QuestionHi Howard
Thanks for your answer, we've now moved on a little. It turns out that no. 4 plug was defective, that has sorted the lumpy tickover. Haven't yet tested compression, still trying to borrow a tester! I've adjusted the carbs as per your suggestions. I am using mgb HS4 carbs, but I did check the needle profile and it appears very similar to the original TR spec. Having adjusted the carbs I went on a test drive and I established a pointer to the hesitant acceleration. If I am gentle with the gas pedal, it splutters and falters, before picking up; however if I floor the pedal, there is no discernable problem. This presumably indicates a carb piston issue?! I checked the oil in the dashpots (normal engine oil) & I compared the springs, which appear similar; the pistons rise & fall ok. Any ideas? Dave
AnswerHi Dave,
Working is several dealerships, I learned to never try to diagnose by symptoms. Always diagnose by testing.
The order of testing should be as follows,
1. compression test
2. Fire- Points clean and gap, Ignition timing, cap, rotor, wires, plugs.
3. Fuel- Fuel pressure to the carbs, then test by lifting pin under the side of each top pot and adjust if necessary.
Read my tech tip on adjusting SU carburetors on my web site. http://mg-tri-jag.net/tech16.htm
A compression tester is not an expensive tool and necessary for ALL engines. You can't work on any engine without tools.
Howard
