Help with my Series 3

hiya,

cant help much, but it sounds to me like the distributor timing is out.

try setting points ok, then adv or retard ign and test run it, untill your happy with it.

this is why i switched to diesel,

Andy

>

books says 015 so have done it to that, I havent tried to set the timing as i didnt move the pinch bolt, is the timing out do you reckon?

A

What have you gapped the points to? Should be about .018" from memory. What's the timing set to? Sounds really retarded to me - either get a test light and set it statically, or get a timing light and set it dynamically. I'd set it for about 4 degrees BTDC and see how it goes.

If the old points were incorrectly gapped an the timing set, then gapping the new points correctly *will* alter the timing. To prove the timing theory you could open the points up a bit (to say .020") and see if it goes any better. If so, it's retarded - then you can reset the points to spec and set the timing.

Or you could just do it properly and set the timing now - I'm 90% certain that's your problem.

Andrew,

When you changed the rotor arm you may have disturbed the centrefugal advance / retard gizmo. Take off the distributor cap and make sure that the cam and rotor will rotate to advance, and spring back into place. Is the rotor fully seated on the cam?

Also there are some very dodgy after market rotor arms around - I've recently had one disintigrate in use (brass bit came off), and others have had them electrically break down when hot.

Andrew Mawson Bromley, Kent, UK

Recheck you've wired the capacitor in right, miswiring can cause all sorts of grief.

Firstly make sure you hve used the correct settings as there were several different sorts of dizzy fitted, and people also swap in whatever is available if the whole unit fails.

With my old series I found that if I set the points to the gap setting, it would run like a bag of nails, but I set it up using a dwell meter it would run like a dream, even though the gap setting was then different from the HBOL. Dwell meters can take into account any wear in the dizzy.

-- Simon Isaacs

Peterborough 4x4 Club Vice Chairman, Newsletter Editor and Webmaster (how much more....)

3.5V8 100" Hybrid, now LPG converted Part owner of 1976 S3 LWT, Fully restored, ready for sale! Make me an offer! Suzuki SJ410 (Fiancée's) 3" lift kit fitted, body shell now restored and mounted on chassis, waiting on a windscreen and MOT Series 3 88" Rolling chassis...what to do next 1993 200 TDi Discovery (the Pug 106 is dead, long live the Pug)

Peterborough 4x4 Club

I could kiss you all,

A friend who is a mechanic, came round altered the timing and it runs like a pussy cat. I love my series 3.

A

The message from "Andrew Renshaw" contains these words:

possible you are shorting out where the little back end bolt/screw goes through the little plastic cotton reel shaped bits, the supressor capicitor goes on ISTR as well, as does the spring that holds the points, on some I have had this does not muddle together well shorting out a bit through the spring.

In news: snipped-for-privacy@zetnet.co.uk, Warwick Barnes blithered:

Yea, said it causes all sorts of grief, let alone confusion?