Help! Timing?

[Charles Levien]

Hi, I have a A7 special which I have had for a few years.  I decided to rebuild the engine having found a number of issues and post rebuild had it running (therefore I would assume nothing major is wrong?), however, for the last 12 months I have been unable to start the engine at all.  I have had two or three modern car mechanics look at it and they all tell me it should run!

What have I done:

I believe I have set the static timing correctly, e.g, after the compression stroke on one turn the engine a further turn and a half and then find TDC using a probe (pipe cleaner!).  The set the dizzy so the correct segment is lined up and set the points at 12 thou, refitted the leads 1342 after setting the plugs at 24thou.  Turned the engine over a quickly get a single backfire followed by the engine trying to catch but not?

I know I'm really close but could do with a little advice please?

Thank you.

Bit of of a shot in the dark but I remember once putting an engine together in the Austin dealers workshop in Thesalonika ( 1964) — the crank had broken after several days in first gear coming through Macedonia. Anyway, to the point, we assembled the engine and put it back into the chummy. It fired a bit but wouldn’t tick over etc. Turned out we had put the timing gears back with the camshaft gear 360 degrees wrong — not saying you have done this but it’s worth a thought?

Charles

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Hi, I have a A7 special which I have had for a few years.  I decided to rebuild the engine having found a number of issues and post rebuild had it running (therefore I would assume nothing major is wrong?), however, for the last 12 months I have been unable to start the engine at all.  I have had two or three modern car mechanics look at it and they all tell me it should run!

What have I done:

I believe I have set the static timing correctly, e.g, after the compression stroke on one turn the engine a further turn and a half and then find TDC using a probe (pipe cleaner!).  The set the dizzy so the correct segment is lined up and set the points at 12 thou, refitted the leads 1342 after setting the plugs at 24thou.  Turned the engine over a quickly get a single backfire followed by the engine trying to catch but not?

I know I'm really close but could do with a little advice please?

Thank you.

Bit of of a shot in the dark but I remember once putting an engine together in the Austin dealers workshop in Thesalonika ( 1964) — the crank had broken after several days in first gear coming through Macedonia. Anyway, to the point, we assembled the engine and put it back into the chummy. It fired a bit but wouldn’t tick over etc. Turned out we had put the timing gears back with the camshaft gear 360 degrees wrong — not saying you have done this but it’s worth a thought?

Charles

Hello Gem — reading your post again I see you had the engine running ok before — so ignore my contribution!

Charles