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Re: [Mgs] too rich or too lean?

To: "John O'Brien" <banjojohn@cox.net>
Subject: Re: [Mgs] too rich or too lean?
From: Aaron Whiteman <awhitema@panix.com>
Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:02:37 -0700
I'll try to incorporate other suggestions in to this reply too.  I  
found myself to be shockingly tired all day yesterday, so I didn't get  
out to do a whole lot of troubleshooting.

On Oct 26, 2009, at 1:51 AM, Paul Hunt wrote:

> Could be almost anything, especially since you have recently worked  
> on ignition and carbs.

I reset the timing to 15 degrees BTDT (from 19), but I ended up not  
changing the carbs.  They seemed to be behaving correctly (small rise  
then settle when barely lifting the piston) without adjusting.

> What does the tach do for a start?  If that is flicking all over the  
> place then it is an ignition LT problem.  If it is relatively steady  
> then HT or fuel.  As it happens when cruising you may be able to  
> reproduce it with your head under the bonnet, if so clip a timing  
> light onto the coil and plug leads and watch the flashes.

The tach is stable.  I did drive to get groceries yesterday, so I was  
able to drive for about a mile at 35 (in third).  It only seems to be  
happening when cruising at speeds greater than 45mph.

> Erratic flashing on the coil lead indicates coil or possibly  
> condenser problems.  Steady on the coil lead but irregular on the  
> plug leads (remember the coil lead flashes four times faster than  
> any one plug lead) indicates that the rotor or cap are breaking  
> down, although that would be more likely under acceleration than  
> cruising.

> While on No.1 lead point it at the timing marks to check that it is  
> about right, and not jumping around.

Hmm.  I didn't check yesterday, but the timing mark has always bounced  
around.  Even after replacing the timing chain, it bounces more than I  
think it should.  It's been "an issue" for years.

> If all that is OK then it looks like carbs. Unlikely to be fuel  
> starvation as that would be worse under acceleration. Could be the  
> aforementioned vacuum leak, test with propane or carb cleaner, or  
> possibly float valves, a slight leak causing mixture problems under  
> light fuel demand but not under heavier demand.  If you have an SU  
> pump turn on the ignition but don't start the engine, and listen to  
> the clicks.  Once the float chambers have been filled the pump  
> shouldn't click more than once every 30 secs.  More than this  
> indicates a leaking float valve or possibly a leaking one-way valve  
> in the pump inlet, although this latter is more likely to cause  
> problems under high fuel demand than low.  Remove the float chamber  
> vent pipes to see if one or other carbs does eventually start to  
> overflow, this can take several minutes, so disconnect the coil to  
> prevent it overheating.

I'll hopefully be able to check for leaks tonight.  I don't have the  
SU pump, so I'll just have to wait for it.  I did check the plugs  
yesterday.  The #1 plug was a bit white, but otherwise all plugs were  
a nice light brown ashy color (I'll pull that #1 again and take a  
closer look at it)

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