Morris would not start

[Deaconbrody]

Hi Guys, Just thought I would share this with you all. Due to the self isolation I have been looking for things to do on the Minor and have been asking a lot of questions on the mechanical section regarding my modified disc brakes etc. Anyway I had jacked the car up and jet washed the Trunnions and swivels to put pictures on the Mechanical posts. (Must thank Phil for all his help) So what better time to give the bottom of the engine a spray too. Did all this and gave the Minor a run round the block and all was well. Put it in the garage and this morning it would not start.

My first thought was back onto the posts and ask you guys what was wrong. However I resisted the easy way out and delved into the posts on, Minor will not start. Well my learning curve began and I started remembering the 70s when all we did was work on cars. It all came flooding back and I went through everything. Must admit I made the mistake of changing items for new ones, that I now know is not the way to go. Sorry read that post after going in like a bull in a china shop. Pulled back after changing the Fuel pump and plugs. Will reinstate the old ones tomorrow. Tried everything suggested on the posts as follows;

Cleaned plugs, checked leads were on the correct cylinders, put thimble of fuel into the cylinders, Checked sparks, checked fuses, pulled off the fuel line to the carburetor and pumped fuel into a jar, etc. etc. Well I was confused getting spark, getting fuel, air filter clean. Why was it not starting. Thought I would sleep on it and get onto you guys tomorrow.

Anyway you know what it is like, sitting watching the television and studying the manual wiring diagrams. Was just about to chuck it till tomorrow when I had a light bulb moment. In the old days we used to have loads of problems with the LT lead going to the distributer from the coil. Just had to go out to the garage and check the LT lead from Coil to distributer and Hey Ho the wire was not exactly broken, but you could see the wiring through the outer casing and some of the strands looked bad.

Cut the wire at the broken bit, bared the ends and fitted a crimp connector using a ratchet crimper not the wee cheap ones. Cranked her over and she started.

Now the question is, why was I still getting a spark at the plugs when car would not start? Could the wire have been damp due to the outer casing being damaged, I must admit when I was washing the engine I was down in this area with the water. Or if some of the wire strands were damaged would that reduce the voltage to the distributer giving a weaker spark at the plugs?

Anyway I will now sleep better tonight and tidy the wiring up tomorrow. Additional items in my on board tool kit, wire, connectors, and crimping tool. Soon be no room for me!

All the best,

Ian.

[oliver90owner]

First question is how exactly did you check for sparks? I might expect the distributor dried out while you were messing around under the bonnet.

[Deaconbrody]

Hi Oliver, I checked the distributer early on. Took the cap off and checked the internals. I have electronic ignition fitted. Everything was dry and okay. After putting it back in service was when I checked the sparks at the plugs. The wiring around the distributer is a bit messy and oily, I suppose from years of use and picking up oil from the engine working all these years. It was definitely the LT wire that was causing the problem. I will take some photos of the area this morning and post them and see if I can find the piece of LT wire I cut out with the damage.

Just happy when it started, was at it all day yesterday!

Ian.