Small Axe Racing: Big Healey, BMW E21 & '67 F350

By solid core I did mean to include any kind of copper conductor.  Maybe try some conventional carbon core wires. 

In reply to NOHOME :

Hm, OK. I'll add that to my list should I not find the problem elsewhere.

Are you using a side entry cap?  If so, carbon core wire is a no go.  Top entry caps not a problem with carbon core.  In regards to the resistor ends, try NKG ones if you need to have the resistor end.    

Other than that, as stated check over all ignition components.  Check the ignition rotor, check the contacts under the cap (the spring loaded center contact can sometimes be an issue), check to see if the points plate in the distributor isn't rocking (there are nylon pads on the underside that wear).  It should be something really simple, Healey engine aren't the most sophisticated engines out there.

In reply to RoddyMac17 :

Side entry - yes. They weren't resistor ends before so I can't imagine I need them now.

Thanks for the tips. 

OK. I finally had some time yesterday to get over to the Healey. I 100% have not been procrastinating - the last two weeks have essentially been all of my free time (and even some time during the work day to be honest) getting our house prepped to sell. 

First thing I noticed was that it was leaking out of the #5 cylinder spark plug hole. It was a bit loose.

My troubleshooting and results were as follows.

1. Pulled the plugs - all were very sooty, two were wet with what smelled most like fuel. There's Stabil in this gas. These plugs were brand new when I put them in. I cleaned them as best I could and put them back in. No change.
2. Checked for spark across the points with the ignition on. It is always blue and I could hear it some of the time. I'm honestly not sure how bright or big the spark should be. I really need to check while cranking...he thinks while typing. I'm not sure how to though since I'm always working on it alone...   I gave them a quick sand with some grip tape I had laying around even though I know this isn't technically the right way. No change. 
3. I whipped up a new ground wire that goes between the condenser and the distributor. It seemed to start better after that but then went back to running poorly. 
4. Pulled the plugs - all were fouled. #1 - slightly sooty, #2 - sooty, #3 - wet and sooty, #4 - sooty, #5 - sooty, #6 - wet and sooty. 
5. The old plugs were perfectly clean so I threw them back in. Fired right up, ran really smooth, revved freely and then after 30 second was right back to running like crap. I haven't pulled them back out but I have to assume they're all fouled.

To me (clearly not an expert) this says I either have bad or at least inconsistent spark. I think the perfectly clean plugs allowed it to run well for that small period of time but once they started to foul, the weak spark wasn't enough again. 

Some more findings - this is definitely a BJ8 engine (29K / RU 7H 6631) but I've now learned it's a BJ7 distributor, 406620, which would explain why the BJ8 cap I ordered didn't fit. It ran great before we tore it apart so I know it'll work but I mean, if there was ever a bastard of a car, it's this. 

I have not dug into the distributor to check the springs - maybe one of them broke? There also seems to be a good bit of rotational movement in the shaft before it would spin but I really don't have a good idea of how much is to be expected. I'd expect that the distributor is worn, but it's certainly not any more worn than it was when it was last running and it ran awesome then. 

What do you guys think?

Do you have a spare condenser to try.  I've never had one go bad, but my Dad always checked that first because it was easy and they can be flaky.  Coils can similarly come and go as they heat up.

Distributor wear causes the timing to jump around.  Put a timing light on it and see what it does at idle.

In reply to JoeTR6 (Forum Supporter) :

I don't think I have a spare one but I'll take a look. I think I chucked the one that was in there. This process is teaching me that a bad condenser isn't always just an off switch which I always thought it was. 

No timing light, unfortunately but I am planning to tear into the distributor this afternoon and check the springs. Bad springs would definitely affect timing. 

I just keep coming back to the fact that really clean plugs essentially got rid of the issue which means it's probably not jumping around timing, the condenser, etc... But who knows. 

In reply to NOHOME :

Air tool oil, 20w50 (per John Twist), shock oil, whatever is runny.

Some troubleshooting yesterday.

Coil - specced out fine at 3ohms across the low tension contacts

Points - seem to have good, consistent spark while cranking

Carbs - I got sidetracked and pulled of the bowl tops. The front bowl had much less fuel in it than the rear. I re-set the levels, tried it again with no change.

I then realized that the fuel pump was seemingly not holding pressure, clicking every 2 seconds or less. It occurred to me that, holy E36 M3, maybe the damn fuel gauge isn't working and it's just out of gas. Rushed to the gas station, got 4 gallons of fresh fuel, threw it in and...

No change.

Maybe it's because the plugs are fouled. The saga continues. Hopefully I can get over there this evening and do some more poking although I'm not sure it's worth the time without a new set of plugs at the very least. 

New condensers of any brand are now frequently bad out of the box. Now meaning in the last 10 years or so. Your symptom is a most common condenser symptom.

In reply to TurnerX19 :

Maybe I'll try to track one down locally. I just shot out during lunch and picked up some BP6ES... no one had the 5's today. Maybe someone has a condenser. Are there brands that are more reliable recently that I can try for?

Well, it was the condenser but maybe not the expected form of failure.

I decided to start my time at the shop tonight by testing the condenser. After getting very inconsistent readings, I realized I only got a reading when I stuck the probe in the connector crimp, contacting the actual wire. Low and behold, it was loose in the connector.

This whole time. All this work. A bad crimp.

Even with the nasty plugs that are in there, it warmed up and idled nicely and has a nice snappy throttle again.

Yayyyyyyyyyyy

Best advice to anyone going into the Brit car hobby is to be aware of the lack of quality in the parts.  The actual design of stuff is quite good, but OEM quality is long gone. 

That said. I myself have no  idea how you field trouble shoot a bad condenser.  Anyone?

Pete

In reply to NOHOME :

I didn't know either but I found THIS ARTICLE and although I was using a digital multimeter, it behaved essentially as described. 

I switched my carbed TR6 to a Pertronix Ignitor years ago, and it hasn't failed me yet.  But being solid state, the failure mode is to go up in smoke, or the magnets come unglued.  So I carry the points plate in my tool bag and can switch over in a pinch.  The condenser on that is 25 y.o., so maybe it's a keeper.  Rotors have been notoriously bad for several years as well.

This reduction in part quality has been one of my motivations for Megasquirting the new TR6.

In reply to JoeTR6 (Forum Supporter) :

My intent will be to also keep the points parts with me just in case. 

I spent most of my shop time this afternoon driving around to multiple parts stores and calling exhaust shops to see if I could find the bits and pieces I need to make the side exit tip for the Healey. I finally found a shop ~25 minutes away who confirmed they had a mandrel bender and could whip up what I needed real quick. Well, turns out they didn't have a mandrel bender but it'll do. At least it's not wrinkled. I'm hoping to have the exhaust wrapped up tomorrow. 

Although I do plan to go Pertronix, I ordered the good stuff from British Vacuum Unit as spares.

After a morning with my girls and dropping off a pressure washer for my brother-in-law, I got to the shop to knock out the exhaust. 

First step was trimming both the muffler and the tips.

I tacked them on and mocked it up. 

Next came fully welding and a support/alignment piece. As it seems to go, some of the welding I'm happy with, some of it I'm not. 

It went back on the car then and I marked off the slash cut.

Then was the start of the rear mount.

Once that was done (finished bracket in a couple pics), I mocked it up one more time. 

Then some VHT.

Somewhere in the middle, the girls came and my two-year-old played in the passenger seat while my wife helped me do another bleed on the Healey brakes.

By the time I finished the exhaust it was about 5:15 and I needed to get home but I had to start it at least once. I'm going to try to embed a video in a separate post.

Looks nice 

Last try...

Found some cool model year plates ending in AH! They should be here Saturday. 

Considering going to the license bureau today if the weather clears so I can wait outside and get this thing registered. 

Last night I ran it for a few minutes (started after like 1/8 of a crank), tested the brakes which at least exist after this second bleed, and got one of the headlights installed. 

Registered. Headlights in.

Radiator needs to go down for the hood to close. 

That pic is actually from a couple months ago before it started running like crap and I haven't been back to it. The radiator is all the way up for the hose to clear the crossmember and brake line but it's got to move down some. 

Congrats on the registration. You've put in a lot of work to get to this point.

I'm looking forward to hearing about your first driving impressions.

Well done 

In reply to Indy "Nub" Guy :

Amen.

Been fun following along. You did a great job of getting the body to look as good as it does. Love the color.

Looking forward to what you think of the cut-down glass after you have put a few miles on the car. first unexpected rainstorm should be a good story!

Pete