Hey guys. Getting back to the 914. Life (and other rust buckets that need saved) get in the way.

Engine:
1911cc Dellorto dual DRLA

Problem:
When I crank it just “puts” or “puffs”

I’ll try to make this short and sweet.

-I had the car running about a month ago.
-removed carbs for cleaning and linkage adj.
-electronic ignition.
-bench set carbs

What I checked:
-voltage at coil (Bosch blue)
-have spark (plugs are blackish- smell like fuel) but cleaned and gapped
-perfect fuel spray from jets
-check ohms at coil
-ignition switch is less than a year old.

I raised the idle screws, etc to test

The only think I can think is my timing is off? (I have tried adjusting!)
Can I not static time using the typical method with Electronic ignition?

I have my timing set to a scribe mark I made previously.
after I used my timing light to set 27deg btdc.



Am I a dummy?

Am I missing anything? No matter what I do it cranks and “puffs” - meaning I can hear air coming out of the exhaust.

Well... you are trying to drive a 50 year old sports car so.....

What electronic ignition? Did it involve replacing the dizzy? You are supposed to be able to static time Pertronix with a timing light but I had more luck just rotating the engine to #1 TDC and then rotating the distributor until the rotor points at the #1 plug wire. If the car doesn't start then nudge the dizzy one way or the other until the engine at least tries to catch. Then nudge it more in the same direction until it starts.

If your plugs are black, then clean them. Wire wheel, get them shiny again.

Make sure your plug wires are going to the right plugs.

Play with the throttle while trying to start the car. Also try using your hands to choke the carbs a little too.

Zach

Plugs are black, are they also wet?

Pertronix, same dizzy. 009. I'll try this technique for setting static later! Thanks Brent.

I tried adjusting the dizzy in small increments, and starting, no change. Just how FINE are the adjustments?




I'll clean better this time.

I'm sure they are correct. I have them crossed on the driver's side. Like this:







Yes! I they were a little bit wet.

Check your timing first, that is easy. I asked about wet because you rebuilt the carbs. It is easy to get the floats wrong. Too much gas in the cylinders will keep it from running. Are you getting more than normal fuel smell?

@jaredmcginness

The firing order is right. Are you sure that #1 is at TDC/compression when the rotor points to it? I believe #1 and 3 are typically swapped from your diagram although that’s assuming the drive gear was installed in the “normal“ position. It still could be right the way you have it just something else to check

Thanks all.

I will start with timing.

I bought an inline spark test.
Also ordered new copper core plugs. Doesn't hurt to have a "control" to compare to.

Plugs are probably wet (with gas) because I pumped the throttle too many times while trying to get it to start. (which explains that it backfired a few times while cranking - kaboom)

It's a bad habit.


Too much gas in cylinders - should I drain oil and change filter? (oil does not smell like gas yet)

Thanks!

P.S. Drive gear was painstakingly installed in the right position.

backfiring, is a sure sign of the wrong timing.

given where you have your leads going and that you are backfiring you are WAY off your timing. Probably blowing some nice fireballs out the carb tops? Fun times!

Little bit of an edit - its been a while since I had a dizzy....
When at TDC of #1 the arm in the dizzy should be pointing at cylinder 1. The trigger point should be a little ahead of that. But the effect is the same, you are still likely 90ish degrees out, if not more.

Zach

TDC #1 is not always in the correct location, start by confirming

Hi Jared, I believed your car was running smoothly the last time you drove it and shared it here and maybe some videos to imgur app. Have you done anything before you parked it or before you are trying to run the engine again?

Yep, it was running OK and I had shared videos. I parked it to change trans mounts, rebuild the pedal cluster, etc.

I was having carb linkage issues preventing full throttle, so I removed the carbs and reversed the linkage (hex bar now on transmission side of motor) Now the linkage works well.
I should note, I still could not get it running, before I flipped the carbs.

The only other thing I changed was idle jets (60 to 50).


This is why I am a bit confused. It was running!


Thanks for the other advice fellas. Definitely sounds like a timing problem, since I have fiddled with it more, I am surely way off base now.





At the minimum, I try to give the neighbors a show while they watch me struggle.

So it should not have issue with dizzy. Probably just your carb need more attention.

Try just changing your leads at the dizzy. On the Dizzy move each lead one space counter clockwise. So in your diagram above #2 on the dizzy will be number 1, etc. all the way around.

Zach

... I have a sinking feeling my plugs are off by 90*.

I just recalled I quickly pulled my dizzy cap about a month ago to measure against a Type 1 cap.


That would be embarrassing, and I feeling like it's happened before, when I was initially trying to get it running.

Happens to most of us at some point or another.
I ran my motor 180 out for years by jut swapping my plug leads so the trigger fired the right plug. Tripped people out when they saw my arm pointing at Cyl4 while at TDC for #1.

Zach

Update....

Sooo... tail between legs.

Zach was right. I swapped plugs 90* counter clockwise (it doesn’t look right and doesn’t make sense to me) line my timing mark up - and the car fired right up. Ran SMOOTH.

Since I had set the DS carb to a high idle it revved up to 3k or so - so I cut the power.

I lowered the idle back to bench setting, Turn the key and CLICK, lights dim, power flat.


Nothing!

*Click* WTF.

I’ve spent the last hour looking for shorts, cleaning terminals, checking grounds, smacking solenoids, etc

Charged battery (it remains at 12.86 - fully charged)
If I turn the key it clicks. (Just like when I had a bad ign switch)

I thought Irish green was supposed to be lucky. With out a doubt, every time I get one bone thrown at me, immediately another one is taken away.


I guess I need to now source the loss of power. But why NOW, it’s been cranking like a machine, until it runs finally, just one time.

Jump the starter, see if by passing the starter circuit kicks it over.

Green in racing: https://jalopnik.com/how-the-color-green-be...titi-1763008917

Check fuses. One probably popped.

Zach

Turn headlights on and try it. If the lights get real dim it’s likely a battery or cable issue. Static volts can be OK on a battery that can’t handle a load.

Any updates? Did you figure out why it stopped turning over.

Zach