Engine not happy cruising

[Paul H]

Hi my Vitesse Mk2 has an annoying issue.

 acceleration is fine easy up to 4K if I want . Now cruising at 50 ish the engine becomes hesitant and “unhappy” . My uneducated guess is to retard timing.

Any ideas welcomed

Paul  

[johny]

could be mixture a shade weak and as the weather warms up it gets worse and shows as engine hesitation at constant speed while acceleration is ok due to the mixture being enrichened then.....

[johny]

you might be able to confirm this by pulling the choke out a little while driving to see if the richer mixture that gives helps....

[Pete Lewis]

i echo that    sounds a tad lean 

stick to engine oil in the dashpots 

over advance can make it a bit pecky . , but if its been ok for ages dont change anything do check the points gap has not closed up 

small holes in diaphragms do develop over many thous  miles   that as a  last  idea.

if the diphragm has swelled  a wash in petrol returns it to new size .

Pete

Pete 

 

[Paul H]

Thanks Pete and Johny . I’ll richen the mixture by half a turn and report back next week. The current setup is new Delco with Accuspark , Huco pull fuel pump . I know the issues with the reliability of Accuspark so looking to have my Lucas 22d reconditioned with traditional points . Is this a DIY or it best to send away to a professional . One point is that the Delco seems to rev more freely with much higher range . Maybe it’s just me and my foot was more firm 

Paul 

[johny]

why not try testing your mixture with the plunger on the side of each Stromberg. With the engine up to temperature I lift one with a finger and then release it after a second while listening to the engine response which shouldnt change. If the revs rise - too rich and fall - weak however its the immediate response your interested in as if you hold the plunger up too long the revs always tend to drop off.

Always thought the Lucas was supposed to be the better dizzy but maybe thats just down to its build quality....

[Pete Lewis]

Odd problems with accuspark are   begining to appear ,  im forming a view they are best  avoided   just based on the ramblings and 

Cars that arrive with misfires,  I guess many are fine.

Both delco  and lucas do a good job   both need an odd oil down inside to lube  the spindle bushes , delco are notorious for running dry and wearing the shaft   you  can rebuild lucas  but delco can be a  mend to destruction

Pete

[AidanT]

Ditto that Pete 

 

Aidan

[Badwolf]

Amazingly, my antique electronic ignition is still working. It can be returned to 'normal' at the flick of a switch and can also be used as an imobiliser. Its a Sparkrite SX1000 system. That's the kiss of death for it now!

[NonMember]

My GT6 had a Sparkrite on it when my brother bought it. Had a switch to return to "normal" because it relied on the points anyway. I think I took it off because it gave problems but in any case, I fitted Lumenition because it's a worn Delco disi which was giving forty degrees of scatter as the shaft rattled around. The Lumenition optical thing isn't sensitive to that so it runs much nicer now. And that Lumenition unit has been on there twenty years and only given trouble once, when someone unplugged it and didn't push the connector back on fully.

[Badwolf]

Thats the one. I don't think I have changed my points since the restoration 30 years ago. I think the points only take a low 'trigger' current when the unit is set to electronic. Must look out the instructions.

[Nick Jones]

On 26/04/2019 at 10:33, Paul H said:

Now cruising at 50 ish the engine becomes hesitant and “unhappy”

It's called "lean hitching". Richen it up a touch - Johnny's choke suggestion is a good check.

Nick