Drove my ‘69 T2 yesterday for a few hours, with stops and had no issues starting until I got home. Left the van for 2hrs and was going to pick up my daughter and the van won’t start. The engine turns over but won’t start. Any ideas of the cause and ways to remedy? Complete novice with no engineering clue so please be basic.
Probably the wrong time to ask as it seems most of the mech gurus are at tech enders. 1, Fuel? Could you have run out? 2, Electrics, can you see any loose wires. Check the ones to the coil and distributor. Make sure they are all pushed on and secure. Hopefully it will be something simple, if not you may have to start looking deeper. Keep us informed.
Foot to the floor on the throttle once the up, try again? You gotta remember these aren’t like new cars, you need to learn there idiosyncrasies
Basics first. What engine is it? What’s the voltage on the battery? Do you have fuel? Do you have a dizzy with points or electronic ignition? Do you have a spark? Do you have carbs or EI ? Have you checked something hasn’t come loose, like an earth cable or HT lead?
If it has points in the distributor then they may need adjustment or replacing. And then adjust the timing.
Well he started this evening but only for 3mins, fortunately I hadn’t planned to go too far. There appears to have been a cable loose but now I have no ideas
Three minutes is also sort of time for the choke to start closing the throttle, bringing the engine onto running on the idle circuit through the carburettor, which is air flow past the two screws (idle speed and mixture) and this is shut off by the solenoid on the left hand side of the carburettor. At which point, there may be a shut off idle circuit if the wire has fallen off the solenoid to the left of the carburettor. The solenoid should click as you turn on the ignition when its working or if you pull the wire off and put it back with the ignition switched on.
The issue was/is the condenser and points. There is the spark but it’s just not getting through. I’ve been advised to upgrade to a electronic ignition. Thoughts?
Here’s my thoughts. Points and condenser aren’t expensive or difficult to change. If it were me I’d change them first. Just to make sure that really is the problem. Otherwise you could stick an electronic ignition in, then it still doesn’t work and you disappear up your own backside by convincing yourself it’s now a faulty brand new electronic ignition when the fault always was elsewhere. If you get it running on new points and condenser then happy days you can the fit electronics. Then if it doesn’t work it genuinely is the faulty new component. Engineers brain at work ......... been caught out too many times.
Even better ... That's how I found out about it .... It was started by an engineer in the US in the 1890's
I can’t. I’ve got a gentleman’s agreement with Barry Haynes and snotty not to poach any of their business. To be fair those guys spent a fortune on their ‘special interest outfits’
