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Engine trouble

64beam

64beam

Donation Time
Hi Guys,

I had the Tiger out today to get some new rubber fitted and my engine basically started behaving like it was not running on all cylinders. Going back a couple of months, I fitted a new electronic distributor, coil, cap and spark plug leads (Plugs maybe 6 months old). Last time I had it out, it ran fine but did splutter a little at one point (cleared up OK). I tried changing the electronic distributor module with no change. The other thing I was thinking is that maybe I have a fuel blockage as I could feel the car try to pick up. Would a fuel starvation/stale fuel issue act similar to an ignition issue?

Thank you, Robin.
 
alpine_64

alpine_64

Donation Time
Rob,

If the car is stuttering.. it could be fuel, could be igntion.. could be the carb/manifold.

Check your fuel filter.. any debris?
Were the tanks stripped and re sealed during the rebuild.. perhaps paint from the tanks.
Possible float issue with the carb?
Fuel pump behaving normally?

You replaced your igntion with a pro comp dizzy? did you also get one of the control boxes too? perhpas an issue with either of those.. to be honest i have not read anything good about the procomp stuff.. seems to be a cheaper copy of the crane/msd stuff.

id start with the simple checks first.. then start pulling things to bits

what tyres did oyu get in the end anyway?
 
64beam

64beam

Donation Time
Hi Michael,

It stuttered a little the last time I took it out, but this time I just lost all power and it was like I lost a cylinder. That is why I tried the ignition module and could not find anything shorting to the frame. I know what you mean with the pro-comp gear, but there are so many items on the market that look the same you just don't know what you are buying. I will be doing a few more test tomorrow. I have the original dissy, so that is my last option.
I chose Yokohama C-drive tyres as my options were limited and I didn't see the point in going to road legal race tyres. They are 185/60/14's, and have very good reviews from what I have read and been told. There are not many performance tyres to choose from now in 13/14".

Regards, Robin.
 
alpine_64

alpine_64

Donation Time
64beam said:
Hi Michael,

It stuttered a little the last time I took it out, but this time I just lost all power and it was like I lost a cylinder. That is why I tried the ignition module and could not find anything shorting to the frame. I know what you mean with the pro-comp gear, but there are so many items on the market that look the same you just don't know what you are buying. I will be doing a few more test tomorrow. I have the original dissy, so that is my last option.
I chose Yokohama C-drive tyres as my options were limited and I didn't see the point in going to road legal race tyres. They are 185/60/14's, and have very good reviews from what I have read and been told. There are not many performance tyres to choose from now in 13/14".

Regards, Robin.
Click to expand...


Rob,

i doubt it will be stale fuel if it was playing up a little last time and now its got worse.. that would be consistantly bad.. do you have a fuel filter.. i'd be checking that for signs of debris.

As for the igntion.. not sure what diagnostic equipment you have.. but i guess thats the next point of call.. perhaps swapping the original back in will at least tell you if the igntion is an issue or not... pain in the.. but a good reference point.

As for tyres.. the road legal semis are good.. but they are noisy.. the falkens i have on the alpine are great.. but they make a lot of noise.. i am very happy with the dunlops i put on the tiger.. the combination of semi slick compound with a sports tread gives the best of both worlds.. lots of grip, not much noise and decent wet weather performance.. when the tyres have to be replaced on the alpine i will go the same.. or i can throw the semis on the tiger and wear them out a little faster :D

good luck sorting the problem.. not sure if you are gogin to the club x-mas lunch tomorrow.. if so have a good time.. ask around there.
 
64beam

64beam

Donation Time
Hi,

I am certainly running a fuel filter and I was hoping to check the filter today and even blow out the fuel line. I'm hoping it's not the ignition, but I'm not holding my breath. I think a trip to Performance ignition may be on the cards if it can't be sorted. I'm not going to the Christmas lunch, but it would be better to stay away as I think I would have some strong words to say to certain people in the club. I have had enough of hearing the rubbish that is going on.

Regards, Robin.
 
64beam

64beam

Donation Time
Hi,

I think I may have found the problem with the Tiger loosing power. I found an amount debris in the filter which I cleaned out (not enough to restrict the flow). I then took the Tiger for a drive, which at first seemed ok but then on the home stretch started to loose power again. Once home, I checked the timing and it was perfect at idle. I decided to check the fuel bowl levels in the carby and found an unpleasant surprise :( . It seems that the edelbrock filters don't filter the very small particles and let through some gunk (see attached pictures) :mad: . So I have removed the carby to clean out and I will be heading to the auto store to get a better filter.

Regards, Robin.
 
sunbeamowner

sunbeamowner

Bronze Level Sponsor
64beam said:
Hi,

I will be heading to the auto store to get a better filter.

Regards, Robin.
Click to expand...

Hi Robin
From the information I have been given,your best choice of fuel filter is one that is recommended for an engine that runs fuel injection. These filter the fuel down to a finer particle count.
Are you using any type of 'lead replacement' additive ? These can strip the paint off the inside of the fuel tanks which presents as a very fine powder. I found out the hard way with my alpine a few years ago.:mad:
 
64beam

64beam

Donation Time
sunbeamowner said:
Hi Robin
From the information I have been given,your best choice of fuel filter is one that is recommended for an engine that runs fuel injection. These filter the fuel down to a finer particle count.
Are you using any type of 'lead replacement' additive ? These can strip the paint off the inside of the fuel tanks which presents as a very fine powder. I found out the hard way with my alpine a few years ago.:mad:
Click to expand...

Hi,

Thanks for the recommendation. A customer of the company that I work for has offered me a fuel filter that should do the job, but time will tell if it filters the finer gunk out (hopefully it will). I don't run a lead replacement or any other additives as the heads have been converted for unleaded fuel use. Once I have cleaned out the carby, hopefully everything will be back to normal.

Regards, Robin.
 
64beam

64beam

Donation Time
Four barrell inline fuel filters

Hi,

Today I refitted my carburettor today after giving it a clean out after I found the gunk in the fuel bowls. I replaced the Edelbrock inline fuel filter (picture 1)with an Earls inline filter with a 35 micron filter in it (picture 2). I did some investigation and the Edelbrock filter was supposed to be a 40 micron filter (quite small particles). I took the Tiger on a longer drive than after refitting everything with no problems so far. I will recheck the fuel bowls after a longer drive. My advice to people thinking about using the Edelbrock type is to be very careful unless you know your tank is VERY clean.

Regards, Robin.
 
64beam

64beam

Donation Time
George Coleman said:
It would be a good idea to use a filter brfore your fuel pump and one at the carb! just a thought:cool:
Click to expand...

Hi George,

I did consider doing that, but I have hard lines going directly to my fuel pump. I still can do it, but if I went to that trouble I may as well relocate the pump as well. I mainly wanted to get the issue sorted out before changing any else.

Regards, Robin.
 
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