12-05-2019, 04:49 PM
I haven't been able to use my ARR Ruby on the road since last year's Autokarna in June. It was running extremely rich and the intense heat generated while queuing to leave the grounds 'cooked' the spark plugs. With a change of plugs it got me the 50 miles home and has been in the garage ever since, apart from a couple of attempts at driving around the block. I was unable to sort it in time for Lincolnshire PWA7C 'Sevens to the Sea' run in April and this year's Autokarna is very close.
This is the current state of play:
SU carburettor dismantled, cleaned and needle changed from EB to weaker GG. The jet is set at 2 full turns and centred.
(I had refitted 2 different Zenith carbs, one newly refurbished, the other tried and tested, but no improvement)
Manual distributor DK4a fitted in place of electronic unit (now repaired and ready to reinstall at future date).
Timing statically set at TDC.
2 fresh gallons of petrol in tank.
Compression test shows 115 on all 4 cylinders.
The standard valves are new and were set correctly 500 miles ago.
The engine was completely rebuilt 500 miles ago - .060" oversize pistons, inlet manifold opened up to 1" and sharp edges smoothed.
It ran very smoothly and with a noticeable difference in power, but the plugs became very black and sooty.
Result:
The engine will start on full choke, but begins to hesitate, fade and pick up as choke is slowly pushed in.
Pressing on accelerator either kills it or it catches the revs, but once released dies.
When choke is pushed in fully the engine dies.
Advancing or retarding the distributor doesn't seem to help - I think the best spot has been found, albeit with choke out.
Points are set at correct gap of .015" and plugs at .025".
Plugs have been swapped between L86C and hotter NGK BP5HS - now back to L86C.
I have now run out of ideas and experience. Can anybody suggest what else I could try, or better still, recommend someone who might be willing to help me get it running properly in the Doncaster, South Yorkshire area? ( I don't have a trailer or towbar).
I am a member of the Sheffield PWA7C, but haven't attended any local events recently and don't really know anybody well enough to bother them. Enjoyment of the car is fast draining away.
I have a video clip of the engine running but unable to attach it to this post. I'll post it on the facebook site.
This is the current state of play:
SU carburettor dismantled, cleaned and needle changed from EB to weaker GG. The jet is set at 2 full turns and centred.
(I had refitted 2 different Zenith carbs, one newly refurbished, the other tried and tested, but no improvement)
Manual distributor DK4a fitted in place of electronic unit (now repaired and ready to reinstall at future date).
Timing statically set at TDC.
2 fresh gallons of petrol in tank.
Compression test shows 115 on all 4 cylinders.
The standard valves are new and were set correctly 500 miles ago.
The engine was completely rebuilt 500 miles ago - .060" oversize pistons, inlet manifold opened up to 1" and sharp edges smoothed.
It ran very smoothly and with a noticeable difference in power, but the plugs became very black and sooty.
Result:
The engine will start on full choke, but begins to hesitate, fade and pick up as choke is slowly pushed in.
Pressing on accelerator either kills it or it catches the revs, but once released dies.
When choke is pushed in fully the engine dies.
Advancing or retarding the distributor doesn't seem to help - I think the best spot has been found, albeit with choke out.
Points are set at correct gap of .015" and plugs at .025".
Plugs have been swapped between L86C and hotter NGK BP5HS - now back to L86C.
I have now run out of ideas and experience. Can anybody suggest what else I could try, or better still, recommend someone who might be willing to help me get it running properly in the Doncaster, South Yorkshire area? ( I don't have a trailer or towbar).
I am a member of the Sheffield PWA7C, but haven't attended any local events recently and don't really know anybody well enough to bother them. Enjoyment of the car is fast draining away.
I have a video clip of the engine running but unable to attach it to this post. I'll post it on the facebook site.