Pinto Timing Nightmares...NOW FIXED, or so i think

Check your rotor arm is making contact to the inside of the cap properly that's what was up with mine when it wouldn't start

Carb spitting fuel, not running. Ignition timing. Maybe misplaced leads - double and triple check, it's easy to get wrong, especially when the firing order in the Haynes book is wrong - maybe just a long way retarded.

Increased consumption recently could be a sign of the timing altering due to the points wearing.

I'd suggest that you stop simply throwing bits at it and start to diagnose things properly - check the spark (big and blue or small and weak), ignition timing, compression even (would show up a slipped cambelt for example).

Sounds as though it's getting fuel and assuming it's a Weber type there's not too much to go wrong there - either it wouldn't run at all (no fuel) or it would but badly (wrong about of fuel - mixture screw).

I *really* need to get round to writing the "novice guide to points and carbs" that I keep meaning to do...

Its not like ive thrown bits at it, i just tried to be as short as possible to try pinpoint the actual problem by tellin what ive done already. Since its pretty basic stuff i didnt think it was the case of writin a poem, but here goes:

The car is my daily since '07. Always ran. This last year started to run a bit like curse word, like if i permanently had the power brake on, or kinda. As soon as winter arrived it had trouble idleing when cold, of course its normal, but in this case it kept dyeing even after 10 minutes drive. At times it would die and wouldnt start for maybe 15/20 minutes. I thought it was a floodin problem, but maybe it was this very one at the early stages.

This is what i did since it definitley died 2 weeks ago:
1st thing i did was checkin if fuel got to the carb. check.
2nd, hot wired the coil. nada
3rd, removed a spark plug, layed it on the rocker cover with its lead on and cranked: weak as curse word tiny orange spark. thought i found the problem.
4th, swapped all the ignition bits one by one startin with the condenser and finishin with the plugs. first with old parts i had laying around then with brand new ones.
Now i have new coil, condenser, points, rotor, cap, plugs, and as a consequence, good spark, infact it atleast tries to fire, but still wont run.
5th. Re- set timing at dead on TDC, still nada. And this thing can run way retarded or way advanced, i know cause ive been thinkerin with it for ages by swappin carbs and all related shizzit and i must have re-set timing dozens of times.
Not saying I'm an engine expert, as I'm far from it, but up until this point i knew what i was doin and thought i was doin it right.

Does this makes more sense now?
What i figured up until this point is that the main problem is one, but there are/were other factors that might have contributed. The plugs for starters, no pun LOL, were 4 years old, and the coil was probably 20 years old, so maybe the weak spark was caused by them, but wasnt the real problem, but just the good ol' confusion factor, hahah. Nuff said i guess.

I still think it spits way to much fuel, and its a 32/36 DGAV, but again, this could be just another random problem but not the cause of the no fire issue. Any suggestions?

Whip the belt cover off and check that the timing marks still line up properly. It might be that it wasn't tensioned properly.

Good work on the diagnosis so far - many people don't manage to get that far, so unless I know the person I never assume any specific knowledge.

The one thing that springs immediately to mind is plug lead order. Beyond that it'd be well worth doing a compression test. It might be worth checking that the float needle in the carb is sealing properly too, as that would make it enormously rich.

don't have a belt cover and those damn pulleys never had any marks. I made on myself but when I left the car to the mech to swap the belt etc.. he didnt use it.
I will try to advance/retard just in case the belt really slipped.
As for the plugs theres no way they're wrong, as I always remove one at a time when swappin cap, and one at a time when swappin plugs LOL I had a bad accident with a VW years ago involving mis matched leads, that ended up in a more or less blown cylinder, so I always triple check

Kieran, what sorta problem you are thinkin?
I always forgot the multimeter so I never checked really. would that be an ignition switch problem?

Will check needle again tomo morn, as unfortunatley the car died on the parking lot at work, so I have very little time to work on it, but mostly very little light. But then again, if it died on the way home on the motorway then it would have really been unfortunate....better be positive.

Also check the needle valve in the carb is not stuck open or the floats cursed

ETA see its already been mooted

The hotwiring of the coil would rule out the wiring to the coil partially, not the fact that the ignition system is fine .

On the basis that you have a weak or no spark I would still be tempted to go down the ignition route. What brand were the bits that you acquired? Rotor arms and condensers can cause a myriad of silent faults.

Whereabouts in the country are you? I have a couple of very handy ignition testing systems which have previously ruled out much of the ignition system in the past (the coil, leads, etc.), helping me save a good chunk of time:).

I really should have checked the no. plate in his avatar!

Its not got an Autochoke has it?
My old mk5 tina had on its weber pinto ... the autochoke acted up and just overfuelled the engine, so ran like a bag of nails.