Triumph Repair: Spitfire mk3 will not start, mechanical advance, static timing

Question
Hi Jim
   Similar to the question from Gavin. My 1964 mk3 spit has been stood some considerable time and when last ran it was rough to say the least. It will not now start, I've drained and replaced the fuel, checked plugs contacts and their gaps all good. I've attempted to set the static timing as I've had issues in the past with play on the delco distributor (I will be renewing eventually)and I think I'm at least in the ball-park. I've used some starting ether and it fires initially then dies within seconds never to start again. Can you help?

regards
Paul

Answer
Paul,

Couple of thoughts... I had a similar problem with my '73 1500 in that it'd start ok, rev up ok... then die and not refire.

The issue in my case was that the mechanical advance weights in the distributor were gummed up and when I revved the engine they'd stick at full advance.  

If I let the car cool down for a couple of hours (or days) then it'd do the same thing all over again.

Otherwise verify that you're still getting good spark after the initial run.... it's also possible that there's an electrical connection that's getting broken when the system heats up.  It's not common but I've heard of people having that problem with an old coil.

While you're checking things... pop the float covers off the carbs and verify you're getting fuel from the tank.  Take care as the carbs are right on top of the exhaust manifold......  


Cheers,

Jim