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Fixed itself... - sparkeysprite - 10-10-2020
I've had my little RN saloon for about 4 months now and as I'm new to Austin 7s I'm not sufficiently experienced in their ways to know if its working properly or not. Having read numerous threads on the forum I have concluded that the performance seems to be about right and the refinement (or lack of it) also seems to be about right. It's reliable and cruises at about 35mph on the flat without appearing too stressed.
I had to move the car to another location yesterday and back today and it feels different.. Better. It's suddenly smoother and I'm sure its a bit quieter, but why? I am used to old cars and my first assumption was that something must have fallen off or become detached from something, but it all seems intact. Whilst it now feels better I'm always wary of changes that happen unexpectedly on machinery so I'm a bit baffled. The change isn't massive, but it is a change and the only thing I can think is that these last 2 trips are the first ones I've taken in the car when it's been cold and wet. Engines probably prefer nice cold dense air but would that make a noticeable difference to the running of a standard Austin 7?
Any thoughts or suggestions (or ridicule) appreciated.
Steve.
RE: Fixed itself... - bob46320 - 10-10-2020
Advance / retard changed on the column, If things were getting worse, I would check points starting to burn - clean them up, try a new condenser .
My RN (Standard carb etc etc..) takes about 20-30 minutes of road run before it gives you full power, and you notice that more when you are 2 up.
RE: Fixed itself... - Barry Townsend - 10-10-2020
Were you using stale petrol initially and also are you using the ethanol additive when you fill up. I also experienced a partial fuel blockage on my RN when I first had it , fitting an in line filter sorted that.
I've also fitted electronic ignition which made it run smoother, the purists may not approve but anything that increases the reliability and enjoyment of the car is OK with me.
RE: Fixed itself... - sparkeysprite - 10-10-2020
It seems better regardless of the advance/retard lever position. It may be fuel - I filled it with the high octane (tesco 99) stuff last time out whereas previously i'd been using the standard stuff as I thought I'd read on here somewhere that the standard stuff suited the engine better. I'll probably get out in it again tomorrow and take it for a longer run I think.
RE: Fixed itself... - AustinWood - 10-10-2020
I think they just get used to being driven.
If driven con brio they are quite lively. Ours cruises between 40 & 50 quite happily. Has been know to go off the end of the speedo!
RE: Fixed itself... - Ian Williams - 10-10-2020
A lightly or rarely used car will usually have poor valve seatings leading to a loss in performance, a decent run often helps this.
RE: Fixed itself... - Hedd_Jones - 10-10-2020
My Austin 7's all feel like this when I climb off the traction engine. Its like being in a rolls royce!
RE: Fixed itself... - sparkeysprite - 10-10-2020
(10-10-2020, 09:25 PM)Hedd_Jones Wrote: My Austin 7's all feel like this when I climb off the traction engine. Its like being in a rolls royce!
Yes, it's all relative! I've been driving a 1972 NSU RO80 much of this week and it's super smooth with a rotary engine so I expected the Austin to feel a bit agricultural, but it felt good. Perhaps as others have said it hadn't been used much by the previous owner and more use has helped it so I'll keep using it until something breaks.
RE: Fixed itself... - Colin Wilks - 11-10-2020
Have you checked the distributor fixing and the operation of the advance / retard mechanism? The poor performance and the fact it's fixed itself, but the A/R lever still makes no difference says something may be wrong in this area. It is easy for the A/R linkage to get the wrong way round. The rod should cross a line drawn between the centres of steering column and distributor, not run parallel to it. A lack of advance could explain the initial poor performance. I am assuming your distributor has not been changed for an automatic advance model so that now the lever on the steering column is just a decorative item!
RE: Fixed itself... - sparkeysprite - 11-10-2020
(11-10-2020, 11:08 AM)Colin Wilks Wrote: Have you checked the distributor fixing and the operation of the advance / retard mechanism? The poor performance and the fact it's fixed itself, but the A/R lever still makes no difference says something may be wrong in this area. It is easy for the A/R linkage to get the wrong way round. The rod should cross a line drawn between the centres of steering column and distributor, not run parallel to it. A lack of advance could explain the initial poor performance. I am assuming your distributor has not been changed for an automatic advance model so that now the lever on the steering column is just a decorative item!The advance/retard was making a difference, but in any position it is now better than before - however I had suspected the mechanism was the wrong way round and your explanation has confirmed this. Mine runs parallel (or at least doesn't cross over). I'll sort that out first.
Many thanks
Steve