since it started with another set of plugs... start by checking the plugs gaps (0.8mm). Earth problems are also common.

I'll be opening a similar topic soon about a friends engine which also doesn't want to fire up.

I pulled the starter out and put a few drops of a thin oil at the bearing bushes on both ends. I thought it may make it easier for the starter to turn the motor over.

The one thing I could not do was to check how strong the sparks are because I didn't have someone with me to swing it while I check.

[mk1coopers]

Another thing to check is the power that the starter is drawing, I had a non-start fault recently and traced it to not enough power left to get a good spark once the starter was turning, all the voltages ect were good, but when I cranked it nothing at the plugs

[andy1071]

I have also heard that modern plugs are sensitive to flooding. If the plugs get wet, they short-out, and then will always short-out.

Also, with points and condenser, the plug gap should be 0.6mm ( 0.025" ).
And I find that modern condensers are generally poor quality. -I think about 50% failure rate...