Low temp or something else.........

[Dave81]

Due to life etc etc etc, I've not had a chance to get out and look at the car for the last 6 weeks!

Managed to bag an hour this morning. Started the car up to turn it over and run upto temp, and it ran like a bag of Bananarama!.........it ran fine for the 100 miles to the HRDs and a 10 mile trip the week after. Parked it up until now. Temp then was high teens/twenties.

Felt like it was running on 7, after getting rpm up and letting idle, it would slowly run down to the point of stall if I didn't intervene. Last time it idled smooth with the charging system up an running. This time it sounded like it had lost 200 rpm. After a few times of blipping, holding the throttle linkage, I walked around the side of the car to be met with burning eyes........so i guessed it was running rich.

From looking online, rough running, running down coupled with stinging eyes seems to = rich running. Temp was around 8 this morning.

Only when the coolant temp got above 120 did it seem to settle down and run smoother (on 8 with no intervention required). Rpm still felt low (no tach), but being off charge backs it up (too low for alternator charge).

Is it a simple case or adjusting the idle mixture and leaning the mixture up, or is it something else?

Would a 10 degree drop really give these symptoms.......I can't see it with that smaller drop.....but Im no expert.

Parked up all is fine. Not touched a thing, six weeks later and it seems well off........

Question for me is why?

Over to you guys.........thanks in advance!

[Les Szabo]

A rich running engine will run cooler for sure and rough till warm, opposite for lean of course. Also weak battery charge, not enough for the ignition system to fire spark properly?.

Was driving home from the Pod after race meeting with the 340 1 time and suddenly noticed the temp guage dropping, so stopped straight away, cleaned carb out, all back to normal, never touched it again, bit of dirt possibly.

Les

[latil]

Holley? Sticking float needle.

[Dave81]

Holley? Sticking float needle.

Yep its a Holley 600cfm 4 barrel.

Running temp was fine when driven last Les. Up around 190 mark and peaked at 200.

Got upto 180 at idle in the garage, but with ambient temp and hood open I didn't expect it to get much higher?

[Les Szabo]

Check float levels first,... if ok re-adjust mixture screws, idle, could be a bit of damp got into the ignition system, check all leads seated properly, check plugs, gap and clean, try again, give it a blast.

[Dave999]

i'd take it out for half an hour

get the temp guage up to the middle

before twddling anything

1) if the lst time it ran was the NATS you are on summer blend fuel. its heavy and designed to not vapourise as much in 20*+ weather. it will be a bit rubbish in colder weather and the very stuff you need to help start and run when cold will have evaporated off in august
2) i bet the ethanol in it has been absorbing water and settling out at the bottom

trip to the garage for half a tank of fuel will see you right.

slop everything in the tank about

clears the soup from the carb

get the inlet up to temp so the density of the fuel air mix is what you tuned to last time see if it gets better. it should.

its got treacle in at the mo. you need floatly-light wispy rubbish they flog us in the winter


Dave

[MilesnMiles]

Dave/s I start and run my car up most weeks and it runs great, but recently after only a 10 day lay off it took an age to fire up even with new everything in place. Wobbled and farted down the road and eventually cleared and ran well. Crap fuels.

[Dave81]

Good call on the fuel.........

Would settled out fuel really make it run rich though?
I'd expect it to lean out if anything.........

Thanks again!

[Mick]

I'd follow Les's advice Dave. If it still seems rich, take the carb off, check the transfer slots and give it a clean with carb cleaner.
cheers Mick

[Dave81]

Thanks Chaps........Will get new fuel and check the above as suggested!!!

[Charger]

apart from putting some fuel in I wouldn’t touch a thing till you’ve taken it for a proper run

the stinky exhaust could have just been a pocket of gases collecting by the side of the car if there was no breeze or something

mine behaves differently in these temps than it does in summer, in summer I can jump in, start up and drive right away no prob, in winter I have to sit on the throttle for a couple of minutes while it warms a little

seriously I wouldn’t tinker until you’ve had a proper run out, especially seeing as you say it was running fine to HRD etc.

[Mossy68]

apart from putting some fuel in I wouldn’t touch a thing till you’ve taken it for a proper run

the stinky exhaust could have just been a pocket of gases collecting by the side of the car if there was no breeze or something

mine behaves differently in these temps than it does in summer, in summer I can jump in, start up and drive right away no prob, in winter I have to sit on the throttle for a couple of minutes while it warms a little

seriously I wouldn’t tinker until you’ve had a proper run out, especially seeing as you say it was running fine to HRD etc.

I agree.
Fresh juice , then go for a hoon.

[Dave999]

Good call on the fuel.........

Would settled out fuel really make it run rich though?
I'd expect it to lean out if anything.........

Thanks again!

cold makes it run bad

rich or lean or anywhere inbetween will be bad if the fuel is yuk and the inlet and carb are stone cold

the old fuel will have a greater propensity to lump into globules and puddle in the inlet causing all kinds a fun. it won't run properly and you will get stinky tail pipe due to incomplete combustion. the ratio might be right but the air and fuel aint mixed. big wet splats put out the fire... its supposed to be atomised not pouring in


which is why you set your timing and do your carb tuneing when its up at running temp.

if it runs like a dog to start with, only worry if it carries on doing it after your temp guage gets near where it normally does on a decent blast.

mind it is indicative of it being not quite right in respect to timing or idle mixture...it should at least maintain enough momentum to stay running even when cold

in the olden days you had a starting choke to mask all this farting along... you ran it rich i.e proper-rich-running, not flopping and farting along on puddles of old cold junk to keep it happy for the first 10 minutes and then burnt all the black off the pipe when you subequently ran it with the correct A/F ratio.


Mind.... if you have your timing set as per the book you will be destined to have a stink all the time becasue you won't have enough initial advance for todays fuels.

of cousre bits of carb can block up or get stuck or out of adjustment i just doesn't see it happening in 3 months....

so look to the things that change by themselves like old mouldy fuel

and corroded electricals

pull the connectors in the igntion switch to coil circuit and do em up again
check your engine earth and battery connector clamps (to battery and to cable)

these things activly degrade and try to spoil your day

MR holley makes decent carbs

but Mr Chrylser and Mr halfords made eletrical connectors designed to last 5 years....

given the warmest autumn in years with 24 dgree days followed by 8 degree nights followed by rain and more warm days

humidity and condesation in any unheated garage or outside stored car will have been bad

green stuff will have developed in your eletrical junctions and will be steeling 1/2 a volt here and half a volt there

Dave

[Dave81]

Thanks chaps.....

I'll look at it with fresh fuel.

It never died on its arse.
You could literally see the voltage slowly dropping down as the rpm tailed off to a point I could hear it missing and catching on the point of stall (about 10-20 seconds from blip of throttle).

Above 120/130 degrees on the temp gauge it settled and ran without assistance.......just Rich.

I will go out again this weekend with some fresh go go juice and see what happens.

Dave,
Most of the ignition side wiring has been completely replaced in the last 6 months. Car is garaged which also houses the boiler (not a fan of that tbh, but have no option), the upside is, its never as cold as my old garage (sans boiler).