Petrol engine won't run / start?

[Lakesailor]

Good luck with that. It'll not get more than not-quite-as-cold or even a-little-bit-warmer.

Hot plugs is a much more reliable idea.

Easiest of the lot, and virtually guaranteed (unless you have no sparks) is a teaspoon of fuel in the carb throat. (don't use any choke)

 

[gordmac]

If the compression is ok and the spark happens just before TDC I would be very surprised if heating the plugs with a blowtorch won't get it to go. Raw fuel into the carb inlet, ideally when it is turning is often a good idea but you do need to be careful! Before fancy electronics it wasn't unknown for race engines to be started spraying fuel into the inlets with one of those trigger spray things.
Can you measure with a meter when in the engine cycle the spark actually happens? A few degrees before TDC on the compression stroke is good, on the exhaust stroke isn't!

 

[Niander]

You have the correct lead on the correct plug?
and push them well into the top of magneto?

 

[Jcorstorphine]

We used to heat up the oven and put the magneto in to dry it out if we had problems.

 

[[448]]

Fresh fuel, a bit of EZ start perhaps?

Check valve clearances, but if it DID run, it sounds basically OK...

Did you try the Easy Start Jamie?

Ruairidh

 

[Hadenough]

Off post sorry but had a Lambretta in the 60's. Nightly routine from the girlfriends, eventually wife's house was to get told by her parents to go home at 10.00ish, put the previously removed spark plug into the oven, snog her to death, refit the hopefully hot spark plug, trying not to blister finger tips, bump start the Lambretta and bugger off home. Used to buy petrol by the pint from a hand pumped dispenser and add the two stoke at the pump.
As a comparison to the way kids are brought up nowadays, at the other end I had to cut out the scooter at the end of my home street and coast up to the family home so that "I didn't disturb the neighbours".

 

[Lakesailor]

I had a megaphone exhaust, which was not popular.

 

[jamie N]

All of the above suggestions in previous posts have been tried, and there's still no motor running. I even tried the evil of 'Easy Start'.
A shipwright bloke working near by in the marina ran through what there is, and what I've done and reckons that the magneto is faulty, in that when the plugs are fitted, that they're not functioning, possibly due to a faulty magneto, which may or may not be the case.
Anyway, the boat's there for sailing, so I'm going along to buy an outboard in Inverness this morning, a little Honda 2.3 longshaft at Gael Force. I'm utterly fed up with the engine issue, to the point that it's won this 1st round; the bottom line is to go sailing after all. However, we'll purchase a new ignition system, maybe a points system even, or 'simply' replace the engine with an 8hp diesel which I have in my garage. This is for next time the boat's out of the water though.
A clever bloke said "There's nothing half so much fun as simply messing around in boats!". Quite, but he didn't mean with engines....!

 

[Lakesailor]

Maybe you should talk to people like this.........
http://www.norbsa02.freeuk.com/goffypazon.htm
http://www.rgmnorton.co.uk/buy/elec...for-twins-cylinder-12-volt-two-coils_1721.htm

 

[jamie N]

Interesting. Thanks LS.

 

[oldharry]

Great thread....hope it has a happy ending.
CLUNK......CHUG.......CHUG....... VRROOOOOOM!
Just to remind you of what it will sound like!

No. I had one _ great little engines, but 'vrroooooom'? Never. They are thumpers: chug........chug........chug...chug...chuga chuga chuga chuga chuga cough chugs chuga chuga .

Its ridiculously easy on these motors to reverse the plug leads. Just a thought.

 

[duncanmack]

Jamie, you might want to give this guy a phone - he's good!

https://sites.google.com/site/priorymagnetos/home

 

[NickRobinson]

That 8hp diesel in the garage isn't a Yanmar flat YM? If so, buy earplugs.......

If the magneto is suspect, rig a battery and two car coils to the points, regular trick on Stuart Turners.

 

[Lakesailor]

When I installed my engine in my trials car I found it very difficult to locate coils these days.

 

[[448]]

Donkey's years ago I had a Vire 1 cylinder engine on which the flywheel mag packed in. I converted it to normal coil ign using the mag points. Can't for the life of me remember the detail, but it was a simple job, only involving a bit of wiring and a standard 12v coil - dirt cheap on ebay.
Has your engine got a flywheel or a proper mag?

Ruairidh

 

[jamie N]

The engine's now out of the boat and ready go to its new home! A great sense of relief I can tell you. Cheers to all of the advice on this thread, I do feel that a better man than I would have had success.