Poor running

[tezza SG1]

Help!! my car dont seem to be running very well at the mo,noticed the other day when i was sitting in the traffic that it was running very lumpy and as time has progressed its got worse now got no pulling power at all (the car that is:)) just changed the dizzy cap-rotor arm-leads and plugs but still no better...can anyone help??

[Stu_CDX]

Help!! my car dont seem to be running very well at the mo,noticed the other day when i was sitting in the traffic that it was running very lumpy and as time has progressed its got worse now got no pulling power at all (the car that is:)) just changed the dizzy cap-rotor arm-leads and plugs but still no better...can anyone help??


Terry, I've got the same... Every time I put my foot down slightly, I have to put the vacuum pipe back on the manifold!!!!!

That causes a terrible idle. Ideally, I need to find another K-Reg 1300 to take the system from.

You could a dirty air filter, doing mine seemed to do some good...

[E_T_V]

Which engine is it?

If 1.6 then fuel pump and vacuum hoses are usual suspects.

[Stu_CDX]

Which engine is it?

If 1.6 then fuel pump and vacuum hoses are usual suspects.

I believe Tel's on about his 1300 Ledbury...

[tezza SG1]

yeah its my ledders checked all pipes and they are fine.

[E_T_V]

Is the distributor clamp tight? (it will alter the timing on the run if not)

Also check coil top is cleans and dry and that the connections are in good condition.

It is a misfire i.e. a cough and splutter or is it a general lack of power?

[G Force]

Hi,

Make sure there are no leaks or blockages in the crankcase breathers or vacuum pipes. To test for leaks in the breathers, take off the oil filler cap and pull the crankcase breather pipe off the carb, then put you hand over the oil filler tube and blow down the breather pipe. If all is sealed pressure will build up so it is not possible to blow any more, at this point remove your hand to release pressure to prevent getting a mouthful. If you can hear air escaping you need to find the leak and fix it. (Rocker cover gaskets are a big cause of poor crankcase sealing). To test for blockages pull each separate breather pipe off at the Y piece and make sure you can blow down each individual pipe ok.

If the valve clearances are too tight this will cause poor idle quality and poor performance. Reset all valve clearances to 0.014in cold.

For poor performance and rough idle check the vacuum advance unit diaphragm on the distributor is ok by sucking on the vacuum pipe, if you can suck through then the vacuum unit is faulty.

[tezza SG1]

Well just been to garge to find out whats wrong with the ledders cause i need it to get to work everyday. Anyhow the very nice man checked out the car at no cost to me,
firstly the pulled of the first sparkplug lead and the car stalled as expexted strated up the car and then pulled of the second lead and guess what!! the car kept running :eek: then the pulled of the 3rd lead and the car kept running still :eek::eek: .so effectively the second and third sparks are not working and that it could be the headgasket and he advised me not to drive it to much till i can get it done.
honestly dont know what to do next as Ive got to work but if i used car it would do it no good :censored::banghead::(

[G Force]

Hi.

Its not uncommon for the head gasket to blow between no.s 2&3 cylinders so this could easilly be your problem. The head gasket is a very simple job on the 1.3, less than a mornings work for an experienced mechanic.

I would normally suggest having a compression test done to confirm the gasket is blown, because it is normal for no.s 2&3 cylinders on the A series to perform less strongly than 1&4 when doing a cylinder balance check on idle. This is due to the siameised ports and the firing order of this engine.

[tezza SG1]

cheers G Force the man at the garage said something about that just to make sure it is that,looks like I'll have to book it in..any idea what sort of money this is going to cost for him to do the head gasket??

[G Force]

cheers G Force the man at the garage said something about that just to make sure it is that,looks like I'll have to book it in..any idea what sort of money this is going to cost for him to do the head gasket??

Hi.

I would say you will be looking at 3 to 4 hours labour tops, plus the cost of a head gasket, rocker cover gasket and a manifold gasket. It depends on the garages hourly labour rate. I could be a bit out of touch with todays garage prices but if I had to guess, then £140 to £200 ? maybe.

[tezza SG1]

just had the head gasket done just thought id show a few pics ..the car runs sweet as a nut now.

[tezza SG1]

Just a quick update
went up to nottingham again at the weekend and had no probs at all..
so the new headgasket seems to be doing an exellent job..got back on half a tank of petrol and i was fully loaded with 3 people and a full boot of luggage so i think the little ledders did quite well.