Hi all,

I have been working on getting my buggy ready for rego over the last few weeks and its very close. One thing I had to do was fit a pulley cover on the back for safety.

I fitted it last night, looks schmick I reckon. One thing though...now that I have fitted it, the car no longer starts!

Its a basic stock 1600 bug engine, started OK recently when I run it (although I reckon the timing is out, but it still starts). Last started yesterday arvo before I fitted the cover.

Cover attaches to the body at two points - uses a bolt at the base of the generator stand, and another bolt at the other side at the base of what I assume is the fuel pump (fuel line from the front comes directly into this gizmo, before going to the carby). All I did was undo these two nuts, place the bracket over the top of the screw, and bolt them down again.

Engine is turning over but will not fire. With my basic knowledge I thought that fuel should spurt into the carby if I pull down the throttle arm at the rear, but can't see it going in there....should this work?

Is there something that I could have bumped at the back that would stop the engine from firing? I checked for loose connections, etc, and that everything seemed to be in the right place.

I originally thought it might be an earthing problem on these two bolts.....I have attached 2 lights to the pulley cover and earthing them through the cover and subsequently the 2 bolts (gen stand, fuel pump). Could this have stuffed something?

Help!

[Edited on 16/4/2005 by phantom]

your not getting any squirts from the accelerator pump when you blip the throttle?
sounds like you've done something to the fuel pump when you took the bolts out..

I can take the air filter off the top no hassles, when I pull on the idle arm, should I get fuel spurting into the top?

Does it matter if the ignition is on or off? I don't have it turned on when I do this, I assumed the fuel pump is mechanical.

Looks like I will be unbolting the fuel pump to see what I did.....does this sound like the problem?

It does to me.. you should get a squirt of fuel if you pull down on the arm quickly.
you running the stock carb?

Yep, all stock, nuthin exciting there. As I only undid a nut on the frame, I winder how I disturbed it? Wonder it a gentle tap on the side will remedy it?

disconnect he fuel line at the carby end and crank the motor - any fuel? might want to take precausion to avoid fire, may be grab a helping hand

you haven't knocked any wires off the coil??

going out again to attack it now, hoping it looks better in the daylight...!

you would expect it to fire and burble a bit on the fuel in the carb bowl so if it just will not fire , it could be that you've knocked a wire. just undoing a fuel pump mount nut is inlikley to do anything unless the bakelite stand is cracked up and fallen apart inside motor and therefore has let the pushrod slip off the sode of pump actuating arm....

OK, I pulled the fuel line off the carby and cranked the engine, have fuel pumping into the carby so obviously the pump is OK. Where should the fuel be visible in the carby if I take the filter off the top and look in? There is a large jet and a small jet, then the butterfly valve. Small jet seems to come from the vacuum doobrie, so should the large one be fuel? Or, is the fuel inlet down past the butterfly valve?

If its down further, I can't get in to see it. Argh!...

The accelerator pump inlet tube should be below the choke butterfly, you should be able to see the fuel squirt fairly easily.
doesnt sound like the problem tho if the pump is pumping

have you checked for spark coming from the coil high tension lead?
take the coil lead from the top of the dizzy and hold it a few mm from something metal and crank the engine.

Did this, no spark! Tried two different metal items, nothing. Have to go out now, might pick up a coil and see if this is the problem....certainly sounds like it! Can they just 'go' like that?

Thanks all, see how this goes...

Doubt it would be the coil, check all your connections first before you go buying stuff.
Since you were stuffing around with the pump, which is next to the dizzy you may have knocked off the coil - points wire or the points - ground wire

make sure you are gettin power to the coil by disconecting the positive coil wire and doing the spark check method, dont have to turn the eng over for this one.

Could it possibly be crappy spark plugs, or something, like a naked (un-sealed wire) shorted out on the pulley cover.

I dunno, but that is my guess.

A heap of things here...I dunno, I ended up buying another coil, whacked it in, and still nothing. Then thought it might be some type of ignition fuse, spent the 20 mins taking the nose off to have a look (not well engineered!), fuses still fine.

So, I have thrown my hands in the air and decided that I don't know as much about these things as I hoped to learn. Sure, I've learnt a lot so far, but stuffed here.

So, I'll be checking some timing with my new friendly mechanic, and getting the car towed to him hopefully next few days.

When I find out, I'll let you all know. Well, at least the coil looks nice and new....

Thanks to all...

try the condenser in the dissy they can go at the drop of a hat

Did you check if you were gettin juice to the positive side of the coil?
and that the negative wires that go from the coil - dizzy - earth are still attached?

This is what I would do.......remove the dizy cap and rotor. Turn ignition ON and jam a screwdriver between the points and wriggle them around. If it sparks your spark is ok...if not then condensor/loose-broken wire.Another thing is you might have bumped the distributor and moved the timing waaay off the mark.Set it static to 7.5 d. and see how it goes.

Another day, have decided to keep investigating tonight and see if I can beat this thing. Will start concentrating on power to the coil...this comes directly from the fusebox, correct? So, turn of the key would provide power to the coil? Is this the way it works?

Yep, ignition key on provides power to coil - points in dissy provides the earth (on and off - as the engine spins) - all causing the coil to fire....

R

run a hot wire from the generator to the coil posetive and turn your car over.If it starts you have a power supply problem to the coil.

Wire from the gen to the positive coil conection.....does it matter which gen connection?

Won't that give power to the coil with just the first click of the key, and not when you turn it to crank? Or doesn't that matter (as in, will supply power but not do anything until cranking starts?).

Sorry, gumby mode here....

Generator posetive(marked) will give constant power all the time foreva untill the battery goes flat......to stop the motor disconnect it.

I'd like to announce that the buggy is now functional again! Woohoo!

Fiddled some wiring under the front, traced the coil wire, or what I thought it was......and it seemed to be connected to a wrong fuse. Changed it, got the car started but no indicators or fuel gauge.....argh! Eventually fiddled more and seemed to get it right...

Drove up and down the driveway for 10 mins running lights and indicators and wipers, all fine, no hassles.

Time will tell tomorrow, driving it into town for a tune up and check over.

Thanks to all for your advice, couldn't have done without you....especially when I was ready to give up.

NEVER GIVE UP.....there is always a slight glimmer of hope somewhere around the corner:duh

stop what you are doing and check the points gap. this should ALWAYS be the first place to start when trouble-shooting. Points! Points! Points! Points! Can't say it enough!

9 out of 10 carby problems are NOT the carby, look here last.

Just keeps getting better! After being so happy last night that the car was running, I visited my mechanic this morning to see if he could fit it in for a tune...which he could. Off I went for an unreg veh permit...came back with only a small period of time to take the car in before another appt.....and it wouldn't start.

Know what it turned out being? No fuel! Gauge read half, none in the tank.

Got the car there this arvo, its staying overnight. Seems it has a lot of little problems......points crap, timing way out, and a cross threaded spark plug...happy! A few other things too.

Its due home tomorrow arvo, hopefully in much better condition.....