Mike, I sent you a PM.
Hi, I would check your internal and external resistance with your coil. Bad coils appear once they get hot.
Regards,
Allen
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I did change the coil but will do as you suggest |Mike
This is the correct set up. Rotor button pointing as the arrow shows when TDC on Number 6 compression.
Timothy .a little bit confused with diagram. This afternoon I took off the cam covers I got TDC at 6 The drive dog was pointing 11 io clock to 7 io clock as in your diagram The distributor Rota pointed to 1 o clock when I put it in
That seems to be what your diagram is showing Correc t me if this is wrong The manual say that the Rota should point to cylinder 6, so mine is off
I tried to start with this set up last night again no start The cam markers are correct with the timing tool
Let me know Mike
I’ve been recalling my own travails with my car’s ignition timing and I’ve looked at my car only to find that number one lead (rear of motor) is just to the right of the lower cap clip on the distributor whereas the diagram shows that’s where lead three is shown in the diagram I sent you. I remember now that I started with that lead then put the leads in the correct order 153624 in the ant-clockwise direction, checked the static timing on number 6 TDC (not sure how you do that with an electronic ignition?). Once I did all that it ran beautifully.
Its confusing cause it ran, now it doesnt
You do not say if at any point you have changed the spark plug order ?
To check the 180 degree out issue (and a lot of other possible issues), go through the FSM mechanical timing procedures, them after carefully marking and taking pics of the order of leads, (so you dont make things more confusing), rewire them 180 degrees and see if it goes
I do not think this is the issue, as it ran before (unless you have changed wire order)
but it is not very time consuming to do, and should be ruled out
From my recollection, the rotor and vacuum capsule should point as per Tims diagram
If not, it needs to be worked out why
It may be able to be fixed with a plug re wire (of course you have tried rotating the dizzy thru the full range of its movement ?)
I cannot see why the head would need to come off unless some weird mechanical change has taken place
You can partially check the chain and nut without taking it off
Have you tried cranking the motor with a vacuum gauge hooked up
Do you have an old points dizzy you can insert to check various things ?
remembering that most problems are electrical
Would others post photos of their distributors and the relative position of number 1 lead on the distributor cap, please?
When you say previously, was this before the 30 min run, or after it spat the dummy and died and you were trying to get it going again?
Note that it isn’t clear in Timothy’s diagram, but there are two positions which will show 11 to 7 orientations for the slot, as the drive dog slot is offset, not central, refer picture below
The ‘fat’ side of the offset should be towards the water pump, the ‘thin’ side towards the carbs. No 6 (front) should be TDC on the compression stroke, which can most easily be confirmed by removing the oil cap. Looking through the cap, the exhaust cam lobe should be pointing up at around 2 o’clock. If it’s pointing down onto the tappet, you are on the exhaust stroke and 180 degrees out on the distributor drive.
This was just recently before I REALIZED I should be timing at number 6
The rota wa
So where is the Rotor button pointing?
Tim
No just recently , I was timing to number one at the firewall ,The rumbles were then I subsequently started timing to number 6 just a day or so ago Nothing so far but I now have the cam cover s off and the TDC is at number 6 on compression The cam tool is correct The Rota is pointing to 1 io clock Haven’t tried to start it yet
Mike
it’s hard to tell but it does look as through the drive is 180deg out. What do you think Dave?
This is mine before I cleaned it all up and before I had the distributor overhauled and the engine cleaned. It was was supposed to be my reference.
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It’s a bit hard to tell, but to me this looks like the thin side is on the water pump side? Which is out 180 degrees? What you want, regardless, is for no 6 to be firing at around this point (with the correct advance set of course), so with the points just opening, whichever distributor plug lead the rotor is pointing to (you say this is around 1 o’clock position) should be connected to the number 6 spark plug, then in order anticlockwise, connect subsequent distributor terminals to plugs 2, 4, 1, 5 and 3.
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The original post stated that the car was driven for 30 minutes before it started having troubles. I’ve been around XK engines that were 180 degrees out and I don’t think any of them could have been driven for 30 minutes. I’m not ruling it out as I’m not anywhere near this engine but is it really possible that an engine with a distributor 180 out run well enough to drive?
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Which is the way mine was and is now set up as per the photo. I note that the vacuum advance is more likely to be at or greater than a 60deg angle relative to the block.
Yes, I recalled you had some similar issues a while back, this thread may help the OP also…
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I agree, but sound like it wasn’t running particularly well either. While I’ve never done it, I think I’ve read (probably on J-L, where else 
) they will run, but not well, if a couple of leads (but not all) are out of order.
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I’d think, actually I’m fairly certain, at 180 out you’d be backfiring through the carbs. I’ve driven Jaguars that had ran rough due to carb issues as well as other issues and they’ve been pretty tough engines that still get you home. One that is 180 out I can’t see even leaving the garage.