Electric start - starting

Tell us more. Do you mean you fitted a starter with 4 field coils and 4 brushes? Are you using the standard Lucas points ignition with mechanical advance, or are you using an electronic ignition system? If so, which one? Are you using the standard 6 volt coils and ballast resistor, or are you using (a) 12 volt coil (s)?

If you are concerned as to whether your battery is up to the job, use a pair of extension/jumper cables from your car battery and try that. The car battery will have loads of power.

Hi David,

Do you have electronic ignition ?

If so then this is a well known problem, the Boyer will not work with less than 9V, there is a good chance while your engine is cranking over that the voltage has dropped lower than this.

What I found was that it would turn over without firing until I released the starter button and it would then start.

I have done a modification to the power feed to the Boyer on my machine. It is a module which will take anything from 6V to 34V and give out a steady 12V. It now never fails to start (about 5000 miles so far). The module itself is an off the shelf item but you will need an understanding of electronics to utilise it. http://www.mini-box.com/DCDC-USB?sc=8&category=981I may do a write up one day.

If you do not have electronic ignition then it could be related to the wiring around the ballastresistor. The coils are normally fed 12V via the ballast resistor giving 6V onto the coils (roughly), when you press the starter button, the ballast resistor is bypassed and fed directly with 12V or whatever the system can manage. So if you are still on points then look at this wiring.

Regards

Tony

Hello David,

Try kicking and pressing the starter button; bring the pistons up and just over compression, give a good swing while pressing; the machine should start.

Regards, Colin Cheney, somewhere in England.