Daf 55 project, Finland

[Isto]

Jul 28, 2021 15:54:50 GMT starider said:

Probably not the problem, but make sure there is an earth cable between the engine and the body/chassis of the car. There used to be a problem with Morris Minors when the engine to chassis braided cable broke and when the starter was used the engine earth became the choke cable which often became hot and the plastic coating melted rendering the cable useless. If you have a length of wire with a clip each end you might try clipping one end to the + terminal on the battery and the other to the coil body/bracket

Hi,

Just checked the earth cable (I think this is a braided one). Took it off and cleaned both ends properly and inserted back in place. Also, tried turning the engine again with everything connected, with the same result...no spark. So next on to andrew's advice on checking the points.

[andrew]

I can feel a trip to Helsinki coming on........

[starider]

Hi, it's quite difficult to see the internals of the distributor,is it possible to post an enlargement?

[bobdisk]

Jul 29, 2021 8:14:46 GMT Isto said:

Morning,
Just went and removed the coil from the metal mountings on the engine. The new readings showed indeed infinity from all terminals to the case. From the - to the ht terminal I got about 9k ohms. So does this mean the coil is alright?

Yes, looks like the coil is good !  Did you get the low, a few ohms, between the + and - terminals as well?   Looking at your picture of the distributor, I can see a black wire from the points (this is a bit too close to the body of the distributor where it joins the sprung point, make sure it is not touching the body here.) to the side where it is under a screw terminal that goes through to the condenser and wire to the - of the coil. Make sure all the plastic parts at the sprung point mount and where the terminal passes through to the condenser are insulating this wire. I cannot quite make out some other details, there does not seem to be an earth wire. I will have a look at my 33 distributor and see what is there. It is the same make, even though the 33 is a 2 cylinder.  A daft basic question, you have checked that there is 12 volts at the coil when you turn the ignition on ?

[Isto]

Jul 28, 2021 15:55:10 GMT andrew said:

It seems the coil's readings suggest it's O.K. Right then, next step is the points themselves: Here we go.....

1/ Remove the sparking plugs. I'll explain why later....

2/ Disconnect the thin wire that runs from the coil to the distributor at the coil terminal. This terminal is usually marked "C.B.", standing for "contact breaker" on the coil and connect this thin wire to one of your multi-meter leads.

3/ Connect the other lead from the multi-meter to the distributor body. Set the meter to the highest reading (usually 2M ohms) and turn the engine over by turning the fan (NOW you'll understand why the sparking plugs are out...)

4/ You should see the meter going from "0" to infinity as the points open and back to "0" as they close. Watch the points to confirm they're opening and closing.

5/ If you have any other "odd" readings..... tell us!

Hope this helps!

Morning gentlemen!

I really appreciate your help and participation in trying to solve this problem.

So yesterday I managed to do andrew's testing and looks like we're getting closer to the problem. Throughout this testing cycle the reading showed about 5-7 ohms!? I made sure that there is a gap in the points but the reading stayed the same all the time.

[bobdisk]

To do Andrews test, disconnect the cb lead from the coil, so that the meter is only connected to the contact breaker, not the coil.

[Isto]

Hi,
Thanks bobdisk for your clarification. Went back and measured on the the contact breaker between the base plate and the cb wire from the coil (which was removed from the coil) and regardless of the contact points being open or closed, the reading was about 0.

Could it be then that there's contact between the black wire in the distributor and the distributor body somewhere? ..perhaps where the wire passes through the body.

[bobdisk]

Looks like there could be a short circuit accross the points. Might be the condenser. To make sure the points are open circuit, put a piece of paper in the gap. Now measure between the moving point and the distributor body, the wire is still not connected to the coil. It should be infinity (open circuit). If there is a reading, disconnect the condenser, and try again. If it is now open circuit, try measuring the condenser. It should read open circuit. Does your meter have a capacitance range? If so, the condenser should give a reading, about 0.2 microfarads if I remember.

[Isto]

YYYYEEEEEESSSS!

Gentlemen, problem solved and engine running smoothly. There was indeed a short circuit, there was a wafer thin METAL plate on top of the moving point under the pin that holds it in place. It was so thin it can't even be seen on the picture I posted. I finally found it when I left the points open, but the readings still kept at 0 ohms...then removing part after part I came to the moving point structure and when lifting it out the plate sprang onto the floor.

After that point I got the first infinity/open circuit reading, after which started to put parts back on and checking the reading all the way. Then, when everything was in place, I thought I'd give it a go and the engine came to life right away....I could've listened to that Renault hum all evening.

[Isto]

And again, I thank you all for very good advice and tips for working out this mystery!

[bobdisk]

Well Done !! !!    Now we look forward to pictures of your restoration !! 

[Isto]

Thanks! Yes I will keep the forum up to date with the project. And surely there will be lots of problems ahead before the 55 is on the road...

[Isto]

Hi again,

Been busy a while with dismantling the donor 55...what do you think about the shape of these front end parts?:

Attachment Deleted

[Isto]

Also, could you advise on how the speedometer cable is connected to the left side wheel? I know it goes in through a hollow plastic screw, which broke when I tried to open it...but how could you take it off in one piece?

Attachment Deleted

[andrew]

The drive to the speedometer on a Daf has to be taken from a wheel, because the "gearbox" (belts and pulleys!) is under the back seats! The speedometer drive cable passes through centre of the hub and is secured in place by a split pin, that passes through the square end of the cable. The rotation of the wheel turns the cable and this, in turn, makes the speedometer needle move.

[bobdisk]

It is the left wheel, so it turns the cable in the correct direction. Judging by the photo, it looks fairly well rusted in place. Try soaking it in PlusGas or similar removal fluid for a few days, then force it out.

[Isto]

Yesterday said farewell to the scrapper Daf..