Gryphos

Thanks Tim! This is interesting reading. It reminds me of the saying "Two peoples separated by a common language" lol And the plot thickens...back of the gauge, loose wire in junction box, bad ignition module... I'm hoping for a loose wire :undecided: I'll be pulling the cap this weekend. The question is: Will I be able to reach all of these components with the just cap off or must I also remove the driver's firewall? Christos

Welcome CaptMax from a fellow Michigander! I'm here if you feel the need to commiserate over the idiosyncrasies of British MV's, or simply need help finding a local exorcist for the ferret... I'm in NW metro Detroit. Christos

Robin, Thanks for the invitation! I'll try to take you up on that. In fact, I'm thinking I can make it to Southern Ontario Military Muster. Will you be there? Christos

Well Tony, I did have an R2 Crash Truck long ago. My Mowag Roland APC's have the mid-70's W300 drivetrain, if that counts. :cool2:

Tim, I continued exploring after my post and saw mention of that elsewhere as well. If I read correctly, the ballast resistors are circumvented during start to give the coil 24v for easier starting. I would have expected at least a hint of activity.I will be testing the original coil at both 12v and 24v. At this point, I believe it is something other than the coil. The wiring diagram and fault finding guide will be very very helpful! Thanks! Christos

Greetings All! By some uncanny freaky coincidence, I spent a long frustrating afternoon at the warehouse trying to diagnose the ignition problem on my Belgian Alvis Spartan. Years ago it just quit one day and I'm only now giving it some serious attention. I swapped in a used replacement coil a few years ago but no luck. Today this is how far I got: I bought and tested a commercial 24v coil. I removed the stock coil from the Spartan with ignition on, I confirmed 24v on the yellow (+) coil wire and continuity to ground on the blue (-) wire. I attempted to check the distributor function by putting my meter (on resistance) between a ground and the blue wire. When I cranked I did get some fluctuation of the resistance, as if the connection to ground was being interrupted by the distributor. The fluctuation was more erratic than I expected, but I'm not sure how fast the digital meter is. I hooked up the coil and gave it a try thru the distributor. Not a sign of starting, not even with ether. I put an external wire and spark plug on the HV and cranked again. No sign of spark. It looks like I'll be pulling the cover next. I'm not sure what I should be doing systematically, though. I haven't tried or checked any of what's mentioned in the thread above. Anyway, I guess I could use some guidance as well. I'm hoping to get her running in the next week or two. There is a great Mil show coming up with a 10+ mile escorted convoy and I got the green light to run the Spartan unregistered on the road. It's a rare opportunity around here so I'd hate to miss it. Thanks everyone! Christos

Greetings Everyone! Well, after being registered here for years I have finally found my way to the introductions! In my defense, it's been a roller coaster these last few years. I cut my teeth in the MV hobby with an Alvis Saracen APC years ago. I sold it to get my first tracked MV, an Alvis Spartan APC from the Belgian military. I still own it and expect to for the indefinite future. It's one of my favorites (and so it is my board picture :-) ). I also have a small stable of wheeled armor: 2 Mowag Grenadier APC's and a handful (or two) Mowag Roland APC's. The wheeled armor is more frequently enjoyed around here because they won't let us register and drive any tracked vehicles here. I also have a place in Athens, Greece and go back and forth quite a bit. It's great to be here. Thanks for having me! Christos