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Pinto not running properly!!
dwyer - 31/12/03 at 02:54 PM

Background: MK Indy with 2.0 pinto and 1.6 distributor without an ECU (Just uses Motorcraft amplifier with the simple six wires system).

The problem: Drove the car today for first time having set carb and ignition timing up roughly using markings on distributor body lining up with rotor arm etc. Car starts and runs reasonably well. However when you try to pull away engine misfires badly and tries to die completely, also pops and farts up through the top of the carb through the air filter.
Also when i disconnect the advance retard vacuum, the engine will not run at all, does this ring any bells with anyone, what should i be looking at first.
Any help would be appreciated, having got this far, i just want to see the thing running properly. Thanks...

theconrodkid - 31/12/03 at 05:30 PM

sounds like timing could be well retarded,check it with a timing light

dwyer - 31/12/03 at 07:27 PM

i did try setting the timing with timing light before, but when i disconnected the advance retard vacuum (apparently required for setting the timing with timing light) the engine just dies.
As i say, i have set the timing approx using the markings on the distributor, but i will have a go tomorrow moving the distributor around and see if this improves the misfire.
Could the fact that i have a 1.6 dizzy with a 2.0 engine be a problem in some way?? i know that the normal 2.0 engine has a dizzy with a hall affect inductive trigger (3 connections) where as the 1.6 dizzy which i have has a 2 connection inductive trigger (whatever the hell an inductive trigger is).
Perhaps i am worrying too much about the engine / distributor mis-match.
Thankyou for your help......

Hugh Paterson - 31/12/03 at 07:50 PM

This may be a silly question, but why did u use the 1.6 dizzy in the first place? or was it what u had available, I tend to think that the timing is retarded, especially since u get nowt when u disconnect the vacuum. Did u replace or rebuild any of the motor before installation, other than change the dizzy?
Shug.

dwyer - 31/12/03 at 09:16 PM

The reason i used a 1.6 dizzy with the 2.0 lump is that my original donor was a 1.6 sierra, but shortly after stripping this i was offered the 2.0 lump. the 2.0 dizzy is i think intended to be used with the more complicated ECU's because of the 3 connection inductive trigger thingy. I used the 1.6 dizzy because it worked with the Motorcraft amplifier i had with the 1.6 donor. What has worried me is whether this combination has caused my problems. I don't think it has, but i am not sure.
The concensus is that i am retarded so to speak!! So will have a mess abouth with the timing tomorrow.
Thanks....

David Jenkins - 31/12/03 at 10:35 PM

Interesting... my X-flow is behaving in exactly the same way!

I had my head (er - not mine - the engine's) converted to unleaded, and I've set the timing to 6 degrees BTDC. Is this reasonable, or should it be less?

David

brianm - 1/1/04 at 12:32 AM

Do your distributor cap and rotor arm match your distributor? Came across an engine once that had been fitted with the wrong rotor arm or cap, the result being that when the spark occured, the end of the rotor arm was not exactly by the post inside the cap. This relative position varies with different amounts of advance, so the effect on the engine was something like you describe.

Stu16v - 1/1/04 at 03:09 PM

quote:
Originally posted by dwyer
When you try to pull away engine misfires badly and tries to die completely, also pops and farts up through the top of the carb through the air filter.
Also when i disconnect the advance retard vacuum, the engine will not run at all, does this ring any bells with anyone, what should i be looking at first.


Popping and farting through the carb sounds like a weak mixture to me....
Is the car fitted with a servo? Are you sure the servo is OK? If no servo, have you blanked the feed to the servo from the inlet manifold? Are you using a standard carb? No other air leaks anywhere?

As for ignition timing, a easy way to get the engine 'in the ballpark' is to warm engine up, and set to a fast idle, approx 2500rpm. Move the dizzy slowly to and fro with the engine running and observe the difference in the engine revs. What you want to do is set the timing to give the maximum increase in engine revs. Once this point has been found, retard slightly (about 2-3 deg), and the timing *shouldnt* be too far away. This is only a rough guide of course....

dwyer - 1/1/04 at 05:39 PM

Thanks everyone for your help. I did advance the ignition this morning and it does now run better.
Car has standard carb, no servo and servo hole in manifold is blanked off. There is another union on the inlet manifold which i have the advance retard vacuum connecte to.
When i got the car running resonably this morning, i thought i would put a timing light on it. Trouble is when you disconnect the advance vacuum, the engine fades and dies but when connected there is far too much advance. when you shine the light down on the crank, the marks are about 3 yards appart. So then you begin to move the distributor back to retard the ignition which moves the timing marks closer together and of course we end up back to square one with the popping and farting again - HO HUM! i think it's time for the nice man at the garage to have a look.
Unless anyone has any suggestions?

david walker - 1/1/04 at 08:03 PM

Best of luck getting the engine set up. Can't add anything to that that hasn't already been said - particularly by Stu16v.

What I will add though is that you should stick with the 1.6 distributor. This gives better advance curve for anything like a modified 2.0 Pinto or lightweight such as a Locost.

Mark Allanson - 1/1/04 at 08:16 PM

The vacuum advace pipe needs to be plugged when you disconnect it or the engine will draw to much air and weaken the mixture, a biro to is ideal for plugging!

johnston - 1/1/04 at 10:00 PM

quote:

Came across an engine once that had been fitted with the wrong rotor arm or cap


i got a cheap mk1 escy cos of that bought as a none runner had me baffled for ages but got runnin v cheaply

[Edited on 1/1/04 by johnston]

dwyer - 1/1/04 at 10:27 PM

Thanks everyone for all the help, a few more things to try tomorrow and hopefully will get it running better..

Thanks again....

theconrodkid - 2/1/04 at 09:20 AM

sounds like dizzy is out ,take it out,turn engine to tdc,firing on no 1,fit dizzy so rotor points to scribe mark on dizzy body,it will turn as you lower dizzy into hole,keep doing it till you get it right