Thread: MIsfiring ,too rich mixture, Need help

Played around with the vacuum advance last night and the lever does move in and out authough the pressure required to move it manually was a lot more than I would expect would come from the flimsy vacuum hose. I am giving it a soaking and will see if it frees up a bit. What effect does it have anyway as whilst it moves it is only changing the location of the pickup given that's what it physically connects too. From what I can gain this causes the pickup to rotate a little on an arc around the rotor cog. What effect does that have?

As I said before you test a vac advance by applying vacuum. The size of the hose has nothing to do with anything. Its the vacuum applied over the whole diaphragm that moves it against spring pressure. Its main function is to advance the timing during light engine loads to improve economy. It doesn't affect full power.

ok thanks , I will update further when I have sourced the right timing cover and have the rest of the front back in the car. I still think the whole issue is the distributor and will change out the pick up and see what happens after that. Will keep you posted

Now the timing cover is off have you checked if the timing marks align?
I am keen to know the answer.

Yes no problem with the timing chain and marks. Have replaced cover and most of the stuff back in. Still can't start the engine as yet and still playing around with dissy. broke the rotor button and had to replace that yesterday, have good spark off coil and at this stage think it just a case of sorting the dissy location back in and lining up the oil pump cog right so that everytrhing lines up at TDC. Unfortunately my battery runs down very quickly after a few starting attempts and the vehicle is not accessabile for a jumper lead support vehicle approach. So after a couple of bursts I need to remove the battery and charge it for a few hours to go again.
Will keep you posted. ( Also have a mionor leak in the radiator now)\ but will sort that if I can get this thing running again.

Well finally got to start up yesterday but still missing badly.
Checked with a timing light and could only adjust to about 3 degrees after TDC. I have had a hell of a time trying to put the distributor back in to retard it as that bloody oil pumup slot is difficult to locate in the right angle. If there is an easier way to do this then I am all ears.
I also noted a plastic "thing" right next to the number 8 fuel injector with a bunch of wires going in and out of it and it has a small hose attached to it that connects to nothing that I can find. Does anyone know what this is and what the hose (small vacuum type hose about 15cm long) is suppose to connect to?
I am continuing to try and slot the dissy back in so that I have a bit of play on the before TDC side but so far not having much luck or knowhow to effect it.
Swapped out the radiator as well and sourced a second hand one from a 1990 RR which is a lot thicker than the old one also has plastic tank versus the all metal of the old, At least this one doesntleak.

Dissy fitting: Remove dissy without rotating body, then rotate shaft 1 tooth or 2 clockwise, install dissy as far as you can, texta mark rotor position where it ends up, remove dissy, make second mark at rotor tip, rotate shaft back to where first mark is, eyeball drive dog and rotate oil pump to match, rotate shaft back to second mark where it came out at, install. Adjust to around 6 degrees BTDC.

Plastic thing is high vacuum shut-off for the injectors. Ignore it, its for emissions on overrun. They often fail, I just join the two wires together.

Did as you suggested, Crank at TDC and positioned dissy so rotor is between Post No 1 and Post No 8 (closer to No1). Haven't been able to get it to start yet. To adjust to Before TDC the rotor button is clockwise past No1 or should it be anticlockwise from No1. I have been working on the basis that the crank goes clockwise and therfore the dissy is rotating clockwise as well. Having said that I think I just answered my question and the rotor should be on the No2 side of No1 not as I have done.
Would I achieve the same setting if I set the crank case pointer at 6 degrees BTDC and adjusted the dissy so that the rotor was pointing at No1 at that crank case position. That sounds easier than trying to guess 6 degrees from the rotor.