Timing causing starting problems

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caprikid61
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Timing causing starting problems

Post by caprikid61 »

Hi does anyone know what would cause my 2 litre laser to struggle to start in the morning ? Its like the starter is struggling to turn the engine over. I know the battery is fine and I seem to remember having this problem before when it turned out to be the timing , all I had to do was turn the dizzy a bit and she would turnover without any problems.

Going to have a look tomorrow after work , think I will try turning the dizzy again but not sure if I should advance or retard it as I cant work out why the timing being out would cause this problem ? . The other problem I have is that it always starts fine when its been running so I dont know until the next morning if I have sorted the problem, does anyone know why this can happen with the timing is it to far advanced or retarded??its a 2 litre pinto with electronic ignition and a Kent FR 32 camshaft . Cheers Alex
r2vdh
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Re: Timing causing starting problems

Post by r2vdh »

Dont mess with the timing yet. Clean the engine earths and give that a go. . Also check the battery voltage in the morning should be about 12.6v. 12 min if less then your battery could be out or you need more cold cranking amps might be Timing should be around 12deg BTDc poss abit more with the cam you are running. Did you up the compression on the head when the cam was fitted? If so you might need a high torque starter.
caprikid61
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Re: Timing causing starting problems

Post by caprikid61 »

r2vdh wrote:Dont mess with the timing yet. Clean the engine earths and give that a go. . Also check the battery voltage in the morning should be about 12.6v. 12 min if less then your battery could be out or you need more cold cranking amps might be Timing should be around 12deg BTDc poss abit more with the cam you are running. Did you up the compression on the head when the cam was fitted? If so you might need a high torque starter.
I didnt fit the cam it was on when I got the car , so dont know about the compression but thanks for the info . I will get the timing light out tomorrow after work and cheack the timing ! I get the feeling it might be needing retarded a bit as seem to rembmber the last time I had this problem I noticed that the car goes better with the timing well advance ie more power but I lose out because even with new battery she struggles to start (it does start but just ) . Will let you know how I get on .
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pbar
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Re: Timing causing starting problems

Post by pbar »

caprikid61 wrote:Hi does anyone know what would cause my 2 litre laser to struggle to start in the morning ? Its like the starter is struggling to turn the engine over. I know the battery is fine
These cold mornings really do affect battery performance. I certainly wouldn't rule it out, as soon as cold weather hits so many cars out there struggle to start and it's usually the battery, especially if nothing on the car has recently changed.
andyd
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Re: Timing causing starting problems

Post by andyd »

pbar wrote:
caprikid61 wrote:Hi does anyone know what would cause my 2 litre laser to struggle to start in the morning ? Its like the starter is struggling to turn the engine over. I know the battery is fine
These cold mornings really do affect battery performance. I certainly wouldn't rule it out, as soon as cold weather hits so many cars out there struggle to start and it's usually the battery, especially if nothing on the car has recently changed.
:agree:
Try giving the battery an overnight charge when possible, and disconnect the negative terminal when not in use to prevent any drain.
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Re: Timing causing starting problems

Post by Paul G »

As others have said, batteries do get lazy in the very cold weather we have been having and you should, as said, check all the electrical contacts and earths to and from the battery, the engine earth strap where it bolts onto the block and cleanliness of terminals on the starter motor.

Also check that the small headed bolts on the back of the starter are tight, I've seen many pinto's over the years where these have loosened causing very lazy starter motors.

The ignition timing needs strobing up to about 6 - 8 degrees BTDC for best chance starting. (Time with distributor vacuum pipe off and plugged with a screw )

I trust your plugs, leads and distributor cap are OK? Other things to think about is how old is your engine oil? Gloopy old oil hinders cranking and if it's not been changed I'd recommend trying that and using some 15/w40 during the cold weather.
caprikid61
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Re: Timing causing starting problems

Post by caprikid61 »

Thanks guys for all the info , I have solved the problem it was the timing that must have been out again I am now thinking that when I had the mot done last week the garage were mucking around with the engine trying to get her though the mot . All I did was adjust the timing by turning the dizzy and she started this morning no problem in the snow ! No lazy starter.

Not sure why the garage would have to alter the timing to get it passed I always thought the idle mixture adjustment screw would do the trick . I cant think of any other way the timing would have been out . Cheers again
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