Engine stopping at idle - Cannot reach decent top speed

R

roverp6

New Member
Can anyone help with my 2200SC?

When I pull up to roundabouts or traffic lights from doing a reasonable speed, the engine just dies on me. I start it again no problem and it seem to run fine when moving at speed.

The problem has been getting progressively worse over the past few months and it now dies on me when at idle when not dropping from a high speed. I can't reach a decent top speed either like I used to as I could do 85mph quite easily last year but now I struggle to reach 70mph. Could these problems be related?

The following have recently been changed/checked:
New plugs
New rotor arm and points
New vacuum thingy on distributer
New oil filter and oil
Engine compression checked
Carb dismantled and cleaned with new gaskets fitted
Carb cleaner in petrol
Timing checked and reset
Mixture checked and set (before carb rebuild). I intend to get mixture rechecked next week.


I would be very grateful for any advice as I am now at a loss as to what to do next.

Best regards

Russ
 
Hi it sounds as though the carb dashpot piston is sticking . At full throttle the piston rises , at lower speeds it should fall, if it sticks in the up position or falls too slowly it will cause the engine to stall due to incorrect rich mixture.
You can test this by removing the air filter and raising the piston with a finger - it should fall back down steadily (it is damped so wont drop instantly).
If it is sticking mark the cover so it can be replaced in the same position - undo the three screws - lift out the piston - clean everything carefully - no oil - replace - top up the damper with oil and hopefully it will run free.
As to performance - press the accelerator fully to the floor - then check that the throttle linkage is at fully open - as the linkage wears it is possible to only have partial throttle opening whilst the pedal is to the metal. This can be taken up with the threaded adjustable linkage with the plastic ball joints at each end.
 
Thanks Malcolm

I tried the accelerator pedal this morning and unfortunately, when the pedal is on the floor, the throttle is fully open.

I will clean the piston this evening and try to sort the idling. But I am now at a complete loss as to the lack of power at speed.

Best regards

Russ
 
Could also be a fuel delivery problem, this could be limiting your top speed. I had a similar problem and found my fuel pump was very loose and not suppying enough fuel.

Also you don't say if you have changed the condensor ?

Richard
 
Richard

Thank you for your interest.

I have had the fuel pump removed and cleaned, all pipes within the fuel pump blown through etc and removed various foreign particles including strands of glass fibre!!!!

This was done a month or so ago and did not think much about it then, but the only thing left to check is the fuel delivery to the pump itself, could the fuel pipe be blocked? could there be enough foreign material in the tank to stop enough fuel from entering the pipe? Is this a common problem on P6's? Are the pipes easy to clean/clear?

After cleaning the piston the other night, the engine still stalled when returning to idle from high revs.

As a postscript, the condenser was indeed replaced when the points were replaced.

Any further advice would be more than welcome.

Best regards

Russ
 
No news on this thread for a couple of weeks, any joy Russ ?

I've not heard of P6 tanks rusting up as a common problem, I'm not sure if you've got the clear dome fuel pump, if so you can see the colour of the fuel and get a good idea of its condition. It may also be worth checking the tank for sediment and removing it and cleaning out if necessary.

As you mention the fibres in the fuel pump, are you sure there still isn't some of this floating around in the carbs ?

Richard
 
Richard

After my last addition on this subject, I have had the following undertaken:

Fuel pump confirmed serviceable
Fuel pipes checked from tank to pump, petrol running completely clear, even on reserve.
Mixture reset after dismantling the carb
New HT leads
New air filter
Poured Redex through the carb and into the cylinders (I am sure my neighbours were pleased with that!)

All the above was to no avail as it runs just as bad as before.

Phil Robson very kindly lent me a spare carb last weekend to check the servicability of mine, and you guessed it, no difference in performance. Even adjusting the idling speed made no difference to the stalling problem.

As a last resort, I took it in to a very reputable garage in York on Tuesday for a full check over (bar taking the engine to pieces) and he said that everything checked out. He added that the problem must be within the engine, something to do with valves and clearances.

I now have a choice of spending more cash having the engine taken apart to locate the problem or just replacing the engine with either a SC or perhaps upgrading to a TC.

At the moment the car is mothballed until further notice as I do not like to run it if the problem is likely to be serious.

Any further advice would be more than welcome.

Best regards

Russ
 
Russ,

If it's of any use there's a cheap TC engine on ebay at the moment (Item number: 2484163729), but I'd have thought it shouldn't be too pricey to remove your cylinder head and take it to a good machine/engine shop.

John
 
Hi
Which garage in York?

Have you changed the coil?

I am happy to look if you want to bring it accross, I lve in York.

I think it unlikely to be anything internal to the engine unless the valve clearances have closed up.
 
Also did they check the distributor properly ? with a timing light you can check that the advance is operating correctly, I think the haynes manual has appropriate values.

If possible try replacing the Coil and Dizzy, especially if you can get a known good one to try.

I once had a problem similar to this which turned out to be the low tension lead from the points which had failed internally, It could only be seen in the dark, the lead glowed where the break was.

The valves usually just open up, accompanied by increased rattling from the head. Is the oil pressure good ?

Richard
 
Wow

Many thanks to everyone who has taken time to try and help me out and solve my increasingly irritating problem.

I think the general opinion is to change the coil, I have had the timing checked twice and the advance unit confirmed serviceable prior to fitting, although I am unsure if this has been checked after fitting.

Tony - If it is convenient with you, I would be more than willing to bring it round for you to give it a quick look over. The engine has only done 60000 miles and do feel there is alot more life in it yet!

Thanks again for all your help in this matter, this subject is turning into a bit of a soap opera.

Will let you know what happens in nexts weeks thrilling episode!

Best regards

Russ
 
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