Engine trouble

[PH4]

Is it possible to knock the points out of whack when you hit a large pothole? Every time I hit something hard the motor a) shuts off b) when cranks back up will not idle c) does not run well. I do not believe it is a fuel issue as a result of crud getting knocked loose in tank and then sucked into fuel line. Last time it happened I took to my mechanic and he tuned up and replaced the points. I am trying to avoid the mechanic more and more. Want to be able to always get home on my own. I did speak to my mechanic on the phone and he said he would find it odd that a hard pothole would cause these problems. Any and all advice appreciated. 1962 109 IIA petrol 2.25.

[NickDawson]

could it be the float needle in the carb getting suck or a lose engine ground wire?

[Tim Smith]

Do your headlights go dim after a pot hole? If so then it's would have to be a ground or battery connection. If not then I'd look in and around the distributor for loose connections.

[kevkon]

Don't overlook the ignition switch!

[TJR]

Perhaps a long shot here.. but is your timing chain slack enough to jump time. My nissan altima did this at 200K miles after the tensioner wore through. Also and old Ford bronco I had did this too after romping through a deep mud hole with an abrupt bump in it. I was able to limp home, but it wasn't pretty.

Back to the rover, my S3 (in it's former state when it was my parents car) had the timing chain get so loose it would knock against the cast timing cover at certain rpm's. The scars are still there to see inside the cover. I don't recall but it too may have jumped time, prompting the replacment. ... TJR

[PH4]

no dim in the headlights. It really seems to "miss" or stutter almost on a timed revolution. The only way to drive it and keep it from cutting off is to keep the revs up.

[Nium]

Is it possible to knock the points out of whack when you hit a large pothole? Every time I hit something hard the motor a) shuts off b) when cranks back up will not idle c) does not run well.

What remedy do you effect to make it run well again?


I do not believe it is a fuel issue as a result of crud getting knocked loose in tank and then sucked into fuel line.Just out of curiosity why have you ruled out crud in the tank?


Last time it happened I took to my mechanic and he tuned up and replaced the points.When the mechanic replaced the points did the mechanic replace the condenser too? Is the dizzy loose, can you turn the body of the distributor by hand? Can you wiggle the distributor at all? If the dizzy is a 25D4 is the low tension lead intact and making good contact?

What exactly did the mechanic do for a tune up? Just trying to narrow down possible causes of the issues you're having.


I am trying to avoid the mechanic more and more. Want to be able to always get home on my own. I did speak to my mechanic on the phone and he said he would find it odd that a hard pothole would cause these problems. Any and all advice appreciated. 1962 109 IIA petrol 2.25.

A mechanic familiar with older cars is hard to find ;)

Cheers!

[SafeAirOne]

Nothing conclusive to suggest here, but I just have the feeling that your issue is electrical. If it was one of the two other things necessary to make an engine run (air and fuel), it would die off slowly, not instantly as you describe. It really sounds like a poor connection somewhere.

The ignition circuit, from battery to spark plug takes up very little of the electrical schematic, so it's generally not too terrible to narrow down the culprit (except in your case I think you say the problem is intermittent, so you'll probably have to find a pothole first).

[109 Pretender]

I think Safe Air is probably correct here - electrical. Does your harness look like a mess behind the dash or in the engine compartment? Got lots of 'previous owner' repairs? Ck your primary circuit to dist. and make sure it's all good. Lucas bullet 'Lucar' connectors are bad at coming loose.

I had an old MGA that knocked out the high beam indicator bulb from the speedo going over a bump one day - it broke, shorted out on the dash and almost burned up my new dash harness. Bucket loads of Lucas smoke came pouring out the cockpit. I probably looked comical as I bailed out trying to get to the dual 6 volters behind the seats attempting to keep my car from burning up.

I think that's why I love British iron so much - it keeps life interesting...
And yeah, I still use Lucar connectors.

Cheers!

[PH4]

I will check the electrical. The harness and assorted electrical is in great shape as far as no add ons and hooked up as factory but it is getting a little worn in some places. I really think it is electrical because it is skipping/falting in a perfect rythym. I would think that if a short or loose connection that it would not result in a rythmatic skip. Same for crud in the gas tank. Even when above idle you can still sense the skip but it does not result in the engine cutting out.

[kevkon]

Like I said, start with the ignition switch. Use a continuity meter and physically move or vibrate the switch assembly. If you rule that out then do the same down the line with all ignition related connections. Also make sure that the lead to the contacts is free to move through the distributor.

[thixon]

For the most part I agree with Safeair, 109, and kevkon. It sounds electrical in nature.

I had this exact same issue with an old jeep. It turned out to be a deffective terminal at the starter motor. Hit a bump, the truck would die off completely or run rough. I'd get under the hood screw around, and probably bump the wire, accidentally fixing the problem till I finally got sick of it and hunted it down.

I will also weigh in a "could be" on the fuel issue. I once had an issue with a rochester carb on a 383 stroker. When I went over a speed bump, the car would sputter and run rough. Turned out, the float in the carb wasn't properly adjusted, and when I hit a bump, it would "bounce" open and shut. Sometimes the car would die off. Once, when I did this, a piece of crud that was in the float bowl got lodged in the needle valve, and the car died and would'nt crank again till I took the carb apart and cleaned it. I doubt this is your problem though, based on the symptoms you describe.

[TJR]

My SerIII also had a bad spark plug that coughed sputtered a bit. power was down too. Easy to find by pulling 1 spark plug wire off at a time (while it;s running) and noting any change in Engine RPM

This thread reminds me of this story...

There are four engineers traveling in a car; a mechanical engineer, a chemical, an electrical engineer and a computer engineer.The car breaks down."Sounds to me as if the pistons have seized. We'll have to strip down the engine before we can get the car working again", says the mechanical engineer. "Well", says the chemical engineer, "it sounded to me as if the fuel might be contaminated. I think we should clear out the fuel system. "I thought it might be an grounding problem", says the electrical engineer, "or maybe a faulty plug lead." They all turn to the computer engineer who has said nothing and say: "Well, what do you think?" "Ummm - how about if we all get out of the car and get back in again?"


...Talbot (sorry to drift off topic )

[Tim Smith]

I love it!

[mrdoiron]

[QUOTE=TJR;53776]...four engineers traveling in a car; a mechanical engineer, a chemical, an electrical engineer and a computer engineer.The car breaks down."Sounds to me as if the pistons have seized. We'll have to strip down the engine before we can get the car working again", says the mechanical engineer. "Well", says the chemical engineer, "it sounded to me as if the fuel might be contaminated. I think we should clear out the fuel system. "I thought it might be an grounding problem", says the electrical engineer, "or maybe a faulty plug lead." They all turn to the computer engineer who has said nothing and say: "Well, what do you think?" "Ummm - how about if we all get out of the car and get back in again?"...QUOTE]

classic joke, I'll be using this with the FETS in the office tomorrow !

...on the cut off issue, not directly applicable, but related to a newer relative Rover model. I had a Dicso SerII that intermittently shut power off while driving a few times... and it turned out to be electrical also > related to an electrical fault in the crank position sensor, which when a small bump hit 'JUST RIGHT', would shut off completely the engine...glide to the right, shut off, then it would start up again after a minute ok... so ok, no CPS on a IIA, but clearly an intermittant electircal issue is a strong possibility.

mike

[PH4]

I have now come to the conclusion it is most likely a carb issue. Running fine and hit same original bump as the one a few weeks ago and it shut off. Coast to side and will not crank and run unless choke pulled out. Drive with choke out for awhile and then will run with choke in interminttingly. Maybe float getting stuck after large bump? Bump is on bridge going off the island so no way to miss it. Plan to take off carb (Weber) and soak in carb cleaner.

[kevkon]

What isn't a bump with a Series?

[bkreutz]

What isn't a bump with a Series?

Parked :D

[kevkon]

Only if your not sitting in it:thumb-up: