Thanks to everyone for they're advice but have swapped everything I can think of but must concede defeat. I'm now feeling that speacial kind of contentment that come froms spending three days straight bent over an engine bay with no result and three different engines all in peices.

Thanks
Geoff

Yeah have been through the troubleshooting in wiki, which is why I'm in the middle of swapping the carb from a known working config to this engine, twin hitachi's came off and single stock a14 carb going on. I hope this does it.

Thanks guys
Geoff.

Did you go through the troubleshooting section of the workshop manual - that has lead me to the solution every time I've had a non starter - I put it up in the wiki too for those without a workshop manual.

http://datsun1200.com/modules/mediawi ... _Troubleshooting_Overview

This pic should help too - where the shiny bit of the rotor is, is where you expect the spark plug lead for cylinder no 1.

You can pull the rocker cover off and watch the valves to confirm that you have found TDC on number one. Then follow as dd said and connect the remaining leads in the appropriate order.

When you say Hitachi's are you running SU's?

Yep, good advice DD, been playing around with this for two days now, it back fires through the carbs when 180 out so will leave the distributor and try a stock a14 single carb on it, as ignition seems to be doing what its suppose to do.

Thanks
Geoff

Yes, stop guessing and moving the distributor around. Put it exactly where it should be and leave it there. Turn IGN off and turn engine by hand to the timing mark. At that point you have a 50/50 chance that it is at TDC. Take the distributor cap off. Rotate distributor so that it is on the cam or tooth. Tighten the distributor down. Note where the rotor is pointing. Put your #1 plug wire on that terminal. Going anti-clockwise, put #3 next, then #4 and finally #2. If it backfires or doesn't fire the timing mark may have been at BDC. In this case you can move the plug wires two positions. It if still doesn't fire up, something else it wrong.

Thanks DD, what your saying is what I've been seeing, the same results in all four positions. Wants to start but just not enough spark I guess. Have swapped everything, coil, leads, points, plugs, caps, buttons. Moved dizzy while cranking and kicks back sharply when retarted. Its definitly got plenty of compression, Carbs are getting fuel but I don't know much about hitachi's, but am told not much usually can go wrong with them.

Any ideas anyone???

Thanks
Geoff

The distributor can be in ANY position and still work fine.

The only requirement is that when the engine is at Top Dead Center:
1. the distributor is on the sensor/points cam/reluctor tooth
and
2. the rotor is pointing right at a cap terminal
Which terminal it's pointing to you should fit the #1 plug wire.
See Ignition Timing

That being said, there is a stock position if you want to win a beauty contest for factory correctness.

On my a15 if Im standing in front the closest plug on the dizzy gose to the closest spark plugg witch I think is No.1 then it gose 1,3,4,2 if the botton is going in a counter clockwise direction.

Hi, I have picked up a A15 and I am having trouble getting to fire up. I've been told it was running when pulled out of the car it was in. The problem seems to be ignition related. When I got the engine no 1 lead firing position was at about the 10.30 position looking forward but all other A series engines I have seen were at about the 2.30 position.

Can anyone tell me the corret firing position of No1 lead at TDC for an A15? Is it the same as other A series engines.

There seems to be good ignition accross the points and an Ok spark at the end of the lead through a spark plug, but it just doesn't want to fire up. Combustion is taking place but just not good enough to start it up. It did have a petronix electronic points in it but have gone back to a stock set of points to try and get it going. At the monent the best position seems to be to set it at the 7.30 position for No1.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Geoff