carb or ignition?

[deezgunz]

i'm having a problem i believe to be ignition related. i have an 83 24v ffr ex-mod. it was running fine and would not accelerate under load then it shut down. when i attempt to start it will not start. after attempted to turn it over it flooded. after sitting for a few days i checked the spark on the #1 plug and i have a nice healthy arc. i attempted to start it and it would not start and white smoke came out of the exhaust. i tried two attempts to start it and checked the carb. there was fuel leaking from the base from the new atlantic british #5583 zenith type 34 iv carb (all makes carb). on another forum it was suggested the dizzy condensor may be bad. i'm thinking about installing a pertronix to rule out any points/dizzy condensor related problems. i have removed the carb and blew out the jets and the the problem persists. carb or ignition? any suggetions would be helpful. thanks.

[mearstrae]

I think I'd check for a blown head gasket, that's the usual cause of White smoke. [Generally if it's flooded with fuel the smoke would be Black.] This could cause a problem with firing up and having any power. Easy check would be to pull the plugs and crank it over, look for water (anti-freeze) coming out of one of the cylinders.

'95 R.R. Classic LWB
'76 Series III Htbrid 109
'70 Rover 3500S

[TeriAnn]

I think I'd check for a blown head gasket, that's the usual cause of White smoke.

Probably not. A vehicle will start with blown head gasket. The exhaust system usually collects water inside when it cools down after being at running temp. The water inside the exhaust is burned off as the exhaust system comes up to temperature producing white "smoke" for the first 10-15 minutes of running.

You have a problem in that most electrical and fuel deliver problems have the same symptoms. The symptoms you can described could be a bad condenser, slipped points, cap or rotor failure or a fuel delivery problem. You could be getting some fuel but not enough for the engine to run on.

Could be a plugged draw tube in the fuel tank, a clog in the sediment bowl screen. Have you checked the bowl? If you do be sure to have a new bowl seal ready to use. Fuel hardens the seal and makes it very difficult to rseal after removal.

If it were me, I'd undo the the fuel delivery line at the carb. There may be a screen in the carb at the connection. Check it for debris. Then the engine over with the fuel hose open. There should be a strong flow of fuel coming out the hose into a catch container. If you have a fuel pressure gauge fuel pressure should be about 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 lbs.

What appears to be a strong spark may not be or may not be to all plugs. Check the underside of the cap for cracks, carbon tracks and that the contacts are not badly burned. The centre carbon contact is on a spring and should easily push in and pop out. The rotor should be without major pitting. Same with the points. Be sure to check the gap.

A weak but not totally dead coil can throw a spark in a static test. Usually a weak coil puts out enough spark for the engine to start and maybe idle OK but have absolutely no power and to stumble off idle.

Good luck finding your problem, but don't focus on fuel without also doing check on the ignition system and visa versa.

Is your engine high mileage? A well worn engine could cause the timing chain to jump a cog.