holden conversion seems sick....help required.

[Jimmy]

Hi all,

I've got a 1979 ex-army series 3 with a holden 186 conversion. At slow speeds in first and reverse the front end jumps around as if it is about to stall. Notwithstanding, if you crank up the revs and ride the clutch the result is the same. It kinda sounds like the engine and tailshaft are about to dislodge from themselves. I am assuming it may be a crapy conversion, but would like to fix it rather than having to take-off in first or reverse at 15km per hour, which makes parking and slow driving a little tricky.

perhaps this is a common issue??

any help would be great.

cheers in advance

Jimmy

[langy]

I had a holden once with a broken engine mount that jumped around at low revs - use a crowbar to find out.

[CraigE]

Yep sounds like broken engine or gearbox mount. Slowly jacking up engine or gearbox should show this.
CraigE

[Jimmy]

ok, thanks guys. I'll give that a go.

cheers

Jimmy

[bobslandies]

Once you determine if it is the engine mounts (and check the gearbox mounts as well) you should take the carburettor to a carburettor specialist to check if it is from a manual or automatic transmission vehicle originally. The 186 cid motor had a 1 and 5/32" carburettor rather than a 1 and 7/32" carburettor that came from a 202 /3300 and most of these are for automatic transmission vehicles.
The cast iron base is different in that the take-off for the distributor vacuum advance is different between a manual and an automatic installation - either above or below the butterfly. I can't remember which is which at the moment but I am sure one of the posters here will.
When an automatic carburettor is fitted in a manual vehicle the move from idle to increased revs is sudden and not a smooth transition. On a hill or towing it's a flat spot, likely to cause a snatchy start and is why many people knock Holden conversions.
You can have the base replaced or modified to the correct position of the vacuum take-off making it smoother on starting off and with the correct carburettor more economical. You can even fit an adjustable main jet - talk to the carby man.
Bob

[bobslandies]

Once you determine if it is the engine mounts (and check the gearbox mounts as well) you should take the carburettor to a carburettor specialist to check if it is from a manual or automatic transmission vehicle originally. The 186 cid motor had a 1 and 5/32" carburettor rather than a 1 and 7/32" carburettor that came from a 202 /3300 and most of these are for automatic transmission vehicles.
The cast iron base is different in that the take-off for the distributor vacuum advance is different between a manual and an automatic installation - either above or below the butterfly. I can't remember which is which at the moment but I am sure one of the posters here will.
When an automatic carburettor is fitted in a manual vehicle the move from idle to increased revs is sudden and not a smooth transition. On a hill or towing it's a flat spot, likely to cause a snatchy start and is why many people knock Holden conversions.
You can have the base replaced or modified to the correct position of the vacuum take-off making it smoother on starting off and with the correct carburettor more economical. You can even fit an adjustable main jet - talk to the carby man.
Bob

[Jimmy]

Hi guys,

I jacked up the engine and gearbox but the mounts seemed ok. The rubber was a little perished but intact. Could it be something else??

I'll certainly check the carby status. It would be nice to get the system running smooth and efficiently (as much as is possible with a landrover/holden hybrid).

thanks again for the help so far

Jim

[CraigE]

If not engine or gearbox mounts and being an old holden I would say carby or timing/dizzy. The problem is most new generation mechanics would not know about carby's and points. Most need an ecu to talk to these days and diagnosis tools. Gone are the days of tuning by ear, which is a shame as I knew a couple that could tune better by ear than a dyno.

[Derek Carlisle]

Hi I had my Holden Carby reconditioned by a specialist this improved things. Also got rid of the points by having a Holden electronic Dizzy fitted. My 186 which had been rebuilt before I got it probably a 192 now, goes very well in my s2a/3 Hybrid, the overdrive helps of course. The only issue I have with the Holden Carby now is that it doesn't like odd angles, so it will cut out, sometimes offroad when you really want it to keep running.
Cheers Derek