Had another go at starting my MGB project car
today for the first time. It's a 1970 but the engine
is an 18V673Z which I beleive is around 74-ish.
For some reason... it just won't start.
Seem to have lots of spark. I switched distributors and
coils anyways, but there seems to be enough spark any time
I've tested it. If I have a plug on the block and crank it,
I see spark, and I can shoot a spark a half inch at least
when I open and close the points with a screwdriver.
The firing order I am using is 1-3-4-2, as in the manual,
counting the radiator end as "plug 1".
I have it statically timed to "about 7-8 BTDC". This puts
the #1 terminal on the distributor cap at about 2 o'clock. The
vacuum advance points just a little clockwise of straight up (ie: the
fine adjust for the timing is at the bottom left and spins
roughly flat to the ground like a record player.
Seems to be lots of gas in the carb throats, if I raise the
needles they are wet with gas. As well, I have used enough quickstart
spray to launch a saturn V.
During experimentation before I got to here, I was getting
backfires when I had the timing way off, so there is some
spark. However, when the timing and firing order have been
correct, it's never even kicked once when turning it over. Just
no life at all.
The fuel is brand new, premium fuel, and the fuel pump seems
to be behaving.
Could it simply be the cold? It's about -2C (30F) where I
am working. (semi-heated parking garage) Not seriously cold
by normal car standards but maybe MGBs are finnicky?
What could make igniting fuel this hard? What could I have
missed here?
How can I start this puppy up?
--
Trevor Boicey
Ottawa, Canada
tboicey@brit.ca
http://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
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