BROKEN DOWN!

[thanuttiscotsman]

Heres a thought a mate of mine said maybe the timings slipped hence why it wont start even when theres fule poured straight into the air intake?

It did bounce quite hard when it span its wheels which could make it jump?????

hi tim,
honestly i wouldn't go with thinking its that! it is usually something alot more simple with these cars. the res=ason i spent over 2 months trying to fix mine was because i went round testing and changing all the big complicated parts. go to the scrappers buy a second hand coil and plug it into your car. its a very simple and easy to do test and only cost you 5 quid. if its not that then at least you now have a spare one. test the basic systems first then we will get more complicated. i did think my belt had slipped and the crank sensor was gone and the compression may be fecked and i was completely wrong because i was being fooled buy insufficient sparks. i even got a big bolt of leccy shock when i forgot to turn the ign off and picked up a plug that was earthing on the engine i was unlucky enough that the dizzy had stopped right on that contact. it fecking hurts.

ps if you need spare crank sensors etc for future testing there are 3 of your car in my local scrappers. i can pick up sensor etc for you if you cant.

cheers rossco

[tim leech]

Update, AA came out again today as I do have homestart, theres fuel , a good strong spark, injectors are working but it wont fire, plus now its making a rather odd noise very similar to the one my mums sierra made when it bust its cambelt a few years ago. The cambelt hasnt snapped but it is worn we still think its jumped as its slack. Plus the engines turning over very quicly which indicated a lack of compression.

Its being towed in to work tommorrow for someone to take a look!

[Kitch]

Sounds like the belt's jumped to me. If the starter is making more of a whizzing noise than normal, then its lack of compression as you said.

[thanuttiscotsman]

hi tim,
listen if your compression had gone the car would still run roughly and fire very oddly!! i doesnt need compression to ignite petrol!! thats not the problem!! same if your cars
belt has jumped a notch whether 8 or 16v thats not far enough out for it to not start or at least run very roughly or randomsly fire and misfire. PETROL BURNS WHEN YOU LIGHT IT.!!! my money is still on the coil being at fault!! it is very quick cheap and easy for you to prove me wrong and eliminate one possibility!! so try it.

cheers rossco

[tim leech]

Thing is rossco we have a good strong spark at all 4 plugs?

[tim leech]

Will do a compression test tomorrow and see.

[thanuttiscotsman]

hi tim,
compression failure is gradual not something that happens suddenly! your car would have been loosing power for a while and would feel sluggish and like it lacks basic grunt. there is only one thing that makes sense in this situation. if fuel is going into the combustion chamber and there is a spark then there can only be two possible faults. the fuel is goosed and cant ignite or the spark isnt good enough to ignite the fuel. even if belt had snapped or timing was a little out the fuel would still burn and the would be fumes of some kind coming out the exhaust. im sure all your are getting out the exhaust is the smell of petrol. have you tried removing and cleaning the plugs as all the attempted starting will have fouled them by now.

cheers rossco

[jeremy]

Sometimes when repeated attempts have been made to start an engine the unburnt petrol will wash all oil from the bores/rings - resulting in an apparently sound engine with everything working but won't run. Cure - few drops down the bores through the plug hole.

Had this happen on my ancient Daimler V8 - and after a tow in from the AA who had no oil it started next morning on its own power with 2 out of 8 cylinders done and I drove to work in it!

Get it running and a bit of splash etc provided sufficient lubrication to do the remaining cylinders.

[docchevron]

Had this happen on my ancient Daimler V8

Not an SP250 per chance Jeremy? Still got it??

Cheers
Chris G

[jeremy]

sadly not a SP250 - its the Mk11 Jag with the wrong engine as it were. Still got it - needs massive restoration - ie loads of energy and a cash mountain so that once I start I can continue. This one is actually a manual/overdrive one.

[docchevron]

Always had a soft spot for the Dart SP250.
When you get it going I'd love to have a ride mate!
Those V8's sound great!

Cheers
Chris G

[Geoffrey Gould]

Quite envious that really is a nice engine, designed by a Mr Turner, the same one that designed the Triumph motorcycle verticle twin engine before the war. Good luck jeremy rusty Jags = minus lots of cash.
Cheers.
Geoff.

[jeremy]

Yes engine is a nice unit and looks similar to a Jaguar engine when dismantled - with hemispherical combustion chambers, which in turn are aoperated from pushrods from a high set camshaft.

Of course the Jaguar engines weren't bad either - especially in 3.4 and rather brutal 3.8 form. Certainly at some times you could buy a 3.8 Jag for less than a Daimler V8 auto (which was not a quick car) - yet people bought the Daimler! and I'm sure it wasn't because its reputed to handle better due to lower engine weight.

[tim leech]

Cambelt it is as theres no compression at all, so im buggered, anyone got a spare cylinder head for a 1.8 Xantia 8V!

[Barnsley BXer]

There should be loads in the scrappys