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A frustrating day!

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Petelang
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A frustrating day!

Post by Petelang »

Having spent much of the last week in the garage (in fact most of the month) dealing with a sickly Fifteen, I thought we had finally sorted our problems but alas, there's always something else.
Initially a failed head Gasket was the job in hand but having had repetitive failures, each with a shorter life span, this time I went belt and braces. Head off and sent to machine shop to be planed, valves overhauled, new head Gasket sourced from David Beales, a shim specially made to restore block height, coated in copper, this alone took weeks to get right. Subsequent reworking of the new composite Gasket to make up for missing holes, sealant applied to ensure all waterways and oil ways did not creep oil/coolant through the Gasket, set of new studs and nuts, meticulous reassembly and five retorques. Road tested 8 miles leaving clouds of wispy blue smoke behind which finally cleared and a further retorques, which resulted in a tool bit falling into a pushrod port. This entailed removal of the side plate to retrieve and consequent oil all down the side of the engine. Nevertheless, it was done and a final Road test conducted.
All was well, or so we thought. Left it idling whilst cleaning off the spilled oil and suddenly it faltered, stated to misfire and hunt. Suspecting a fuel problem, carburettor stripped, filters cleaned, all unions checked, plugs out, plugs in, distributor cap off, check points, carbon brush, all leads, coil supply. Adjust refitted carburettor, still running like a dog.
Much head scratching. No conclusion.
Drives OK, leave to idle a few minutes and starts doing it again.
I write this as I am tying a large brick around my neck and about to jump off Trent Bridge.....just before wife comes home to moan about all the jobs I haven't got done around the house!
Anyone else had a fun Weekend?
Looks like I'll have to try a replacement coil as a test. It's the only thing I can think of that is left.
Bloody motors!
Peter Langridge
Cloud Nine Classic Weddings, Nottingham.

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theoldman
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Re: A frustrating day!

Post by theoldman »

Pete - it couldn't be overheating could it?

Neil
Normal for Norfolk

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watkindj
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Re: A frustrating day!

Post by watkindj »

I agree Neil, Overheating and possibly vapourising the fuel in the fuel pipe before it reaches the carb (as the Regency did before moving fuel line away from engine block as it ran around the top of the engine from the pump to the carbs on the opposite side) and when it got too warm idling it had the same symptoms that Pete is describing. If this is indeed the case I have been reliably informed that the next course of action would be to check the Radiator for core blockage by draining fully, and count pints of water back in to find out the real coolant capacity, in comparison to the manufacturer's expectations.
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captain bobo
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Re: A frustrating day!

Post by captain bobo »

Pete, I emapthise! I assume your gasket blew between cylinders 5 & 6 like mine did last year (apparently that is a common place for them to blow)? i went through the same "rigmarole" but sadly ended up with a head skim that left me a head thinner at the rear end than the front end (although it was flat!).

When the spring arrives I plan to shim all the rocker towers to increase the tappet gap to the correct setting; right now the thinner head means the rear valves have gaps that are too small.

I'm with the others on possible causes of your tickover issue, but as everyone will know I am not an expert.
Best wishes, Dave B

Petelang
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Re: A frustrating day!

Post by Petelang »

No guys, it's not overheating, running nice and cool and plenty of fuel flow. I'm completely certain it's not fuel issue now as I've had it all down. All clean and fuel aplenty at the float chamber. Needle free and clear in the float chamber too. It ran perfectly and idled perfectly for most of Saturday afternoon and all this morning. After a final oil change it was alright for half an hour. Coolant flowing through radiator and temp is quite perfectly normal. It can only be ignition now. There's no funny smoke, no water vapour out of the exhaust. Plugs were a bit black but cleaned and put back. New copper cored leads last year, no arcing or blueing of points so condenser doesn't look like culprit. It drives well with good power so timing must be OK. Only thing I think that leaves, apart from a real live gremlin, is a coil breakdown. Waiting for a substitute.
It's unbelievable! I could write a book of similar volume to war and peace and I know every nut and bolt intimately. I'm not a lucky boy!
Peter Langridge
Cloud Nine Classic Weddings, Nottingham.

Petelang
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Re: A frustrating day!

Post by Petelang »

The curious thing is the coil is not "hot" as I would have expected if shorting internally. I have yet to check internal resistance values.
The rotor arm looks OK, cannot see any signs of tracking, as with distributor cap and coil chimney. I monitored the supply to coil from ignition to eliminate a dodgy ignition switch or wiring problem. Satisfied that is OK.
The only other (seems completely barking crazy I know but...) we took off the engine sideplate, rejointed it with Hylomar Blue and screwed it back. There are some 20 bolts hold it on, surely the distributor body would get an earth through that? The main engine earth is screwed to one front bolt and the starter spins over OK?
I'm a firm believer in tracing ones steps when it was OK, and then it's not, but cannot for the life of me see what we potentially could have disturbed?
Peter Langridge
Cloud Nine Classic Weddings, Nottingham.

Petelang
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Re: A frustrating day!

Post by Petelang »

This look familiar Dave?
This look familiar Dave?
DSC_0245.JPG (2.36 MiB) Viewed 2610 times
Attachments
DSC_0262.JPG
DSC_0262.JPG (1.83 MiB) Viewed 2610 times
Peter Langridge
Cloud Nine Classic Weddings, Nottingham.

Petelang
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Re: A frustrating day!

Post by Petelang »

DSC_0260.JPG
DSC_0260.JPG (1.66 MiB) Viewed 2607 times
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This Beales new gasket sitting on top. Note slight misalignment with the very accurate shim. Also holes where "top" and "front" are written were not in it when received.
This Beales new gasket sitting on top. Note slight misalignment with the very accurate shim. Also holes where "top" and "front" are written were not in it when received.
DSC_0257.JPG (1.96 MiB) Viewed 2607 times
This is the copper painted shim 0.035" in place on block.
This is the copper painted shim 0.035" in place on block.
DSC_0252.JPG (1.78 MiB) Viewed 2607 times
Peter Langridge
Cloud Nine Classic Weddings, Nottingham.

Dobbinridesagain
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Re: A frustrating day!

Post by Dobbinridesagain »

My money's on a vacuum leak... inlet manifold gasket.... spray some Easystart or carb cleaner around the gasket and see if the engine speeds up.

Ivor

JT7196
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Re: A frustrating day!

Post by JT7196 »

Dobbinridesagain wrote:My money's on a vacuum leak... inlet manifold gasket.... spray some Easystart or carb cleaner around the gasket and see if the engine speeds up.

Ivor
Hi , firstly it may be a Condencer playing up, and secondly, I'm pretty dure that I have read somewhere, that some of the Waterway holes in the "modern" Head Gaskets were intentionally blanked off to improve the efficiency of the cooling system, perhaps somone out there can confirm, or not as the case may be .

Cheer's A'l

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