Starting Problems 1969 88" 2a

[Archie]

Confession:
I'm pretty much a mechanic virgin and, yes, after many years yearning for one, I have recently bought a Series 2a (I see a steep learning curve ahead – but what a vehicle to learn with!)

I've driven it once (fantastic fun) and parked it up.
Unfortunately, life (house renovation and family death) got in the way and the Landie was left for a wee while.

I went back to it, a couple of weeks ago, for a wee drive, and she wouldn't start (sad times)
The starter motor turned over, but she wouldn't 'catch'
So, out came the books and I got myself a multi-meter and a smart charger.

The battery had about 12V / 10 amps.
I hooked up the charger and, about 14V, I tried again – same result.

Today, I gave it another go.
The starter turned over once, then stopped.
I tried again, same result, but struggled.
A 3rd attempt gave me nothing at all.

The Battery was again about 12V.

Now, re-charged about 15V, another attempt was made.

Back to square 1; the starter turns over and the engine wouldn't 'catch'.

Does anyone have any advice / quick resolution ideas about what I do next?
Points, plugs, starter / coil / solenoid etc.
Remember my mechanic status - layman's terms please
(e.g. The twirly-whirly thing on the right, in front of the seat is called a steering wheel  )

I was hoping to take her to the 'Bacon and Brakes' event at Leuchars on 7th April
(B2L mag, issue 139, pg 5)

ARCHIE.

[Wittsend]

Your voltage reading are a bit "off" and confusing 

A fully charged battery in good/new condition should give a volts reading across the terminals of around 12.7 volts.
You don't measure whilst the battery is on charge.

I'm not sure what the 10 amps mean.

Check the battery cables to the terminals are tight and they are clean. Check the earthing straps.

The other thing is that after time the fuel will go stale.
I'm assuming you have a petrol engine but diesel fuel can have storage issues - diesel bugs and water.
(if it's a diesel engine, bleed the fuel lines to the injectors)

So - get some fresh fuel in the tank.
Get the battery fully charged up - don't use a car battery, get a proper one suitable for a Land Rover.
Check you have a spark at the plug(s) and if it were running before you laid it up it should fire up.

[Riffy]

Hi Archie,

Sorry to hear you're having trouble,

As Wittsend says a good battery should have voltage around 12.7 when fully charged,

When you apply a battery charger it raises the voltage (upto 14.5v in order to push charge into the battery). A current in amps is the rate at which the battery charges, this drops as the battery charges, the voltage wont. When charged you disconnect the charger and the voltage will settle to around 12.7v on a healthy battery.



Usually a non starter is one of two things, no fuel getting through or old fuel or no spark at the spark plug everything else being equal.

[nathanglasgow]

Use the priming lever on the fuel pump to get fuel up to the carb. After sitting the system tends to empty itself and then needs a prolonged period of cranking. On a marginal battery you'll run out of cranking power before the fuel gets up.

[Alan Drover]

Presumably it's a petrol engine.
Is there fuel at the carburettor and a spark at the plugs?
You may have flooded it. Take the plugs out and clean them and try again. If it's petrol what carburettor is fitted and is the choke operating correctly? Of course it could be the battery.
I agree. I don't know how you got a reading of 10 amps at the battery. Alternator or dynamo?

[Archie]

Thanks, everyone, for all your comments.

It's a petrol, and the fuel is only 2 months old.

I'll do the checks of the carburettor, plugs, pump etc and see how that goes.

For info, my charger showed about 15V on its display, whilst charging but to be fair, the multimeter later indicated 12.8V (probably accurate)

[ZebraDriver]

Try cleaning the points. Where in Fife are you?

[Myles (Mr Fox) Davison]

Yes, where are you? Can't promise anything but I'm just down in S Queensferry, for instance...

[Archie]

I'm in sunny Cairneyhill, West Fife.

[Theshed]

No idea why it won't start but remember it can be narrowed down to three issues.
Mechanical, Fuel or Electric. Work through each one. If engine is turning that should rule out mechanical issues.
Is fuel getting to carb, dribble a few drops of fresh petrol into the carb, I Don't advise easystart or similar.
If it turns over nice and quick battery should be ok, don't be afraid to use jump leads as well. Check earths on battery and starter.
Take a plug out, place next to the block and see if there is a spark, work back to the points if not.
This is a simple explanation but gives you somewhere to start. A Haynes manual will also help.
Good luck