Any advice ? Lack of power on steep hills

[Paul H]

I’ve travelled up to the Wirral from Suffolk in my Vitesse mk2. no issues and so far 400 miles ( went on Walled Towns Run today which takes in North Wales ) . Going up a crawler land , very steep hill on A55 Vitesse didn’t like it at all and as the pressure hit with the incline and she started to miss so had to drop to 2nd to get up . I’ve done this hill before with no real issues . Also noticed she slows down a lot on hills.  What are the possible causes ? I’ve got a spare set of plugs so will try them . Ignition is accuspark . I cleaned the plugs yesterday and the colour is ok maybe a tad rich though some of the plugs were oily and one of the gaps was bunged up with carbon . It’s as though I wasn’t running on all 6 

Paul 

 

 

[JohnD]

This advice no use to you while away (unless some eager beaver in your Run carries a gauge)  but I'd be looking at your compressions.     "Oily" plugs don't get that way from an over rich setting, and neither does just one plug  get sooty.

Good luck!

John

[Paul H]

I’ll remove the plugs tomorrow and photo them for opinion . They were cleaned yesterday and did about 180 miles today 

Paul 

[Pete Lewis]

one of the old problems with accuspark was the irregular spacing/indexing of the trigger magnets on the rotor

so timing was variable to each cylinder 

this was reported in  classic magazine  no idea if its verified 

but might explain the odd results across the 6 

Pete

 

[ahebron]

Could it be fuel related?
Not getting enough or bad petrol?

[Paul H]

Just now, ahebron said:

Could it be fuel related?
Not getting enough or bad petrol?

Fuel should be ok Tesco Momentum and just a few days since filling

Paul 

[johny]

Got to be fuel related surely? Cant think of anything on ignition that would be affected purely by hills...

[JohnD]

2 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

one of the old problems with accuspark was the irregular spacing/indexing of the trigger magnets on the rotor

so timing was variable to each cylinder 

this was reported in  classic magazine  no idea if its verified 

but might explain the odd results across the 6 

Pete

 

That would have been true ever since the Accuspark was fitted. This is new, unless Paul tells us different.

 

[Paul H]

16 minutes ago, JohnD said:

That would have been true ever since the Accuspark was fitted. This is new, unless Paul tells us different.

 

Yes this is new though it could have been progressive over the last year . In Suffolk we don’t have hills . The Accuspark has been in place for 4 years 

Paul 

 

 

[johny]

carb float levels all ok and working properly?

[Paul H]

2 minutes ago, johny said:

carb float levels all ok and working properly?

I haven’t had reason to check levels . When I purchased the car in 2016 I had the dreaded slivers and flooding , leaking gaskets , choke leaks . They are CDSE’s which were “reconditioned” though the only good bit was they were shiny and bright and supplied with 1 bent jet , different jet heights , and the float covers weren’t flat as they had been over cleaned , and when I eventually sorted the carbs I left well alone . I will check the sliding piston action  tomorrow and if ok will leave until I get back on Weds as don’t want to jinx the journey back . I am running a Huco which has been in place for at least 3 years  now and was installed as the mechanical pump was constantly playing up plus I find the engine easier to start with the Huco and the reassuring tic tic tic . When left for weeks she will start on second tug and when warm it’s every time 

Paul 

[ahebron]

Might it be the coil breaking down under temp and load?
But my experience on other cars of this problem does go back to fuel.

[Pete Lewis]

always worth checking the coil is correct polarity  ie  neg to dizzy 

has i guess the sounds of the dreaded slivers have been breeding 

have a good trip home and then you can rip it apart ...or not  

Pete

[Iain T]

What plugs are you using and when was the last time you changed or inspected them? Its the cause of the oily plugs that also needs investigating. Does the engine use much oil? 

I have similar hill problems when I first bought my Vitesse and it was down to lack of fuel and running very lean. 

Iain 

Edited September 25, 2023 by Iain T

[Pete Lewis]

and dont forget the lack of glazing on the plug electrode insulation seems to cause the plug to breakdown  

 

if its a bit on the rich oily side 

Modern Plugs - Fouling and Shorting out (gsparkplug.com)

Edited September 25, 2023 by Pete Lewis

[Bfg]

Lack of power, missing when the car is inclined / going up hills, fuel tank in the boot of the car might be a clue ?  Dropping into second increases engine revs and therefore mechanical pumping rates.  Subsequently I've noted that you don't use one but even an Huco electric pump may have an electrical fault which only shows itself on an incline, perhaps its earthing ?  2nd gear / higher engine revs also provides 14v generated electricity - which might otherwise be a little low on voltage for your accuspark + Huco (+ electric fan ?).  Just a few thoughts.

And of course - resist the temptation to change more than one thing at a time .. ( electrics, HT electrics and ignition, carburettors, fuel pump & filter(s), fuel pick up pipe and feed from the tank and the carbs, etc).

Pete

Edited September 25, 2023 by Bfg

[Paul H]

Thanks for all the replies . Neg wire from coil goes to distributor 

The plugs were cleaned before yesterdays trip of 180 miles . Pic taken this morning . The lowest one is cyl 1 

As I have  spare set will change anyway 

Oil consumption is high 1 litre approx on 450 miles . Tootling around at home oil consumption is next to nothing . Could this be the underlying issue ? I get no rumbles on start up. 
Thanks for all your help 

Paul 

 

[Pete Lewis]

ive seen far worse that those  i would refit and get driving 

dont expect plugs in a 50 yr old car to look like the images around 

mine checked yesterday runs like a dream but the plugs are looking a bit grotty

but until they play up they will stay put .

Pete

 

[johny]

21 minutes ago, Paul H said:

Oil consumption is high 1 litre approx on 450 miles . Tootling around at home oil consumption is next to nothing . Could this be the underlying issue ? I get no rumbles on start up. 

Oil can only go one way (other than leaks of course) and thats burnt in cylinder due to out of spec rings, bores or valve guides. It should show as blue smoke but may only be visible to someone following you who should note exactly when and how it appears ie puffs, continuous etc. As suggested a full compression test will also be useful....

[Paul H]

Oil pressure - start up 75psi settling down to 50 psi at 3,000 revs in OD and idle is about 20 psi if that helps in diagnosis 

Paul 

[johny]

No, although good figures they dont give any indication of the condition of the components Ive listed that have an effect on oil loss...

However one thing at a time so the power loss, which I dont think is related to oil consumption, is the first thing to sort out👍

[Steve P]

Having experienced the same symptoms on my Herald, I would go for fuel starvation/flooding or maybe diaphragms.

Steve

[Paul H]

Just checked the carb pistons they move freely and drop with a clunk . The pistons do need a clean though. There is evidence of the rear carb flooding 

lots of crud in the filter before the carbs 

Paul 

Edited September 25, 2023 by Paul H

[johny]

The pistons go right to the top of their travel Paul as not doing so could make the car driveable but not able to develop full power? 

[Paul H]

4 minutes ago, johny said:

The pistons go right to the top of their travel Paul as not doing so could make the car driveable but not able to develop full power? 

Yes but will check again as thought the clunk was the important bit 

Paul