richard bradbury Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 I have just replaced a 5 year old battery which was showing signs of failure, and whilst the new one turns the engine over with enthusiasm, it doesn't show any sign of firing up.It was working fine when I tucked it up in the garage about 5 weeks ago. Have done all the usual checks and I can't see a spark in the plug lead.Engine is a Vauxhall XE on carbs with a DTA engine management and coil-pack ignition. There is a crankshaft sensor and throttle potentionemeter but otherwise pretty basic.Should I be looking at a potential problem with either the DTA or coil-pack, or is the crank sensor a likely culprit?Anyone had similar difficulties with this set-up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elie boone Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 First i would see if there is 12v at the ecu and the coils, also make sure they have decent earth, if you swapped battery's are you 100% sure you reconected all the wires to the terminals ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Molecular--Bob Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Do you have the DTA software? If you do you can look at the cranking trace which will at least tell you if the crank sensor is live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Jonathan Kay Posted January 20, 2015 Member Share Posted January 20, 2015 What elie says + measure voltage during cranking.Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mavic82 Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Presume you do have fuel to? The carbs are chucking a suitable amount down the chokes?check voltage at the coil as said above. If those are fine but still no spark I would suspect the crank sensor.i have had three fail in 11 years. But they don't usually fail spontaneously and fully. Fully yes but after some previous miss fire symptoms.do you also have an ignition amplifier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_h Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Do you have a battery master switch?if so check all connections on this, even the small cables to ensure the switch is working correctly. I've had a master switch fail on me, but you couldn't tell as it was inside the switch and one of the smaller cable wasn't getting the correct power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Deslandes Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Hi Richardcan you hear the fuel pump running when you first turn the ignition on? In common with MBE and other ECUs, the DTA only runs the pump for a couple of seconds until the engine's being cranked or is running. If the pump's not running, do you have a fuel pump cut out/ inertia switchhttp://www.caterhamparts.co.uk/img/p/3654-3628-large.jpgand if so try reseting it as it could have been knocked or jolted when installing the new battery. Press the large rubber cap until it clicks. Otherwise check that all the wires have gone back on to the battery terminals, all relays pushed home, fuses okay, alternator leads plugged fully home (I assume you still have the Valeo) as the main feed to the car electrics goes via the alternator.Check the big fuse that DTA insist that's included (40A?)Always try the obvious before looking for faulty components, especially when you've been pulling things around.Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard bradbury Posted January 21, 2015 Author Share Posted January 21, 2015 Thanks for all the suggestions. I have fuel and the Facet pump is working. I have checked all the terminals I can easily find. I bought all the gear over 10 years ago and will have a hunt in the garage to see if I can find the DTA data. I also can't remember if there is a 40amp fuse somewhere so will have a grope around for that too. Anyway, my local garage 5 minutes away are going to collect it on Monday. My problem is I am getting a bit long in the tooth to go poking around behind dashboards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Deslandes Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 If the pump's running it would suggest that the ECU is too, provided it's wired to control the pump, so that fuse is almost cetainly okay. I think you'd know if you'd done something to cause it to go! The DTA software can test the injectors and coils and has a crank oscilloscope trace so you can see what's working and what isn't, and is very handy for diagnostics. I should have a test cable somewhere to hook up a laptop and DTA ECU. Which ECU type do you have, although they're all pretty much the same in this regard. Does your local man understand DTA ECUs? I wouldn't suggest that he goes through the baptism of fire by calling DTA who assume everyone's an idiot until proven otherwise!Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul McKenzie Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 on carbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Deslandes Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Oh yes, so it is, I wondered why it had a Facet pump still worth checking the DTA for crank sensor and coil signal if a pc can be connected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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