I think she might be dead...

[TURTCEL]

Plug wires in correct order? If they are crossed it will act like this too.

Peace

[dlb]

turtcel has a good point above. double check to make sure the plug wires are connected in the correct order.

yup, your timing belt is correctly aligned. no problem there.

your vac advance is badly damaged and appears stuck. it's impossible to tell if it's stuck in the relaxed or advanced position though so i would not put it back on the dizzy. leave it off and plug the hose that used to go to it. for its mounting hole in the dizzy, you can use a screw or bolt with the correct thread to plug it, or just leave it open. it will be fine as long as you are not doing a lot of dirty or dusty driving. *edit* as pointed out later this thread, this is actually a dumb idea and i shouldn't have suggested it. don't do it. put the advance unit back in place but disconnect and plug the hose that goes to it. *end edit*

i couldn't see if your rotor had counter clockwise spring-loaded play or not. get a closer shot of it and test it slowly: try turning the rotor counter clockwise and then release it. the tip of the rotor should move maybe 5 mm when you turn it, and then it should snap back to its resting position when you release it.

next, to check for spark, you need to wear some heavy gloves, remove each plug wire, and hold the end of each one a few mm from a clean spot on the valve cover. have someone crank the engine while you watch for spark between the end of the wire and valve cover. each wire should emit a strong and regularly-occurring blue arc. if not, the problem is still in the dizzy or spark plug wires. if the sparks are all good, move on to checking the fuel system.

for a quick fuel system check, spray a small amount of starting fluid down the throat of the carb and try starting it. if it fires briefly and then dies, the problem is in the fuel supply and you will need to check the filter (which is cheap and easy), the pump, and possibly disconnect and blow out the fuel line with compressed air (sounds like a bigger job than it is).

that's my two cents. keep going and let us know how things shape up.

[larry mcgrath]

This engine is out of time..... this is a dizzy that has a set of ignition POINTS (this is not an electronic ignition like we have in the USA) the points are secured to the same plate that the vac advance is secured to. these points open and close by a cam that has 4 lobes on the dizzy shaft remove thr rotor and the plastic cover and you will see the points and the condenser( condenser cilinder shaped 1 inch long ) the points are the contacks that open and close the primary side of the ignition circut. when the points open this fires that cylinder that the rotor is pointed to. when you turn the diz shaft you will see the points open -close ,the point gap --distance between the contacks of the points should be .016 thousands-- ----turn the shaft so the cam under the roter is at its highest point (points will be in the most open spot ---.016 thousands. The points must be clean with NO rough spots on the face of the contact surfaces, the little rubbing block that contacks the cam should be in good condition.---- I will try to explane how to time this engine properly (I'm not a tiper ) hold your thumb over # 1 cyl while some one turns the engine over with the key you will feel the piston comming up on compression this is when the timing marks will be lined up on TDC ,this will take several tryes to get right. Realze that the piston cam be allthe way up and be on the exhaust stroke and not compression stroke. Here we go Set the timing mark to 10 degres before TDC instal the dizzy with the roter pointed in the direction of # 1 plug wire ,hook up the wires to the dizzy turn on the ignition----insert a philips screw driver in #1 plug wire and set it so when the dizzy is turned and the points open the #1 plug will fire -----this will be 10 degeese BTDC---I hope I didnt loose you. just a questain you do have fuel when you pump the throtle you see down the throte of the carbreator you see gass comming from the accelerator pump nozzle -------------- your video was great -- The problem is the points and getting this properly timed -- from the sounds of the video its to far advenced... what part of Australia do you live in , my son lives in Perth dont bother to pull the valve cover there is nothing to gain by dooing this Larry.

[larry mcgrath]

You can clean the points with a FINE file or sand paper NOT emery cloth. if the points are burnt at all they should be replaced , you will see that thepoint gap is set by loosning the screws that that hold them to the plate they are attached to AS the rubbing block that contacks the cam thatis under the rotor on the dizzy the point gap will change---- this will change the ignition timing. Point gap should be set every 20-30,000 miles. I havent looked at the FSM but I dont think it covers dizzys with a point dizzy like you have .

[TURTCEL]

Good POINT Larry (no pun intended). If the points are closed or burned thaen you will get no spark.

Peace

[Petros]

put a small amount of grease on the points rubbing block (after cleaning it first), these tend to wear and that will also change the gap and affect the timing as well. the timing should be set AFTER you make any changes/adjustments to the points.

[gmeddy]

Thanks for the replies everyone, I've been out all day so haven't yet had a chance to do a few more checks.
But the thing I have not yet done is pull a plug wire while getting someone else to turn it over and check for spark.
Also while I had it all torn down and set at the timing marks of TDC with the belt cover off like in the vid, I forgot to check if that is where I actually got spark at No. 1...
So I'll check that too...

A mechanically minded friends told me that I may have still been a 360 degree turn away from correct timing... could that be correct? He had not seen the video.

thanks again, I will post more details, maybe another quicker vid on the condition of carby and points and plugs and leads and all that soon...

[gmeddy]

New vid done uploading...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25_59aM_8zw

[TURTCEL]

Congrats on getting the Terc running gmeddy.

A few things though. Your spark plugs a shot...they need to be replaced, prob one of the reasons for poor spark. They are carbon fouled and the center eletrode is rounded and worn...get new ones.

You are also supposed to initialy set your timing to zero when you install the dizzy and the advance it to 10 degrees BTDC while the vacuum advance hose is disconnected and pluggged. You also need to get a new vacuum advance still, it is not allowing the dizzy to move freely enough inside. The points breaker plate is still being hindered by it.

Idle seems a little high...should be around 800 RPM's when warm.

Not sure that jetting is your prob necessarily but it is possible that the jets are too large causing too rich of a mixture which is adding to the carbon on the plugs. Check out Weber's web site and call their tech service line. They can let you know what jets are offered that will be best for your altittude and driving conditions. If you did not put the carb on or you just bolted it on then yes, the jets could be incorrect for your application but would not cause the starting issue or rough running like it is.

Still seems like a timing issue. You really should get a timing light and a tachometer so you can fine adjust everything.

Looks like you are on the right path.

Peace

[larry mcgrath]

Good job..... first off the little block is ment to lub the dizzy cam surface and the rubbing block on the points --- the bear copper wire is the earth --or ground -- for the points ---- you need to replace the spark plugs ,they have seen better days -- the new plugs need to be gapped at .032 thousands (that is just a guess) plug gap with a HEI like in the states is .043 which is to wide a gap for a point style ignition .Pull the plugs and gap them to .032 this WILL make this run a lot better I wouldnt play with the carb yet until you replace the vacume advance canister , the centrifical advance is working fine -rotor turns fine and you can see the springs moving ok ------THE POINTS NEED TO BE CLEAN--- CLEAN-- from the video they are not .This still is not in time get a timing light and set it properly. You've learned the cardnal mistake of new mechanics by not having the piston up on the compression stroke ,piston was up on TDC on exhaust stroke,thus 360 drg out of time. Great video I wish every one seeking help on their cars were able to post such a clear video of their problem mekes helping a whole lot easier. One of the reasons the plugs are black is you have been cranking on this, trying to get it to start which carbon fouls the plugs (black in color ) rev the engine up to around 3,000 rpm and hold it there for several minutes this will clean some of the unburnt fuel from the cylinders. Like I said a new set of plugs gapped at .032 and engine timed at 10 degrese BTDC will solve 90 percent of the problem even with out the vac advance . I'de remove the vac advance put tape over the hole and cap the line,till you can come up with a new one. keep us posted. larry.

[TURTCEL]

gmeddy, in your vid it shows the advance uint being locked up and not able to move. You also said that if you remove the advance then the points have nothing to tension on to. I think this is because the advance arm is jammed in an odd position. Even with out the advance unit in the points should still open and close.

The advance only move your breaker plate during acceleration when the vacuum is greater and causing advance but since yours is damaged, get it out of there.

Peace

[gmeddy]

ok thanks guys,
glad you liked the vid,
i just went down to the store and got all new Bosch plugs and leads, and I had a spare set of new points in the back of the car i discovered, so thats all fitted now, but it still runs rough and shaky as before, with the big lack of power i was experiencing before the big drama arose with the timing.

I can pull the vac advance canister out no problems, but I'm still having a slight hard time understanding how the points will remain in a solid position if I do that.
The points are screwed the the breaker plate, and the only thing holding the breaker plate from spinning round in circles, as far as i can see, is the vac advance connection.
Once that is pulled off the points and breaker plate can move around a lot.

Monday, I will go down to some wrecking yards and find a Tercel or a Corolla with a dizzy I can take, and maybe have a look for a good condition alternator too.

Any comments on the voltage read on my stuff? Did you see it jumping all over the place?
What is the best way to diagnose the problem with all that?

Most people would just take it to a mechanic who will just throw the alternator away and put in a new one, and then one thing more at a time until the charge comes back, and then I have to sell a kidney to pay the man. Up here in the Top End anyway, maybe down south they will take smaller organs as payment...

thanks again.

[TURTCEL]

If the breaker plate spins because the advance is out the I would wait till I got another advance unit for the dizzy. It is still possible that the dizzy is off a tooth so double check that again.

Have you started the car and got it running the best you could and pulled off each plug wire one at a time to see if there is a possible dead hole? When you pull a plug wire off you should notice the engine run rougher and then when wire is put back on it should smooth back out. I would consider doing a compression test on the car to see what you are dealing with there.

I could definitely hear valve noise in your video too. Warm up the car and then perform a valve adjustment to see if that helps. Valves needing to be adjusted usually won't cause the car not to run but if they are way out they can definitely make similar symptoms in runnability. I would check for vacuum leaks around the intake/exhaust gasket as well as a possible cracked manifold. Make sure all other vacuum ports are sealed and not leaking. Spray around the base of the carb too.

Another possible issue and I would hate to have it be this but it could be a broken camshaft or cam/dizzy gear. You would usually see damage on the dizzy gear when you pulled it out but the internal gear on the back of the cam could have an issue. Very unlikely though.

You said your brother had been driving while you were gone and now it is running like this. Is there something he isn't telling you?

Has it overheated...ever?

Is your alternator internally or externally regulated?

Peace

[larry mcgrath]

Sorry about the bad advice about removing the vacume canister,like you said ,then the breaker plate just floats around. Did you re-gap the plugs to .032 ? You still need to put a timing lite on this -----the timing is'nt set right. theirs is nothing wrong with the cam staft if it was broke the dizzy shaft wouldn't be turning.Larry

[TURTCEL]

I don't mean that the cam gear would be totally broken off...obviously causing the dizzy not to move at all, but possibly damaged teeth on the gear. Very unlikely, but figured any possible issue is nice to look into if options start running out.

Peace