Morris 1300 starting Prob

[davo]

Gidday! I have recently bought a 1970 morris 1300 auto here in New Zealand, which had been in storage for 3 years or so. I've just finished doing the bodywork and paint, and now just have to get the engine going so I can get her on the road. I've rebuilt the carb with new parts, (re-setting the mixture to 2 turns out from fully tight, and fitted new points, condenser, rotor arm and dist cap, and set the static timing as specified in the manual. My compression tester shows around 11-12 bar for each cylinder (though its pretty cheap so it may be a bit dubious). Still it won't start. It turns over and fires every so often, sometimes self-sustaining for a second or two, but won't run.. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much

Dave

[kyle]

My one was stores for 11 years, I rebuilt the fuel pump and tipped some fuel down the carb and it started.
Have you got fresh petrol?

[threelitre]

Fresh petrol is one good point often missed... On the other hand I found that the initial setting of 2 full turns down for the carb is often quite a bit too rich. Do the spark plugs get wet after some time of trying?

Alexander

[austin1100countryman]

have you chnged the plugs and leads

[Rotting_Heaps]

I generally set the initial mixture by popping the dashpot off and setting the jet by eye - Take it from flush with the bearing to approx 0.5mm to 0.75mm down. Make sure the choke tickover screw is making a difference on the throttle linkage, but only by a couple of turns.

Also make sure the choke is actually working!

If all else fails, you could use the BRM Le Mans approach - Spray some WD down the carb and catch the revs when it's back to burning petrol!