The General Engine Issue Thread!

[philbey]

Check your dizzy. I took a look at micks 5k a while back and it was running like shit on idle. Same thing, you could pull any lead off any plug with no change.

 

My money is down that you're out by a tooth on the dizzy.

[Twinky]

Check your dizzy. I took a look at micks 5k a while back and it was running like shit on idle. Same thing, you could pull any lead off any plug with no change.

 

My money is down that you're out by a tooth on the dizzy.

 

I don't know if being a tooth out would make too mutch of a diference as the timing can be changed to suit. It's sitting at 8 degrees now and still idling like crap.

I'll have a play anyway as anything really helps.

I'm thinking air leak too but not sure from where.. I did new manifold gaskets but that didnt clear the problem.

 

Cheers

[altezzaclub]

PCV valve crapped out and leaking all the time?? They have to seal at high vac, like idle.

 

Actually, pull off PCV and block, pull off brake booster and block as well. That eliminates those two.

[Andy43]

Twinky

I little trick I learnt was to spray disk brake cleaner around the inlet manfold, Any vacum leaks will stall the engine quick smart.

Be careful around the the throttle body, as the carby will suck it in there and give you a false reading.

 

Try Altezza's trick as well blocking of PCV and Brake booster.

 

As I said I had a bad PVC last week took me a hour or two to sort out, It was only a few weeks old as well.

 

Cheers

Andy

Edited March 6, 2011 by Andy43

[philbey]

Ok if its timed properly that's fine. But are you 100% that you have the correct timing cover to match your pulley? Because that's exactly what happened with micks car, 5ks have different timing covers and if you pull the pulley off the 4k then you have issues.

[Trev]

Ok if its timed properly that's fine. But are you 100% that you have the correct timing cover to match your pulley? Because that's exactly what happened with micks car, 5ks have different timing covers and if you pull the pulley off the 4k then you have issues.

 

This, line up #1 on TDC by feeling the piston height and check where the mark is.

[philbey]

Yep, you can also just watch the rockers on #4, at the point that they are "on the rock", when the exhaust is just starting to close and the inlet rocker is starting to open, then that's about TDC for #1.

 

Take a photo of your timing cover and post it up Twinky.

[Twinky]

Will do when I get home. Everything is still from the original motor although I can't say it's original because previous owners could have changed anything.

The only difference is the electronic dizzy, carburettor and extra pulley. All of which have been checked and re checked. All signs are tending to point towards

an air leak. No smoke comes out of the exhaust at full/light/stab throttle, it literally sounds like a vac port has been unplugged but everything is connected.

More investigating when I get home.

[philbey]

Did the previous owners have it running?

 

It's come up a couple of times, people swap pulleys onto their 5K's and don't realise they have a different timing mark.

 

5K timing covers are easily recognisable as the timing marks are closer to the crank centreline, up higher than the 3k/4k ones. Easier to time when looking directly from the top when in a van....

[Felix]

To find precise TDC is easy. Make yourself a piston stop tool out of an old gutted sparkplug.

 

Remove sparkplugs.

With piston down the bore a bit, install piston stop in motor and carefully rotate until the end of tool contacts piston. Make a mark on the timing pulley in relation to the TDC mark on the timing cover.

Rotate motor backwards carefully until tool contacts piston again. Make another mark on pulley.

Halfway between the two marks is TDC, file new mark and paint white so it stands out with a timing light.

[Twinky]

To find precise TDC is easy. Make yourself a piston stop tool out of an old gutted sparkplug.

 

Remove sparkplugs.

With piston down the bore a bit, install piston stop in motor and carefully rotate until the end of tool contacts piston. Make a mark on the timing pulley in relation to the TDC mark on the timing cover.

Rotate motor backwards carefully until tool contacts piston again. Make another mark on pulley.

Halfway between the two marks is TDC, file new mark and paint white so it stands out with a timing light.

 

Can you get a piston stop tool for a 5k or do you use some custom jigg? When I had the motor apart the motor was put at visual tdc (with the head off)and the timing mark

on the pulley matched up to the timing marks on the cover so we assumed everything was correct. The previous owners did not have the motor running but they bought the motor from a running van. After the motor was taken out it was sitting in a workshop for about 9 months. When I got the motor i was able to freely turn the motor by hand.

The water pump and fuel pump looked pretty bad but I was able to use 4k gear which ran perfectly. I stripped the engine and looked down the bores and at the crank, oil pickup

and the motor looked pretty fresh on the inside, there was even minimal carbon buildup on the pistons, rocker gear was perfect.

When I put the motor back together it started first time and ran absolutely perfect. It was quiet and pulled hard, only since I changed the exhaust I have been having these problems. I can safely say that the exhaust and manifolds are leak free from all the repair work I have been doing. On that note I have just observed a split secion of piping where the brake booster hose connects to the manifold. The split is right on the tip of the hose but I will disconnect and cover the hose and see what it does.

Hopefully I get this sorted soon, it's most likely going to be the simplest thing as it always turns out to be.

[Felix]

Can you get a piston stop tool for a 5k or do you use some custom jigg?

 

I made one up out of an old plug. Has a bolt through the center with a couple of nuts to adjust if needed.

 

On that note I have just observed a split secion of piping where the brake booster hose connects to the manifold. The split is right on the tip of the hose but I will disconnect and cover the hose and see what it does.

Hopefully I get this sorted soon, it's most likely going to be the simplest thing as it always turns out to be.

 

Sounds like it could be the culprit. As you say it pays to check the simple things first.

[Twinky]

Well the hose was a part of the issue, but not the fix. I cut the hose down and pluged it back on and immediately the engine picked up a little rpm.

It does not stutter as mutch but the issue is still there. At a full throttle stab the engine wants to stall as the rpm drops back to idle.

I have fixed that issue with a slight increase in throttle position and a very slight increase in timing. The engine would be running at about 1000 rpm at idle now and does not stall.

So the car is now at a reliably driven stage but I am still sussing out where the air leak could be coming from. I think that I am going to re do the manifold gasket and see if that might be the problem.

I think maybe when I mated the exhaust and intake manifold that they might have slightly gone askew thus making a tiny gap. After all a tiny gap would be enough to give a stuttery idle.

Doing a bit of overtime at work so I won't get to that in a couple of days.

[altezzaclub]

I have just observed a split secion of piping where the brake booster hose connects to the manifold.

 

Actually, pull off PCV and block, pull off brake booster and block as well.

 

hmmmm.... Did you get around to taking those two pipes off and blocking the holes in the manifold?? Some PVC tape would do it, race tape, anything that covers the holes.

 

Its such a pain tackling the manifold gaskets again, I'd try anything else first!

[Twinky]

I'll be getting a new pipe for the PCV valve as it is worn and cracked at the edges on both sides.

I didn't stick my finger over the hole as it was too damn hot to do so.

I can't wait to fix this issue as it is delaying the supercharger project!!! OOO and I found out that the carbs on the triumph are 1 & 3/4 inch SUs.

But on the donor car (the one I can pillage) it either has Twin SU HS-6 or Strombers CD150 Carburettors.