912 W/Type IV Engine Won't Start!

[gregoogle]

Picked up a '66 912 a few weeks back and I cannot get it started. I've tried dropping a new battery into her but nothing.. I then looked around online and tried this method:

+ Coil --> +battery
- Battery --> engine ground
+ starter --> +battery

but no luck... its got a Type IV motor in it with crappy DIY wiring from a previous owner.. any help is appreciated. Thanks Pelicans

[WFBowen]

A couple of quick questions -

1. Did you ever hear this motor run?
2. Does it spin on the starter motor?
3. Does it have the Bosch FI system, or single carb/dual carb conversion?
4. Are you certain you're getting spark & fuel delivery?
5. Is there any indication that it's trying to start - i.e. backfire, etc.?

Bill

[gregoogle]

Hey WFBowen, the previous owner sent me a couple videos of it running before I purchased it. I did not get the starter motor to spin, but I'm also not sure I connected everything properly? I've always been wary of just hooking up wires and crossing my fingers. It is a single weber carb with electronic fuel pump. And no, no indication of starting.

IMG_3284 by greg henderson, on Flickr

[WFBowen]

Greg:
I'd start by doing the following, since you're really not sure of what is/isn't functioning:
1. Take close-up photos of every wire and how it's connected, including the starter wiring.
2. Systematically disconnect everything, including the elec. fuel pump wiring, to completely isolate the motor-including disconnecting the car's battery cables up front.
3. Starting with the starter, wire it up to a remote battery - good engine ground cable, hot to starter, touch hot to solenoid.
4. If the starter momentarily spins the motor, temp. hook up the ignition, put just 2 tablespoons of gas into the primary carb throat and see if it wants to fire.
This is an over-simplified version of what you'll need to do, but things to consider:
After you put some gas in the carb cover it with an aircleaner in case it spits back. And, what looks like an MSD spark box installed could cause major problems since it might be wired wrong or was shorted out and possibly damaged the internals. Either way, initially going with a "conventional" coil/dist. wiring setup would make testing much easier. And, take a look inside the dist. to see if points are still there or it's been converted to electronic pick-up.

[gregoogle]

Thanks much WFBowen. I will try your suggestions and report back! Many thanks