28 replies to this topic

[Jammy]

After my car started running lumpy, and feeling like is was running low on one cylinder, I looked at several things, including the spark plugs, and i found one on which the ceramic had broken off (although whether I did this taking it off I'm not sure). So I replaced the spark plugs, but at the same time I had to use old HT leads with them. About a day or 2 after it was again running lumpy, I put it down to the old HT leads, so I swapped all but 1 back (there is a good reason for this), and again it was running fine. Now, tonight when I was on my way home from work, it started to run lumpy again, so I've been out and got new silicone HT leads. So now I've got new HT leads on, new spark plugs, I've cleaned the points and dizzy, and dizzy cap and its still running as C**p as ever. Now I've been reading around and I've seen everthing from it could be a valve oil seal, a stuck vavle, a leak in the inlet or exhaust manifold gasket. Does anyone have any ideas as to what it could be? It does seem sluggish but this doesn't improve/get worse anywhere in the rev range or really when its under load.

[Dan]

I'm going to say something a little contraversial here so here we go.....


Everything you have said about your Bill Richards engine has sounded pretty bad. From the insane oil and fuel consumption and other little things you have said it sounds like it's just not been very carefully built. Even a race engine shouldn't burn that much oil, there are emissions rules on race tracks just like there are on the road they just aren't as strict.
I wouldn't care how much power it produced if it was mine, if it needs as much care and attention as a steam locomotive it's pretty useless in a car.
Talk to bill about this problem, ask him what he thinks it could be. There is no way a new engine should be giving you this much trouble, especially one you have doubtless paid quite a sum for.

Unless this isn't your good engine, in which case I apologise!

[Pavel]

Could be a blown head gasket, pretty obvious to notice (mayo under rocker cover, or pressurized water in radiator or mayo in radiator or two adjacent cylinders not running well at all and having low compression (takes 5 mins to check using a gauge))

[Boab]

Call me stupid, as I have done this, but are the leads in the right order. I had 1+2 the wrong way round and what a difference after changing. Just a suggestion.

[Bungle]

yea i did that on sarahs mini 2 & 3 mixed up 500cc minis are slow

[jimbo_edmondo]

guess that was a 500cc up there bungle, unless u have some strange hybrid engine! lol

[Jammy]

Actually I did have get the leads on the wrong order at one point, but I certainly noticed the difference then!!! Nope, I'm sure I got the order right 1, 3 , 4, 2 anti-clockwise. Hmm, I did think about head-gasket, I'll try and do a compression test tomorrow. The other thing I had noticed is about 5 seconds after I switch the ignition off I can hear water bubblying as such, as if air is bubblying to the surface in the rad, but I thought this was normal?!

Dan: I do think this is getting a bit much now, and when I sort it out into a decent enough condition to drive I'll be taking it down there. The one thing that may have caused a few of these problems are that he said there wasn't a bedding in period after he rebuilt it, he said maybe drive it carefully for the first 250 miles. So I took this in good faith and pretty much drove it carefully for 250 miles, and then drove it as normal. I don't know whether I should have been more careful for more miles. I know alot of people say you should?!

[Purple Tom]

jammy is your timing set ok?

And with an engine like that I would have thought maybe Bill might have recommended electronic ignition rather than relying points, if not for the modified advance curve needed to suit your cam, head etc.

And I'm sure there should be a running in period for any rebuilt engine, particularly a lairy + 1400 cc. I know my Morspeed 1293 will need gentle running below 3.5k rpm for the first 1000 miles, and oil changes at 50, 500 and 1000 miles. Seems very strange he would say 'maybe' drive it carefully for 250 miles.

Water bubbling in the rad could just be that its getting a bit on the warm side, but head gasket is a definite possibly, especially if it is getting warm. Is mixture set ok?

Just seems wierd that you replace sparks, it runs ok for a bit. Runs s***e, replace leads, runs ok, then runs s***e again.

Just thinking out loud there by the way.

Tom

[Jammy]

Yea, it has an electronic ignition pack from Cosworth, sorry, may of been getting a bit mixed up in previous posts. If you haven't gathered already, anything I do on my engine I'm doing for the first time, as I have no previous knowledge or experience other than what I have read on here. Maybe this is the best engine to start out on!!

One thing the blokes have said at work this morning is that its really easily to crack a distributor cap, and as mine can be moved slightly, I'm going to change it today and see how that goes.

The water bubbling isn't it getting warm, as I know the engine is cold, and sometimes I only have the engine on for a few seconds and it still does it. Should there be air in the water circulation? Would that suggest a head gasket fault?

On a side note, I've agreed with my Dad that we gonna keep this car as a track day sort of car and I'm going to drive a banger for a while til I can afford a decent car (VW Karmann Ghia!!). So anyone want to swap anything cheap, thats running with MOT, for an unfinished 1976 Clubman?

[Wesser]

Pull the dipstick out if it's a head gasket it should have water bubbles in the oil on the stick - Mine did !! Only took 4 hours to do, on a frosty morning.

[Dan]

That sounds like a real problem. You shouldn't ever get air bubbles forming in the cooling system. Air can't get in from outside as it's sealed and even when it's hot it can't boil because it pressurised.

This engine should absolutely definitely have been properly run-in. New rings or honed bores always need running in and you have both. Mini's 84 gives a good example of running in, myself I do it for a bit longer than 1000 but I'm a bit odd! There's a good article on running in by Keith Calver on Mini Spares site. Not having run this in will probably explain the oil consumption. Is it smokey? How's the compression?

I would be taking this back myself and going mental. If they still say it's quite normal then get MED or someone to take it apart for you and look into it.

Sorry mate.

[Jammy]

Could what I think is air bubbles just be some water returning to the rad or something? I did notice some smoke when I was running it last night, but at the moment it really isn't running right at all, and I'm not driving it anymore til I get it sorted. I'm going to do a compression test tonight to see if its a head gasket. What symptons would I get if there was a stuck valve?

Also, I really can't afford for anyone to even look at the engine at the moment, I know its a race engine and everything, but what do you think to me taking apart myself? I mean fundmentally its still an A series engine so it can't be that different?

One more thing, if an engine doesn't have a chance to bed in properly, it means the bores glaze and the piston rings don't bed in?! Is this right?! In which case how should I go about resolving this?

[Wesser]

You can re-hone the bores yourself. The tools are available to fir onto a pillar drill.

[Jammy]

No, no, no, I don't want to be boring it out past 1425, that would mean new pistons and everything (If thats what you mean by honing?!)!! I was just thinking; If I have to change the head gasket, maybe I could re-fit or fit new piston rings?! (I'm pretty sure you should use new piston rings each time?!)

[Bungle]

head gasket and rings are two different jobs