Seriously, am I expecting too much?

[jac04]

Now it starts and idles exactly as it should, better than it ever has in 10 years.

I have timed all my rovers by ear, and I can tell you that the timing that produces the best idle quality is not the best setting for driveability. And as Mark suggested, you can have a faulty advance mechanism that will still result in great idle characteristics.

[LaneRover]

When my 65 109 SW knocked under load the mechanical advance in the distributor was seized up. Once I got it loosened up it was fine.

[rbbailey]

I'm listening to what people are saying here, and I went and asked the guy who did the timing about it as well. (By the way, when we pulled the bearings out last week they were bad, so now that there are new bearings in, and I'm still getting the noise...)

He also confirms what you all are saying, so I'm going to tweak it a bit this weekend. He also seems to think setting the timing is often a mix of doing it by the numbers, then feeling it out from there. I figure if I can turn the distributor just a tiny amount at a time, after marking my starting point, I should be able to go back if need be.

Once I retard the timing a bit, I assume my idle will be messed up as a result. So my logic is to turn till I can tell the idle is barely holding on, then bump it up just a bit. Tighten there. Test drive. Then... can I adjust my carb to compensate for a clunkier idle after that?

Which brings me to another question -- should I be using the stock air filter with the Rochester carb?

[bobzinak]

Does your rover have the original distributor? if so there is a small thumb wheel on it opposit the vaccuum advance unit. on the top of it there are hash marks, several small ones on either side of a wide one thats in the middle. adjust the wheel until thew wide mark alines with the distributor body. then set timing by moving the distributor. you can advance/retard the timing slighly by turning the thumb wheel. also check if there is any side to side play in the points rotor cam. and that it has some lube on it where it rubs on the points block. beneath the distributor there is a cam drive adaptor that offsets the distributor drive off to one side. it adapts the straight cut from the cam drive gear to an offset cut that matches the bottom of the distributor it has two small square metal square "flags" that fit into the cam drive gear. I had a hard time diagnosing that problem when my rover pinged like crazy. one of the "flags" had broken off and was plying havock with the timing. also do a web search on how to use a vaccuum gauge to set timing on you rover. the web sir MGAGURU has a wealth of information on diagnosing problems with english cars, many of the comonents used on rovers are also used on many british cars. the web site has a complete listing of every vehicle that used a lucas distributor along with advance curve, vacuum unit specs,and much more. It is critical that you rover has the proper vaccuum unit, I believe from memory that the 2.5 rover used a 4-18-12 unit, this number shoul be stamped on the vacuum unit. my owners manual says to advance timing until the engine pings on a hard pull and then back off a bit. good luck on your rover, owing a rover is more than a mode of trasportaion, it is also a hobby, I've been driving the same one for 40 years and there is always something to fiddle with. I thinks all old rover owners tend to question their sanity after owing a rover that seems bi-polar. as much as I've done to my rover, it is to the point when something is ammiss, I can pretty much know what it is because it's probably happened before...one thing about owing a rover, it's taught me how to fix it, it may seem like a stuggle,but eventually(keep telling yoursef that) it will all come together..welcome to the land roverolics club..there are many of us who have gone througth the same thing..carry on! rove on! folks on this site will be there to help where we can..bobzinak

[rbbailey]

So I tweaked the dizzy a bit to retard the timing. I just barely turned it, just enough to hear a difference in the idle.

It really seems to have done the job on the knocking. So thanks for the heads up.

However...

After about 40 miles of driving, I've noticed that it doesn't start on the first time now. This is the fourth or fifth drive since adjustment.

Now I hear a knock while at idle, a metallic echoing sound.

Then while driving up the hill to our house (800 feet in half a mile) it started back firing and almost stalling. It idled ok when I shut it off.

Tried to start it today, it would not start without effort, then coughed grey smoke and idled "differently" than usual while warming up. Then a rhythmic vibration, and it dies when I start to pull it out of the garage. Now it won't even pretend to start.

[mrmurray]

After replacing nearly every mechanical component on my 67 iia, I can honestly say it's no surprise the Brits nearly lost the war...