Non starting 2a

Looking for some pointers.
We’ve owned our first series Landy for 3 weeks and it’s been great getting to know it. Last weekend, parked it up and removed the rotor arm as an immobiliser.
Put it back in today, won’t start. Plenty of life in battery. Digging about in distributor, I found a slightly damaged/bared wire coming from the insulated plug which sits between the cap and the body. Also inside, I found an inch of green wire which is mounted to lip of body by a screw put end of it is not attached to anything.
Puzzled as the car has been running great up until I interfered!
Any pointers, tips, gratefully accepted.

Wheresthefinesse said:

Looking for some pointers.
We’ve owned our first series Landy for 3 weeks and it’s been great getting to know it. Last weekend, parked it up and removed the rotor arm as an immobiliser.
Put it back in today, won’t start. Plenty of life in battery. Digging about in distributor, I found a slightly damaged/bared wire coming from the insulated plug which sits between the cap and the body. Also inside, I found an inch of green wire which is mounted to lip of body by a screw put end of it is not attached to anything.
Puzzled as the car has been running great up until I interfered!
Any pointers, tips, gratefully accepted.

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Wondering if it is the wire that goes to the capacitor, or the points.

A pic of the distributor, with the cap removed, would be most helpful.

This image shows the damaged wire. The green wire was attached to the screw with the blue connector.

Wheresthefinesse said:

View attachment 146739

This image shows the damaged wire. The green wire was attached to the screw with the blue connector.

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The damage on the wire doesn't look bad enough to prevent starting, but I would replace it. The green wire needs to be re attached in the blue connector, from the look of it. And I would replace the distributor arm and cap as well, they are inexpensive.

Turboman.
I added the wire with blue connect thinking in was an earth. I’ve now removed that again. The green wire is only an inch long with a bare end, and was lying in the body of distributor just under the damaged red wire. The other end of it was attached to the screw.

Wheresthefinesse said:

Turboman.
I added the wire with blue connect thinking in was an earth. I’ve now removed that again. The green wire is only an inch long with a bare end, and was lying in the body of distributor just under the damaged red wire. The other end of it was attached to the screw.

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Sorry, misunderstood that, I thought the two wires once went to the screw. Have you tried it without either wire? I think the distributor earths through the block.

Yes it only needs one wire. The red/black one looks wrong, is it an earth or a home made immobiliser?

Get a diesel

I’d replace the lot for the sake of 30 quid.

I’ve just ordered a full hydraulic set coz mi clutch feels a bit iffy. It’s just not worth messing with for the money.

X1 replacement parts. Cost all of £15 or so to replace the points, condenser, rotor arm and a few quid more for a new dizzy cap. The wire coming into the body where the cap locates doesn’t look right, there’s some kind of bodged arrangement.

John S said:

X1 replacement parts. Cost all of £15 or so to replace the points, condenser, rotor arm and a few quid more for a new dizzy cap. The wire coming into the body where the cap locates doesn’t look right, there’s some kind of bodged arrangement.

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He said earlier he attached that himself, and I suggested he remove it.
Agree about the all new bits, that rotor arm looks tired.

Forget about the thin red wire under the screw at the side, I don't know what that is but it's not an original fitment and is not necessary. The live feed into the distributor goes through the plastic connector and to the points as does the wire from the condenser. Both of these wires have an eye connector. They both go under a plastic 'top-hat' insulator under the little nut. The idea being that those two wires should connect to the spring on the points. They should not be allowed to touch to earth.
Now: switch on the ignition and with the points being closed flick the points open with your finger, they should spark. If they don't you have no power getting to the points or you have wired the points incorrectly, (that top-hat connector?) If the points do spark, good... Now turn the engine by hand until the heel of the points is on the high point of the shaft and the points should be open. If the points aren't open, adjust them so that they are. 15 thou.

Make sure that there is a carbon brush inside the distributor cap and that it is making contact with the rotor arm.

Turn the engine again until the points are closed, hold the distributor cap upside down and place the rotor arm inside the cap so that the carbon brush is in contact with the centre of the arm and the tip of the arm is adjacent to any one of the pick-up points in the cap. You can hold this all in one hand, with your index finger holding the rotor arm in position. With ignition switched on, flick the points again and you should see a high tension spark jump the gap between rotor arm and pick-up point on the cap. If you do all the above successfully, your engine should now start.

PS: there should also be a little earth wire connecting the points baseplate to the body of the distributor, this is essential and you should make sure it is present and also in sound condition.

Edit: I've been thinking about this and I think that it is the baseplate to distributor body earth wire that is missing. I reckon that the green wire you spoke of has been fitted as the earth wire and has come adrift from under that screw. You really want to get the proper earth wire as it is a very thin and flexible wire which allows for the movement of the baseplate. However, a temporary earth wire will serve for the time being.

Great advice and greatfully received. I had a little dig there just now. The green wire was attached to the screw and lying on the baseplate attached to nothing.
I’m definitely not getting a spark at the points.
Ive got 11volts going into the coil. But nothing coming out via the small grey wire to the side of the distributor.
I’m thinking points.

Wheresthefinesse said:

Great advice and greatfully received. I had a little dig there just now. The green wire was attached to the screw and lying on the baseplate attached to nothing.
I’m definitely not getting a spark at the points.
Ive got 11volts going into the coil. But nothing coming out via the small grey wire to the side of the distributor.
I’m thinking points.

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No, not points. I think you need to earth the baseplate, a wire from somewhere on the baseplate to the cross-head screw in the distributor body. try trapping the other end of your earth wire under the points just as a temporary measure. As long as the other wires are correctly seated under the top-hat insulator and there is another top-hat insulator beneath the spring as well it should work. There should be a proper earth lead, a little brown wire but I can't see one in your picture and the green wire must have been doing duty but has become detached.
Certainly there should be 12 volts going to the distributor from the ignition coil. If you've only got 11 volts going to the coil, there must be something wrong, maybe a flat battery? Just to add to your problems...
Sort the coil out, it might be open circuit inside...?

Thought about this some more... You obviously have a volt meter. Drop this across the battery terminals; you should have, with a fully charged battery, about 12.5 volts, if there is less, charge the thing. Now: there should be battery voltage coming out of the low tension side of the coil, (the lead that goes to the distributor) but only when the points are open, or you've pulled the lead off the distributor connection. With a ballast resistor system, the voltage should be about 6 volts. Easiest is to pull off the LT lead from the distributor and check the voltage then. If there is definitely no voltage and the lead is sound you probably have open circuit on the primary windings and need a new coil. I still think your problem is a missing earth lead to the baseplate...

If you stick a plug lead in the coil and stick a spare plug in it resting on some bare metal then stroke the lead to the distributior to ground you should see a spark. If you do and the points are opening and closing when the engine turns over then odds on its the earth to the points (so lonf as the rotor arm and dizzy cap are ok.

Hi all.
I’ve replaced the small earth from the base plate to the edge of distributor. Still no spark. Tried holding the rotor arm in cap. Nothing.
Charged the battery last night, now 12.67 volts.
Two things I’ve noticed. Coil is very warm when trying to start and the distributor cap moves when turning the engine. Are these normal?

Across the coil terminals I’m getting a resistance of 3.6 ohms.

The cap shouldn't move. Have you taken that external wire away? I don't see how you can get the clip holding the cap on, properly home with that wire sticking out like that. Is there voltage at both low tension terminals of the coil? Remember, the points must be open or there won't be any voltage showing on the distributor side of the coil, or take the wire off and measure voltage then. Check that the points are clean so that they can 'make' properly.

External wire is gone and the original green wire earth is now in place .
The cap is definitely moving with the rotor arm. Rotor arm is down as far as it will go.
The red wire was pulled into that position to check for damage.
I’ll put coil back in and test the distributor side ( negative )

Is the cap not held down securely by the clips? You can bend them a bit to get them to hold the cap tighter. Otherwise I can't envisage what you mean by the cap moving. It can't be that the rotor arm is touching inside, it would likely smash the cap if it did. Connect the + side of the coil and test the voltage at the - side without connecting a wire to it. You should get the same voltage as is going in.