Driving Lessons?!?

oh, i also noticed some kind of smoke/steam/vapour coming off the carburettor occasionally?!? [:0] never noticed this before but it could be normal...
 
First question is, are the leads all on the right connectors on the dizzy?

Engine firing order I think is 1 3 4 2 and the rotor arm moves anticlockwise.

I would say that the ignition probably is way too far advanced. I set mine to 7 degrees ( one and a half notches) and when checked with the light, it was at 12 degrees so needed to be knocked back quite a bit. If the same is happening with yours then you could be trying to start it with 15 degrees of advance. This will mean that the engine is fighting against the starter as the starter is trying to turn over the engine and the ignition is trying to ignite the fuel result - starter pshes up, fuel pushes down so they are fighting against each other. I would try for 7 degrees and then make sure that the rotor arm is pointing at number one spark lead on the dizzy cover. If it's not quite there, then twist the dizzy body until it is.

Don't worry about the fizzing sound, I get that too.

Have you replaced the plugs/leads as they may be no good? Try the timing first though.

In fact, thinking about it, you may want to try setting the timing to five degrees (just one notch). This, going on my experience with these dizzys, should give you about 10 degrees which is still too much, but should make the starting easier.

Hope that helps. I wish I was closer to come and help you, but it's a bit far to come!!!

Post again if you have more questions.

Cheers



Dave
 
The other question is, did you spin the engine to get the timing marks aligned BEFORE you put the dizzy in? If you didn't, the timing could be 180 degrees out.

Just to clarify:

1. Spin the engine until you get the alignment of the notch with the marker on the engine casing.
2. Fit the dizzy and make sure the drive slides home into the slot .
3. Confirm that the rotor arm is pointing North East (about ten past two on a clock face) at no 1 spark plug lead, if it's not quite there, twist the dizzy body until it is.
4. Hopefully this will work.
5. Don't forget to reconnect the vacuum advance.

Dave
 
sounds like these here Commers are about as much fun as vws! :D

i had similar problems with all the Bugs i had,
& i'd start with points & condensor,
usually does it,.
if not then i cleaned up or replaced the dissy cap & rotar arm,
still no joy,.
new or known working plugs & leads,.

is there any reason to be playing with the carb if it's already
set up? it would more likely need cleaning out & with the vws you
can remove the idle jet & blow it out., that's what the problem
was last time i had these symptoms,. but it's usualy the condensor
that's the culprit & the back firing would be the timing,.
maybe not the timing itself but a faulty ignition component causing
bad timing,.

there's no need to grow a third leg people! [B)] :D


i must admit that i've never seen a commer engine :I[8)]
would anyone like to show me theirs as i have no idea if anything
i've said is relevant,. many spanks :)


Wait for me!!
 
aaaaaggghh!!!!:D

still no joy. did as you said and set the static timing to one notch advance. still the same symptoms of difficult starting but atleast when it does kick in it definately ran smoother, the engine wasn't kicking around like a crazed mule. still, i needed to keep a lot of revs on and it won't run for long before it just dies, certainly nowehere near idling so even if i had a strobe, i wouldn't be able to fine tune the timing...

without being over confident, i think i've done evrything right when it comes to this new dizzy so i'm thinking there's another problem somewhere but i just can't think what.

started to think it was a fuel problem - i just took the fuel pump apart and the filter inside there was clean as a whistle. can't seem to find any other fuel filter in the line?!?

it's got a brand new battery, carburettor, ht leads, spark plugs... any ideas what else i could try?!? i keep looking at the coil and thinking 'that's about the only thing in the engine bay i haven't swapped out - maybe that should go too?!? :p
 
The coil is worth a try but if you've improved thing by altering the timing then try small adjustments and go for a start after each one. I had similar trouble setting up my Mini after an engine rebuild, I thought I had the timing somewhere near but when I eventually did get a strobe it was a mile out nowhere near any of the marks. I also had a problem because I had trapped a piece of rubber tubing under the carb so it was running hideously lean.

'Harvey the RV'
 
it's well worth trying to swap out the coil. The problem with ignition is that it is a case of swapping everything out until it works. There is no other way of doing it..

Dave
 
hi,have you thought maybe the fuel tank isnt breathing,therefore causing a vacuum, fuel can be held back by a vacuum. When you take the cap off is there a rush of air into the tank? If yes this could be the problem.
 
will check the fuel tank vacuum thing but i don't think the fuel filler cap seals terribly well so i can't imagine that happening. or is that a bad thing in itself?!?

i checked the air filter a month or so back and it was fine then - i suppose ther's no harm in checking it again tho!!
for peace of mind i'm gonna have to swap the coil out. anybody have a part number for a coil? or are they pretty standard? i'm hoping i can pick one up today from somewhere like halfords....[:0]
 
just make sure it is a coil that does not work with a ballast resistor.:)

"you were only supposed to blow the bloody SLIDING doors off no.3"
 
sorry to keep banging away at this...
tried with air filter off and checked air filter but no difference and filter is clear. doesn't seem to be any fuel vaccuum either. i am thinking fuel problem now tho, this is a bit beyond me but through shear lack of any other ideas i tried sparaying a bit of 'bradex easy start' more out of irony than anything else becasue of it's claim to 'start any engine' :D
anyway, the engine fired almost immediately but still wouldn't run. is this because it was firing on the bradex but then immediately had no fuel?!? this would suggest the coil is fine, and that my newly installed dizzy isn't too far out. i refuse to believe its the elctronic ignition i've just installed because i'm sure it must be close enough to start it...[V]
we were hoping to go away in the van this week, it's looking pretty unlikely now...
 
does your fuel pump work?..

maybe there's a blockage 'before' the pump
as the filter in that is clean,.

maybe install an in line filter after the tank,.





Wait for me!!
 
Loads of problems with tanks lately on here seems to be a common problem. Try disconnecting the fuel line from the carb and point it into a container, crank the engine over and see if any fuel squirts through. The symptoms you describe where the same as my Mini and that was eventually traced to a bad air leak into the inlet manifold. Try pouring a couple of cc's of fuel down the carb an see if she fires OK, if she does then it has got to be fuel supply or air in leak.


'Harvey the RV'
 
Is the manifold drain pipe still connected on your van? This is a piece of copper pipe that goes from the manifold and directs any unburnt fuel past the exhaust if there is an excess out onto the road.

If this is disconnected or missing, it could be making the air leak that other people are suggesting.

I'm sure there is another thread on this forum somewhere relating to this.

Cheers

Dave
 
There is, Nancy's pipe had dropped off [:0] but it didn't cause that much trouble surprisingly enough. Her problem was eventually traced to fuel starvation due to crap in the tank.

'Harvey the RV'
 
just an update on this. i eventually gave it up and booked it in to the garage to be looked at - i figured i could fiddle with it forever and not get anywhere so decided i'd rather just throw money at the problem and hope it goes away[:0]
anyway - the garage said the fuel pump has indeed died - it was pumping intermittently and the seal has blown so fuel has been leaking into the sump and mixing with the oil - potentially explosive!!
anyway - a new fuel pump and oil filter from speedys and hopefully we'll be back on the road. so far 2 grand spent and 2 nights camping had... [V]
 
Weir, it can only get better ;)....surely [8)]have we seen pic's of your van(sorry it's got so busy in here I can remember:I)

"SYBHIL" & N0.1
 
well, the van is back from the garage at last! new fuel filter on, sump drained of the leaked fuel, new oil in and new oil filter. It turned out also that the float in the brand new carburettor we fitted had a puncture so that was causing the carb to flood... the garage also set the timing for the electronic dizzy i fitted and she's running perfectly now.
I no longer have the problem with stalling when braking, no backfires when the engine is under heavy load. we took it for a decent run out last night and the journey was completely without incident!!:D
i don't want to get too carried away just in case i jinx it but it's nice just to know that the van can run this well, and that its not a problem with my driving ability.
The only shame is that i don't know what sorted the problem. I think the electronic dizzy is the main solution to the poor running/cutting out because it did that before the new carb was put in, it just so happened that the fuel pump decided to die at the same time i put in the dizzy and i was fighting a losing battle against a flooded carburettor!! [:(!]

Anyway, it's running beautifully - for now - so thanks everyone for pointing me in the right directions...
 
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