QuestionHi Scott,
My Spit won't start. It last ran about two weeks ago with no problems.
Here's the issue:
When I turn the key, I get nothing. I don't hear even hear the tick which is symptomatic of a dead battery. There is lots of juice in the battery. The lights, horn and radio work, and I threw it on the charger for a while just to be sure.
I did wash the engine on the day I last used it. I suspect the water and or engine dressing did something somewhere in the ignition system. Where should I start? I jiggled all of the wires around to no avail.
1977 Triumph Spitfire 1500 (Canada).
Thanks for your help,
Shesh
AnswerStart with the entire starter circuit. You either have a stock starter, or one of the fancy gear reduction starters.
Battery:
-A battery without enough juice for the starter can still make the lights work. Check the voltage on the battery to make sure it is +12 or higher. Anything below 11.5 may be an issue.
Starter:
-Stock: Find the separate starter relay, and jumper +12 & GND to it, to make sure you can make it "click". If it clicks & cranks the engine, then trace the +12 wire from the relay to the ignition switch, as it may be loose or not connected. Put a volt meter on that wire, and see if you get +12 when you turn the ignition to the "start" momentary position.
-If you can make the relay "click", but the starter doesn't turn, then do the above, but also trace the thick +12 wire from the starter to the relay, and make sure the relay is getting +12V all the time for the starter.
-If a gear reduction starter, see if the small wire to the starter (from the ignition switch) is connected; they can be loose very often.
"drowning" the motor usually causes problem with the spark plug/distributor/coil/points, not the starter. First step is to find out why the starter doesn't crank; the problem may be with the ignition circuit no longer getting +12 to energize the starter components.