David,
Firstly, yes, the ignition light should be on all the time that the ignition
is on but the engine isn't running. The light is there to tell you that the
alternator is failing to charge the battery - with the engine not running,
the alternator is not charging, so the light comes on.
Under such circumstances I would:
A) Check the basics. Is there at least a little fuel in the tank? Is your
choke cable operating the choke mechanism correctly?
B) Does your car sit outside? If so, remove the distributor cap and give it
a wipe with a dry cloth, and the rotor arm, to ensure it is totally dry.
Wipe the outside too, and the plug leads. Then lightly spray WD40 over the
distributor cap and plug leads, this will drive away any remaining moisture.
Try again to start.
B) Remove a spark plug, re-attach the HT lead, hold the body against some
metal part of the engine, and get someone to turn the engine over. If you
don't see the spark, you've got an ignition problem.
C) If you have an ignition problem, check all the wires to the distributor
and coil are properly connected. Check the HT lead between the coil and the
distributor - this connection needs to be very good, and some cheap HT leads
can be less than perfect. Check the gap on your points. If you don't find
anything apparently wrong, start buying replacement components (they are
reasonably cheap). Start with the condensor, then the distributor cap and
rotor arm, then the coil, then the HT leads, then the spark plugs, until
your car runs again.
D) If you do have a spark, it is unlikely to be an ignition problem. Timing
could be out, but you would still get some sort of firing even if the engine
didn't start, and the timing couldn't fall that far out if it has not been
touched since it last ran successfully.
E) Next check fuel supply. Turn the engine over for a few seconds (so the
fuel pump has had a chance to work) then remove the lid on each float
chamber. Oh, hold on, you've got a 1500, and you are in America, so you
don't have twin SUs (probably). OK, some American better jump in here - do
your carbs still have float chambers you can check so easily? Anyway, if
there is fuel in the float chamber, then it's not the fuel pump or the fuel
filters. They may not be good, but they will not be the cause of your
failure to start if they can get at least some fuel to the float chambers.
OK, at this point I run out of answers - I'm not too good with carb
problems. But then the carbs don't often have problems (or I'd be a lot
better at them after 4 years of running a Spit as a daily driver!). If your
car hasn't started yet get back to us all and you'll get some more ideas.
Richard & Daffy
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