Don't get me started...

Good evening gentlemen.

The gloves are off, it's no more Mr Nice Guy. The weather has been lousy (well I live in Scotland) for the past few weekends, and also I've had loads of things to do, so therefore my beloved Bessie is still not firing up.

To summarise what we've done since she packed in on Nov 29:

• Checked fuel pump and delivery
• New Carb
• New dizzy
• New leads
• New plugs
• New contacts
• New LT lead
• There's a spark at the dizzy
• There's fuel appearing at the carb and we've tried a gravity feed too.

But she just spins and no life happens.

Am I missing something obvious? She's a sweet old dear, and simple on a technical scale...so what am I doing wrong?

We're trying again for the first time in weeks, tomorrow (Saturday pm). Any advice you can offer (or if you're near Glasgow please call) would be great.

Cheers

Ken

m 07703 487987

Ken, did you do anything before it packed up or did you just park it on the drive one night and the next day it wouldn't start? Start with the basics!

Have you got the right firing order?
Timing correct? Ignition and valve
How old is the fuel?
What's the compresion like in all 4 bores?

Helloooo chappies

It died on the way home from a mate's house. It displayed the same backfiring, and stuttering that it did in May when the head gasket went.

That was repaired and it ran fine for months after that.

The fuel I suppose in the tank IS old, but the stuff we tried the gravity feed with, wasn't and it still wasn't running smoothly. Until a month ago it would EVENTUALLY stutter into live (read back some of the earlier posts for more info/accurate dates) but I tried it two weeks ago, and it just spun with out showing any signs of life.

I'll check the firing order, I don't think it's been moved about much but it's another thing I can tick off the list. Will also check valve gaps too.

I've not checked compression ever (don't have the tool) but I think this is worth looking at too.

Cheers

Ken

Andy200tdi - what make and model is your bike? I've got a pal in glasgow with a TD5 DiscoII and a Moto Guzzi, it looks similar to yours but I'm no bike expert.

Mid-operation update

Hi guys

I've bought some gadgets and with some patience and a little tinkering around we've deduced the following:

() there is a spark at each spark plug.
() it's a 901 engine therefore 8:01 compression.
() it's firing order is 1-3-4-2 confirmed twice
() it's compression in each cylinder is: 1 = 145 (should be 160)
2 = 145 (should be 160)
3 = 160
4 = 160
() disconnected the feed into the carb and cranked engine - NO FUEL APPEARING AT ALL...NONE...NOT A DROP.
() Glass bowl at fuel pump full of white wine (I presume it's petrol -and I'm not prepared to taste it to find out!!! LOL

So, will the lower compression make the engine run lumpy? It was running lumpy before it stopped starting completely. I now know that it's not starting because there's fook all fuel getting into the carb.

A little oil was present on spark plug 2.

What does this mean then chaps: compression and piston rings are new territory to me. What's likely to happen in the future and is replacing piston rings "easy"?

I'll order a new fuel pump and take it from there.

Any advice any of you can give would be appreciated, as you can see I've been trying all your helpful hints so far and I've not got the diagnosis sorted.

Cheers

Hello chappies

Further invesigations and another attempt at a gravity feed saw my so called dodgy fuel pump work perfectly.

So we got her started but again she was lumpy.

So, I found the new condensor that came with the new dizzy, but the Low Tension wire wasn't long enough so we didn't use it. We made a new bit of wire to be the correct length and then she purred into life.

Perfect!

So, anyone any good with:
rain leakages?
sourcing cheap parabolics?
stiff steering?
poor brakes?
lousy heater?
and a Landy Owner who can't stop smiling???

good stuff!! glad you got it going.if you haven't already, try greasing the dozen or so joints in the steering,if shes been lying for a while it will go stiff.mind you,you need arms like popeye to steer these bastards anyway,lol.

Check that the steering relay unit in the front x-member has oil in it. If it runs dry it plays havoc with the steering. Oil in the steering box helps too!

rain leakages, stiff steering, poor brakes, lousy heater: That could almost be the definition of a series Land-Rover if you were being cruel!

ha-ha-hahahahah! Brilliant.

Many thanks for the tips and hints.



Ken

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