I spent saturday morning trying to fix the damn jets on the newly installed
carbs. I successfully got them to stay in place - it ends up the rubber o-ring
was perished - so I swapped them for the ones in the old carb. I also
shortended the fuel line that goes around the K&Ns - as that was the thing that
caused all the trouble in the first place. The wheel arch pushed down on the
fuel line - thus rotating the jets and putting enough pressure on the small
fuel lines (Im yet to work out what they are called) to pull them out. Any way
I was quite pleased with my mornings work - this is the first thing Ive ever
done on an engine! The Rimmer catalogue is almost as useful as the Haynes - if
not more so in some cases) So I go in for a well earned lunch.
So I return after lunch and plan to drive the car to Halfords to get a jubilee
clip for one of the water hoses that I had broken in the morning, there was
only a bit of water coming out - and only over about 4500rpm - so driving 3/4
mile would have been a good test for my newly fixed carb unit.
Anyway before I even start down the road to Halfords - the car wont start
without quite a bit of gas (Im getting more american all the time after reading
this list so much!) So the car wont start properly. And when it does start -
the engine dies unless you put sufficient pressure on the gas pedal. So I check
the throttle cable. Thats ok - everything is ok. I had driven about 40 miles
with these carbs a couple of days before. Worse still was the fact that pulling
out the choke made the engine die altogether.
To cut a long story short, after fiddling about - and having enough fuel over
my hands for the day (and having cut the back of my hands to threads on the end
of the choke cable - ouch!) I decided enough was enough, so I fitted the old
carbs back on. That took 30 mins or so - not bad for a first time I think
you'll agree. So Im back with my car as it was. Without the new carbs and
without the K&N's.
I do plan to try the K&N carbs again - when I have time and have figured out
whats wrong with them. Or if it was just me being impatient. They did make a
lot of difference when they were working - the engine was much smoother - in
power and in sound.
Another strange thing that happeded to me as well: After fitting the new carbs
- the power from the engine "throbbed" all the way home (that was the 40mile
motorway journey) This didnt strike me as strange originally - as I knew the
carbs needed tuning a bit more. And considering the fact that one of the jet
lines wasnt connected properly. What I dont understand is the fact that when I
fitted the old carbs back on again - it started throbbing again - I gave the
car a good thrash a few hours after after fitting the them. However the next
day it was back to its normal self again. And this morning its fine too. What
is this throbbing then?
James
77 Pimento Red Spit - now with the old carbs and boring old BL air box &
filters.
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