Club 80-90 Forums

Hi all,

New to the forum.

I'm trying to get a mates T25 started. ran last year. stood for the winter. Flat battery and all sorts. Changed the battery, leads, distributer cap and rotor arm. Tried a new coil.

Apears to be power to the coil but no spark what so ever. Even tried taking the king lead off the distributor and holding it close to the cap while being turned over. No spark.

What elses to check.

Any help much appreciated

Hi Andy

Firstly, I'm not going to, but I bet someone will be along to lash you for not doing an introduction post before asking a question It doesn't bother me but some folks seem to prefer it.

Re your problem = Firstly I am going to assume you have checked all the thin wires for continuity and that the connections at the ends of all the thin wires have been cleaned and checked.

NOTE = be VERY careful handling HT leads when the ignition is on, the voltages the electronic ignition fitted to these engines does not just hurt a lot, but can actually do you harm and has been known to cause fatalities - you have been told

Now, get the king lead and wedge it so it is a couple or 3 millimetres from a bit of metal on the engine.
Then identify the lead on the coil that IS NOT the live feed. Then take off the wire from that terminal. The get a bit of wire and fasten it to a bit of metal on the engine. The swipe the other end across the now bare terminal on the coil. NOTE = "swipe it" across, don't hold it on the terminal. Doing this should produce a healthy spark from the king lead. If it doesn't, the coil is faulty.

If it does make a spark then it is likely the hall sensor in the dissy is faulty or the idle stabiliser is faulty (this stabiliser is the small (fag packet sized) black box mounted on the bodywork just forward of the coil).

I actually don't know any way of checking these 2 items other than temporarily replacing them (one at a time) to see if it comes to life. Perhaps you could enlist the help of another T25 owner near you for this. Most T25 owners are only too willing to help

Let us know how you get on.

Oh, by the way, modern petrol goes "off" really quickly (say 3 months). It won't prevent it running but it might not run right with old petrol in it.

Regards

John

Hi there,

Sorry no introduction. Do I do this in a diffrent forum or just before I ask a question

When you say take the wire off the coil there is three. A feed and a 2 other black wires off the positive and a green on the negative. I assume you mean the green?

Many Thanks.

Andrew.

Btw: my name is Andrew I have a 1971 Type 2 which i'm taking to Bristol show today for a night out. My mate has a 1984 T25 who was going to come with but his van wont start hence the link above. Looks like it'll just be me and the misses.

Sorry just to add to the last post. If I use a coil off a 1971 air cooled van is it diffrent to the 1984 T25 coil, just thought it might be worth a try to make sure we don't just have two faulty coils?

andypb64 wrote:Hi there,

Sorry no introduction. Do I do this in a diffrent forum or just before I ask a question

Na, don't worry about it, you are here now

Re the coil wires, I don't know the colours off by heart, I could go and move the bed, drawers and stuff on mine to have a look but I ain't had my brekkie yet so that comes next

There are 3 wires but only 2 terminals, one is the 12 Volt feed, this is the one to leave on (naturally).
Flicking an earthed wire across the other terminal (with wire(s) removed) simulates the action of a good old "points" type distributor.

Re reading your first post, I notice you tried a new coil though, so it is more likely to be either the electronics in the dizzy, the ignition stabiliser, or a simple bad / corroded connection.

Off now for an egg on toast

andypb64 wrote:Sorry just to add to the last post. If I use a coil off a 1971 air cooled van is it diffrent to the 1984 T25 coil, just thought it might be worth a try to make sure we don't just have two faulty coils?

It will be different if the Aircooled one has a points type dissy, the later watercooled ones have a "hall effect" electronic ignition system and even on these later ones there are 2 types of coil ( They changed around 1985 and I am never sure how you tell which one you should have if your van is a mixture of post and pre 85 parts like mine is !! )

I have never tried it, but whilst it won't be correct or recommended, I think even the "wrong" coil would still produce a spark though (can anyone else comment on this ?)

check the earth wire (Brown) onto the top of the lhs head, its the neg connection for the ignition amp.
often the ally of the head gets a white powdery corrosion when these vans are stood, and this under the electrical connection will stop it working - take it off and clean up botht he ring connection and the top of the head where it connects. be carefull, as the bolt often snaps, but there is a second option.

Ok, many thanks will check the above and report back. At this rate it might be after the show now.
I think the brown wire goes to a raised steel disc which a spade connecter goes onto. On the side of the cylinder head. Could this be the earth you speak of?

The thick red power wire to the relay in the back box seems quite croded. Could this be the problem? Thinking not as there is power at the coil? Will need to get a bigger replacement spade connector, then I have, to fix it as it looks like the wire is coroding off the connector rather than the connector croding.

Thanks for your help

Thanks for your help. Changed the igniton unit, coil, leads, cap, rotar arm. Replaced the connectors on the bottom of the relay in the box at the back which were crooded cleaned and replaced the eaths below the coil and the one on the side of the distributor and it wouldn't start.
Ran a lead straight from the battery onto the + of the coil while it was turing over and it started.
Removed this cable and it is starting first turn better then ever. Not sure if the positive cable was a coincidents as I have removed it now and it is still working find.

My mate is over the moon, well thanks for all your help, lets hope it doesn't happen again. i've left him a length of wire just incase it happens again.

Still can't believe how well it is starting!

Andy

Thanks for getting back andy.
Lectronic ignition is a marvelous invention

New problem. Do I need to start a new topic.. guess so, but kind of related as it's still not running!

Starting fine. Driving it and the front passanger wheel is locked on.

Stripped the brake down. Out side cyliner moves inside is soild. Any thing I can do to get it moving?

Does it need some sort of rebuild of can I just free it up. Sure it is just because it has been standing so long?

Any help again would be much appreciated.

you could use clamp to immobilise the moving pot and try to push it out