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[Solved] No spark until after turning key off

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[Solved] No spark until after turning key off
#1
Solved
Sandercohen13 Andrew Harpold
Parkersburg, WV, USA   USA
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Solved
Hello, my 79 spitfire has started to not spark until I turn the key in the off position. I found these results using a spark tester. Any idea as to what is going on ? Tried this at both the plug and the coil.

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#2
70tbolt Avatar
70tbolt Geoff Ullmann
Morgan Hill, CA, USA   USA
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1975 Triumph 1500
Has this happened all of a sudden? Any work done on the car recently?

Geoff

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#3
Sandercohen13 Andrew Harpold
Parkersburg, WV, USA   USA
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Seemed to happen after I replaced the starter solenoid. Hard to pin point exactly because the car is a work in progress so some says when I work on it i dont start it because I am working on something else but I had the car running one day then tried to run it again then the starter solenoid went bad, replaced it then tried to start it again a few days later and nothing. The day I got it to run was its first and only day.

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#4
GottaSpit Avatar
GottaSpit Duncan A
Folsom, CA, USA   USA
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1966 Triumph Spitfire MkII
Have you examined your ignition switch? When I dissected mine I was shocked by the amount of black and green corrosion junk inside there. On my second spit rebuild (underway now), I just threw the old one out and put in a new one without even checking. I figure those old ignition switches are just going to be trouble sooner than later. I feel the same way about old solenoid relays. Pretty cheap to replace and a definite reliability upgrade.

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#5
carChips Avatar
carChips Victor Harnish
Kelowna, BC, Canada   CAN
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1933 MG Magnette
1973 Triumph Spitfire 1500 "Chip"
1989 GMC Sierra 1500 "Bush Truck"
Look at the wiring at the solenoid, you probably have a wire on the wrong post.


'S all for now
Vic

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#6
Sandercohen13 Andrew Harpold
Parkersburg, WV, USA   USA
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I'm leaning to the solenoid because the ignition switch is brand new, not to say it couldn't have failed but when I rewired my solenoid I told myself to take a picture of the former wiring and forgot so it is very possible I've wired it wrong. I'll examine it this evening. Thanks for your replies.

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#7
clshore Gold Member Carter Shore
Beverly Hills, FL, USA   USA
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If switch and solenoid are good, then your wiring is not connected properly.
Assuming that harness is original, consult a wiring diagram and match the colors.

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#8
spitfire50 Avatar
spitfire50 Paul Mugford
Rochester, N.H., USA   USA
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1966 Triumph Spitfire MkII
In reply to # 1647822 by GottaSpit Have you examined your ignition switch? When I dissected mine I was shocked by the amount of black and green corrosion junk inside there. On my second spit rebuild (underway now), I just threw the old one out and put in a new one without even checking. I figure those old ignition switches are just going to be trouble sooner than later. I feel the same way about old solenoid relays. Pretty cheap to replace and a definite reliability upgrade.

Duncan,
I wish you luck with this policy. Sometimes a new part will be distinctly inferior to the old one. "Pure Chinesium" ring a bell?
Good luck,
Paul


TRF# 10423

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#9
Sandercohen13 Andrew Harpold
Parkersburg, WV, USA   USA
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Harness is not original. It is to the extent that it is a reproduction of the original though. Baught it from britishwiring.com.

In reply to # 1647868 by clshore If switch and solenoid are good, then your wiring is not connected properly.
Assuming that harness is original, consult a wiring diagram and match the colors.

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#10
dklawson Douglas K. Lawson
Durham, NC, USA   USA
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1964 Morris Mini Cooper
1967 Triumph GT6 MkI
You mentioned that you have replaced the solenoid. The solenoid and coil wiring are tied together a bit on a '79 and as mentioned above... you may have just put a wire in the wrong location.

See the wiring diagram linked below. The coil and distributor wiring is in the upper right corner, the solenoid in the upper left. Pay particular attention to the pink/white and white/yellow wires on the solenoid.

http://www.triumphspitfire.com/images/wiring/78diagram.jpg


Doug L.
1967 Triumph GT6 Mk1
1964 Morris Mini Cooper S 1275

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#11
colodad Avatar
colodad Calvin Williams
Grand Junction, CO, USA   USA
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1979 Triumph Spitfire 1500 "Miss GG"
No power to coil after ignition returns from start position ?

The pink should always have 8+vdc with the key on, supplies power to the coil through the W-Y.

The solenoid supplies 12vdc to the W-Y only when solenoid is pulled in, to start with more power, then when the key is released to run position that 12vdc is gone, and the 8+vdc pink feeds the coil W-Y wire.

The Pink resistor wire might be bad.


Attachments:
cwIMG_0562 starter solenoid wires.JPG    37.1 KB
cwIMG_0562 starter solenoid wires.JPG

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#12
colodad Avatar
colodad Calvin Williams
Grand Junction, CO, USA   USA
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1979 Triumph Spitfire 1500 "Miss GG"
this is confusing: "not spark untill I turn the key in the off position" Did U mean "on" position?

In reply to # 1647804 by Sandercohen13 Hello, my 79 spitfire has started to not spark until I turn the key in the off position. I found these results using a spark tester. Any idea as to what is going on ? Tried this at both the plug and the coil.

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#13
Sandercohen13 Andrew Harpold
Parkersburg, WV, USA   USA
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I hope not, the wiring harness is brand new.

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#14
colodad Avatar
colodad Calvin Williams
Grand Junction, CO, USA   USA
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1979 Triumph Spitfire 1500 "Miss GG"
"work in progress"
"some days when I work on it I don't start it, because I am working on something else"
"the day I got it to run was it's first and only day"

you should start explaining here, "the day you got it to run", just fired then died ?, or it started and ran well ?, and what was done after that?

In reply to # 1647819 by Sandercohen13 Seemed to happen after I replaced the starter solenoid. Hard to pin point exactly because the car is a work in progress so some says when I work on it i dont start it because I am working on something else but I had the car running one day then tried to run it again then the starter solenoid went bad, replaced it then tried to start it again a few days later and nothing. The day I got it to run was its first and only day.

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Re: No spark until after turning key off
#15
colodad Avatar
colodad Calvin Williams
Grand Junction, CO, USA   USA
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1979 Triumph Spitfire 1500 "Miss GG"
"Pure Chinesium" had to google that one, not in my dictionary. (aka inferior metal, seems to been made in China)

British Wiring, 617 Walnut St, P.O. Box 185, Bally PA. Not to say it's a bad harness, till the facts are known.

In reply to # 1647891 by spitfire50
In reply to # 1647822 by GottaSpit Have you examined your ignition switch? When I dissected mine I was shocked by the amount of black and green corrosion junk inside there. On my second spit rebuild (underway now), I just threw the old one out and put in a new one without even checking. I figure those old ignition switches are just going to be trouble sooner than later. I feel the same way about old solenoid relays. Pretty cheap to replace and a definite reliability upgrade.

Duncan,
I wish you luck with this policy. Sometimes a new part will be distinctly inferior to the old one. "Pure Chinesium" ring a bell?
Good luck,
Paul

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