3.5 V8 SU Carb Issues

Fo the rocker breathers work with a snorkel? Because if yes, you just added more things to do to my already too long list of things to do!

Well, ****. Second test ride today went fine, more or less. Initially, she reved up yo 4k and something without trouble. There is a long, not too steep hill on a motorway nearby, she went up that hill at 120 kph without hesitation. Return trip was the same.

Until, in some stop and go, I heard something rattle under the car and since than she's having the same power loss issues at 3k as before.

Can it be the exhaust? Oil pressure and everything else look good... And I was so happy...

hef19898 said:

Well, ****. Second test ride today went fine, more or less. Initially, she reved up yo 4k and something without trouble. There is a long, not too steep hill on a motorway nearby, she went up that hill at 120 kph without hesitation. Return trip was the same.

Until, in some stop and go, I heard something rattle under the car and since than she's having the same power loss issues at 3k as before.

Can it be the exhaust? Oil pressure and everything else look good... And I was so happy...

Click to expand...

rattle, or engine knock/pre-ignition?

It felt like a rattle from the drive train, or the exhaust, it sounded like a hollow tube and less than a solid drive train component. She seems to hate stop and go in first high, that's were the rattle is happening. Unless I am very very gentle with the clutch.

Just checked the carbs again. The left one seemed to be a tad leaner than before. Tightened the screw holding the needle again now everything is fine again. In the drive way without load that is.

Test drive three for today. Good news, I am getting used to the clutch again.

Also, progress. Before I "repaired" things, the power loss was there all the time. Now, only sporadically. Also funny, whenever it happens revs take quite a while to drop back to idle. Thank god for red traffic lights.

After that, I paid close attention. And it is possible to get rid of the problem by playing with the accelerator. Throttle link and so on are smooth, I'll soak them on the right carb over night in brake cleaner anyway. Maybe it's just a stuck throttle.

After that, ignition. But shouldn't it be a constant problem if it was ignition related?

Things I discovered so far:
- shot relay of the transistor ignition, root cause for the engine shutdowns
- shot vaccum tube from the carb to the distributor, replaced
- stiff diaphragm, replaced
- shot o-ring in the left damper piston, replaced
- sketchy fuel pump (contact/cable was on its last wire), replaced

Up to now, I'd say, what, 70-80% solved?

The rattle happens in first from a standstill. Could that be a vacuum issue? Because slow acceleration avoids the rattle, and I am fairly sure, the issues at higher revs. Every time i have the rattle, the high rev issue happens. Engine of, no problem.

If the revs 'hang' high before dropping back down, this can be a sign of an air leak in the inlet side

So, the problem is gone, mostly that is. Next will be a check of the choke assembly, I have the suspicion that I put in the disk in the wrong position. The designs in the parts catalogue and the workshop manual are not the same...

Other than that, I'd say it is solved.