|
|
Jan 28, 2011 18:41:35 GMT
|
Strombergs. Having put a pair on the Imp, I can quite confidantly say that your problem is Strombergs.
I think some stroms have little mesh filters above the needle valves - these, of course, block quite easily. Alternatively, it could be a big bit of grit blocking the inlet to the valves. Or maybe sticking floats. However, "not even a cough" tends to suggest ignition rather than fuel to me as, unless you have no fuel at all, it will most probably fire and splutter a bit.
BTW - have you managed to stop the main jet holders leaking? I'm convinced that my poor cold starting problems are due to the float chambers emptying when it's left for any length of time. If so, where did you get your seals from?
|
|
|
|
|
|
1967 Bond Equipe GT4SBenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
|
Jan 28, 2011 18:53:46 GMT
|
Well, the needle valves are new and all cleaned so shouldn't be blocked. These haven't got the mesh backs but the ones I took out (original Saab) did have them. The seals I got from Andrew Turner, as part of a full rebuild kit. The carbs were only filled up this afternoon, and it seems to have used up all the fuel in the dashpots and then stopped. I will check whether it's an ignition problem though - it has a new dizzy cap, rotor arm, condenser, ignition coil, spark plugs and starter solenoid... The silicone leads look in decent nick too. I usually get signs of flooding when the engine is cranked a lot, but there's no sign of any flooding this time.
I'm going to do some investigating tomorrow - when I unscrew the main jet holders I'll be able to see if the dashpots are full as I'll have a sleeve full of unleaded! ;D
Thinking about this further, if it is a carb problem, I'd have to be fairly unlucky to have both floats stick. I'd have thought that if one float chamber was empty the car would be trying to run on the one carb. Hmm. This reminds me of when I was driving it along one time and the car totally died for no reason. I didn't do much, just waggled the HT leads a bit and looked over the dizzy cap etc. then it restarted. More investigation needed I think, before I start jumping to conclusions.
Methodical testing and diagnosis tomorrow then.
|
|
Last Edit: Jan 28, 2011 21:48:29 GMT by BenzBoy
|
|
|
|
Jan 29, 2011 11:34:03 GMT
|
Just been catching up a bit, brilliant thread Dean and I´m sure you´ll get it all sorted
|
|
|
|
|
1967 Bond Equipe GT4SBenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
|
Jan 29, 2011 11:37:41 GMT
|
Thanks Dave! I went out this morning to give it a try - fired straight up. I have no idea what is going on. I had thought that the rotor arm contact might have rusted as it's prone to doing. I cleaned it up, but only after it started this morning. Puzzling.
|
|
|
|
|
1967 Bond Equipe GT4SBenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
|
Jan 29, 2011 14:07:00 GMT
|
Well, it starts and runs like clockwork now. Got it all warmed up, off choke and ticking over nicely. I'm fairly sure if the float bowls weren't filling it'll have run dry by now. It could have been the rotor arm with the rusty contact, although it's weird that it "fixed itself" overnight. I've cleaned it up and will order a new one as they're only a couple of quid. Not taken it out yet but I'll do that during the week.
The tank sender is fixed - it was in upside down. The part marked "Top" goes at the bottom. Of course! ;D
Hopefully my next update will be a bit more interesting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 29, 2011 14:15:40 GMT
|
Silly question, but where did you get the rotor arm? Was it in a green Lucas box? And is the dizzy a Lucas 25D dizzy? Lucas 25D4 (D6 is very similar, but for 6 cylinders). If so, it might be worth seeking out one of the latest production (non-Lucas) red rotor arms, such as the one from the Distributor Doctor: www.distributordoctor.com/red-rotor-arms.htmlMore expensive, but trouble free. The new-production black rotor arms (Lucas green box and other sources) seem to have 2 problems - too much carbon in the plastic and a longer than ususal rivet - which lead to the spark shorting to ground. In some cases this only happens when the arm gets warm - like when being driven uphill...
|
|
Last Edit: Jan 29, 2011 14:16:57 GMT by jrevillug
|
|
|
1967 Bond Equipe GT4SBenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
|
Jan 29, 2011 14:37:31 GMT
|
The rotor arm was on the car when I got it, but was new along with dizzy cap, points and condenser. I think the distributor on mine is a Delco one. The rotor arm has a spring steel contact on top which goes rusty - I've looked around for one with a brass or stainless contact but they all look to be regular steel. Maybe a better quality one will use better steel - I'm not sure what make this one is though.
Distributor Doctor doesn't seem to have a rotor arm to fit mine, but I'm going to look into various manufacturers and see which is best. If I have to spend a fiver on one it's not the end of the world!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 29, 2011 16:24:37 GMT
|
Oh - okay then. I'm a little surprised by that, but I suppose it's not that odd - car manufacturers have always used whatever was available.
Best of luck!
|
|
|
|
Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,513
|
|
|
Well, it starts and runs like clockwork now. Got it all warmed up, off choke and ticking over nicely. Great to hear that Dean. I really can't imagine you'll get any more water/fuel issues now you've dealt with everything. That cutting out does sound more like ignition. If it cuts out all together rather than misfiring it'll be something that affects all cylinders. Maybe worth checking the condition of the LT ignition wires? Is there a thin flexible cable between plates in the dizzy? (I'm unfamiliar with Delco ones) If that shorted out it'd stop the car running. Anyway, niggly things all being well. Hope you get some driving done soon!
|
|
Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
|
|
|
|
Jan 31, 2011 10:02:32 GMT
|
Gotta be worth keeping a squeezy bottle of petrol or even a can of eezistart in the car.
If it cuts out again, give it a squirt and see if the wee curse word fires....
|
|
Koos
|
|
|
|
1967 Bond Equipe GT4SBenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
|
Jan 31, 2011 15:12:37 GMT
|
Oh - okay then. I'm a little surprised by that, but I suppose it's not that odd - car manufacturers have always used whatever was available. Best of luck! Thanks! I'm fairly sure all the Vitesse motors came with Delco dizzys. There's an early and a late one, and seeing as my engine is a mixture of early and late, I'm not sure which mine is! But the rotor arms are the same. Apparently all the rotor arms are poor quality - some reckon there's only one manufacturer of them. I've been advised to look for a NOS one. Well, it starts and runs like clockwork now. Got it all warmed up, off choke and ticking over nicely. Great to hear that Dean. I really can't imagine you'll get any more water/fuel issues now you've dealt with everything. That cutting out does sound more like ignition. If it cuts out all together rather than misfiring it'll be something that affects all cylinders. Maybe worth checking the condition of the LT ignition wires? Is there a thin flexible cable between plates in the dizzy? (I'm unfamiliar with Delco ones) If that shorted out it'd stop the car running. Cheers Seth. I'm still not convinced there's something weird going on. I'm trying to build confidence in the car but not doing very well at the moment! I've got breakdown cover but I'd rather not have to use it. I was planning to go to the autojumble in it (25 miles) but I'm not so sure - I've not even made it to the top of the street so far! Gotta be worth keeping a squeezy bottle of petrol or even a can of eezistart in the car. If it cuts out again, give it a squirt and see if the wee jolly pain in the backside fires.... Yeah I need to get some easystart or something, although I'm pretty sure the fault lies in the electrics now. I think I'm often too quick to blame the carbs - even though I've stripped and rebuilt them more times than I can remember! I think I can rebuild them in my sleep now! ------- Well, I got the colourtune out today and gave it a bit of a fettle. The mixture was fine on both carbs as I hadn't disturbed it from the last time, but I needed to check. One thing which leads me to think there is still a gremlin in the ignition: I was picking up the revs to test the colour of the spark at higher revs, and it seemed like the revs were rising in "steps" with sort of flat spots. It wasn't spluttering, just not picking up smoothly. Strange. It also gave a nice big sneeze through the carb (not whilst doing the weird stepped revving) - as I was bent over the engine looking through the Colourtune "periscope" it meant the carb was about level with my crotch. I'll be more careful in future. So, there's still something not right. I looked over the wiring in the dizzy and it seemed alright, but I'm going to re-wire it all anyway. I'll get a new condenser and rotor arm, and make sure the advance mechanism is as smooth as it should be (although this was checked before).
|
|
Last Edit: Jan 31, 2011 15:22:36 GMT by BenzBoy
|
|
|
|
Jan 31, 2011 17:25:35 GMT
|
Did you have the colourtune in while the revs were rising in steps, and if so did you notice the mix being particularly rich? Just wondering if perhaps one of the carb pistons was a little sticky - although it seems like you've sorted the carbs by now.
Have you got a timing light? They are very useful for allowing you to follow the action of the advance mechanism. I find a little dab of white paint on the crank pulley at the 1000rpm advance position very helpful - it makes setting the timing easier, and allows you to watch the advance action more easily.
Also, it's worth checking that the points are clean - I managed to get oil on mine while lubricating the pivot and it caused all sorts of strange problems. A spray of carb cleaner cured it.
|
|
|
|
|
1967 Bond Equipe GT4SBenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
|
Jan 31, 2011 17:48:02 GMT
|
Did you have the colourtune in while the revs were rising in steps, and if so did you notice the mix being particularly rich? Just wondering if perhaps one of the carb pistons was a little sticky - although it seems like you've sorted the carbs by now. Yeah I was watching the flame whilst it was doing it - it was a nice blue colour all the time. I've found a NOS Lucas rotor arm on ebay which has a much higher quality spring "finger". The new ones are made of incredibly thin steel. There isn't as much demand for Delco rotor arms so nobody makes good ones, although you'd think that the needs of Spitfire and GT6 owners would be enough to be worthwhile making them. Still, there seems to be some NOS ones floating around. I'll buy a timing light - it's something I've been meaning to get for some time and it'll help set everything up once I've replaced everything. Useful tool to have too. I think all these problems were masking each other - some of what I'd blamed on the worn out original carbs could have been ignition trouble too! Still, I'm getting to the bottom of it all... I think...
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 31, 2011 18:13:46 GMT
|
Was the throttle wide open when it was struggling, or were you opening the throttle gently? I would have expected at least a little yellow from the damper enrichment.
|
|
|
|
|
1967 Bond Equipe GT4SBenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
|
Jan 31, 2011 18:24:44 GMT
|
Just gentle throttle opening. It only did it once - didn't seem to struggle or bog down, the revs just sort of stayed flat instead of rising, then rose a bit more, then levelled out. Quite odd really.
|
|
|
|
lizardking
Part of things
'zon the revelator
Posts: 502
|
|
Jan 31, 2011 18:29:10 GMT
|
Dean,borrow my diagnostic meter from Alistair and check your dwell,coil condition,lt condition etc, etc,there are full instructions with the meter which will help you to eliminate the guesswork side of things,I'd pop over and do it for you but I'm leaving at 2am to work for the foreseeble,just work logically and you will crack it,you've already gone a long way and done well with a steep learning curve on the fuel side,may as well get the electrics under your belt as well
|
|
I'M SO RETRO , I SH1T SPANGLES
'68 Amazon,97 x300 jaaaaaaag,96 Mx-5,86 1300 mg Trike
L300 Delica ex MM
|
|
|
|
Jan 31, 2011 18:42:53 GMT
|
Could be a coil gradually breaking down. Got a spare?
|
|
Koos
|
|
|
|
Jan 31, 2011 18:54:16 GMT
|
Grab a cheap vacuum gauge too, I had one that was meant to be fitted in the dash for less than the one of the "diagnostic" ones- useful to check vacuum takeoff at the various places you're supposed to have it.
--Phil
|
|
|
|
|
1967 Bond Equipe GT4SBenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
|
Jan 31, 2011 19:16:15 GMT
|
Alex - thanks very much mate, I'll text Alistair and see if I can borrow it! That will help a lot.
Mdh - the coil is a new one, as the old one was giving a really weak spark. It sparks like a good 'un now! Just maybe not in the right place, it seems...
Phil - I've got a NOS Redex "Fuel Robot" vac gauge which I've been meaning to fit, so now would be a good time to fit it I suppose!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Jan 31, 2011 21:32:58 GMT
|
If you get fed up with it, I'll have a nice 2.5 spare soon-ish
|
|
Koos
|
|
|