Mark,
I had a similar problem with my TR 4 this summer. I also went through all the
traditional fixes, including removing and cleaning the gas tank. It turned
out that my problem, all along, was a small piece of garbage blocking the fuel
flow from the float bowl to the carb itself. Easy fix, wish it wouldn't have
taken me several months to figure it out!
Tony Zager
1963 TR 4
Mark Clark wrote:
> Okay, here are the symptoms:
>
> The car ran well last summer. No engine work over the winter. It has been
> running poorly this summer.
>
> Engine starts with no problem. Idle is reasonably smooth. When driving,
> it feels like the engine goes down on power (hesitates) every so often - as
> if it was not getting enough fule intermitantly. It does not stall. The
> hesitation comes on both acceleration, steady cruising, and when I take my
> foot off the gas. The hesitation is random, and occurs fairly often - no
> more than twenty-thirty seconds go by between hesitations, and they
> normally come more often. Pulling out the choke makes no difference.
>
> Here is what I have done:
> -checked valve adjustment and compression - both fine
> -gapped plugs
> -checked and tightened all ignition leads and connections to the coil and
> distributors
> -replaced points with electronic ignition - no change in symptoms
> -adjusted carb float levels
> -carbs were rebushed several years ago - no air leaks
> -mixture needles were replaced last year and the car ran fine after that.
> -carbs adjusted and syncronized with Unisyn and the clear spark plug jobbie
> I can't remember the name of
> -checked timing
> -got a new tank of gas and added gas additive to dry and clean gas
> -replaced fuel filter
>
> I suspect an electrical problem. Distributor cap, rotor, plugs, and plug
> wires have all been replaced in the last several thousand miles. The only
> electrical device that has not been replaced is the coil, a Lucas
> high-voltage unit.
>
> 1) Could it be the coil? Can I do any tests to see?
>
> 2) Anything else I should check?
>
> Thanks much - look forward to your reply.
>
> Dr. Mark Clark
> Oregon Institute of Technology
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