Hi all,
Since March with the great advice on here I have got my jag to where it starts and runs quite well. It has always started every time with choke in our cold mornings. Yesterday I took it out for a run and put fuel in it, came home all good switched it off in garage. When I tried to start it this morning it turned over but would not start. The battery went flat very quickly so I put it on charge for a few hours and the same happened ....no start and it didn't last long. I am now charging it overnight to see what happens tomorrow .
My questions are;
Could a bad battery cause this no start?
Tomorrow if it won't start I'll try a jump start with the Rover and if that doesn't work can I assume something else is wrong?
What could go wrong overnight ?........Fuel?
Any info for me to check tomorrow is appreciated.

Thanks....Jim

 

Not being familiar with carbies could it be flooded?

 

Anything including flooding is a possibility at this stage. If you suspect flooding make sure the choke is off, hold the accelerator on the floor and crank longer than normal. The idea being to get max air into the engine to mix with the flooded gas.

After that , its back to basics. Spark, fuel, timing. My own experience has been that sudden no starts tend to be coil or fuel pump (broken or no 12V) but many options are possible.

PS: missed the question about battery causing no start. The answer is yes, but I have no clue if its the case for you, a jump start success if it fails to start on its own may lead you that way. I have only ever seen this on low compression engines (tired VWs) that would spin happily but have nothing left for ignition. Change battery and brrmmm!!

 

Thanks Steve, do these have one fuel pump and is it in the boot? Whith the ignition switch on should you hear it in the boot for long? Sorry to sound ignorant. Also what is the best way to test the coil?

Thanks Jim

 

Just thought of something.....yesterday when I was out driving around at one set of lights when I drove off the car did not respond and nothing happened when I accelerated then suddenly as if fuel had arrived it took off. I wonder if this was the fuel pumps last gasp?....just a thought.

 

I had a lot of starting problems with my series 3. turned out it was the battery dying and not giving enough juice to turn the motor and provide adequate spark at the same time. Mine is fuel injected though. I would suggest trying a good grunty battery. Also fuel pump sounds quite likely too. I know nothing about them in a s2 though.

Good luck :-)

 

Um, 1974 should be one pump between the spare wheel and the rear body panel, and thats from memory that currently sucks seriously.

The original set up is the fuel pump relay earth terminal was earthed via an oil switch (Lucas dodgey bit), and apart from leaking badly, they failed to switch sometimes. When the latter happens, NO fuel pump action. Earth that switch wire under a nearby screw, so the pump/s work whenever the ignition is ON. Dont worry about fire etc, coz we Aussies can run real fast when fire threatens our beer supply HA, and Jags dont burn when properly maintained as well as we Aussies maintain them, except Clarkes, but that was brake related.

Next, reset the inertia switch on the LH A pillar, they are also Lucas, and fail just because they can.

Not quite up to snuff battery, hell yes, as the Starter Motor, another fine Lucas item, will suck all available volts to do what it does, and leave precious little for anything else.

My bet is on the fuel pump relay.

I will start drinking now and think some more.

 

I have a lumped Series 3 , so I am not sure about the specifics for your car. I would expect it to have a electric pump located in the boot well to the rear of the spare tyre. You should hear it running whenever the ignition is on. If you hear it humming , you can check if its doing something by disconnecting a fuel line near the carbs (must be rubber there somewhere) and put the end in a litre or larger container. Turn on the ignition and observe the flow. Should be a strong steady flow, if not it could be a faulty pump or blocked filter.

You can buy a spark tester cheaply from Repco or similar. Basically plugs inline between the end of a plug lead and a spark plug and gives you visibility of the spark. Should see a strong white/blue spark. No spark or an insipid yellow spark points toward coil or distributor. You can do all this with a spare plug and a lead to ground it but a tester makes it less likely you will zap yourself. Dont do any of this with any raw fuel about or you may get bonfire.

Assuming with all this that you have checked you havent just one tank dry.

PS: I see Grant has arrived. I will watch from here, he has forgotten more about these cars than I know.

 

Your last post just sunk in.

That sounds like sticking SU pistons in the bellchambers. How long since they were removed and cleaned???????.

Failure of the piston/s to rise, oh may that came out odd, will have the engine fail to start every time, dead set.

 

Thanks very much guys....grant, I only finished cleaning out the bell chambers perr your great write up a few weeks back which had the car idleing much better than before. I somehow think it's fuel related now come to think of the apparent misses yesterday and lack of fuel smell when pumping and choke on today trying to start it.
I'll see tomorrow if the fuel pump is working.
Thanks again....Jim

 

If only you had a Series 1, just flick the switch from L-R or visa versa and problem solved. Two pumps, if the pump is the problem.

Grant, no more fires since I took charge of all things maintenance wise. Never did determine a cause, but insurance won't cover electrical or mechanical failure or acts of terrorism, so that just leaves Molotov cocktails for insurance to pay out.

 

Hi all, when I turned ignition on today there was one or two faint ticks from the pump (or solenoid) then nothing. Every time I turn on the ignition no normal ticking sound, however if I disconnect the fuel line at the carbie it ticks and I can fill a glass with fuel although it's not a vary high pressure.In the photos it would appear I have 2 fuel pumps and a home made on off switch, also Grant was mentioning a relay and not sure where that is.....in the photos I can see what appears to be two solenoids I think. Having filled a container of fuel could the float bowls be clogged?...or is the pressure from the fuel pump too low?.what would my next step be?
How do I check if fuel is actually getting into the carbies and what should I check first for spark?

After reading some more...should the fuel pump go on every time the ignition is on...as it doesn't could there not be enough pressure, as when I disconnect the line at the carbies it's a slow tic tic and fuel does not pressure squirt.


Thanks

 

OK,

Ya go Merlin in the boot, let him be, angry sod he can be.

Ya got fuel at the front, GOOD. Those pumps are about 4psi, maybe 6psi on a real good day. The time to fill is the key, as fuel flow is the main cocern here. HOWEVER, lets not re-invent the wheel. There is fuel at the front.

Easiest way to check for fuel in the carbies is to remove the bellchamber, and piston, turn ON the ignition, choke OFF, and LOOK inside the top of the jet, and you "should" see fuel about 4mm +/- down from the top lip. If ya got fuel there, the carby bowls are FULL. NO got fuel, tap the top of the fuel bowl, where the needle and seat sits, NOT a BFH, but mor like a SFH, or the end of a spanner, dont break the bloody thing, just wake it up, again with the ign ON, and it may all fall into place.

Failing that, off with the ign, offf with the tops of the bowl lids, and sort whatever it is that has gone AWOL.

I would also change the fuel filter, where ever it is, and for $6 may just sort the problem. As I said, decent flow is needed, and I dont have the specs, its carbied, as long as there is "decent" flow the carbies will fill. If you really want the spec, I will go look.

Just for giggles, have you got spark???????. Electrickery goes off the boil for no apparent reason.

Lets know what you find.

 

Thanks mate I'll do as you say......is there anything I can buy to check the spark?
Steve mentioned a spark plug tester.

 

Dont spend money, thats for drinks.

Any old spark plug, plug it into the end of one of the HT leads, rest it on the cylnder head, near one of the dome nuts will do, and crank it. You should see/hear the spark.

2nd choice, get someone you dont like so much, preferably without a pacemaker, have them hang onto the lead whilst YOU crank it. If they jump, ya got spark. No harm, its a S2, so the HT is not hi-energy, just enough to wake you up.

DO NOT do that with the S3 and later, that energy is kinda more powerful.

 

Ha ha ha ,....GOT someone in mind but I'll run with the first option.
I'll give it a go in the morning. If I get a good spark I'll follow your advise on checking fuel in the carby and get back to you.
Once again thanks....Jim

 

An inductance type timing light oughta detect spark at no risk to pacemakers!!!


Carl

 

Well I put a spark plug on a lead as suggested and NO SPARK at all. Guess this means it's electrical ( this is really investigation for dummies...very thankful).
Now next step check battery status? Test coil?......I await your wisdom.

Thanks Jim.

 

If you have the plug grounded and get zero spark, and the motor is turning over happily, I would head to the coil. If your in doubt about plug grounding just use a jumper lead clipped to ground and the plug.

You can check with a multimeter to see you get voltage at the coil when the ignition is on.

You can test the coil by measuring with a multimeter (1 ohm or slightly less between the electrical terminals, 10,000 ohms ish between one electrical connector and the high tension lead socket, with everything disconnected) or you can swap it with a known good unit. A new coil will probably be in the $50 - $100 depending on what you buy.

Pulling the battery and taking to a shop for testing would also help eliminating it from the picture.

Grant may have more when he gets back on.

 

Thanks Steve I thought I would've got some spark but absolutely zero which would point to coil I thought. I learned one good thing....always check for spark first, it's easier. As you say I'll wait for Grants advice also but I think for the cost it'll be new coil tomorrow then if no good new battery and go from there.
What do you reckon?