Help with engine cutting out.

[morris-out]

Hi All.
I would be grateful if someone could assit me with a frustrating problem I have on my pickup.

When stopping at roundabouts or junctions the engine stops, then start ok after a couple of attempts.

The engine is standard low compresion 1098 only mod is an Accuspark electronic distributor, I realise this is a heresy but it has worked impecably for 12000 miles.
On a run it goes normally and will pull fine uphill and runs without misfire and does not backfire, only misbehaves when coming to a halt.

Initially I thought it would be an electrical fault so changed everything:
HT leads, distributor, distributor cap, rotor arm, plugs, checked all electrical connections and did the timing. No pincking uphill or backfiring downhill.
Checked the vacuum advance and that seemed to work OK.
Although the fuel pump appeared to be working I changed it with a spare and that made no difference.
There is no vacuum forming in the fuel tank and I have plenty of fuel.
Removed the cover with float from the fuel reservoir and found plenty of fuel in it.
I am now confident it’s not an electrical problem
What should be my next step?
Could it be a carburettor problem and if so what can I do with it?

Thanks in advance for any sugestions,

Dennis

[MarkyB]

Does the carb slide move freely and drop with a clunk?
Also what colour is the business end of the plugs?

[morris-out]

The plugs look fine, not sooted up.
Dont know what you mean by the carb slide, can you clarify please?

[MarkyB]

The piston that you can see with the air filter off.
You should be able to lift it all the way up and when you let it go you should be able to hear a sound.

[bmcecosse]

And it needs a bit of 3 in 1 oil in the top. But also - how low is the idle speed? Doe sit do this if you slip into neutral and glide to a halt ? Or only when you stop in gear with foot on clutch??

[morris-out]

Thanks for that clarification, Im exposing my ignorance on carburetors here.

The carb slide, with the engine stopped, goes up (damped) and when released comes down damped and finishes with a small clunk.

As it stands the cut out happenes in the final stage of aproaching a junction, probably at the time when clutch is engaged and brakes applied.
I will go out for a spin and see what happens when selecting neutral and allowing the car to stop.

The idle speed when tested on the drive seem fine there is no judering and does not appear too fast.

I will go out for a spin and more observations.

Thanks for your help

[morris-out]

Taken it out for a drive and is cutting out on every ocasion when I stop, if taken out of gear it cuts out yet seems quite happy when driving up the gears or doing 40 mph down the road with very little accelerator pedal press.
Also on a couple of ocasions was more reluctant to start, although the engine was up to temperature, it only started with some choke, yet on my drive when started it idled quite nicely when I got back.

3 in 1 oil in the top, do you mean dor the damper piston?

[mogbob]

Unscrew the nut on the top of the carb and remove.You will see the piston attached to the end of the rod.
Fill the hollow in the carb with 3 in 1 oil, to with in half an inch / 13 mm of the top and replace the damper / piston.Screw down finger tight.
Bob

[bmcecosse]

Sounds like it's idling far too weak - richen it up a bit, and lift the idle speed for the winter. Foot on clutch causes extra drag on the engine, and with cold weather/extra dynamo load etc it needs to be a bit higher in winter.

[morris-out]

Thanks for your sugestions.

Have now increased the idle speed and it still cuts out and now is getting harder to start once it stops, needs choke to start a hot engine does this point towards a problem with the carb itself?

[MarkyB]

What has been done to the engine recently.
Make sure there is a 15 thou gap on the points, the heal wears down and they close up making the engine hard to start.

[bmcecosse]

It's an accuspark electronic.....no points.

[MarkyB]

It's an accuspark electronic.....no points.

weak mixture in that case, Are the plugs a pale colour?

[morris-out]

Engine has been working very well so done nothing until this problem started, the distributor is electronic, this is my spare, made no diference when fitted, I suppose I could fit a normal points one just to make sure but it would be surprising to have 2 distributors exibiting the same fault.
This is an interesting out of the ordinary fault, but Im in the hope a eureca moment materialises soon, fortunately the train to work is not too painful.

Thanks again.

[bmcecosse]

Could be low fuel level in the carb .

[morris-out]

Did try messing with mixture but had no effect, but will make it a bit richer.
I dont want to go out now its dark so will have to take a day off work see if I can sort it during this week.

My spark plugs have always been apale colour,

Would low fuel level in the carb be sorted with bending the float upwards a bit?

[bmcecosse]

If it's an early H2 carb - yes. The HS 2 is not adjustable. But don't just randomly bend it - you need to take the top off and look down at the jet with the fuel pump switched on. You should 'just' be able to see the fuel, slightly below the jet top edge.

[morris-out]

Ok thanks will try that when there is some daylight.