Carol Zingone wrote:
> As most of you know, my first year of triumph ownership has been a
> trying (and expensive) experience, mainly due to my lack of mechanical
> experience...
> I swapped cars with my husband yesterday ... Sybill gave him one
> hell of a bad day. Apparently, she started running real rough by
> the office, and at the end of the day just died on him ...
> She refused to start. Engine would turn over, wouldn't catch.
> Good man that he is, he popped the hood and started checking parts.
> Pulled plugs and cleaned them up (sooty). Sybill started after
> this, but continued to run rough.
It sounds to me that a basic ignition tune-up is in order.
Sooty plugs generally indicate a rich mixture from the carbs,
but the carbs should NOT be adjusted until the ignition system
(distributor cap, coil, rotor, points, condenser, wires, and
plugs, and ignition timing) is in 100% running order. After
performing the ignition tune-up, I would drive the car about 100-200
miles, and then recheck the plugs. If sooty once again, I would
explore carb tuning.
For now, I would suggest performing a basic ignition tune-up. An
ignition tune-up is straightforward to perform at home, requires
only a few "special tools," and will give you immense satisfaction
that your car runs well because *you* tuned it that way! (Not to
mention you'll save a bit of money, too.)
A good book describing an ignition tune-up for a novice is the
"Auto Mechanics Guide for Dummies." It is an excellent introduction
to doing this, written by a woman who owns a classic Mustang and
became a "home mechanic."
What is involved with a basic ignition tune-up? Here is what
I do: (off the top of my head, hopefully others can help
refine / update this, to serve as an article for the VTR WWW
pages...)
1) For each spark plug, one at a time (so as not to mix wires)
remove a spark plug, clean it, check it for mechanical
damage, (broken insulator, cracked tip, etc.) set the gap
correctly (0.025) by bending the side electrode, and replace
it. Before cleaning the plug, the type of build-up on the
plug can tell you a lot about the running of the engine.
Compare it against a "spark plug picture chart" such as is
found in a Haynes manual.
2) While doing the above, check the plug wires for cracks in
the insulation. There must be some way to check for appropriate
resistance / conductivity in the plug with a voltmeter, but
I don't know what this is. (Anybody else know?) If you find
only one damaged wire, replace that one. If you find two or
more, I would suggest replacing the complete set.
3) Now, move on to the distributor. Take off the distributor
cap, and check it for carbon tracking, cracks, or worn
contacts. If in doubt about its condition, replace it.
Otherwise, clean gently.
4) Remove the rotor, examine it for cracks, worn tip, etc. If
in doubt about its condition, replace it. Given the cost of
the item, it is probably sensible to replace it every 6000
miles or so on general principle. Same goes for the condenser
and the points (contact set).
5) Re-install the condenser and points, and set the gap
appropriately, using a feeler gauge. (I can't recall this
setting off the top of my head -- anybody on the list able to
help me out here?) The gap should be set when the points open
to their maximum spread, that is when the cam on the distributor
opens them all the way. (You can see when this is.)
6) Re-install the rotor and distributor cap, ensure that all
plug wires are well connected at both ends.)
7) Check the high tension wire ("plug wire") from the coil to the
distributor, and also the low tension wire for cracks in the
insulation, etc. Replace if in doubt.
8) Set the timing, statically to about 10-12 BTDC. (Anybody want
to write a description of how to do this?)
9) OK, now the ignition is all put back together. Start the car,
and marvel at how much better it runs! At this point I would
then use a timing light (~$35) to verify that the timing is
at 4 ATDC at idle.
> My question is what else should I look for, besides checking
> points, and other ignition stuff? Would a low dashpot cause
> this?
I seem to recall that low dashpots tend to cause hesitation and
poor acceleration, but really don't affect quality of idle, or
steady-state running very much. (Anybody care to confirm/deny
this?)
--ken
VTR WWW Maintainer -- http://www.vtr.org
'70/'74 TR6 Daily Drivers
--
Kenneth B. Streeter | EMAIL: streeter@sanders.com
Sanders, PTP2-A001 |
PO Box 868 | Voice: (603) 885-9604
Nashua, NH 03061 | Fax: (603) 885-0631
|