speedster will not start......

everyday i go to my baby,one turn and the engine is humming... well after 5 days of hard rain and storm finally sunshine,go to the baby ,put the killswitch in and turn the key,its turnung nothing,hook up my van next to it [strengten the battery...]nothing,turn,check gas,NOTHING...,what could it be ?thanks.

Wet distributor cap/coil.
SS

cleaned cap,coil maybe has to dry out ? will try tomorrow again,thanks.

Have you checked with a volt meter that you've got power thru the kill switch? Do the lights come on?

might be that coil wire that goes from coil to distributor, mine was always coming loose.

Points or CDI ignition?

lights come on,engine turns,wont start,gas ? will try in the morning ,if it does not start,off on a flatbed to my mechanic,hate it,but what can i do.

Try spraying some starting spray in the carbs. If it starts, then dies, it might be fuel delivery issue. Also, it might get the fuel flowing and solve the problem.

If a car won't start, it's one of three things: spark, fuel, or something mechanical.

You can check for spark by pulling one of the plugs, grounding the threads on the case, and having somebody crank while you watch the plug- you should see a nice spark jump the gap. If you do, move on to fuel.

As Tom said- if it starts on ether but won't stay running, you have a problem with the fuel system.

If you've got spark, and it won't start on ether, put it on the flatbed and get out your check-book- it's mechanical.

I'll bet a donut it's spark.

Me too.

I think Scott Slater had this one nailed in the first reply - all the rest was noise.

Replace the distributor cap. Maybe the wires, too. Actually, I answered this on Facebook, but you've got carbon traces in your distributor cap caused by moisture inside the cap. This was very common on older VW's back in the day and the carbon embeds in microscopic cracks in the distributor cap once the moisture gives the spark a path to ground. Guess the old days are still here.

Get a good, NOS, GERMAN distributor cap and maybe a new set of silicon wires (7-8mm) and put it all back together. Can't find a German cap? Then try to find one with a "sand seal" o-ring between the cap and the disti base. I'm willing to bet a Dunkin Donut that your existing disti cap is toast. You won't be able to see the fault in the cap, but it's toast. Moisture gets in there through the disti vent, condenses with changes in temperature and, once the inside of the cap is wet and you try to start the engine the internal spark tries to find a path to ground through the moisture and causes carbon tracks from the moisture that remain once the cap is dried. Those traces are not dead shorts, but resistive paths to ground - definitely not good. Oh! and get a new Rotor, too. Not a resistor rotor, but a non-resistor version.

I always install a new set of plug wires whenever I do a new cap and rotor. Maybe I replaced a few sets of wires needlessly over the years, but they're cheap insurance in the long run.

gn

gOTTA BE MOISTURE IN THE DIZZY. If you have a air tank or a spray bomb of spare Air Blow it out dry..

I've also read that WD40 sprayed in the cap and points area will displace the moisture.

Leon-it does; light misting inside the cap and wipe with paper towel. So easy...

The W in WD stands for water. I can't remember what the D is - maybe something like displace.

Yup. WD-40 = water displacement formula #40

Mostly fish oil, I think. I've even heard it's edible. I think I'll take their word for it.

It's mostly petroleum based... I think it has methanol in it, which absorbs water.

well my friends ,flatbeded my speedster to my mechanic,unloaded,bruce my mechanic came with a short screwdriver [not the drink...] unscrewed the carbfilters pushed the gas ,told me to start and at the first turn engine was back,flabbergasted i askt :what just happend...,he says :i dont know...,me :how much do i owe you,he :good bye,drive careful...,i left,but i still dont understand,for 5 days i tried to get the car started and he managed in 10 seconds,chew on that,thanks to all for your help and inputs !!!

PooPoo happens

Has it been dry(er) there for the past day or so?

Anyway, this might help sort out some of the WD-40 myths on here:

http://www.wd40.com/about-us/myths-legends-fun-facts/

Edible? I dunno.....I heard that it has been used as a fruit preservative but that may well be yet another urban myth.

I have successfully used it up inside distributor caps to displace moisture up in there. It works for a while (a few weeks) but then it evaporates and you're back to where you were.

If you REALLY want to cure this, then replace the cap, rotor and plug wires (I would buy Taylor products if it were mine) and get it over with or you'll be back visiting your wrench.

So what was fixed? It didn't magically fix itself by him blessing it! LoL

hate to think of it,but there is for sure a next time.......

I'd go through the entire ignition system. Start with plugs- get NGKs, make sure the tips are screwed on really tight. I'm assuming you have the standard set-up (009, ignition module)- If so, I'd do the stock Bosch 7 mm plug wires (I've got Taylor wires, but I've got a CDI box, a Uni-lite, and a Mallory coil- and I still shrink-tubed the distributor end connections), and a new cap-n'-rotor.

All of this will cost less than the flat-bed ride, and you'll be taking that ride again if you do nothing.

Most likely the distriber dryed out over time.. How ever i have seen a bad coil do the same thing and I seen them run twenty minutes and then die in a pop and sputter. all at once..