If I remember rightly the firing order should be 1, 3, 4, 2, and it is possible to put the dizzie in 180 out.

Yup it is 1342

get him to take the rocker cover off and remove the plug from cylinder 1 n drop a welding rod in, then turn it over by hand to check the crank/valve timing, probably the easiest to do as im not sure how you could check if the dizzy drive is 180 degrees out (never owned a car with a dizzy, only ever worked on one car with a dizzy drive and then we never touched it)

 

if one is in time, then check the other

If you do this and get the welding rod at TDC with both the inlet and exhaust valves "on the rock" i.e. just between exhaust and inlet stroke, the rotor arm inside the dizzy should be lined up with the output to HT lead for no.4 cylinder.

Ian

More simply - with the welding rod indicating No.1 cylinder is at TDC, No.1 inlet and exhaust valves should be closed (compression stroke) with the rotor arm pointing to No.1 plug lead.  Good luck!

If you remove the distributor and turn the engine so 1+4 are at tdc with no1 on firing stroke. Then peep down the hole where the distributor goes. The distributor driveshaft has an offset slot which should sit with the left side slightly down from 3oclock and the right side slightly up, say roughly 45degrees. The offset should be thick at top and narrow to the bottom.

I think the thread in the shaft is 5/16". A long stud or bolt will/should screw in enough to enable you to remove the distributor shaft itself and adjust it so it is engaged as I said. Its is advisable not to drop the shaft into the engine or you will likely have to remove the engine and split the gearbox.

One the offset and angle is correct, replace the distributor and the points should be at the no1 firing position. (by now you may have mixed up the leads and their positions - check they are correct and double check the firing order - 1.3.4.2). Triple check you are using the correct DOR - direction of rotation to set the leads on the right plug and the correct hole on the distributor cap.

Now it is easy to adjust the tappets. With no1 firing, rotate the engine slightly until the valves on cyl4 are rocking back and forth (usually the car is in gear and you just nudge it back and forwards). The exact position is not critical. This means you are top of firing stroke for cylinder number 1, and both valves are as closed as they ever will be. So you adjust both valves on that cylinder. Once set, rotate the engine until the valves on cylinder number 1 are rocking, which means cylinder number 4 is on compression stroke and both valves are fully closed, so adjust both valves on cylinder number 4.

The procedure is the same on cylinders 2+3. When one cylinder is rocking, adjust the valves on the other cylinder.

Get it timed correctly, both cam and spark. Check fuel and carb function as far as you can. Check for mechanical integrity and it should work. If not, something else is screwed up. Work though it logically.

Heat engines obey the laws of physics.

An engine as crude as an A series only needs to vaguely correct to work. Points set with fag paper, timing by swinging the distributor and just winding the carb adjusting nut down two turns. It will go.

Check there isn't a lump of rag in the centre port for example. Do all the valve events occur in the correct sequence? Do the valve open more or less the same amount ie excess cam lobe wear?

I once had to deal with an engine which no one in the workshop could get to run. Been stripped several times, head, manifolds and block checked for cracks. Cam timing set and reset. Carbs stripped and rebuilt numerous times, likewise the distributor. The boss even offered a bonus for anyone to sort it.

After pondering and cogitating, I worked out that the camshaft was incorrect. It came from a different model which had a different firing order and was opening an exhaust valve, expecting it to be an inlet. It would never have run, ever*.

I don't think this is likely on an A series, but you never know.

*The car was a Sunbeam Rapier, which came with a special ex-in-ex-in-ex-in-ex-in (or something like that)cylinder head and matching cam. The cam was from a cooking Hillman/Singer with a more conventional ex-in-in-ex-ex-in-in-ex layout.

It's been said before, but I also think the dissie is 180deg out. When the timing marks on the block and crank pulley are aligned you should be just before TDC compression on #1 and the rotor arm pointed at #1 HT lead.

I once had to deal with an engine which no one in the workshop could get to run. Been stripped several times, head, manifolds and block checked for cracks. Cam timing set and reset. Carbs stripped and rebuilt numerous times, likewise the distributor. The boss even offered a bonus for anyone to sort it.

After pondering and cogitating, I worked out that the camshaft was incorrect. It came from a different model which had a different firing order and was opening an exhaust valve, expecting it to be an inlet. It would never have run, ever*.

I don't think this is likely on an A series, but you never know.

*The car was a Sunbeam Rapier, which came with a special ex-in-ex-in-ex-in-ex-in (or something like that)cylinder head and matching cam. The cam was from a cooking Hillman/Singer with a more conventional ex-in-in-ex-ex-in-in-ex layout.

 

 Was this a "glasshouse" Rapier with the alloy head?

 

Incidentally, I've never heard of an A-series with a 5-port head not use ex-in-in-ex-ex-in-in-ex valve order. I've also never worked on one with a (rare aftermarket) 8-port head.

Id be re-checking the ht leads & firing order,sounds like the leads are mixed up to me,if your 100% sure thats all ok then id check the valve clearances are correctly set,no need to touch the dizzy or timing doing a head gasket on a mini engine,was it running ok before your mate took it to bits?

I would be looking at the electrical side first.

Plugs, Leads, Coil and even the dizzy and components.

Even if the timing was out it would still run on all 4.

Sorted now

What was it?

What was it?

I went over there and found he'd been messing with the Leads