QuestionQUESTION: Please, I am trying to get my wife's 1966 mgb going after sitting idle for three years. I have replaced the fuel pump and purchased new coil and spark plus and wires. Now the problem is getting the wires plugged into the distributor cap in the right order. So, what is the correct placement for wire one? Any help in this will be greatly appreciated. I can get it started but the engine backfires and throws flames out the carbs.. Maybe this is to attract boys. No, probably not. Thanks for any ideas.
ANSWER: Hi Rob. Imagine that the distributor cap is a clock. Looking from above the engine, the wire to #1 plug is usually at about 8 o'clock. The firing order is 1,3,4,2 but the rotor arm goes round ANTIclockwise, so #3 is at about 5 o'clock, #4 at 2 o'clock and #2 at 11 o'clock.
The distributor can be inserted wrongly, so if this doesn't work get back to me and I will give you a more comprehensive answer.
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QUESTION: I did have the leads on incorrectly. Thank you for your advice. As you can see from the first question my wife wrote it. When the leads were on incorrectly the car started (with help from a pressure pack can of starter)but backfired and had no power whatsoever. Now that the leads are on correctly, the backfiring has stopped but the car still will not start. I took a separate plug and attached each plug wire in turn and lay it on the motor, turned the engine over and each cylinder gave a spark across the gap and also to the motor. I then decided to change the points and the condenser. This still made no difference.
When I turn the key the motor turns over, does NOT fire and spurts of gas come out the carby's. (Have got the air filters off at present.) Did give a couple of splurts (popping sounds) out of the exhaust.
A little more background. The car has sat idle for about 2 years. When I started this exercise to get it going again this time, I put on new leads, a new coil, new battery, new plugs, it has a new fuel pump and new fuel filter. So with new points and a new condenser, I'm running out of things to replace :) Can you please make any suggestions on how I can diagnose what is wrong. Prior to it sitting idol it ran fine.
AnswerHi Rob. You have now got the wires fitted into the distributor in the correct sequence, but they may not correspond to the timing of the engine. Typically, they could all be 90 degrees out. Put the car in top gear and push it forward until the timing mark lines up with the crankshaft pulley. That will give you Top Dead Centre(TDC). The rotor arm inside the distributor should now be lined up with either #1 or #4 plug. If not, you are 90 degrees out.
If so, I would try moving all the wires 90 degrees to the right, then see if it starts. If not, try 90 degrees to the left. If you can, just re-locate the wires on the plugs, but usually, some of the wires are not long enough to stretch to the next spark plug, so just move them all round on the distributor cap.
By the way, if the rotor arm lines up with #1 or #4 then you are probably 180 degrees out, so swap #1 with #4, and swap #2 with #3.
