Morris Minor Owners Club

For information, the distributor drive shaft is retained within the engine, but the bottom end comprises a kind of worm drive, and so can be fitted in one of several positions. This can affect the final position of the dizzy; but as your original setup was working, do not try to change the position of the shaft - this is purely to explain why some engines might have the dizzy pointing in different directions.

In theory the dizzy can be engaged with the drive shaft in only one position, but it has been known for people to get it 180 degrees out.

without going back through the threads,have you checked that there is actually petrol in the carb.,stick a eggcup full of petrol into the carb,you need to take filter off to do it. see what happens then

I agree with the comment about not disturbing the distributor drive shaft. It is very easy to drop it into the bottom of the engine when fitting it.
Dont ask me how I know !!!!!!!!!!

My mini 850 engine taught me a very valuable lesson in this respect many years ago when I was a teenager, the instructions for removing and fitting the shaft involved screwing a long bolt into the shaft end to hold it by, I did not have such a bolt and thought I was getting along just fine by screwing a round file into instead. That is until it fell off the end of the file and went clunk-clunk all the way down into the gearbox.
This meant an engine removal and total strip down to recover it. !!

Leave it well alone.
Phil

simmitc wrote:For information, the distributor drive shaft is retained within the engine, but the bottom end comprises a kind of worm drive, and so can be fitted in one of several positions. This can affect the final position of the dizzy; but as your original setup was working, do not try to change the position of the shaft - this is purely to explain why some engines might have the dizzy pointing in different directions.

In theory the dizzy can be engaged with the drive shaft in only one position, but it has been known for people to get it 180 degrees out.

Tried to locate dizzy in both directions but it will only locate in one point so don't think I have it 180 degrees out.

pgp001 wrote:I agree with the comment about not disturbing the distributor drive shaft. It is very easy to drop it into the bottom of the engine when fitting it.
Dont ask me how I know !!!!!!!!!!

My mini 850 engine taught me a very valuable lesson in this respect many years ago when I was a teenager, the instructions for removing and fitting the shaft involved screwing a long bolt into the shaft end to hold it by, I did not have such a bolt and thought I was getting along just fine by screwing a round file into instead. That is until it fell off the end of the file and went clunk-clunk all the way down into the gearbox.
This meant an engine removal and total strip down to recover it. !!

Leave it well alone.
Phil

That sounds like a costly and time consuming drop!!

I don't think your distributor drive is a worm I think it's an offset slot drive which means it will only fit in one place throughout the whole 360 degree's.

I think simmitc was referring to the distributor drive shaft inside the engine itself. This does have a worm drive at its inner end. The outer end has the offset slots in which the dizzy drive itself slots into. See pic here: http://www.mossmotoring.com/wp-content/ ... engine.jpg

Just out of interest,was your car in regular use before it started to play up?

I would suggest that you start from scratch as regards the timing. See BMC Wksp manual section AA28 regarding the correct alignment of the distributer drive.
To correctly set the distributer drive as per the manual - No: 4 cylinder has to be at the top of its compression stroke.
The drive shaft offset is not aligned on No: 1 cylinder being at TDC on compression - No: 1 cylinder and piston at TDC should have the valves rocking that is the exhaust just closing and the inlet just opening.

It is not uncommon for the distributer drive to be fitted one gear tooth out and still allow the engine to run. The distributer is then turned to facilitate running but the vacuum advance would then be not in its usual position.
I am confident that after reading the above thread that if the distributer is set as per the manual the engine will run.
Phil