They will run perfectly for years…if the wires are placed in the 180 degree out position
That is why I asked if the OP had changed the plug wires/ and or this a home assembled engine ?
Yes. So it went (and timing was correct), and now it doesn’t.
I suspect that something has gone amiss with the dizzy, hence my suggestion to try another one.
Being 180 degrees (or any other number of degrees) out is irrelevant as long as the plug wires match what is going on in the dizzy.
I have no idea, but it’s possible that the advance mechanism in the dizzy is broken or has jammed, the pin holding the drive dog has sheared, the drive dog has slipped out of the slot, the ROTOR is broken, or something else has broken that has meant that the distributor isn’t delivering spark at the correct time.
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Have a chat to Martin at Distributor Doctor in the UK. He’s the specialist and am sure he can help with professional advice.
He’s been a great help to me.
Tim
What he said !
I’m getting an original distributor I’m going to hook up a vacuum as you suggest
Mike
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Tomorrow I’m going to collate all the info and see if I can make some progress Thanks to all for the info Mike
ll try soon with a points distributor
Mike
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The first time I fired up my engine she sounded wonderful for about 20 minutes. Then there was an abrupt klunk and she died. I cranked and cranked and she would not fire. I checked and I had no spark. I had a new Mallory electronic distributor. I figured the module went bad and bought another. Before replacing it, I had the cap off and cranked the motor over. The rotor did not turn.
The builder either left something in the oil pick up tube or there was something left inside the oil pump. Either way, the pump seized which then striped four teeth off the brass distributor drive gear.
Thankfully, nothing catastrophic. Dropped the pan, cleaned up the chunks, replaced the gear and oil pump. The stripped gear is now a paperweight on my desk.
Maybe something happened to your gear.
Micah
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UIl take a close look down there when I crank it Thanks Mike
I thihnk I replied already Tim but this is just where mine is right now The cam covers are off an I am waiting for a points distributor to be brought Not a new one but an old Lucas one
MIke
I think I replied already Robin, I enclose a photo of how the dog drives are right now. That is what Timothy,s diagram illustrated
Number 6 is at TDC on compression and the cam markers are correct I briefly tried to start it and failed but went back to TDC as above ad may try tomorrow with the cam covers off May be a bit oily……
Mike
Hi Jon I have a Powers[park Distributor, form the UK In fact |I have 2 and they both work on the bench and in the car Bu I will try a points distributor as soon as a used one is delivered, a friend has a few My leads are carbon I took out the copper ones on the advice of Powerspark. They did say that copper cores wont cause anything catastrophic
I’m assuming that you refer to a diaphragm in the carb Does the Mk V have one carb Mike
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Hi Mike,
What this discussion has led me understand about my own car is that my distributor is out by 180deg.
I took my distributor to be assessed by a specialist here in Australia and they said that the ‘dog-drive’ was 180deg out. Naturally I believed them though a distant memory has come to mind from rereading my old thread on this Forum, namely that they said they had to drill out the pin holding the dog-drive in position. Again I didn’t think anything of at the time but when I got it back to the car and refitted it it wouldn’t start. I went through the process in the Service Manual and followed the pattern on the diagram I sent to you. Eventually I set Number 6 cylinder to TDC and looked at the position of the rotor which was out by 180deg! I moved all the ignition leads accordingly and then the car ran. I guess that all the cylinders were receiving spark at the correct time and in the correct sequence. Having revisited all this trauma I’m now wanting to put my car back to the specifications set at the Factory, simply because I now don’t trust the modification. So……. I have contacted Martin at Distributor Doctor in the UK and enquired as to the cost of one of his ‘new-build’ distributors which will outlast me no doubt. Hopefully the cost won’t make me faint. Though if it does then I will have to save over an extended period of time.
Anyway, coming back to your car, the distillation of all the comments seems to support a failure of the electronic ignition. So I will wait with baited breath to learn how the ‘points’ distributor goes and hopefully all will be well!
Tim
Hi Mike,. I hope the change in distributor solves the issue. When I said diaphragm, I was referring to the vacuum advance module that is on the side of the distributor. It has an internal diaphragm bellows that advances the points when vacuum is applied from the hose/copper line that runs to the inlet manifold. (MkVs have 2 H4 SU carbs ) 
.
You can actually disconnect the line at the manifold and suck on the pipe. You should see the points mechanism move.
Hopefully some time this week Ill keep you informed
Mike
Thanks Timoty If that’s your car I’m jealous These are the first two I put together I sold the green one for the demon Mk 11
Mkike
Sadly not, Mike. I’ve always loved the Derby Bentleys though I realise that to properly maintain such a car is prohibitively expensive!
The MK2 will be lovely when you overcome this temporary setback.
Tim
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This Youtube clip might be ‘elementary’ for some people while for others there might be something to learn from it. I certainly learnt a few things, especially in relation to the condensor.
Tim
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Good video - definitely things to learn from it even for someone who has done this for years.
A couple of thoughts. I agree that, presuming your photo is at tdc compression, your drive is out 180 degrees, no big deal - I actually made this mistake on one of my engine builds years ago. If reorienting the wires was done correctly and didn’t fix it, it’s something else.
I haven’t seen anybody ask about the quality of your spark. Bright blue? If yellow, weak, look further at your ignition. What’s the cap look like? Is the spring loaded plunger intact?
I have used electronic ignitions for years, but have recently been going back to points because of some failures. I think you are on the right track there, but be sure to get an expert to set up your points distributor. A used distributor might have worn parts, and an expert can not only correct those problems, but set up the dizzy for modern fuels with the correct advance curve. No telling what the curve might be on a used unit. I like Jeff Sclemmer at Advanced Distributors (no affiliation), but there are others.