Won't tick over
Discussion
Hi all,
My 280 has developed a really annoyng problem quite suddenly. It won't hold its revs. I find myself continually trying to hold the revs up whilst breaking. Not an easy thing to do, and certainly not safe! Thing is, I really don't know where to start looking. The air duct from the filter to the throttle is split in several places, but I've taped it up pretty good with insulating tape. Can anyone give me any pointers. Its really embarrassing, having just overtaken someone, to be met by them at the next lights having stalled, because I didn't make the accelerator quick enough. Don't know if its relevant, but I've just replaced the old viscous fan with an electric one, and also put on a beefier alternator to cope with the extra current being drawn.
Cheers!
My 280 has developed a really annoyng problem quite suddenly. It won't hold its revs. I find myself continually trying to hold the revs up whilst breaking. Not an easy thing to do, and certainly not safe! Thing is, I really don't know where to start looking. The air duct from the filter to the throttle is split in several places, but I've taped it up pretty good with insulating tape. Can anyone give me any pointers. Its really embarrassing, having just overtaken someone, to be met by them at the next lights having stalled, because I didn't make the accelerator quick enough. Don't know if its relevant, but I've just replaced the old viscous fan with an electric one, and also put on a beefier alternator to cope with the extra current being drawn.
Cheers!
I had the same problem with my old 280 a few years ago. Took me ages to find out what was wrong, but it was dead simple in the end. There was a narrow gauge breather tube that had come off its nipple, it was located at the front of the engine at the top and in a recess. Sorry to be a bit vague but it is a while ago. Anyway, once I had reconnected it, no problems, so I then fixed it permanently by putting a jubilee clip on it, never happened again. Hope this helps. 
Broadside
Broadside
The 2.8 engine doesn't use a throttle pot. Er... well mine didn't. ;-)
Air leak is the most likely cause of this problem; there are other possibilities but I'd check this out first.
ON]
One really daft thing that used to nobble my Tasmin: does your car have a breather pipe from the oil filler cap back to the rubber hood on the airflow meter? That pipe could be split or, as I had happen, the cap may not be sealing properly in the filler neck. There's an O-ring around it; if you've had the cap out recently I'd check the O-ring just in case. What happens is that the depression in the inlet manifold at certain times draws any crankcase fumes out, via a pipe into the right hand side of the plenum chamber from the o/s rocker cover. Any air entering the engine has to pass through the airflow meter, otherwise it will weaken the mixture. So the pipe to the filler cap is the air 'feed' into the crankcase, after the air has been metered. If there are any air leaks (such as the filler neck O-ring), excess air can be drawn in by the engine, weakening the mixture and the rest is obvious. Of course max depression tends to happen under such conditions as a closed throttle on the over-run, when approaching a junction, say. One quick way to find air leaks is to spray something nice and volatile, like Easy-Start or WD40, solvent cleaner, that kind of thing, around pipe unions and gaskets etc. with the engine running. Any leak will draw in the vapour and enrich the mixture, so the engine will speed up.
Ian
Air leak is the most likely cause of this problem; there are other possibilities but I'd check this out first.
ON]
One really daft thing that used to nobble my Tasmin: does your car have a breather pipe from the oil filler cap back to the rubber hood on the airflow meter? That pipe could be split or, as I had happen, the cap may not be sealing properly in the filler neck. There's an O-ring around it; if you've had the cap out recently I'd check the O-ring just in case. What happens is that the depression in the inlet manifold at certain times draws any crankcase fumes out, via a pipe into the right hand side of the plenum chamber from the o/s rocker cover. Any air entering the engine has to pass through the airflow meter, otherwise it will weaken the mixture. So the pipe to the filler cap is the air 'feed' into the crankcase, after the air has been metered. If there are any air leaks (such as the filler neck O-ring), excess air can be drawn in by the engine, weakening the mixture and the rest is obvious. Of course max depression tends to happen under such conditions as a closed throttle on the over-run, when approaching a junction, say. One quick way to find air leaks is to spray something nice and volatile, like Easy-Start or WD40, solvent cleaner, that kind of thing, around pipe unions and gaskets etc. with the engine running. Any leak will draw in the vapour and enrich the mixture, so the engine will speed up.
Ian
Thanks Ian and broadside. I've checked and I can't see any narrow guage pipes hanging off, or indeed somewhere that seems to be missing a pipe. I've also checked the filler cap and there is no breather pipe back to the air flow meter hood. Its weird cos I had this problem once before when I first got the car, and I fixed it (temporarily it would seem) by rebinding the main air duct with tape. I'm now getting similar characteristics as before, but now more severe, and haven't been able to rectify it by retaping. Can I get a new one of those concertina pipe thing-a-me's anywhere. I've tried Ford's and they dont make em any more. Any other suggestions, cos its really starting to p*** me off! 
hmmm.... 
thats an interesting point. The power does, on occasion, seem a bit low, but I've always put that down to the fact that the revs had dropped so low (about 4-500), it took the car a while to pick them back. I will check them, but I think its unlikely, cos it was running OK and the leads have not been touched!
>> Edited by sjp76 on Wednesday 30th October 21:00
thats an interesting point. The power does, on occasion, seem a bit low, but I've always put that down to the fact that the revs had dropped so low (about 4-500), it took the car a while to pick them back. I will check them, but I think its unlikely, cos it was running OK and the leads have not been touched! >> Edited by sjp76 on Wednesday 30th October 21:00
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