A Bit of Rough - Mixture, Timing & Valves

[PeterC]

Can anyone offer some advice on fuel injection settings, ignition timing and valve clearances for an S3 2.9ltr. I know what the SH's bible says and the Haynes manuals for the Granada & Sierra and have searched PH's for info. I am looking for a few good tips, things to check and possibly adjust before I send the car to TMS.

I did a long round trip at the weekend, driving on some of my favourite roads in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and back home cross country to Leicestershire. The car did not let me down once and it was roof off driving all the way.

However, the engine sounded rough at times, particulary at mid revs (3,000+ rpm) and I could not understand why. The days were hot, so the engine was running at 90 C all the time and seemed worse when at its hottest.

The answer I feel is somewhere in the fuelling & timing area, perhaps influenced by the ECU? Anybody got any good ideas or do I book her into TMS?


Q. Why are blue Chimera drivers so bl**dy miserable. Passed two on Sunday (Fairford/Lechlade & Toddington) and did not get a wave from either of them. Got waves from Morgan drivers, TR drivers, MG drivers, kids on the bus...... They should both have their PH priveleges revoked.

>>> Edited by PeterC on Monday 19th August 18:19

[madcop]

When did you last check your ignition leads or have them replaced. Look at the copper connectors. If they are burnt or charcoaled then they need changing. This will make the car run rough especially under load but it will cruise ok at most speeds. The hotter it gets the worse the running can become.

The distributor cap may need replacing as well.
A set of good leads won't cost you much more than £60 or so. It may well solve your problem.

Before you start messing with technical stuff, just check the basics. I have had a bit of rough running with my car recently and cut the end off one of the blackened connectors. This happened to be the HT from the coil to the distributor, shortened the lead slightly, cleaned up the connector and reattached it and it is absolutely fine now. This won't work though if they are breaking down further along the lead.

>> Edited by madcop on Monday 19th August 19:16

[johno]

Peter,

I have fiddled and mucked about with my engine settings more than I care to remember and still I can never get it as well set up as the rolling road boys. If you remember at Chatsworth I still had an ongoing engine running problem that I had had for 2-3 months and I had given up. Tower View had pretty much given up and we ended up giving it over to Power Engineering for them to 'road' it and they sorted it in 2 hours.

Got the car back with it producing more torque than ever before (a lot ! and it has been 'roaded' twice before)

I wouldfind your local Ford specialist with a rolling road and get them to check it over. I would not use a TVR main dealer as they seem to know little or nothing about S series cars any longer and sometimes general diagnostics equipment that reads fault codes and emissions is not enough.

Often the car needs to put through the scenario of being on road to similate and create the problem for the equipment to read it.

Good luck with it as it is very frustrating...

Cheers

Mark

[PeterC]

Good answers from both, so thanks.
I think I will do a few more checks at the weekend, put the Gunson fault code tester on again, check the plug leads etc.
Then take a day off from work so that I can take her to the guys at Hinckley and have the car set up properly on a rolling road as suggested.