The following appeared in last month's Triumph Club of North Florida
newsletter. I think it addresses all your issues, and I suggest putting
a new coil in and see if that clears it up.
Dear Tech-tip:
My engine is missing. What should I do?
Signed,
Confused in Jacksonville
Dear Confused:
Have you filed a police report or checked with the neighborhood watch
group?
Seriously, the most common causes of “missing” engines are things that
are part of ordinary tune-ups, but sometimes can be more difficult to
diagnose. If, for instance, after changing points, plugs and condenser, and
making sure the timing is correct the engine still doesn’t run smoothly, it
could be as simple as going back and making sure the new parts you just
installed are actually working. It’s not uncommon to have brand new
spark plugs be inoperative, for instance.
Other causes of “missing” are plug wires which have gone bad and are
shorting to ground or a cracked distributor cap. Close the garage door and
turn out the lights. Now, doesn’t that feel better? Oh yes, the engine...
with the engine running, look at the plug wires. If you see any sparking
it’s time to replace the wires. And use a good quality wire set. Also check
to make sure the distributor cap isn’t cracked. If the engine runs smoothly
when it’s cold but develops a miss when it gets hot or during a long drive,
it’s worth checking the coil. A coil which is going bad may gradually
“break down” when it gets hot and cause missing.
If all that’s been done correctly and the engine still runs rough, it’s time
to
look to the carburetors. There is a lot of misunderstanding about how SU
and Stromberg carbs are supposed to be tuned, but if they are set properly
they can give many years of good service. I suggest checking page 7 of this
issue for some carburetor tuning tips from someone who knows.
g'luck...
Don Marshall
'57 TR3 '63 TR3-B '63 TR4
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