[Healeys] odd noise and rough running

[Bob Spidell]

This is just a SWAG, but could the rotor have contacted the terminals 
inside the distributor cap?  I have, on at least one occasion, left one 
of the clips off the cap and the cap was tilted slightly, but it didn't 
make any sound--if it had been tilted much more I'm sure it would have 
made some noise.

bs



Frank Magnusson wrote:
> A strange thing happened on the way home yesterday.  I was going 50-55 or so
> and decided not to switch into OD as I only had a couple miles to go; normally
> I run around 3000 rpm; but wirthout the OD it was around 3500.  All of a
> sudden I heard this whizzing noise like two gears not quite meshing; something
> rotating coming into contact with something else anyway and the car started
> running very rough.  Stalled it approaching a stop sign which I decided to run
> and dropped it into second and popped the clutch and got it running again.
> The noise went away after 10-15 seconds.  Still running crappy as I got into
> the driveway.  But a little better and well enough to let it run unattended
> while I put the garage door up.  Now running better; decided to run it around
> the block and low and behold; ran fine and everyhting sounded normal.  The
> only thing that was different weas that the tach read around 1500 and clearly
> it sounded like my normal idle at around 1000 or less.
>
> This morning I looked it over, water pump, generator, and distributor all
> looked good with no play in anything; cap and rotor looked fine as well.
> Drove around the block for 5 miles or so up to 4,000 rpm in and out of OD;
> running normally.
>
> The only thing that makes sense to me is the distributor and I wonder if the
> odd rpm reading when it gets hot is a clue; condensor, coil?.  But I can't
> figure out what the noise was.
>
> Anybody have any ideas?
>
> thanks,
> Frank
> '65 BJ8
> Wichita, KS.
>
>
>   


*******************************************************************
Bob Spidell           San Jose, CA            bspidell at comcast.net

*******************************************************************