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NZ road trip


willswitchengage

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Update!

 

Carburettor works perfectly fine and car really does drive like new! ...when cold. After it's warmed up the problem starts again, so clearly it's a "hot running" issue. So, any further ideas built on that information?

 

In the mean time, look at this:

 

11365763424_f385135b0c_b.jpg
 
 
 

 

It's not massively evident in those photos - but you realy can't get your head around how clean this thing is. "Like new" is tossed about carelessly, but this really is.

 

Also enjoy a photo of the current fleet, but the BX will be on ebay after Christmas:

 

11365697725_2f0b282442_b.jpg
 
I was up at nine this morning as the ER5 needed new exhaust gaskets. Split up with the lady-friend last night so am in super-duper "get things done" mode right now...
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Try changing the rotor arm Will, or at least check resistance over the terminals.

 

http://forums.mg-rover.org/showpost.php?p=4361442&postcount=19

 

Read this, and share my pain of weeks of trouble shooting and buying new bits for it to turn out to be a £5 rotor arm from the AA man. (shame). I bought a new rotor arm when I put the engine in. It was faulty.

 

http://forums.mg-rover.org/showthread.php?p=4355394

 

 

 

Right, I checked the belt today, and redid the tensioner, everything is timed up, but the car is the same.
 
It only does this when the car is fully warmed up, after about ten minutes of driving. After that it is near enough un-drivable.
 
Is this a sensor problem?
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Okay, thanks. Rotor arm bought, was only £3 so if it's not that it's not like I've also replaced the

 

 

 

Fuel pump
Fuel filter
Spark plugs
HT leads
Distributor cap
Rotor
Coolant Temp Sensor
Earthing cable (bulkhead)
Earthing cable (battery)
Ignition coil
Throttle body
Idle Control Valve
Throttle Position Sensor
Injectors, rail and loom

 

or anything 8) . Won't be able to put it in for a couple of weeks so this thread may go quiet for a while.

 

New foible, something you may have also noticed with the Subaru: Interior lights not working. Bulbs, checked. Fuse, checked. Still nothing. It's by no means the end of the world but it would obviously be nice to have night time map reading powers...

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  • 2 weeks later...

Correct part finally arrived and installed!

 

Here is before and after photo:

 

11583625465_fd9657f9f6_b.jpg

 

Car now much better, idle is alot less rough and doesn't hesitate as bad when hot. However, it still does!

 

Still massively down on power, its not insured right now so only took it for a sneaky test drive up and down the cul de sac, but it's still not right  :-(

 

Worth getting a new cap too? These are the contacts:

 

11584410086_ecd6b7e33e_b.jpg
 
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Cap, rotor, plugs, wires, coil. 1 out of 5 = :unsure: .

After you improve those odds at least somewhat:

Disconnect the vacuum advance, plug it with a golf tee, and set the base timing and idle according to the label on the hood. I don't recommend trying to set timing without a timing light and a tachometer. If it's still not right, plumb-up a vacuum gauge and see what you get--if there's still no improvement, you've all but eliminated spark (except for the coil/dizzy/diaphragms etc.), so check the carb, fuel filter etc. Vacuum leaks are easy to check at this stage too.

 

Or test the EGR valve?--if it's feeding exhaust gases in at the wrong times it could be leaning out the mixture.

 

You may also wish to adjust the idle as the label indicates, then turn on all the lights, the wipers, and run the heater full on. Adjust it again, as it will likely drop a bit too low.  This will keep* your engine from stalling on a cold, wet day. A good thing to do on slightliy broken in motors, since the label spec is for a brand-new one.

+/- 50 RPM, WCPGW?

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Did you get a copy of the mot emissions print out ?

 

If the CO is low (less than 1%) and the HC high (500+) then it may have an air leak on a vac pipe somewhere.

That said it could be electrical its impossible to say from where i'm sitting...

 

CO 0.39%

HC 174ppm

CO2 14.11%

O2 1.09%

 

Sort of inconclusive really against what you suggest  :?

 

Irritatingly I also had to look at the service advisory that said "engine hesitates, poor running" that the seller forgot to mention in the advert or response to questions when I implicitly asked him about it. WOOPS!

 

Anyway, replaced dizzy cap today with literally no change whatsoever. Fucks sake. Also looked at the spark plugs and they conform with the "healthy" image in the Haynes manual, bought some new ones anyway. YOLO!

 

Should probably reiterate the problem, the engine only hesitates under load. I.e. put your foot down and there's no power. It also only does this when the engine is hot. And, above about 3000rpm it gets a bit smoother - so you basically have to granny-drive or gun it everywhere, or just drive on the motorway, there's no real middle ground.

 

:-(

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A friends 1300cc Carb'd Corolla had the same problem. Never really got to the bottom of that too. Replacing - as you have - the cap, rotor and leads helped somewhat, a good clean of the carb assisted also. Still hesitated, especially when cold.

 

Could it be the carb base gasket? I know that my old passat ran like this as that was cracked.

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0.4 % co is too low for a 25 year old carb if you can find the mixture screw wind it out a  good turn or two which will richen it up (the idle speed may have to adjusted down a bit afterwards) and then give it a whizz up the road.

 

Just thinking the mixture screw may have a tamper proof cap affair on it but that can be carefully removed with side cutters and a screw driver.

 

Also try tweaking the timing,mark with a dab of paint the distributors position then slacken the fixing bolts and move the dizzy body a few mm in either direction and road test it to see if it helps..

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Sounds like a compression test is in order...after you've tried all the above of course! Could also be a knackered dizzy. Try doing the tighten-up on those carb bolts too; could be just a vacuum leak. You may have several problems at once. Eliminate the simple problems first etc...

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Cap

Rotor

Plugs

 

Will probs try the coil next, then carb, but these are grey areas for me so I'm waiting for an ebay Haynes manual to arrive first. Also bored of faffing around so I'm going to wait until I can do a proper test drive again, too.

 

Here are the old plugs in the order they came out:

 

11752912675_95fa840f6b_b.jpg
 
I've seen the ones in the middle get a different mixture before, but not one on the end  :?
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It won't need a rebuild. Just a clean.

You could try one of those halfrauds magic potions first off, if it were me doing the job I'd take the carb top off, use some carb cleaner generously, take the main jet out and blow it through with air (don't poke stuff through it)

Bung jets back it whack the top on and bollox is yet uncle.

 

But that's just me.

 

 

Sent from my Nokia 3310 using the force.

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A carb clean won't hurt, and I agree you should not touch the mixture screw.

BUT--

The plugs seem to show that only one cylinder is getting the correct mixture...Put a vacuum gauge on it, fire it up, note the readings, then pull all four plugs, prop open the throttle, and do a compression test. That way you'll know what you'll have to spend your money on...a new fuel filter is a must if you clean the carb.

Might also check the timing belt/chain. It might have jumped or stretched. The compression test can also tell you if it needs a top end rebuild: If you have low compression on only one cylinder, lob some oil in there and see if it increases. If so, it's the rings. If not, adjust the valves...repeat steps 1 and 2. The vacuum gauge readings can help you pinpoint top end/ timing problems.

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