RobMGB@aol.com wrote:
>
> Have been having intermittent problem that when I turn key nothing happens.
> Turn key off and try again and it usually starts. Switch between seat and
> ignition has been disconnected for years. Monday it wouldn't start at all.
> No noise not even a click. Checked battery and it is charged. Checked
> connection between starter and battery. It was a little loose but no
> improvement after tightening. Was going through test procedure to see if
> lights dimmed but when I turned lights on and turned key it cranked right up.
> Similar tonight in that nothing happened when I turned key. Turned on lights
> and then turned key. Fired right up. please help before this problem gets
> worse.
I would look for a dodgy connection. Tight battery connections are
sometimes not enough, since lead and lead oxide look identical, but the
oxide is a fairly good insulator. I would scrape the inside of the
connectors and the outside of the posts with a knife or file or wire
brush until I saw bright metal all around, then re-connect and tighten
properly. Then I would check the main connection (on the solenoid on
most cars) for corrosion or looseness, and so on, down the line.
Sometimes when an electrical connection has become really intermittant,
the junction formed at the bad connection can act almost like a variable
rectifier.
It almost sounds like you have a really spotty connection, but when you
switch on the lights, it somehow bumps it into action. It also might be
a bad ground connection on the coil; sometimes the little ground wire
between the diz-body and rotating plate in Lucas ignitions systems can
break or become un-spotwelded and produce symptoms like yours.
-Rock
--
Rocky, JJ Cale Band & Pratchett Books: http://www.rocky-frisco.com
Rocky's Mini Cooper Page: http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/6437/
Mini Books: http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/6437/rockboox.html
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