This week's Update

A regular reader has asked where this week's update is, so here goes ...

It's still in the garage and it's still fucked.

The great starting debacle pt 9

Cock. I think the Beast is dead. Thursday last, my old school mate Ben came round to try is hand at beast repair. Ben is a mechanic. Ben has been a mechanic for 20 years. Ben has got a big van with lots of big tools in it.

He tried the following: set the distributor via me turning the back wheel; tested electric currents in various wires; took out spark plus and sniffed them; tested sparks; sprayed fuel directly into the plug holes; sprayed fuel directly into the carbs; undid fuel pipes to check that fuel was being pumped; checked sparks; removed the rocker covers.

Cock. He was there for 2½ hours. He left with my SD1 manual, confused and a little miffed ... his professional pride dented by the Beast! I think it is terminal. Don't think that selling the V70 would be a good idea!

The Resprayerman

Martin The Resprayer man has got in touch. See Blue, green and a little black. Have a butchers at his site for the pictures. Don't suppose you do engines do you Martin?!

The great starting debacle pt 8

Even Lionel and his electric brain couldn't get it going this weekend. My borrowed spare box thing make chuff all difference. I don't even have a chuffin' spark now. Unfortunately for him, Ed happened to pop round. He tried to bypass the box straight to the coil. That didn't chuffin' work either. The rabbity wires are still rabbited. The coil might be chuffed. The box thing might be chuffed. The dizzy might be chuffed. And to top it all, the chuffin' sun has been out all chuffin' week. I should have purchased one of these...

Oryctolagus Cuniculus

Or to give it it's more common name: rabbit. We have one. He is quite sweet actually. Unfortunately he lives in the garden. More unfortunately the bastard thing eats everything in its path - a plague of locusts could not devour more. Unfortunately, dear Freddy has managed to get into the garage. And because he hates me, dear Freddy has decided, for reasons known only unto himself, to eat through the ensemble of wires hanging down from the replaced NSF headlight/fog light/indicators. I have a big enough pot. My life's work is now to catch it.

A letter from America

Well more a forum entry actually from Tom in the USA via the great www.triumphtr7.com. This is going to be the first port of call on the weekend. I am almost exited!

hi steve, here is how to check the ign power circuit.
part 1: you will find a solid white wire on the ballast resistor and also a white/yellow wire. check to see that the white wire has power at all times the key is on. the white/yellow wire will show some voltage, but less than battery volts in run. when in start, the white/yellow wire should have full battery volts to improve the spark for starting. this wire comes from the starter solenoid.

Part 2: if all this is happening, check at the coil + terminal for voltage with the key on and for higher voltage when cranking.

if part 1 is ok and part 2 is not, you have a fault in the resistor pack, if part 1 is ok as well as part 2, the symptoms you describe usually indicate a bad module in the distributor.

this applies to all factory tr8, with original dist and resistor pack.

Note to Fil: if you could pick the brains of the Lucas God that would be handy! I am getting a spark on one of the plugs when I turn the key. As soon as the key is in the "rest" position, bye bye spark. I am led to believe that it could be the ballast resistor, the distributor or the coil. The above forum posting may point to the problem. I now have a spare ballast resistor to check, but if your Dad has any further ideas, please let me know!

Which Ignition?

After asking on a forum, is it the electronic ignition or the ignition? Answers on a postcard please.

"It sounds like you are getting ignition power when the key is in the 'start' position, but not the 'run' position. I'd look towards the ignition switch."