[Healeys] Interesting ignition/starter mystery

[Oudesluys]

This bypass wire is probably there, running from the starter solenoid 
(on bulk head or starter motor, which ever is applicable), often white 
with a yellow tracer. This wire may have been broken or disconnected.
Kees Oudesluijs
NL

Op 8-10-2011 13:38, Michael Oritt schreef:
> Frank--
>
> If the hot lead to the coil is going through a ballast resistor it is indeed
> possible that voltage is too low while cranking.  For its Unilite and
> Maglite setups Mallory recommends pulling an additional (unballasted) lead
> to the coil energized off of the starter switch so that you get full voltage
> while starting and somewhat reduced voltage while running.  Perhaps this
> will help with this part of your situation.
>
> Best--Michael Oritt
>
> On Sat, Oct 8, 2011 at 5:45 AM, Frank<tonup at tellink.net>  wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
>>
>> OK, maybe not interesting to me anymore.  More like exacerbating!
>>
>> The car isn't a Healey but is a Jag.  The parts are very similar if not the
>> same.
>>
>>
>> I've been having some trouble with my '61 Mk2 3.8 auto.  This is a
>> complicated story but I've tried simplify things.  Here is the present
>> situation:
>>
>> The problem is that it won't start when hot (warmed up).  It starts cold
>> just fine and seems to run fine.  It will crank over OK when hot but won't
>> catch.  Every once in a while, just as I stop pressing the starter button,
>> it would start.  Thinking that this might be too low of a voltage to the
>> ignition while cranking I attached a small 12V gel battery to the coil and
>> distributor.  It started just fine.  Disconnect the extra battery and
>> connect the coil back to the wiring harness, cranks fine but won't start.
>>
>> I still need to run a jumper directly from the battery to the coil to
>> eliminate the ignition switch and the rest of the wiring harness as the
>> problem.   I'll also clean the battery terminals.  I'm now thinking the
>> starter is drawing too much current or the battery connection is weak.
>>
>> So my question is:  Why would the starter draw so much current (if that is
>> what is going on)?  What should I do, does the starter need new
>> bushings/bearings?  Or is there a short in the starter?
>>
>>
>> Now for the longer story--
>>
>> This last Spring I took the car into town to get gas after having been
>> parked for Winter, everything seemed fine.  I filled it up and tried to
>> start it up again and it cranked fine but wouldn't start.  Ran the battery
>> down and had it towed home.  Charged the battery and it started right up
>> (it
>> had cooled down).
>>
>> So I bought a Pertronix and installed that.  I go for a test drive and it
>> begins to cut out on me.  It eventually stops running and I can't get it
>> started.  I took a look and found the inside of the distributor cap is
>> damp.
>> After letting the car cool it then starts.  On my way home it does this two
>> more times.  It looks like the upper radiator hose has some small cracks.
>>   I
>> replaced the hose, ignition wires, distributor cap, and the Lucas Sport
>> coil, removed the Pertronix and put the points back in.  The spark plugs
>> look fine with the insulators a light grey color so I put them back in
>> instead of replacing them.
>>
>> Now the car starts fine when cold, runs fine when hot and doesn't seem to
>> cut out (I haven't taken it out on the road yet).  It won't start when
>> warmed up unless I use a separate battery as I've described above.
>>
>> Looks like it might be three issues:
>> 1) radiator hose- while a problem that needed to be fixed maybe it wasn't
>> the cause of the no start problem
>> 2) Pertronix-  I still don't have enough information to arrive at a
>> conclusion.  I was using a sport coil without a ballast resistor, maybe it
>> got too hot?
>> 3) Not enough voltage to the coil when cranking.  This looks to be the main
>> problem but why is it happening?
>>
>> Does anyone have thoughts or ideas they'd like to share?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Frank
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