1962 Series IIA Problems

[wrighthm]

Hi everyone, my truck and I have been getting to know one another for about 2 weeks now. I have just gotten it legally registered in Kentucky on Thursday. I have been driving around on the longest of my so far journeys the past couple days. While driving I will suddenyl experience the car the sputter as if its running out of gas of becoming vapor locked. The car does not die on me though as I flutter the throttle so I do not stall in traffic. It lets me open the throttle some and keep it running but if I give it too much it bogs down, so I keep it running by giving it small amounts of throttle. Well last night driving around again (not letting this problem deter me from driving it downtown) the car drove all the way downtown (8 miles or so in stop and go traffic) without a hiccup, then while parked I decided to change parking spots closer to where I was eating (it would have been a 3 block move) when it wouldnt crank for me after starting then dying immediately. So I ate and expecting to tow it home afterwards, I go to start it and it starts this time and drives me 3/4 the way home when it does the initial sputter thing and gets worse and worse around the last mile I had to get home. When I finally arrived home my lights inside and out are very dim and the battery seemed to have not charged at all. (new battery bty and it sputtered on me with another new battery that I exchanged for the newest battery so that I had one that fit snug inside the battery tray). Today I woke up hoping to address the problem by cleaning the build up off of the ground form the battery I decided to try taking the ground from the battery and disconnecting it while the car was on and the truck died after struggling to live for about 4 seconds. Help please I am so anxious to drive this thing (haha but also very sad)...

Help me! Hunter

[TriedStone]

does it have an alternator or generator?

[czenkov]

Hi everyone, my truck and I have been getting to know one another for about 2 weeks now. I have just gotten it legally registered in Kentucky on Thursday. I have been driving around on the longest of my so far journeys the past couple days. While driving I will suddenyl experience the car the sputter as if its running out of gas of becoming vapor locked. The car does not die on me though as I flutter the throttle so I do not stall in traffic. It lets me open the throttle some and keep it running but if I give it too much it bogs down, so I keep it running by giving it small amounts of throttle. Well last night driving around again (not letting this problem deter me from driving it downtown) the car drove all the way downtown (8 miles or so in stop and go traffic) without a hiccup, then while parked I decided to change parking spots closer to where I was eating (it would have been a 3 block move) when it wouldnt crank for me after starting then dying immediately. So I ate and expecting to tow it home afterwards, I go to start it and it starts this time and drives me 3/4 the way home when it does the initial sputter thing and gets worse and worse around the last mile I had to get home. When I finally arrived home my lights inside and out are very dim and the battery seemed to have not charged at all. (new battery bty and it sputtered on me with another new battery that I exchanged for the newest battery so that I had one that fit snug inside the battery tray). Today I woke up hoping to address the problem by cleaning the build up off of the ground form the battery I decided to try taking the ground from the battery and disconnecting it while the car was on and the truck died after struggling to live for about 4 seconds. Help please I am so anxious to drive this thing (haha but also very sad)...

Help me! Hunter

Sounds like my first major outing with my Series. Not to alarm you because this probably isn't your issue but in my case the head gasket gave up - and so did the head. I simply do not know enough about these trucks to lend a hand. Good luck.

[wrighthm]

My truck I believe has an alternator. My friend and I had decided that. (My buddy has a IIA as well but lives back in my hometown. I sent him pictures via text message so I am by myself with no help in Lexington, KY http://www.roversnorth.com/forums/images/icons/icon9.gif ) But it seems to be running the alternator to the voltage regulator still. He told me that the alternator should have a regulator built in. So im 99% sure its an alternator. It also has a rovers north military rebuilt engine in it. I am the first to put miles on it basically. I am in the garage trying to fix the issue as of right now, but checking my computer frequently since I am getting nowhere by myself. (I am a newby)

[Momo]

Hunter it sounds like you mainly have a fuel problem. Secondarily you may have a charging or electrical contact issue.

Your symptoms of sputtering, stalling and bogging all make me suspect that you have a dirty/contaminated fuel system.

The first thing to do is to look at your fuel pump's sediment bowl. It is on the passenger's side of the engine and it looks like an upside down shot glass on the fuel pump. You should be able to see if there's crud in there right away.

Then, follow your rubber fuel line all the way to the carb. Somewhere along the line there may be a secondary fuel filter installed...it is going to be either a metal or clear plastic cylinder. If it's clear plastic, again, you should be able to see any crud present.

Crud in either of these places will tell you if your fuel tank has sediment in it. What happens is, the tanks sit, develop moisture, they rust inside, and then the rust flakes accumulate in the bottom and get sucked up into the fuel line. Also, old gas will degrade and leave residue. When vehicles that have sat for a long period get put into regular use, this stuff gets stirred up and eventually gets sucked up against the fuel pick-up. Some will get past the in-tank filter, and sometimes that filter is degraded too, allowing bigger particles to reach your sediment bowl. Most of the crud will settle out into that bowl.

If you have crud in the sediment bowl, it's also in the tank. You can drain the tank by siphon, then remove the tank's drain plug. Then remove your passenger's seat bottom, the aluminum access panel, and finally the fuel tank sender and float. Those are attached to the round covers screwed into the top of the tank.

Allow the tank a few days to evaporate any fuel, then use a pressure washer to blow the crud out. It may take awhile. You will not get it all, but you will at least get the loose stuff. When the water is draining clear, you have done all you can do. Next, disconnect your fuel lines and use compressed air to blow them out to clear any blockages.

Again, allow the tank to dry thoroughly, put it all back together and add clean fuel. Remove the sediment bowl and clean it.

Warning: the sediment bowl may not reseal on its gasket, so order a new gasket before you do this.

Replace any inline filter that may be on the vehicle, and if there isn't one you might consider adding one yourself. You'll need a filter and two hose clamps.
You can get these at any auto parts store.

This might get you through a year or two of regular driving. It really depends on how bad the tank is... the ultimate fix is a new tank. There are other fixes like lining/coating the old tank or removing all the rust inside. Up to you.

As for your weak charge: Is your charge light on when the engine runs? The first thing I would do is clean and reconnect all battery and generator/alternator terminals. It may be a failing generator or alternator but it could easily be poor contacts.

[wrighthm]

I am almost positive that the sputtering or bogging down problem and the engine dying when I take the negative (ground) wire off of my battery once the engine is started are related. I thought that I had a fuel issue last night when I got stuck downtown. But I was still smelling fuel in the carb and around the engine as you should when they are working properly. Also all of the fuel system components that I can check to see if there is sediment of anykind like rust in them, are all clear. The fuel pump glass and my fuel filters all appear to be clear. I really believe that if I fix the issue of the car dying when the ground from the battery is removed that the car will be okay to drive. I do have experience with rusty fuel tanks and I am familiar with all of there characteristics (I have a 1960 VW bug that had a rusted out tank that I could not find a replacement for so I had to seal it with POR-15) I am however ordering a new tank but only because the tank I have now is leaky and the previous owner told me all it needed was a new drain plug washer (copper crush washer) and so I bought three from Rovers North and that did not fix my leak when the tank has more than 3 gal. in it. (I do not want to POR-15 another tank after doing it to the VW and the tank sealer materials cost me around $100 and thats not too far off a brand new tank). Back to the original point though I am not sure what to check I have checked the connection on the back of my alternator both wires are connected as snug as they can be and the connectors are not dirty really at all.

[wrighthm]

Appreciate the advice Momo I did check the fuel by sight again after reading your post. The dash light for the ignition and alternator things does not come on but that is because it is not hooked up. When I bought the car the car would start and drive and the headlights and taillights came one. This was as far as the previous owner had gotten into the electricals since he had put the new RN military rebuilt motor in it.

[JimCT]

If you do have an alternator and you disconnect the negative battery cable with the engine running you will have fried the alternator. Never do that.

[Momo]

Hi Hunter,

This doesn't seem logical to me. The bogging and sputtering could be ignition issues- bad points, bad condensor, bad rotor. But it would not be strictly a battery problem if the connections are clean and tight. And if it were ignition you would have hard starting, misses, rough running, and backfires.

If it were an alternator problem (and you seem to be sure it's got an alternator), that would generally be limited to a charging/starting issue. You have a mix of symptoms that suggests fuel issues and charging issues.

Another problem I think you should consider is carburetor sludge. Again, with vehicles that sit, the carb gets gummed up. Jets get blocked. Also, the bogging and stalling could be a bad carb float. Some carbs have plastic floats that get pinholes in them, and gas leaks in, causing the fuel bowl to overfill and it will flood the engine. This can cause hard starting and bogging under hard throttle or uphill.

You can pull your alternator, take it to Autozone or whatever, and have them test it. I would also open the carb and look for gumming, and check the float.
And I would still blow out the fuel lines because there may still be a blockage in the line, and check the tank for sediment, because the pickup can get blocked under high fuel demand and then the sediment will fall back into the tank when the suction stops. This is the sort of stuff that causes intermittent problems like you describe.

If you've worked on VWs you know how simple they are, and Rovers are the same. Take it step by step and you'll get it sorted.

[wrighthm]

Nothing about my problem seems logical. I have checked everything I can think of and I keep coming to dead ends. The tank has been cleaned as well as the lines. Some other things the truck has that might help spark some thoughts in the community are; It has a new weber carb, electronic ignition and it has the alternator going to the voltage regulator (which seems odd because I do know that the GM alternators used in Rovers have a built in regulator) Any thoughts are welcome and greatly appreciated and correct me if I am wrong but a 2.25 (and many other autos) should keep running if you disconnect the ground of the battery once started (hence starting battery, etc..) I have Rover Block and I want to drive around and show off.

[JimCT]

If you disconnect the battery while the engine is running the alternator sees zero voltage and tries to full field itself and smokes the diodes. With a generator you could get away from that, but not with an alternator.

[SalemRover]

It is entirely possible to buy an alternator without an internal regulator. A dead Alternator will not cause the stuttering you are experiencing. Your engine will run off the battery until it drains it dead. If you have restricted fuel you will still smell fuel in the carb area as it will not be completely void of fuel. I have had bogging down under acceleration with a new weber and it was the fuel filter restricting fuel supply. After a horrid water crossing some years ago I drove about 30 miles with a dead alternator no problem. Good luck with it!

[SGS714]

As a new Series owner I had the exact symtoms even after installing new tank and it was sediment in the carb bowl blocking the jets. Just keep cleaning the carb out and eventually got past the issue. For what it is worth.

[wrighthm]

Thanks for all the help. I will take all the advice and try at it again today. No work til Monday so I have all day to stare and cuss at the truck until it fixes itself! Every bit of advice is greatly appreciated. I am learning about them and they are simple, but having no experience I am afraid of the truck a bit. All the help and reassurance makes it much easier to work on.

[usadventureracing]

I had the same issue this summer. What I did in order....changed the plugs, fuel filter, fuel pump, new weber carb and pertronix ignition. She runs great, but now she is over heating. Just ordered new thermastat.

[wrighthm]

this problem was fixed when I noticed that the fuse for my ignition was loosely in its place and jiggling about. I squeezed the two sets of prongs together and replaced the fuse and problem solved. The alternator was one out of a series 3. It was replaced with a AC Delco 10si and a bracket from Ike at Pangolin 4x4 thanks to Terri A's website.