Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

[terryrscott]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

hi jon, replacing the electronic ignition with points is on my agenda , i dropped into our local big halfords and couldnt find the points , so i asked a member of staff who had no idea what i was talking about, i then found a more senior member of staff who told me, we havent sold points for years now, all cars have electronic ignition, so my note to self is only go to halfords for polish, they have tons of that stuff.
i have found a motor factors that sells point i mat=y well be up there this afternoon , thanks

[terryrscott]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

good point jon, i am actually on my second tin of easy start, and it did help, made it cough a few times thanks,
big try this morning again to get it to start. terry

[terryrscott]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

thanks dave, quite a few folk have said tow it a good bet to start it, but i am on my own and cant really do that , but it is good option.

[HairyDave]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

If you are a member of the AA ask nicely and they may help. We have Homestart and a few times over the years I have asked for a bit of 'wit and wisdom' and they have always obliged. Re Halfords non-parts, always keep parts numbers as many factors younger staff don't have a clue what distributor rotor for an escort is but can find it if you give them a part number. We used to have parts books and comparison books but apparently not any more. Also, remember we may be asking for 40+ year old parts.

[greyV8pete]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

You have fuel and you have sparks so I would forget those and revisit cam / crank timing and also recheck your idea that the dizzy was 180 degrees out. Remember that with the Pinto where the camshaft is above the slippers that press down on the valve stems, at TDC the cam lobes for inlet and exhaust will both be above the centreline of the camshaft. This is different to a side cam push-rod engine, where the cam lobes would be below the cam centreline. Keep the ignition off and keep away from the starter button and turn the engine over with a spanner on the crank pulley bolt. With the plugs out check that on the firing stroke there is air whooshing into the spark plug hole and that you can feel suction if you put your thumb over the plug hole. If you are on the exhaust stroke by mistake some air will still try and escape from the plug hole but there will be no pressure under your thumb as it will be going past the open exhaust valve. Do all the checks as if for the first time. Don’t be tempted to assume something is ok because you already checked it. We have all been there!

[terryrscott]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

hmm , i only have aa breakdown not hone start, but a good thought, i have no pert numbers nor the old points or condenser but think i know what isnt right, and i appreciate that its 40 years old... thanks for your comment

[A_Hogg]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

Points /condenser can be obtained from Burton Power. Some starter motors are rated as 0.9 KW , others for the same fitment 1.2 KW.

[A_Hogg]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

How readily does the engine turn with plugs out [coil to dizzy ht lead disconnected]?

[terryrscott]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

with all 4 plugs out, its very stiff at the tdc point, so stiff i cant do it by hand with a half inch drive tommy bar with extension, so i have to rock the car in 4th gear to move it upto and past tdc.
i am putting a general update in the forum today

[terryrscott]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

thanks interesting to know

[agent leman]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

Terry, that sounds way too stiff. For me it would be the signal to pull the engine and carry out a stripdown. If it did manage to run I would be very worried about serious engine damage resulting (that's assuming that it hasn't already been damaged by previous owners) Dave

[terryrscott]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

Hi all , so here is an update on starting the engine in car Q219 BAL , just to remind you the owner before me couldn't start the engine and the owner before him couldn't start the car either.
the engine has clearly been highly modified and it looks like it has never run since a rebore and new cylinder head, it now has 2 X 40 choke webers, looks like a hot cam with adjustable cam pulley as well.#
to add to the history i was told that 2 owners ago the engine tested at 150BHP on a dyno , however there is no evidence the engine has ever run in this car since it was modified, the engine looks like it has been in the car a good couple of years, the jubilee clips are rusty etc, there is no evidence the 4 branch manifold has ever run its no burn marks.
Without the plugs in the engine is very tight to turn over especially getting towards TDC and i have to rock the car at TDC to get it over to after TDC , i cant turn it with a spanner.
with the plugs out and cranking the engine on the starter the plugs do spark when they are in the leads.
the plugs get wet most times i try to start it, the fuel pump pumps fuel out of the pipes to the carbs.
i have checked the crankshaft TDC timing with the top pulley timing mark or where it should be , with both valves not contacting the camshaft (its a vernier top pulley with no marks at all) then checked the dizzy was pointing to number one cap lead position, then checked the lead actually led to number one plug
made sure the firing order was correct with the correct leads on the correct cap position
each lead has its number on both ends of the lead, so i dont get mixed up
i have tried moving the dizzy when trying to start the engine on the starter, to no effect.
i have checked the dizzy is not 180 degrees out
for your info the car has electronic ignition
i have disconnected the ignition and fuel pump electrical supply and ran them on a different 12 volt battery to the starter battery, still got a super spark and fuel pressure, that by passes any car ballast resistor etc
i have timed the engine (static) with a timing light, to no effect
i have used 2 tins of easy start
NEXT JOBS
drain out all the old fuel and put in some new fuel , try again
then my plan is to put a new standard top pulley with a proper timing mark, recheck valve and engine timing etc , then try again
then take off the massive webbers and their manifold off the engine and put a standard carb on with a standard manifold, then try again
so i have carried out all of the above about 10 or more times and any other permutation of checks i can think of..
THE BASIC PROBLEM APART FROM IT WONT START
basically when i try to start it, its just like there is not any fuel it doesn't stink of petrol like it should, even with a whole tin of eazy start i get the odd backfire which really seems like timing.
my thought process is the webbers are just to big for the engine, so thats why going back to a standard carb...
the problem is you start to doubt your own confidence and at 73 this is the longest cant start the engine i have ever encountered, but i will win, anybody live near west wittering on the south coast and like a challenge..????
P.S. thanks for the support from all of you that have suggested stuff, i think i replied to you all but not very good with this forum stuff....

[terryrscott]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

yes your correct it is way to tight, in my younger days it would have been all over the floor by now, but at my age taking engines is out is a bridge to far, but you are right.
see my update on things

[jon_wilkinson]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

Try taking the top covers off the carbs and filling the bowls with fresh fuel then replace covers and try to start it. I was struggling to start my latest acquisition having checked timing, spark etc and this did the trick for me. May need to repeat a couple of times as fuel used up.

[terryrscott]

Re: Q219BAL Red Berlinetta, did you own it ?

ok thanks jon , thanks i shall try that