DAY 10
New push rods arrived and are now installed. Controls connected, battery reinstalled, etc. Time to go buy more sealer for the side cover and some oil for the sump, turn the key and see what happens!
- Push Rods Installed
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- Shiny Springs
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Decided to also buy some new spark plugs. I was surprised the store had my plugs in stock, and so was the guy at the counter. He brought them out and realized they had been on the shelf back there since probably the 1980's. Check out the old packaging. Even the script is different.
- spark-plugs.jpg (44.39 KiB) Viewed 9469 times
So I turned the key and nothing much happened. It took quite a while to sort out the timing, not sure why. But the car did finally come to life and it sounded glorious! It revs quicker than before and runs well... until you get above 2500 RPMs at which point it stumbles and misses. I spent a few hours last night and all day today trying to figure out what's going on. In addition to the miss, the ignition lamp was stuck on and would occasionally flicker.
The first problem I identified was a wire behind the dash that had come loose, so every time the wiring harness would jiggle, the wire would lose contact. that explained the flickering ignition lamp. But the lamp was still on. Further investigation revealed that the high current wire had broken loose inside the generator, so that had to be remedied. Finally the charging system was not only charging, but stable.
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With that out of the way, I continued diagnosing the stumble/miss. Adjusted carbs, changed coil, reinstalled old plugs, inspected wires, etc and no improvement. I swapped the dizzy plate to try a known good condenser and the car wouldn't start. As I was cranking, the starter kicked in and out and jammed itself solid. I've pulled it back from the engine, which is a major pain on a TC and even more of a pain to get it all the way out (starter switch and exhaust have to come out, and sometimes unbolt steering box and/or carbs and manifolds). So this is how the car sits now as I decide whether to continue or give up and drive something else this weekend.
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I've now replaced coil, condenser, rotor, cap, plugs and battery with no change. Misses badly above 3,000 RPM. I've also checked carb mixture and balance, cleaned the float bowls, adjusted float height, checked floats for leaks, etc.
Nothing changed except the cam. I even took the carbs off as a complete assembly so I wouldn't have to touch them again. I'm stumped!
