Hi all.
I'm hoping this is the place where a person like me can get a clue. The car is 1988 XJS V12 HE Sport (Fixed Head) (UK). It hasn't been driven for a couple of years due to being put in the garage waiting for the restoration. That time has come. During the time I was driving it (2 years ago) the car would run fine unless it was a damp day, then it would be a pig to start and wouldn't run well for the first 5 mins. Since it's been in the garage I start it regular, then for the last couple of months it just would not start. In the past few days I have put in all new sparks and leads and dist cap and rotor arm, and it still wont start. It will spin on the starter no problem, but will turn quite slow until I floor the acc pedal. then it will speed up (still on the starter) but will not run. It will sound like it's very nearly starting (With the throttle wide open) but as soon as the key is released the engine will stop, not even going quarter turn on it's own. I have checked the spark at a few of the plugs and it's got a good spark. I have double triple checked that the leads are all put in correctly. So, it will nearly start if the throttle is wide open. One thing I have noticed since changing the high tension electrics is that the distributor will move backwards and forwards (by about 3mm) while the engine is spinning. I don't know if it was like this before I did the work, and if it wasn't then I can't think of any thing I did to cause this. Has anyone got a clue as what to look for?
Thanks
Ivar