hmmm good that you sorted it, but as you say kind of leaves a sour taste doesn't it. I have just decided to find a new garage after a local guy to me that I have used a few times fobbed me off with mechanic talk, they think you don't have a clue and will just buy the BS. His loss. oh and set it up for top end power ya big girl!!!
Be aware that even though you have now clamped the dizzy it may have moved and the ignition timing may now be incorrect. Most likely retarded due to shaft rotation so do not give the engine any serious work to do until this has been checked as badly retarded ignition can cause damage too. However if the engine starts and runs it may be in the ball park but digipants need accurately setup in this department as the ecu controls the advance curve.
It's not always easy to gauge the cam timing just by looking at it, it could be ground slightly out on the lobes. Start with the vernier set to the standard position and "generally" advance forward from there, but a rolling road will be needed to swing the cam and see the true changes... and get your power reading.
Quick advice needed! Well the car is back at the garage tody so they can sort out the teething problems!! They reckoned the coolant loss was due to an airlock in the system but said they would drain the system, top up the coolant and sort out. They apologised about the loose distributor and said they would reset the timing! I asked about the vernier timing which is currently at 3 degrees retarded?? For low down power it needs to be advanced doesn't it? Should I get them to advance it whilst the car is with them today? Low down grunt is what I am after, not top end power? Cheers alpenweiss2
Anyone??? The garage have recommended a rolling road near Chester AB Garage. Anyone familiar with them? Cheers Alpenweiss2
Probably best to leave adjusting the cam timing around till the rolling road session, as if the fueling or ignition is not quite right you may not notice any gains till these are correct. There are no hard and fast rules to setting the cam timing due to variations in the engine builds coming in to effect. Head skimming and compression ratios for instance.
Cheers for the replys Danster and Mike H!! Have spoken to the garage and they have reset the ignition timing (tightened the clamp on the distributor!!) and have left the cam vernier timing as it was. The said it was best to get it fine tuned on a rolling road as well. They didn't find a coolant leak, so it must have been an airlock!! I think I will drive the car carefully for the next few weeks and then get it to a rolling road for a proper set up. Anyone used either A B Garage near Chester or Balmuir Garage near Wrexham? Both have rolling roads. Or would I be best making a longer trip to Stealth? Cheers Alpenweiss2 Cheers Alpenweiss2
More rebuilt engine issues!! Well I have had a few further issues with my rebuilt engine!! Last Thursday on the way into work the coolant warning light began to flash!! Had lost a load of coolant again!! Turns out it was a perished O-ring in the coolant header tank lid! Cap has been replaced and the leak appears to be cured. Unfortunately the car is not running that well and feels a bit rough especially at low revs. there is an intermittant misfire at about 3500-4000rpm?? I have also noticed that the rev counter jerks about when the car misfires??? Haven't spoken to the garage about this yet, as I would like to get some advice from the forum! Could it possibly be a fault on the distributor? I did drive the car with it loose (garages fault) and also it is the original one from the car with 188k on it! Could it just be that the engine timing and cam timing are not set correctly? Any advice appreciated Alpenweiss2
as far as i know rev counter jumping around can be a sign of the hall sender in the dizzy playing up, as it provides the rev counter with the signal, as well as triggering the ignition. this would cause a misfire. best check with rubjonny or another knowledgeable person though, as i'm not 100% on that!
Check the hall sender plug on the side of the dizzy is tight, and the connectors are all pushed into it properly. Otherwise it sounds like the hall sender could be on its way out.
yeah sounds like the hall sender vw's tps was doing em for about 50 a while back..i dont have access to thier prices but maybe someone can check
Exactly. Mk2 nut? Whatever, I'm no mechanic but as a self proclaimed Mk2 nut, I'd have at least tried to do it right and make sure it all works. If I do something on someone's car I don't let it go anywhere until I know it's working perfectly, if I can't do it then I won't.
Yes I do agree with you! I was very dissapointed when I realised that the distributor hadn't been tightened up properly! However I think that on everything else they have done a pretty good job!! The coolant leak was just one of those things!! (turns out the header tank cap seal had been degraded by whatever I used to clean out the tank whilst it was off the car ..kitchen cleaner I think?!), So that was my fault really! I have spoken to them about the distributor and they will fit the new one and time it up for free..which is fine! I know it will cost me about 80-90 but I will have a brand new distributor and hopefully this will cure the occassional misfire. Cheers Alpenweiss2
