Non-start

[Mickeywick]

1977 C3 - been idle for a while - under cover - not damp - checked all plug leads.
Fuel ok - oil ok - no leaks.
Engine turns with no problem but does not fire.
Battery turns engine easily ten or more attempts each of about 8-10 seconds each time.
Very little drain on battery.

 

[Oneball]

Have you checked you’ve actually got a spark at the plugs?

 

[Mickeywick]

Thanks very much - kind of you to reply so quickly.
I never thought of that - what do I do if there is no spark?
I really does seem strange that the battery can turn the engine over that many times without 'running down' that much.
Rgds.

 

[Oneball]

If there’s no spark at the plug, next check will be to see if there’s a spark at the dissy cap end of the leads. If there’s nothing there the next step will be dependant on whether you’ve got an HEI distributor or not.

If it’s a normal round coil you can check if you’ve got a spark at the coil. If there’s nothing there then you’ll need to start working through the low tension side of the ignition system.

I’ve never really worked on the HEI systems so am not much help fault finding those.

 

[kentvette]

I think, as the car is a '77, that it will in fact be an HEI distributor. Can't help re fault-finding really, but if you don't see a spark then a look inside the dist cap will be good, if for no other reason than to clean the contacts/rotor arm etc and check things like advance weights are free.

 

[stealthyflatfish]

No contacts on a HEI , just a beam of light that fires across between two eye's, make shaw they are clean and not damp ( soft cloth only ) if that fails you will have to test the said pick up with a meter .
If that looks ok you will have to check for power going into HEI ,sure it's only one wire, probably red, and you Will be able to track this wire back physically , to check for breakages.
Sorry I'm no expert on the technical terms. Good luck .

 

[kentvette]

No contacts on a HEI , just a beam of light that fires across between two eye's, .....

I'm thinking more about the cap contacts, and rotor really. As you say, damp may be an issue....

 

[stealthyflatfish]

I'm thinking more about the cap contacts, and rotor really. As you say, damp may be an issue....

Cracked or just plain worn out ? Easily available in UK.

 

[Barryscard]

1977 C3 - been idle for a while - under cover - not damp - checked all plug leads.
Fuel ok - oil ok - no leaks.
Engine turns with no problem but does not fire.
Battery turns engine easily ten or more attempts each of about 8-10 seconds each time.
Very little drain on battery.

My last car C3 Was hard to start after a few weeks of standing. I had to pump throttle a few times