Sam
Congratulations. I'm glad (but not surprised) that the fix was that simple.
Now, about those headlights; check the obvious first...
regards,
Ed
High idle
-
Randy Adams
Re: High idle
Yes, do that. Check the obvious.
A couple years back I was retrieving my Flaminia convertible from an off-site rented garage. It was dusk. I turned on the headlights. Nothing. I started pulling all the other switches. I have three different models of the Flaminia range in running condition and they all have numerous identical-looking unmarked switches and the headlight switch is in a different location on each car.
I hurried the car home in the dusk. Frankly, it was pretty well dark by the time I pulled my unilluminated car into the garage at home. I took the cover off the headlight relay and couldn't see anything awry. I checked the fuses, taking out the one responsible for the headlights and replacing it with a new one after making sure the receptor clips in the fuse box were nice and clean and sufficiently tight to ensure good contact with both ends of the fuse. Then I pulled the headlight switch knob. The lights came on. When I picked up the car from its exile I'd forgotten which switch to use and, from disuse, it had been a bit stiff in operation so when it didn't readily pull out I hastily concluded that it was not the headlight switch and moved on to the others!
A couple years back I was retrieving my Flaminia convertible from an off-site rented garage. It was dusk. I turned on the headlights. Nothing. I started pulling all the other switches. I have three different models of the Flaminia range in running condition and they all have numerous identical-looking unmarked switches and the headlight switch is in a different location on each car.
I hurried the car home in the dusk. Frankly, it was pretty well dark by the time I pulled my unilluminated car into the garage at home. I took the cover off the headlight relay and couldn't see anything awry. I checked the fuses, taking out the one responsible for the headlights and replacing it with a new one after making sure the receptor clips in the fuse box were nice and clean and sufficiently tight to ensure good contact with both ends of the fuse. Then I pulled the headlight switch knob. The lights came on. When I picked up the car from its exile I'd forgotten which switch to use and, from disuse, it had been a bit stiff in operation so when it didn't readily pull out I hastily concluded that it was not the headlight switch and moved on to the others!
-
Ed Levin
Re: High idle
BTW, Sam, I wouldn't worry at all about 90F weather--the fix has nothing to do with any of the carb settings that might be affected by outside conditions.
From your description, it seems clear that the misadjusted synchroniser was not letting the throttle plates fully close on one of the carbs, which means that two of the cylinders were operating on partial throttle at idle. It's not hard to get the synchro out of whack when you play with the cables, and it doesn't need to be off by much to cause the symptoms you reported, especially if the idle speed screw was a little off as well.
In effect, it was the equivalent of pressing your foot lightly on the gas pedal for half the engine and wondering why the idle seemed high and a little lumpy.
Anyway, have fun at Elkhart Lake. Congrats in the invitation; you'll represent us well.
From your description, it seems clear that the misadjusted synchroniser was not letting the throttle plates fully close on one of the carbs, which means that two of the cylinders were operating on partial throttle at idle. It's not hard to get the synchro out of whack when you play with the cables, and it doesn't need to be off by much to cause the symptoms you reported, especially if the idle speed screw was a little off as well.
In effect, it was the equivalent of pressing your foot lightly on the gas pedal for half the engine and wondering why the idle seemed high and a little lumpy.
Anyway, have fun at Elkhart Lake. Congrats in the invitation; you'll represent us well.
-
tim
Re: High idle
Hi all
I thought I would add some very recent experience to this thread which ironically bears out my point about air leaks earlier.
Well, my 1600 has always been difficult to get to idle below 1000 and sometimes this rises to 1200 - with good sychronisation.
Anyway, I started 3 weeks ago the simple task of routine 6000 mile service re tappets etc and without boring everyone I thought I ought to check the rocker cap bolts for tightness as an earlier thread (s'cuse the pun) had said about stripped threads in this area. Well, all inlet ones were fine but 4 out of the 7 on the exhaust side needed re helicoiling as they would not take the 2.5kgm torque. So head off re threaded with "timeserts" (very costly kit) and re timed some 1016 cams as all in bits and put back together. Started on the button but after a little run was "clattering under" the cam cover. It idled at its norm of c1000.
So off with cam cover to find No4 exhaust valve guide seemingly loose. So off with the head (again!) and completely stripped down to replace the defective guide and check all the others.
Reassembled, new head gasket (again) etc, retimed the cams using dial and cam timing re opening/closing/max opening etc. Also used new gaskets on inlet manifold/carb spacer etc, but suspected there may have been slight leak at rear between carb mounting plate (the rubber sandwich) and the inlet manifold so I had tried to "flatten" this.
Note I did nothing to the carbs other than pull them off and replace them.
Started the engine and could not get it to idle below 1600ish. Synchronisation just increased this. AND huge air leak from manifold.
So removed carbs and mounting plate. Carefully reassembled with new gaskets and some copper loaded RTV silicone gasket cement (non-setting), waited 24 hours and fired up. Result zero tickover which was then able to be adjusted up to normal c850 and balanced very easily.
I therefore deduce that air leaks can contribute to tick over rate as the extra air drawn in is used with the fuel that is drawn through the carb and runs leaner but as a result runs faster creating higher manifold vacuum in front of the butterfly to pull more fuel through till the air volume is limited to size of the leak. Also I guess one would get similar effect if there was a leak between the venturies.
Tim
I thought I would add some very recent experience to this thread which ironically bears out my point about air leaks earlier.
Well, my 1600 has always been difficult to get to idle below 1000 and sometimes this rises to 1200 - with good sychronisation.
Anyway, I started 3 weeks ago the simple task of routine 6000 mile service re tappets etc and without boring everyone I thought I ought to check the rocker cap bolts for tightness as an earlier thread (s'cuse the pun) had said about stripped threads in this area. Well, all inlet ones were fine but 4 out of the 7 on the exhaust side needed re helicoiling as they would not take the 2.5kgm torque. So head off re threaded with "timeserts" (very costly kit) and re timed some 1016 cams as all in bits and put back together. Started on the button but after a little run was "clattering under" the cam cover. It idled at its norm of c1000.
So off with cam cover to find No4 exhaust valve guide seemingly loose. So off with the head (again!) and completely stripped down to replace the defective guide and check all the others.
Reassembled, new head gasket (again) etc, retimed the cams using dial and cam timing re opening/closing/max opening etc. Also used new gaskets on inlet manifold/carb spacer etc, but suspected there may have been slight leak at rear between carb mounting plate (the rubber sandwich) and the inlet manifold so I had tried to "flatten" this.
Note I did nothing to the carbs other than pull them off and replace them.
Started the engine and could not get it to idle below 1600ish. Synchronisation just increased this. AND huge air leak from manifold.
So removed carbs and mounting plate. Carefully reassembled with new gaskets and some copper loaded RTV silicone gasket cement (non-setting), waited 24 hours and fired up. Result zero tickover which was then able to be adjusted up to normal c850 and balanced very easily.
I therefore deduce that air leaks can contribute to tick over rate as the extra air drawn in is used with the fuel that is drawn through the carb and runs leaner but as a result runs faster creating higher manifold vacuum in front of the butterfly to pull more fuel through till the air volume is limited to size of the leak. Also I guess one would get similar effect if there was a leak between the venturies.
Tim
-
chris
Re: High idle
Dear Sam -late to your posting - sticking throttle when hot almost certainly caused by bush/pivot of throttle "cable to pedal" link (with long spindly arm welded to it) swelling. this is a common problem on all models - cured by lightly reaming bush. Chris