Birkin No-start.

[pi7ot]

I have a No start situation on my Birkin.

It is a fresh rebuilt ZX1 with Kent FZ2001 cams and 10+:1 compression.

I rebuilt the engine and switched to Weber DCOE X2 with an Alpha ignition system bought used from a owner of a ZX1 Powered Tiger in the UK.

I bought an aftermarket Miata application battery.

Things were ok for 250 miles.

Then It seemed that the starter would strain to turn the engine over...Slow grind, then burst into life. I was thinking that the starter was stopping at a dead spot.

Parked it for a couple of weeks.

Went to use the car one day and the starter just thunks. No turn over at all.

I took the starter in to a repair shop. He said the brushes looked good, but the solenoid was iffy so the solenoid was replaced.

Put the new starter in and Same thing....a good strong thunk from the starter but no turn over.

I put a wrench on the crank pulley bolt and the engine turns over normally. I rotated the engine x2.

Put a Voltmeter on the battery...12.74 volts dropping to 12.1v on crank which is good.

Ground cables are intact...battery to head, and block to frame X2.

The only thing I can think of is that it behaves as if the starter is trying to turn the gearbox as in the whole gearbox physically with the flywheel.

 

Anyone got any ideas??

 

 

 

It is looking like I'll have to pull the drive train out and see what's up in clutchville.

 

 

m

[MHKflyer52]

Will it start with a booster box or jumper cables attached to the battery?

Try swapping the battery?

Will it bump start?

Sounds like the battery is toast even though it reads 12v+.

[slomove]

If you still have the original Birkin starter motor (from an obscure South African car model) that is totally normal. It is just weak, especially when running higher compression and really weak when hot and it seems to get worse over time.

 

I tried to fix that for several years and got many embarrassing push starts until I gave in and bought the Gustafson reduction starter. Never had trouble since.

[pi7ot]

Thanks for the replies.

Battery is fine. The delivery voltage stays above 12v. If it dropped to 10v when the key is at 'start' (crank) I'd suspect it.

 

I'll try a Gustafson torque reduction unit, as the clutch kit is not stuck, or some other mechanical fault.

 

 

m