Series IIA Engine Woes

[Dietersrover]

Have you tried starting it with the handle?

[fbnksrover]

Okay.

Finally got him started this morning after I recharged the battery. Now, going to check and see if the battery maintains charge. If not, could be more problems. Still some backfiring popping while engine idles. Have not worked on the idle or mixture, but hopefully that will clear out the popping. Or, could be incorrect ignition lead order. I think it would be easier to find the Holy Grail than to get that correct. That process still has be stumped no matter how many times I read the Green Bible.

[SafeAirOne]

Getting the firing order correct is one of the easiest things you'll ever do to this dead-simple engine:

1. With the ignition off, and the #1 spark plug removed and your finger over the hole, rotate the engine CLOCKWISE (as viewed from the front of the engine looking back) BY HAND till you feel pressurized air escaping around your finger.
2. Remove your finger from the hole and place a stiff wire into the hole so that it rests on top of the rising piston as you continue rotating the engine by hand.
3. Stop rotating the engine when the wire stops being pushed upward by the piston.
4. Pop off your distributor cap. The contact on the rotor is pointing to approximately where the #1 spark plug wire is located when the cap is installed.
5. Slap the other wires on the cap in the correct order GOING COUNTER-CLOCKWISE on the distributor cap as viewed from above.
6. Done.

I'll leave it to you to find the correct firing order.

[fbnksrover]

The little fella has come back to life. Thanks for all the advice and tips on fault finding. Now, the ultimate test comes when I back him out of the garage tonight.

[I Leak Oil]

Sweet! Looks like you're making an adjustment to the carb in the video. Is the motor at operating temperature? Run it around a little then adjust the idle and mixture when it's warm.

[busboy]

The little fella has come back to life. Thanks for all the advice and tips on fault finding. Now, the ultimate test comes when I back him out of the garage tonight.

Ha! it was just on "vacation" that's all.

[fbnksrover]

Well, looks like Little Pooter may have taken a siesta on me. These are my current symptoms that I need to diagnose:

- Engine starts and idles, but idling is rough and there is an occasional backfire, but less of a pop and more like air.
- Backs out of the garage in reverse, and does not seem to have any issues. However, shift into second gear and virtually no power moving forward. Took about 6 starts and restarts to lurch the rover about 15 feet back into the garage.

I'm going to check all of the vacuum hoses to make sure there are no leaks. Looks like there is a small fuel leak at the carburetor, but not sure where from. I replaced the gasket on the carburetor body, so probably need to recheck that. Timing may also be off? More work to do.

[SafeAirOne]

Disregard this un-delete-able post.

[tkneese]

lack of power, popping when you give her juice sounds like a timing issue to me. let her warm up and keep it idiling, loosen the clamp at the base of the distributor just enough to rotate it (watch out not to get shocked if you have old plug leads), and rotate it either way and you will notice it start to run pretty rough. Find a place where it runs well, for me it was farther towards the counter clockwise direction, just before it begins to run rough. Tighten the clamp back down, but not too hard, just enough to keep the distributor from rotating. Honestly, i would do this before I wasted my time doing anything else. Its pretty amazing how little of a timing change will affect the performance of the engine. also if you haven't checked the gap on the tappets you might want to check that after you get the timing tuned in. i found a good video on youtube for that. i have all the manuals and stuff but it helps me to see a video.

Well, looks like Little Pooter may have taken a siesta on me. These are my current symptoms that I need to diagnose:

- Engine starts and idles, but idling is rough and there is an occasional backfire, but less of a pop and more like air.
- Backs out of the garage in reverse, and does not seem to have any issues. However, shift into second gear and virtually no power moving forward. Took about 6 starts and restarts to lurch the rover about 15 feet back into the garage.

I'm going to check all of the vacuum hoses to make sure there are no leaks. Looks like there is a small fuel leak at the carburetor, but not sure where from. I replaced the gasket on the carburetor body, so probably need to recheck that. Timing may also be off? More work to do.

[I Leak Oil]

Hmmm....If you had another carb I'd suggest swapping it to see if there is any change and I'd bet there would be. When it's running try spraying a little starting fluid ( I mean a little) around some of the gasketed joints to see if the running conditions change temprorarily. This might help isolate any leaks. Try just a little down the carb when it's running also to see if it smooths out at all.
I don't know about a timing issue as a root cause though. If it starts and runs then cuts out and is challenged to restart, doesn't sound like purely a timing issue.