Snap, Crackle, POP!

[The Original Tom]

I'll check for open connections again, but I think I've blocked off the re-burn ones that you're meant to connect the rocker covers.
I'll check with WD40 for leaks too.
The spindles are unlikely to be worn, tthe carbs are brand spanking new (from a friend who... err... obtained them from MoD stock ) so they're unlikely to be dud already.

Chris - Mine's on the passenger side too, but on top of the carb not below.

[The Original Tom]

Right. Got the new cap and rotor on.
Started it and it ran fine without missing, or double sparking at all. Sounded and revved smoother.
Got it to idle (Still without vac unit) and sprayed carb mating faces, and all block mating faces with WD40 - no engine rev change. Then I decided to make doubly sure and used the Easy-start as the ignition wasn't popping. Got all the connections, the entire carbs including all hoses and the mating points to the head, and then the entire manifold surface (in case the poppong had cracked anything), first with short squirts then with more prolonged squirts. No idle change at all - champion!

Now for more fun! Attached the vac unit on whilst idling at petrol (@18deg BTDC) - rpm didn't change. Did a slow rev, followed by a fast one and the engine revved very roughly and popped, but didn't stall when back at idle. Shifted the dizzy by a few degrees to try to rectify this and it died. Stone dead. Wouldn't start eithre with or without the vac. Changed the timing by 1-2 degrees and still nothing. In the end I had to move the plugs around anti-clockwise by one point on the cap (so 1 went where 2 used to be, 8 went where 1 used to be etc,) to obtain more advance. The engine finally fired and ran at what must have been nearing 45-50degs BTDC, AT IDLE! It then died very quickly and wouldn't re-start.

I then lost my rag and came inside before I torched the whole thing.

Tomorrow I'm going to get it running, regardless of how rough, and leave it on the forcourt of some poor person who knows about V8's

Anybody give me the name of a good V8 specialist in the south-east that won't charge me an arm and a leg? I need someone that can mainly do timing, but they need to be able to do LPG too...



Tom.

[ChrisJC]

I wonder if your distributor is 1 tooth out on the cam, and so the rotor arm is quite a long way from the output lead when it fires, so it's potentially jumping to the wrong plug?

Chris.

[The Original Tom]

Good thinking Chris, but I've tried it in the 'proper' position (i.e one htat gives me about 16degs advance) and one wither side of there. It just won't fire at all in either of the other 2 positions.
As said in the electrical forum, I just removed the working vac and put the old one back on and guess what - fired first time.