Viterbo Posted January 17, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 yesterday the car finally worked! Seems the oil problem is solved! But... it's working on 3 cilinders... the car shakes a lot, from the exhaust clearly the engine is missing a step... Cilinder 3 is not working. It has spark (the spark plug is dry and beige colored) but it doesn't work. I had a 4K with precisely cilinder 3 not working, the car didn't shake and the problem was almost unnoticed. But this time the whole car shakes a LOT... I'm tired of this engine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tojo2 Posted January 17, 2016 Report Share Posted January 17, 2016 compression test ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altezzaclub Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 What did you do between "it used to run" and "it now runs on 3 cyls??" What did you take apart?? Maybe a tappet has no gap? Maybe a lead has died? Tell us what you did and we can pin it down. The compression test would be good, in case a valve is not opening or closing. What is the ignition timing at idle, and how did you set it?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viterbo Posted January 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 (edited) Sump out, oil pump out, crank out, chain out. New bearings, crank regrounded, crank in, pump in, chain in, sump in. Didn't do anything from the rods to the top. Dizzy didn't came out, head, cam, nothing was changed. Leads and spark plugs are ok. Compression only today I'll have a meter to test. Since I didn't messed with the dizzy, the timing remained the same, last time it changed it was set to around 7 degrees. Edited January 18, 2016 by Viterbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altezzaclub Posted January 18, 2016 Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 Fair enough, none of that would cause #3 to drop out. The cam chain being a tooth out would affect all 4 cyl. If the motor is shaking badly it suggests #3 will have compression, so its a spark problem most likely. See what you find- check the dizzy cap where the #3 lead meets the rotor in case there is a crack draining the spark away. Swap #3 plug with #2 and see what happens. Some small problem you will have forgotten about in a year, but the motor will be much better with the new bearings in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viterbo Posted January 18, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2016 Fair enough, none of that would cause #3 to drop out. The cam chain being a tooth out would affect all 4 cyl. If the motor is shaking badly it suggests #3 will have compression, so its a spark problem most likely. See what you find- check the dizzy cap where the #3 lead meets the rotor in case there is a crack draining the spark away. Swap #3 plug with #2 and see what happens. Some small problem you will have forgotten about in a year, but the motor will be much better with the new bearings in. Switched cable 1 with 3, also tried other spark plug there, always the cilinder 3 faulty. I hope it isn't a warped pushrod or valve... Or a crack in the head... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altezzaclub Posted January 19, 2016 Report Share Posted January 19, 2016 I hope it isn't a warped pushrod or valve... Or a crack in the head... Unlikely... You would see the valve & pushrod as a tappet gap being wrong. The crack in the head would have to 'not lead' to oil or water systems or you would see it, and if it led to the cylinder next door it would affect both. Check the tappet gaps after you've done the compression test and let us know. A bent pushrod or bent valve will make it too big but still have good compression. A loose tappet adjuster will also have compression and a big gap. A burnt valve will have low compression but good tappet gap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viterbo Posted January 19, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2016 Since I'm using hydraulic lifters could it be related? Too much load or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altezzaclub Posted January 19, 2016 Report Share Posted January 19, 2016 Good question! I can only answer based on my Armstrong Siddeley, but yes, they can jam from dirt & sludge. They have an outer cylinder, like a pistol cartridge, an inner piston that held the pushrod end in a hollow cup, and a hole in the side for oil. Meh- Wiki can explain it-. Oil under constant pressure is supplied to the lifter via an oil channel, through a small hole in the lifter body. When the engine valve is closed (lifter in a neutral position), the lifter is free to fill with oil. As the camshaft lobe enters the lift phase of its travel, it compresses the lifter piston, and a valve shuts the oil inlet. Oil is nearly incompressible, so this greater pressure renders the lifter effectively solid during the lift phase. As the camshaft lobe travels through its apex, the load is reduced on the lifter piston, and the internal spring returns the piston to its neutral state so the lifter can refill with oil. This small range of travel in the lifter's piston is enough to allow the elimination of the constant lash adjustment. The car was burnt-out when I bought it (at 15 years old) and it took four years to get it on the road. In that time the sludge in the tappets had solidified (as had the piston rings!) and they didn't work until stripped and cleaned. To set them I had to slowly lever the pushrods down with a big screwdriver. That pushed the oil out and you started with a gap of 90thou just like setting tappets normally. When you fired the motor up it rattled like mad until they filled with oil, then you never touched them again. So you might find the same- someone with a 5K will know if you can push the pushrods down to show the piston slides inside the cyl. I expect they cannot jam in a way to hold a valve open, but they could jam in a way to not open it as much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viterbo Posted January 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 PROBLEM SOLVED! How? I don't know exactly ahahah A mechanic friend came over and messed with spark plug leads. I think he solved the problem when he accidently switched cables and it fired through the intake, something must have cleaned, a valve seat or something like that... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
altezzaclub Posted January 20, 2016 Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 LoL! That's why it would be hard to explain from the symptoms! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viterbo Posted January 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 Took carb off to inspect it, today I installed it, started the engine and... 3 cilinder again... I'm gonna trash this car :bash: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viterbo Posted January 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2016 Another update: closed all useless crappy emission pipes on the carb. Just kept brake booster, dizzy advance, ECONO valve and the breather from the valve cover to the base of the carb. Everything else was ductaped. The car now idles perfectly, it isn't unstable as it was. Now just need to make it work with 4 cilinders again and I think it is solved! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viterbo Posted January 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 Back to 3 cilinders, and keeps stalling, unstable idle... Last thing I'm gonna do myself is discharge the hydraulic lifters. After this, it's out of my league Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parrot Posted January 25, 2016 Report Share Posted January 25, 2016 I assume you have overhauled your carburettor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.