My new car!!!!!!!!!

[s-type]

Just starting to take stock of what i have spent £800 on. Well its rusty.. it leaks like a sieve and needs to go in the garage to dry out, so i hope that Cortina sells on ebay with no issues... (SEARCH 1972 Cortina MK2 GXL -its the red one... at £700 at the moment)

Anyway back to the Hearse....

This feels like the Jag all over again. So there are two petrol tanks, the tanks appear to be blocked because i got a fuel pump working and pumped from a jerry can up to the carbs. Woohoo! good news, then the float chambers where knackered(so it sprayed petrol out of the over flows), so luckily i had some spares, replaced them and its all good.

So we have fuel to the carbs!

But we don't have a spark, so I have changed the coil (to one that works fine on the Jag), i have swapped the points to an electronic set. But here is the interesting bit... (Dizzy is a 45D6 for the record)
I have 12v to the coil, when the ignition is on. and if i put the multi meter to ground i get 12v (from the 12+ on the coil), all good. But then if i put the multimeter read lead 12v on the coil, then the black to the wire that goes to the terminal on the minus i get sweet FA.

So does that mean the wire that goes back from the coil - is knackered? Does it just go to ground, i assume not as it goes in to the loom!

I get no spark on the HT side at all, even a spark plug in the coil. Naaada. (using fresh lead and plug)

Oh its blocking the Cortina in, so i need to get it moved (started) in 6 days for when it collected!!!

If anyone has any bright ideas I am all ears. This should be an easy one, i think its my lack of experience killing me here!

[suffolkpete]

Is it positive or negative earth? Assuming it's negative, the + terminal should show 12V all the time the ignition is on. Connect the red lead of the meter to the negative terminal and the black to earth. It should show 12V when the points are open and zero when they are closed. If it is 12V all the time then the fault is in the points or the connection to them. If it shows zero all the time, disconnect the lead from the negative terminal, if it now shows 12V then the points are permanently earthed. If it still shows zero, then the coil is faulty.

[s-type]

Is it positive or negative earth?
Neg.
Assuming it's negative, the + terminal should show 12V all the time the ignition is on.
It does
Connect the red lead of the meter to the negative terminal and the black to earth. It should show 12V when the points are open and zero when they are closed.
I have just fitted hall effect points (contactless points), so i cant tell if they are open or not, if i crank it over on the starter and use a bub to test this should it flash?

If it is 12V all the time then the fault is in the points or the connection to them. If it shows zero all the time, disconnect the lead from the negative terminal, if it now shows 12V then the points are permanently earthed.
OK

If it still shows zero, then the coil is faulty.
I know coil is good because i ran it on my other car 2 minutes before.

Thanks, this is such a stupid one.

[s-type]

It is true i am an idiot.



I have put the black wire here to ground (on the car body). NOT ground (-) on the coil. I suspect thats the issue?

Oh god i hope it sparks if i move that.

[TerryG]

You could have blown the electronic ignition unit if you have it connected round the wrong way. Worth a check though, you could me lucky. (I had the coil wired the wrong way round that i only noticed when i connected the new ignition unit)

[s-type]

You could have blown the electronic ignition unit if you have it connected round the wrong way. Worth a check though, you could me lucky. (I had the coil wired the wrong way round that i only noticed when i connected the new ignition unit)

Naah, I checked and there is no doubt that the red is going the plus (and the feed that puts 12v on the multi meter from the ignition). Im not that stupid!!!! There is no way i have put the black to the live.

However, what i did do incorrectly was earth (to the body work) the side that should go to the - (minus) side of the coil. As the above diagram shows thats probabily why it dont work!

Oh god the hearse of infinate doom could be running tonight!!!!!

[TerryG]

Did you get yourself a severed arm for the coffin?

[s-type]

Did you get yourself a severed arm for the coffin?

Search Ebay for "Real Coffin", its up for sale.

[TerryG]

Spoil sport!

[JPB]

Phew. Fortunately, I read of the change of plan just before I'd managed to get the hacksaw blade all the way through the left arm of that hitch hiker I picked up earlier.
Best I get the Araldite out before he wakes up then.....