Rough running on 29 Chummy

[Ronaldo]

Help!

 Car started running rough on "drive it" day and hasn't been right since. I'm a newbee to Sevens and my attempts at finding any fault have gone nowhere.

Just wondered if there was anybody not too far from Bristol I could bring the car over to, to have a look, listen and drive, who has more experience than me, who could give me some suggestions as how to proceed further!

I've replaced plugs, blown through the three jets which were all clear. To my uneducated ear it seems to run rich, perhaps sometimes on 3 cylinders and wont rev up smoothly.

Any assistance/direction  would be fantastic!

Ron Perry BS4 4LT

[bob46320]

Crack in the distributer cap, crack in the rotor arm, head gasket, inlet manifold gasket leak, plug leads - I am afraid the list could go on. If it was running OK before "Drive it day" , I would start with checking the distributer cap and look for cracks then check the compression of each cylinder with one of these
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-Automotive...Swj2ZazysT

You are looking for equal compression on each cylinder - Preferably check when the engine is hot with the throttle wide open and all the spark plugs out. If one cylinder is way off, suspect the head gasket. You can check manifold leaks by squirting some propane gas around the joints whilst she is running and see if the engine behaves differently - do this outside !!
Good luck.
BobH

[Hugh Barnes]

Ron - are you a member of the Bristol Austin 7 Club? If not, I would strongly suggest you join and will be able to tap into a wealth of knowledge and experience...

hth....

[Ronaldo]

Ron - are you a member of the Bristol Austin 7 Club? If not, I would strongly suggest you join and will be able to tap into a wealth of knowledge and experience...

hth....

Hi Hugh. Yes I am a member and think quite a few monitor this website so fingers crossed.

---

Crack in the distributer cap, crack in the rotor arm, head gasket, inlet manifold gasket leak, plug leads - I am afraid the list could go on.  If it was running OK before "Drive it  day" ,  I would start with checking the distributer cap and look for cracks then check the compression of each cylinder with one of these  
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/UK-Automotive...Swj2ZazysT

You are looking for equal compression on each cylinder - Preferably check when the engine is hot with the throttle wide open and all the spark plugs out. If one cylinder is way off,  suspect the head gasket. You can check manifold leaks by squirting some propane gas around the joints whilst she is running and see if the engine behaves differently - do this outside !!
Good luck.
BobH

Thanks Bob, thats given me some new ideas

[Chris KC]

Assuming there are no obviously loose connections in the ignition system the first thing I'd try is replace the contact breaker points.

[Robert Foreman]

Are you sure it isn't as simple as the advance and retard lever has inadvertently been moved to give too much advance or conversely too much retard.

[Dave Wortley]

Running rich could be carb float level. Has the float got a leak or has the collar ( on updraught carb) moved?

[john williams]

When I completed my first long run in My RL saloon, circa 1963; the next day the car ran rough and misfired badly. I changed the head gasket twice, to no avail, before finding the contact breaker points had closed up. Same distributor, so worth a look.

[Ronaldo]

Lots more things to try. Thanks everyone. Plug 1 didn't look like it had been firing well so replaced plug lead. Test drive went well for a mile or two then started a bit of rough running again. Will check plugs again tomorrow to see if no 1 has fouled up.

[Ronaldo]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Tried a spare distributor cap and leads yesterday and all was well on a 38 mile run.
Woo hoo