Poor running - 2ltr Pinto

[^Qwerty^]

Hi,

Having had various bits of work done over winter I've been looking forward to driving the car. I picked it up yesterday and it was running fine, but on the way home I started hitting an issue which at first sounded very much like a 'rev limiter'. As time went on, the point in the rev range where it would start playing up dropped down and down, such that now, it's about 3.5k. I'm a bit at a loss as to if it's fuel or ignition related and my limited skills mean I'll struggle to find out. It's very difficult to describe what it's doing, other than the bottom end is fine, but as soon as you open the throttle to anything significant, it just stutters, but in a rhythmic kind of way. It's on carbs, dizzy - i.e. back to basics.

 

I normally take the car to Bogg Brothers, but the logistics of getting the car there, leaving it, getting picked up and doing the reverse to get it back are a bit of a nightmare. So before I go that option again could anybody recommend another garage/mechanic who might be able to take a look and/or fix it? I live near Howden in East Yorks. 

 

Thanks

 

-

Mike

 

[benedwards64]

Out of interest, is it still running on the same fuel that has been in the tank since last winter? 

[Wilfman]

What work has been done over the winter? Could any of that be a pointer?

You could always try the cheaper components first - rotor arm, dizzy cap (this is what was causing my issues and was the last thing I changed!) and plugs come to mind.

[Andrew]

Presuming it's on Webers, check if you've lost a securing screw from the underside of one of the carbs. If you remove the filter (s) have a look down the chokes you may see one is out of line with the rest.. (Look at the angle of the bars across the chokes)   I think when it twists out of line, it blocks the main jet on the affected choke. I've seen it happen a couple of times.

[Captain Colonial]

A wise man in here once said that 90% of all fuel problems are electrical and that's about right.

First things first - more info needed.  How long after you started it did it occur?  Was the engine cold, warm or hot?  Does it occur under load or all the time?  If you go out and start it now when it's cold, does it run correctly?

[^Qwerty^]

3 hours ago, benedwards64 said:

Out of interest, is it still running on the same fuel that has been in the tank since last winter? 

Nope, had a few through it now.

Work wise, head off, new valve seats etc. fast road cam installed. It's since had a new coil and rotor arm. Had the points gap set as well.

So it started a good 30 minutes or so after I set off home and gradually got worse. The car revs if out of gear, but you can't put load on it.I'm not sure about how it runs now, as I haven't had it out again since I got home on Monday tea time - I'll check when it's not raining.

Thanks for the pointers so far.

Regards

 

-

Mike

 

[Captain Colonial]

Okay, that's a good start.  The fact that it revs fine when not under load helps narrow it.  Not going to speculate until you drive it again when it's cold, but it eliminates a few suspects.

What I would recommend is to ditch the points and get an electronic system ASAP.  Points cause more issues than almost anything else even when correctly set.  It's certainly a prime suspect at this point.

[Mighty Mart]

Can you put the old coil back on?

electronic ignition is a step up, but points should run properly!

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

I use an Aldon ignitor in the existing distributor on my Pinto and it's really fit and forget.

[Quinten]

And I'll be the first to suggest to check for vacuum in the fuel tank...  Drive until it happens, then stop and open the fuel filler...  a rush of air will be the tell tale sign

[^Qwerty^]

Morning,

 

Thanks for the pointers. The old coil has gone. I'll get the car out and run it from cold and see what happens. Regarding electronic ignition, would one of these kind of things do the trick: 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Pinto-Fast-Road-Track-Electronic-Distributor-None-Vacuum-/121936513256?epid=899088112&hash=item1c63fb88e8:g:V8EAAOSwxcRW9rvL

I'll also have a look inside the carbs as suggested above.

Regards

 

-

Mike

[Wobblyprop]

Sounds like your points gap has closed up a bit.

[congorobot]

6 hours ago, ^Qwerty^ said:

Morning,

 

Thanks for the pointers. The old coil has gone. I'll get the car out and run it from cold and see what happens. Regarding electronic ignition, would one of these kind of things do the trick: 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Pinto-Fast-Road-Track-Electronic-Distributor-None-Vacuum-/121936513256?epid=899088112&hash=item1c63fb88e8:g:V8EAAOSwxcRW9rvL

I'll also have a look inside the carbs as suggested above.

Regards

 

-

Mike

That look exactly what you want. I've not come across that manufacturer, but it's a lot cheaper than similar offerings from the likes of Aldon.

[Captain Colonial]

My suspects in order:

Points closed up

Timing incorrect (no room to advance under load)

If connected, vacuum advance pipe blocked / perished / disconnected

Vacuum advance unit on dizzy failed if connected

Dizzy ignition advance weights frozen 

Bad coil that intermittently cuts out once hot (hence cold operation question)

Cracked dizzy cap that opens up once hot (see above)

Highly doubt fuel system fault simply because it revs fine when not under load, indicating an ignition advance issue.

[^Qwerty^]

4 hours ago, Captain Colonial said:

My suspects in order:

Points closed up

Timing incorrect (no room to advance under load)

If connected, vacuum advance pipe blocked / perished / disconnected

Vacuum advance unit on dizzy failed if connected

Dizzy ignition advance weights frozen 

Bad coil that intermittently cuts out once hot (hence cold operation question)

Cracked dizzy cap that opens up once hot (see above)

Highly doubt fuel system fault simply because it revs fine when not under load, indicating an ignition advance issue.

Thanks for the above. I had a look at the points and couldn't find much of a gap, so  set it to 25thou. Won't start at all and no spark. 

I've taken them out and they look worn so I'll order one of those electronic conversions and see how that goes.

i don't have the vacuum connected.