non starter The Fairies In The Garage

[speedtripledan]

Does the dizzy have points? Or is it a later electronic one? If later I Had exactly the same happen to me I had to replace the dizzy for a new electronic one (aftermarket)

[Guest Friartuck]

Does the dizzy have points? Or is it a later electronic one? If later I Had exactly the same happen to me I had to replace the dizzy for a new electronic one (aftermarket)

No points, electronic version, was beginning to wonder if it needs replacing

[agent_zed]

What does one clean them with if they are blocked, Sunday looking busy

 

well ideally you don't want to enlarge the holes so anything that isn't harder than the brass but is enough to dislodge any blockage. Someone might have a better answer but i've used a piece of thin wire before now. The holes are pretty small so the wire will have to obviously fit. I've used electrical cable as it's copper so not harder than the brass. Multi-strand cables will have smaller wire. Just cut a short length and strip off the plastic casing.

 

Or a piece of nylon like a bristle off a brush.

 

Or you could drop it into some carb cleaner and leave it for a bit but that still might not completely shift it so i've always cleaned mechanically as above.

 

Just don't mix them all up as they have to go back in the same order

[Guest Friartuck]

Woe is still me, but I am convinced it's not ignition(well not directly)

 

Can someone point me in the direction of the following:

 

1 - The ballast resistor, presumably in-line from ignition to coil, what does it look like?

2 - The crank sensor

3 - Fuel cut off valve

 

Would like to locate & check these items before plodding on to carbs

 

The men in white coats are at the gate, but so far have not gained access (very close though)

 

Thanks

[IanS]

Ballast resistor and crank sensor are mutually exclusive in most cars.

Ballast resistor was a way to get a better spark when starter motor was cranking a points distributor.

Crank sensor is needed for electronic control, if you have electronic control then electronics protect the coil/coilpack and still allow for volt drop when cranking.

Electronic ignition with distributors came along (eliminating ballast resistor) long before EFI which needs a crank sensor.

[Guest Friartuck]

Thanks, I can rule out the Ballast resistor then

 

Is the crank sensor readily found?

 

What about fuel cut off valve?

 

Will root around Haynes manual & google, just hoping for the magic wand approach

[Bob Tucker]

As you have a carb you wont have a crank sensor. Cross that one off.

What happened when you poured petrol directly into the carb?

[Guest Friartuck]

Don't laugh haven't got to that yet, will do & let you know

[Guest Hawaii Steve]

Before jumping out of the window, you might want to bypass the ignition switch to see if it has anything to do with your problem. I’ve seen funny things happen when they go bad.

 

Steve

[Guest Friartuck]

Before jumping out of the window, you might want to bypass the ignition switch to see if it has anything to do with your problem. I’ve seen funny things happen when they go bad.

 

Steve

Would that just be a direct feed from the battery?

[Guest Hawaii Steve]

Yes, assuming you don't have a fancy electronic ignition system like a MSD; you could start the engine and then run a jumper between the + terminal on the battery to the + terminal on the coil. That should bypass the ignition switch and let you know if its defective.

 

Steve

 

And if the engine can't fire at all, you can still run the jumper and then use the key to get it to crank. If it still doesn't fire there's something amiss in the electrical system. If the firing order has been messed up, and the electrical system is working at all, the engine will at least backfire. So if your not getting anything firing at all and you've run a jumper, I would start looking for a bad wire.

Edited November 11, 2018 by Hawaii Steve

[Guest Friartuck]

Ok put some petrol in carbs, turned key, same old, cranks but doesn't fire up!

Petrol in carb has disappeared, where will that have gone?

 

Now we all know the old pinto is a 1342 firing order based upon 1 at TDC & the lead on the connection next to rotar arm direction (groove marker)

 

However, looking at the wiring diagram in the Sierra Haynes manual (starting, charging & ignition, models up to 1987 except fuel injection) shows the following connections on distributor cap, looking from nearside (cylinders 1234 facing fan)

Plug 1 - to 4 o'clock (ish)

In a clockwise direction, followed by:

plug 4

plug 3

plug 2

Doesn't tie in with 1342 order?

 

Then the following diagram reveals something different again for the SOHC model

 

Is it a case of get 1 in the right spot & place the remaining leads where you fancy, on the basis it will only fire in 1342 order??

More confused by the day

 

 

 

[richyb66]

Take out no1 plug and crank the engine by hand while you have your finger over the plug hole. Watch the crank pulley as it comes round to tdc and you should feel compression pressure. If there's no pressure, you need to turn the engine another full turn. Once it's at tdc on a compression stroke, wherever the rotor arm is will be no1 plug lead and the other leads follow from there.

Edited November 10, 2018 by richyb66

[richyb66]

Firing order is 1342, dizzy rotates clockwise.

[Guest Friartuck]

Will retrace my steps inline with advice given, unfortunately will have to wait till Tuesday now