OK, had my hand slapped by the majordomo....for some reason this message was
sent html...at least I think that was the problem, we'll see. Mark, I would
hazard to guess that most of us are LBC freaks first and computer geeks a
far distant second, third,fifty-eighth? Your message, while it let me know I
wasn't getting through to the group, was difficult to decifer at best for an
OF that knows less about the computer thingie than the midget innards.
Anyway, IF this gets through, sorry about the original format...and please
help anyone with my tuning problems. My midget has become my daily driver
due to a bad slave cylinder in my F150. (it inside the bell housing, gotta
pull the trans to fix, but that's another story!) I'm driving Katy without
air filters, but she runs pretty good that way. She only stumbles a little
if I give her full throttle. If I back off a bit, she runs up just fine.
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert B. Houston Vice President of Sales Transervicios S.A. de C.V.
<transerv@sprynet.com>
To: spridgets@autox.team.net <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Date: Friday, March 13, 1998 10:40 PM
Subject: Help, OF not a master mechanic at work.
Well,
Lord knows I've changed enough plugs, points, and condesers on english cars
in my time, I just haven't done it in about 30 years is the problem.
Last weekend I put new plugs, points, and condenser on Katy, the 74 midget.
She ran fair before I did this, but I just had to tinker. Also, the DPO had
removed the air cleaners.
I changed the plugs, reach down to take off the distributor cap, and found
it was only clamped on one side. Still ran ok though. So I looked it over
and decided the cap looked ok, and proceeded to replace the Ps and C. Being
lazy and not having a feeler gauge or timing light, I used the old shade
tree method and pushed the car back until the cam lobe opened the old
points, took them out and set the new points open a little at the same spot.
I also replaced the air cleaners.
Car started ok, but after running for a while began to miss. On the way to
work yesterday it got worse. I pulled the dist. cap and sure enough, one of
the contacts was worn partly away. Amazing what old eyes can see in the
early morning sun.
Down to the store for a new cap and rotor, put them in, and it still misses.
I made it to work today, and went out at lunch and pulled the plugs. #1 was
dry and white, #2 was black, wet and oily, #3 was dry, and #4 was black, but
dry. I wiped them off, swapped them around, and took off the air cleaner I
had replaced.
It ran poorly on an errand for about 2-3 miles, then when I came out of the
business I had stopped at, it started, ran rough, and then smoothed out and
ran fine all the way back to the office.
It is idleing a little high now (tach does not work). Could the carbs be so
rich and the air filters so dirty they were drowning out 2 and 4? That
doesn't seem entirely logical. Could a float have been stuck?
What is the primary or beginning setting on the SU's? So many flats out to
start? I fiddled with them, thinking I knew what I was doing, so naturally
they are probable all out of whack.
On the plus side, it is sunny, 70+ degrees, and the car ran perfect for
about 20 minutes!
Thanks in advance for any help the list can offer.
Regards,
Robert Houston
'74 Midget Katy
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