The V8 Owners Forum -

sidecar wrote:I dunno about Holleys though! (Fit an Eddy!)

I used to run a eddy 500, but that used to spew fuel out of the pump pushrod hole when cornering hard on the track! I will admit that the eddy 500 was easier to tune though.

Jeff

Hi folks, I'm having a bit of trouble getting my Holley 390 (vac secondary) to work well on my 3.5l RV8. On sudden throttle opening when cruising, I get a brief lean stumble before it takes off. I was wondering if it's anything to do with my float level setting, which may not be quite right. Snappin...

Does the noise disappear if you raise the revs to about 3000rpm? It might be the cam lobes squeaking against the lifters if its a new cam. Run at 2500-3000rpm for 20mins to bed the cam in and the noise should fade and disappear.

Jeff

What makes you think its the carbs? It could easily be a dodgy ignition system or the timing being out.

Jeff

Ideally, it needs to be wired so that it only runs when there is oil pressure (so that it stops if you find yourself in a ditch upside down!). I think some rv8 oil pressure switches has three terminals for this purpose. You'd also need for the pump to run while cranking, or it'll be trouble to start...

Using composite head gaskets might knock 0.5:1 off your compression ratio, or you could fit 9.75:1 vitesse pistons.

Sorry cant help with flywheel question, all i know is that they are bloody heavy!

A G Bell is not just talking about the RV8 cooling system. Although the cooling system is a closed system by virtue of the radiator pressure control cap, there are still differences in pressure due to restrictions. When a restriction is introduced the pressure in front of the restriction is greater...

The restrictor would be in the outlet of the heads which then creates the pressure because the pump is forcing coolant into them. A thermostat also performs this function even when it is open. The rad cap does not 'see' this pressure which is why it can be set to 15 PSI and still not blow off. The ...

Good point Eliot, these carbs are certainly not a 'racer's carb' I'd second that! I used to get fuel leaking out of the accelerator pump pushrod hole in the top cover in right-hand corners, due to the fuel sloshing about! With the carb poking out of the bonnet, the fuel used to go all over me! :sho...

5in of Hg at idle is fine! That's quite a good vacuum (lower is more vacuum, 0in Hg = perfect vacuum), and means that the engine is idling efficiently with the throttles almost shut. If you have a wild cam, the efficiency at idle is very poor, so you need a larger throttle opening and therefore have...

My old rover v8 likes Halfords Classic 20W-50.

Not sure of the zinc content, but it is designed for older engines, and I think it has a seal swell agent in it to reduce oil leaks.

Jeff

HT voltage is limited purely by the gap the spark has to jump. The HT voltage will not be higher if the ballast resistor is removed (providing the plug gap is unchanged), although it will have the capability to become higher if the plug gap is increased. You may get a higher spark current though, an...

I still think you've got the firing order wrong! The difficulty when cranking confirms this.

All this talk of ballast resistors etc is just confusing the issue, and while this may cause problems longer term, it wouldn't explain the spitting and misfiring.

My money is still on the leads being in the wrong order ;-)

You said you checked the timing while number 1 cylinder was at TDC, but:

a) Was no. 1 on the compression stroke? (ie, timing 180 degrees out)
b) Are you sure you had the correct no.1 cylinder (front right looking at front of engine?)

I've made both of these mistakes in the past!

Jeff