[Healeys] missing at high rpm

David Masucci drmasucci at comcast.net
Tue Apr 5 19:26:12 MDT 2011


Max,

One more bit of information/experience that may or may not explain you
issue.

When I was a teen my Healey developed a strange problem that took me a week
to find. It has similarities to your problem as it missed and cut-out at
certain settings of the gas pedal. The car would accelerate just fine. It
would run smooth on a level road just fine. Two scenarios would bring about
a miss or a momentary cut-out. If I was cruising along and I stepped on the
gas for a moderate bit of acceleration, she would miss & skip for a moment,
then she'd pull away smooth and fine. Or if I was cruising along and the
road changed from a level surface to an uphill grade, whe would do the exact
same thing. All other times it ran just fine.

Hmmm, what function happens exclusively at both of those times? The engine
loading changes, and the vacuum changes to control spark timing. So only
DURING that transisition time when the timing was being dynamically
controlled by the vacuum. That function of course rotates the plate inside
the distributor. That frail little wire that connects the plate to body of
the distributor needs to always be in good shape. It drove me nuts for a
week.

Dave




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Maurice Maxwell" <maxandreb1 at yahoo.com>
To: <healeys at autox.team.net>
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 9:42 PM
Subject: [Healeys] missing at high rpm


> After replacing a head gasket and all of the other gaskets in the kit and
> having
> the head rebuilt.  I tuned the car and it drove around town just fine.
> Steady
> idle, smooth power.  However, on the highway, there was a serious
> misfiring at
> about 4000 rpm when the throttle was fully depressed.  When the gas pedal
> was
> slightly released the smooth performance returned and the car continued to
> accelerate on to 5000 rpm.  I find this to be strange and I need help
> figuring
> this out.  The car did this in 3rd, 3rd o.d., 4th, and 4th o.d.  It did
> accelerate on to 5000 rpm in each gear when the pedal was not quite on the
> floor.
>
> Thanks for your help in advance,
>
> Max
> 1961 BT7 MkI
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