Van wouldn't start from starter, didn't want to bump start either. Eventually bumped with great difficulty, ran it for a bit (5 miles) and it wasn't running overly smooth, turned it off, won't start again, starter tried/whirred then nothing, checked the battery which is fine, tried connecting the bump pack, again nothing, Any ideas? Starters been on less than 12 months and wirings all new
When you put the starter in, did you replace the bush that goes into the housing? Could be worn/split and just spinning perhaps. Maybe get the starter out and check that first? Was there any whistling/sucking coming from the engine bay when it was running? Could be vacuum if it’s running rubbish.
Have you got a decent earth? Do you have a spark on each plug? if you’ve got a spark, do you have fuel? is it electronic ignition? If not have you checked the dizzy rotor?
Apply a logical fault finding approach and then you should be able to narrow down the issue rather than a scatter gun approach. for instance. Start with ignition first. Check the battery, not just it’s standing charge, but the charge it’s delivering under load. If that’s ok, check the rotor, are the contacts ok? If that’s ok check to see if you have a spark at each plug, etc etc. If you eliminate spark issues, move on to fuel delivery issues, have you got a blocked filter?, a faulty fuel pump etc etc. if you’ve got fuel and you’ve got a spark you can move onto vacuum leaks or timing etc but you need to check the basics first before looking at oddball stuff. Is your fuel stale? a doctor said to me once “common things happen commonly” a
When you turn the ignition on do the oil and charging warnings lights work? What happens to the warning lights when you turn the key to start? How old is the fuel? What do you mean by ‘starter tried/whirred then nothing’? Did the starter motor crank the engine, then stop or did the engine fail to start? What engine do you have, type 1 or 4? Do you have carbs or fuel injection? Is the fuel pump mechanical or electric? Do you have points or electronic ignition?
This ^^^ Check the basic connections first , i had similar problem - coil spade had worked loose then popped off ..... Simple fix but it`s all a process of elimination .
I'm pretty much the same.... I had this problem in France. ...a french man even towed me along to try to start it. It was the battery!
First thing I would do is switch the headlights on are they bright I had the same and it was the battery
This is why I said check the battery under load with a multimeter and not just a standing charge. My transit wouldn’t start a couple of winters ago. A quick check with the multimeter showed just over 12v with no load, but as soon as you turned over the starter it dropped to about 9v I think. So no chance of starting with that. New battery, problem disappeared.
This sounds like points closing up.: Once it runs it runs but it wont start easily. And it gets worse and worse gradually..
It’s almost certainly a new engine. Snotty is currently selling off cheap ones made from components he’s found over his fence. Might be worth a PM. Some are quite interesting builds. His type 1 with fuel injection controlled by a zx spectrum is a masterpiece.
