Well, after a year and a half hiatus in Ireland i have returned back to toronto and my beloved mav. She seems to be doing ok. A few more rust spots than I remember! Problem is, I cant seem to get her to start. Last time the car was started was when it was being transported to my new house last november. Theres fuel in the tank, battery's charged. The weather has warmed up quite a bit so im still at a loss. When I drop a bit of fuel in the carb, she just very very nearly starts. Probably the closest you can come without it catching. I'm thinking fuel might not be getting to the carb? Its can probably be any number of things but any suggestions would be muchos appreciated! Thanks!! Probably payback for leaving her alone all this time. Sean
Take the rubber end of a screw driver and tap on the carb...float might be stuck.... just a thought. Also, fuel filter could be clogged up.
If you think its fuel getting to the carb you could pour a little down the vent tube on the carb...also check the points gap out they could be a little coroded
did you put any gas preservative in the tank hwhen you left it or did you drain the gas out of it? if not the gas could have gone bad. make sure it's getting spark and good gas.
I'd go for the points. Clean and regap them. Or better yet, yank them out and put a pertronix system. Very easy swap and less than $100.
yeah the tank was pretty much empty when i returned so the gas went in just recently. hey thanks for the help. Sean
Go back to the basics of diagnostics. All engines need fuel, compression and ignition to run. Ignition is the cause of 4 out of 5 no starts. Before you think it is not getting fuel, pull a couple of spark plugs to see if they are wet. If they are wet, that indicates a flooded condition. Check for spark next. If there is no spark, it is probably the points. Points get bad just from sitting, as they develope a little corrosion on the contact surface. Take some very fine sand paper and put a bit in between the contacts and clean them up a bit. Not too much, just enough to make a good contact again. Check point gap, and recheck for spark. If you have spark, it should now start, and away you go to the gas station to get fresh fuel. If the spark is good the first time you check it, it may just be flooded, cause when you put some gas down the carb, it should have fired over for a short time. If it is flooded, have a friend hold open the choke and hold your gas pedal to the floor when cranking. Do not run your starter for too long, as you can fry it. Crank no more then 20 seconds at a time, and give it a couple minutes to cool down in between cranks. Another posibility is summer gas in the wintertime. Gas sold in high summer temps has a higher evaporation point then gas sold in the winter. Summer gas may not mix with the colder air very well to form a mixture that will light in the combustion chamber quickly, whch can add to the flooded condition. If you can get the car into a heated garage, it should start after it is warmed up overnight. Once the engine developes heat on its own, it will vaporize the old gas enough to get you to a gas station for fresh fuel. If you can't find anything else, it may be a stretch, but look for mouse damage in your wires. I have seen cars DOA that were bad wires from mice knawing at the wires and causing a short that produced weak spark. Good luck.
I too think you will find points to be your problem. They tend to get a bit corroded after sitting up a while. If that's it, you can clean or replace them but I agree with Dennis, the Petronix kit is the best way to go. I love mine.
