Stuart McLelland writes:
>Hi,
>I was wondering if anyone may be able to help with an intermittant
>fault with my Dolomite Sprint that's starting to get a bit annoying.
>
>Periodically, the engine will cut-out. When it happens the revs will
>suddenly drop 0 and then increase before dropping to zero again -
>this will continue until the engine stalls but it's normally quicker
>to switch the engine off. Usually it will restart and behave normally
>if it's left to rest for 30 secs.
Here's something to try.... I'm no expert, but a similar thing happened to me
with the '7.
IIRC the inlet manifold on the Sprint connects to the head via rubber seals in
the same way as the '7. Try yanking the carbs up & down and see if the engine
idle speed gets upset. If so, it could be that the rubber is splitting with
age, and
hence upsetting the mixture at random intervals while you're moving.
Alternatively you might be seeing fuel starvation through dirt in the system
somewhere? Maybe its time to clean out the carb/fuel line & fit a new filter,
then
think about the (mechanical) fuel pump.
If the replacement electronic ignition is only a couple of years old I would not
expect problems of an intermittant nature. Most are reliable & they mean you
avoid adjusting the points - the bolts are totally inaccessible! I have heard of
one breaking up but that would be easily visble if you open up the dizzy. The
ignition blocks are normally stuck out of the way on the RHS so they don't get
too hot. Its worthwhile checking the cap for cracks, but then you'll have the
challenge of finding a replacement.
Happy hunting!
Colin R. Fenn '80 TR7 dhc London
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