[Spridgets] Two perfect cylinders?

[tinydog at snet.net]

tinydog sez:
More mysterious is what you are doing about your rotted spring perches?
 -------------- Original message from Michael Rowe <mdrowe at optonline.net>: --------------


> All right all you mystery lovers.  My "new" engine starts perfectly and runs 
> easily - on two cylinders, 3 and 4.  Cylinders 1 and 2 are flooded out and will 
> not fire.  At one point, cylinder 2 was firing enough to make the plug sooty.  
> Cylinder 1 was always wet with gas.  Pretty much everything is either new or 
> cleaned and checked.  Electronic ignition, new wires, rotor, cap, coil plugs.  
> Spark to all cylinders confirmed by inline checker.  Compression mid 170's on 1, 
> 2, and 4, mid 160's on 3 (which is firing).  The same problem occurred with two 
> different sets of carbs.  
> 
> Here's the fun part.  When the carbs were set at 12 flats down, plugging the 
> front carb caused a large increase in speed.  Plugging the back carb caused 
> instant death.  I leaned the front carb pretty much all the way to the top 
> because cylinders 1 and 2 were flooding.  In that condition, I covered the 
> intake with my hand and absolutely nothing happened, as though there were no 
> airflow through the front carb at all.  The vacuum felt very weak compared to 
> the rear carb.  There does not appear to be anything wrong with the butterfly.  
> No evidence of leaking by an ether test at the gaskets, etc.  Later, I even 
> stuck my finger in the manifold to see if there were a mouse nest or something.
> 
> I am a complete newbie, but my mechanic/tutor has 30 years experience with 
> MGB's.  We are baffled.