Club Triumph

Dave I'm sure you've already replaced your plugs but......modern plugs don't like being soaked in fuel,particularly Ngk.
Might be worth whipping em out and giving them a clean......the plugs
How does it drive ?

I havnt changed the plugs but they seemed ok when last checked
The car drives good and strong, it's just the idle I'm not happy with. If it had a lumpy cam I'd be over the moon at how it's running.
My phone only concern now is if I've got the cam timing out but then I wouldn't have thought that it would drive good

   That Looks and sounds over advanced
    It has the shake and kick at idle of excess advance or even tight valve clearance

pete

Tappets set yesterday 10 thou stone cold engine.
If I turn the dizzy I can get a reasonably smooth idle at about 1200 revs, if I then turn the adjuster/setting knob on the strobe light so that the TDC mark lines up with the pointer then the gun shows 30 degrees 😳
Something is set up wrong I'm sure, I know the dizzy drive gear was just dropped in but as long as when at TDC number one is taken as the one that the rota arm is pointing at then a don't see it as a problem and the fact the engine revs bang on then that to me backs up that theory.
I might have to re install the dizzy drive just to rule it out.
As I'm using the car for the Coventry rally next weekend I really need to get this sorted before next Saturday eve

Dave I don't want to question your ability but..... Are you 100% sure you have timed it at TDC?
You wouldn't be the first to have timed it up 180° out....

Quoted from Davemate

I havnt changed the plugs but they seemed ok when last checked
The car drives good and strong, it's just the idle I'm not happy with. If it had a lumpy cam I'd be over the moon at how it's running.
My phone only concern now is if I've got the cam timing out but then I wouldn't have thought that it would drive good

if it was 180 out would it even run, this is why I'm stumped it revs clean and pulls well when driven.
If the cam was a tooth out would it still rev clean but idle ruff ?

Bill,the cam was unknown but when I took the engine apart to fix the end float problem the cam turned out to be a "pi" one

Fair point,however I had meant it more as a 'have you double checked  '

Alex
No I havnt dizzy can only fit one way, the slot is off set, when I istalled a different dizzy last weekend I inserted the dizzy then slowly turned the shaft until it lined up and dropped into place.

OK, Dave,  easy text so worth doing, not so eaxyfix.
Timing easy to detect and fix,  have you checked that TDC still coincides with the crank markings?
John

I would ditch the timing light. Turn the dizzy until the idle is the smoothest and fastest. As you advance it it will get faster to a point and then slow down again. You want it at the fastest point. Then take it for a drive. Try to pull away in second or third gear- it will probably ping. Retard the timing until it wont ping or just does a little in that situation and it'll be spot on. Before all that set your plug gaps to factory spec and preferably put in a new set. From running my engine too rich I noticed they are never the same once sooted up once unless cleaned or replaced.  I have found you can clean them up pretty well with petrol and an old tooth brush, but sanding, filing, etc never works.
I spent ages trying to track down an ignition problem and in that time I learned that you need a decent base line, ie good plugs, leads, coil etc to avoid being led off the scent by all that other stuff.
Cheers

...

Servo non return valve seal replaced tonight, engine still pulls like a train and ticksover a little lumpy.
All air hoses are now either replaced and or have new jubley clips,so no leaks.
Tomorrow I'll be trying to time it up by ear rather than using the strobe light,and I might throw in the new plugs.
Speaking of plugs I've bought another set of NGK's,I've now heard a couple of people say NGK foul up so what plugs are most of you chaps (or gals) using

NGK BP6ES, but Japanese-made, not French-made.

Quoted from Davemate

Servo non return valve seal replaced tonight, engine still pulls like a train and ticksover a little lumpy.
All air hoses are now either replaced and or have new jubley clips,so no leaks.
Tomorrow I'll be trying to time it up by ear rather than using the strobe light,and I might throw in the new plugs.
Speaking of plugs I've bought another set of NGK's,I've now heard a couple of people say NGK foul up so what plugs are most of you chaps (or gals) using

I like the Bosch three pronged ones (WR7DTC IIRC).  

I had quite alot of trouble with the NGK offerings when I was still running PI as they couldn't handle being soaked with fuel.  There wasn't any doubt in that case though, they just stopped working altogether and couldn't be recovered.

Nick

Any plug will foul up if the base settings are in trouble,

if mixture and timing , valve clearances and compression are all ok plugs stay clean

What ever make they will take a good few hot miles cruising to clean of the choke soot

likewise accelerating will sooty the plugs as you use a richer mixture due  to the dashpot doing its job,
.

on std coils never use plugs with an R in the suffix these dont work well on the low HT our cars use
Ive found many a misfire car having these fitted

Plugs that have run retarded and got overheated can spark from the internal isolator not the plug tip

make sure the rotor has no rivet in the sweep plate it can earth the HT

pete

These are what i got,the same as its got in at the moment NGK BP6ES don't know where there made though,how can you tell or is it the wrighting on the box !

Pretty sure where the plug is made is written on the side of the silver bit near the base.

Quoted from Nick Jones

I like the Bosch three pronged ones (WR7DTC IIRC).  

I had quite alot of trouble with the NGK offerings when I was still running PI as they couldn't handle being soaked with fuel.  There wasn't any doubt in that case though, they just stopped working altogether and couldn't be recovered.

Nick