Escort Twincam not firing up - any advice?

[Rally Pack 2000]

Trying to get my Twincam started after sitting idle for a long time. She wont fire up. Turns over on the starter but appears to be no spark. The ballast resistor seems to get really hot though just by clicking the ignition to on without even turning over the starter. Any ideas? Do coils and condensers go off if they sit idle for a while? Any help is appreciated.

[iandq]

have you got points ignition, it sounds like you have no cb switching. check that the points are actually opening, also check the coil for a dead short ( unlikely ). whatever the problem is it sounds like the primary side to me.

cheers, ian.

[Rally Pack 2000]

have you got points ignition, it sounds like you have no cb switching. check that the points are actually opening, also check the coil for a dead short ( unlikely ). whatever the problem is it sounds like the primary side to me.

cheers, ian.

 

Yes it still has points, although am considering one of those magnetic points replacement options if I cant get it to go. I think the points are opening its just really awkward to view them hidden under the carburettors. I had the Mk2s Pinto engine converted to full electronic ignition 20 years ago and it all just works and keeps working. Ive never been good with traditional points setups.

[aardvark101]

My mates got a Mk1 twink, and its a bas9ard to start, unless you use it every day, even with a high torque starter it churns for ages, good idea on the electronic conversion i think.

[Rally Pack 2000]

My mates got a Mk1 twink, and its a bas9ard to start, unless you use it every day, even with a high torque starter it churns for ages, good idea on the electronic conversion i think.

 

Well at least mines not the only one. It doesnt have a high torque starter though just a standard one. Its also has its original thin battery cabling from the boot so you dont get many cracks from a fully charged battery before you have to stop. But I move the Mk2 up behind it and try to jump it that way which helps allowing you to turn it over for longer but no spark yet. I remember I was doing all sort of things and didnt start the Pinto for a couple of years. New fuel and fully charged battery and only took a minute for the fuel to reach the carby and fire up. The Twincam would take longer than that even when starting one week later. I just ordered some new ignition leads for it from Burtons. I dont think that will solve the problem but the old leads seemed like rigamortis had set in.

[bigstevemex]

If you have a multimeter or test light you can check power to both sides of the coil with ign on.

Bypass the ballast resistor and give the coil a 12v feed temp to check for spark at points

You can use a mirror on a stick to see the ponts or do it in the dark

If you have a spark at the points but not at the plugs test the rotor arm next

Pull off coil lead at dist cap hold it in insulated pliers or a big dry rag

With the cap off dist get someone to crank engine while you hold lead 1/2 cm

Above the centre of rotor arm

If there is no spark then the rotor is burnt out

The spark should go from lead to rotor then off end of arm and track down to earth

It's a bit hard to explain but the rotor is an insulator

What normally happens is they burn through under the rivet and short to earth

If you find the rotor is burnt out take it off and either use a small piece of silicon tape

And stuff it up the hole to insulate it or paint inside with nail varnish which acts as an

Insulator.

Hope this helps

P.s don't rely on it if that's the fault just let's you confirm what is wrong

I have been a breakdown mechanic for many years and these tricks have helped me

Out many times.

The look on peoples faces when I get out the nail varnish and then it starts!

 

Pps this test only works if you have a spark at the coil lead when you earth it and crank the engine

Also make sure you have the correct spring loaded rotor arm for the rev limiter on this engine

Edited June 5, 2014 by bigstevemex

[Rally Pack 2000]

If you have a multimeter or test light you can check power to both sides of the coil with ign on.

Bypass the ballast resistor and give the coil a 12v feed temp to check for spark at points

You can use a mirror on a stick to see the ponts or do it in the dark

If you have a spark at the points but not at the plugs test the rotor arm next

Pull off coil lead at dist cap hold it in insulated pliers or a big dry rag

With the cap off dist get someone to crank engine while you hold lead 1/2 cm

Above the centre of rotor arm

If there is no spark then the rotor is burnt out

The spark should go from lead to rotor then off end of arm and track down to earth

It's a bit hard to explain but the rotor is an insulator

What normally happens is they burn through under the rivet and short to earth

If you find the rotor is burnt out take it off and either use a small piece of silicon tape

And stuff it up the hole to insulate it or paint inside with nail varnish which acts as an

Insulator.

Hope this helps

P.s don't rely on it if that's the fault just let's you confirm what is wrong

I have been a breakdown mechanic for many years and these tricks have helped me

Out many times.

The look on peoples faces when I get out the nail varnish and then it starts!

 

Pps this test only works if you have a spark at the coil lead when you earth it and crank the engine

Also make sure you have the correct spring loaded rotor arm for the rev limiter on this engine

 

Thanks for all your advice. I will get a new battery for my multimeter and try those tests. It still had original type copper cored ignition leads on it with the sort of plastic casing.  They do go hard with age and heat from engine, to which when I took them off flexing them one split. I stuck with this archaic type of lead because last time I went to change them, which admittedly was a while ago, I couldnt find leads thin enough to fit in the tiny holes of the distributor cap and also wasnt sure if carbon cored leads wouldnt just disintegrate when I tried to screw the pins of the cap into them. So I just made a new set of copper cored leads by buying the cable and fittings separately.  Greater access to sellers overseas on the net I can see companies like Magnecor offer a special 7mm lead with no tips at one end just for the purpose so clearly the core of modern leads wont mash up if you screw the pins into it. So thats something I have learnt at least and now can use the radio without buzzing hopefully. I just ordered a set from Burtons so will try those when they arrive.

 

The cap and the rotor only have a few hundred miles on them. It has the original spring loaded rotor that acts as a rev limiter. It worked quite effectively as the Engine would happily keep going past its limit if permitted unlike the pinto which gets breathless long before then, Its a bit disconcerting when the rev limiter engages but you get used to it. One thing I did notice with the rotor is that is was a totally bugger to get off. The joints in my fingers are still sore from pulling at it. The shaft of the distributor had corroded under the rotor and that expansion was holding the rotor on tight. Its cleaned up now and clicks on and off not as it should. My eyesight must not be what it used too as I cant see if the points are opening and closing in the awkward position they are.

 

The new parts should arrive soon and will have another go with some of your suggestions. I have new rear wheel cylinders coming too as when I stored it I  left it with the hand brake on and the rear drums are seized. Im getting closer though. I cleaned up the engine bay and repainted the cam cover in a crackle finish paint that I hadnt used before and it came up very nice. Someone PM me asking for some pics and about the differences between Australian Twincans and British built ones so will try get something along those lines too.

[texr2000]

Least testing the ignition system is quite simple compared to modern stuff and can only be Coil, coil feed, points, condenser, rotor cap or leads. and each one is fairly easy to test. Bigsevemex gave a great step by step guide. When i had a ignition issue with mine i used a known good coil and a direct 12v feed with a switch to rule out anything up to the coil and the coil itself. As said main issue is access, even though i come from a motor trade back ground points and bits are a little before my time so have to watch a quick how stuff works video on youtube to refresh my head.

 

Spose while its playing up it gives you the option to think about swapping to a points-less system thats easier and could change to a non balast coil and remove the resistor and run 12v, not sure of the advantages but when i redid mine i decided to go that route.

 

I didnt know there was much difference on the export twincam to the UK one, wasnt yours built in the UK then? Thought was the mk2 that was built in Aus for your ow market?  

[Rally Pack 2000]

Least testing the ignition system is quite simple compared to modern stuff and can only be Coil, coil feed, points, condenser, rotor cap or leads. and each one is fairly easy to test. Bigsevemex gave a great step by step guide. When i had a ignition issue with mine i used a known good coil and a direct 12v feed with a switch to rule out anything up to the coil and the coil itself. As said main issue is access, even though i come from a motor trade back ground points and bits are a little before my time so have to watch a quick how stuff works video on youtube to refresh my head.

 

Spose while its playing up it gives you the option to think about swapping to a points-less system thats easier and could change to a non balast coil and remove the resistor and run 12v, not sure of the advantages but when i redid mine i decided to go that route.

 

I didnt know there was much difference on the export twincam to the UK one, wasnt yours built in the UK then? Thought was the mk2 that was built in Aus for your ow market?  

 

 I dont know what it is I just find it hard to get my head about points condensers and ballast resisters, I dont why. Ive been over every inch of my cars and know them very very well. Just that no matter how much the traditional ignition system is explained to me it just never sinks in! One of the reasons why I kept my mk2 for so long as there was a time they were worthless and just scrapped en mass was that I was too lazy to learn a car so thoroughly again so stuck with it and as it turns out the value has started to rise after bottoming out. Not that I think I will ever recover the money I ever put into it but in the same respect new cars practically halve their value after the first year.

 

Ford Australia made both Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts right here in Sydney to which has long since gone. Ford reduced manufacturing only to Melbourne to which now has announced closure so no Fords will be made here any more. In fact Holden (GM) and Toyota have announced the same so effectively all car manufacturing will stop in this country altogether its all imports from now on, how sad. When I say made though Escorts were mostly assembled from components from the UK and Germany. Escort Chassis Numbers all start wit CK for complete knockdown meaning they came as a piled of bits and put together. Although there were sometimes diffs and blinker lens you found were sourced locally for Mk1s. There were a number of modifications to more meet the needs of the Australian market although most of those are occur in Mk2s, like the bigger fuel tank under the boot floor to permit interstate travel, Both 2 and 4 door RS2000 and 2lt Mexico equivalent and thick side intrusion beams in the doors. All Mk1 and 2 Escorts here were made from strengthened shells as with the UK RS models. So technically every shell is an RS type shell even the 4 doors. for our sh*tier roads presumably.

 

Out of all our Escorts it was the Twincam which was the closest to its UK twin with few differences between the two. In fact the Twincam was the only Escort, both Mk1 and 2 that had factory radius arms, neither our Mk2 Rally Packs (Mexicos) or RS2000s ever did.  Differences however include most notably is colour. All the British ones were white while ours you could get in any colour in the range. Mine is Orange if you havent see then pics when I first joined. They were offered in standard and deluxe trim. The deluxe gave you black around the windows and the fake woodgrain strips across the dash, around the instruments and strips across the top of the doors. The Deluxe also had driving lights that were located within the grill itself with brackets welded to the front apron. I always prefer round headlights on Mk1s but none of our Mk1s ever had round headlights no matter what the model so for originality its got square headlights still but adding another set of square lights inset in the grill beside them looks positively crap! So I quickly removed those. All that was needed was a new grill and the brackets that are welled there are completely hidden so if anyone wants to put the driving lights back on its as easy as. All the factory relays are still all there under the bonnet. All our Twincams have factory oil coolers for the warmer weather most likely which  I could be wrong here not all the UK Twincams had oil coolers? The most unusual difference would be that Twincams were made until 1972 as the RS1600 evolved in the UK we stuck with the Twincam. The 1972 models were given high back seats and were rebadged. They stopped calling them Twincams and renamed them GT1600s in line with the Grand Touring tag of their bigger sports models like the Falcon.

 

The fact that our Twincams dont fetch the kind of silly money that they do in the UK and general chat about ours and South African made cars dont seem to get much interest they seem to be frowned on as colonial look-alikes rather than authentic cars but now all Australian made cars are a thing of the past and something special. The oil companies even want to stop making Petrol here saying its too expensive so we will have to get fully imported stuff from India and Singapore. I dont know how thats going to work coming in on big takers, pretty dangerous and doesnt the octane evaporate first? It will be as week as horse piss by the time it gets here. Anyways one natural disaster or some wally starting a war and the whole country is going to grind to a halt but our Government are too guttless to say no to the big car and oil companies. All we offer now is pretty much digging holes in the ground. rather embarrassing really.

[Rally Pack 2000]

Was asked what an Australian Twincam looked like on the inside. Its hard to capture as digital phones are wide enough but it will give you an idea.

 

[Rally Pack 2000]

My mates got a Mk1 twink, and its a bas9ard to start, unless you use it every day, even with a high torque starter it churns for ages, good idea on the electronic conversion i think.

 

Solution maybe?

 

[texr2000]

We sell that stuff at work think the name is hilarious. Wont help if you dont have a spark though 

[Rally Pack 2000]

We sell that stuff at work think the name is hilarious. Wont help if you dont have a spark though 

 

Its put out by an Australian oils and additive company. I use their stuff it all my cars.

 

I think there is a warning on the back, it may fire up bastard starters but old Twncams are F--------

[texr2000]

Im working at repco atm so full of nulon products

[Rally Pack 2000]

Im working at repco atm so full of nulon products

 Oh wow Repco, a very long history. They built F1 engines at one point for Sir Jack Brabham who just passed away recently. Very sad.

[texr2000]

It may have a history but now nothing more than a car parts shop, hard to believe they had a past that you mentioned 

[Rally Pack 2000]

It may have a history but now nothing more than a car parts shop, hard to believe they had a past that you mentioned 

 

Well they always were a car parts shop really, Repco being the abbreviation for Replacement Parts Company. But each store had a workshop and they offered complete engine rebuilds and replacements and had large engineering facility. Sir Jack asked hem to make heads and other pieces based around block of some American V8 of his own design and thats how the Repco Brabham was born and won a couple of F1 championships. He is the only driver to win a F1 championship in a car that bore his name and of his own design. Impressive stuff. He would often go into the pits, hop out and tweak the car himself. Can you imagine a modern pima donna F1 driver ever get their hands dirty let alone understand the mechanics of their cars. the good old days hey.