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Carb Issues?

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I had this same feature with my 65 Chevy truck [283]. The engine would run fine until it warmed up and then it would die. After I rebuilt the carb it turned out that the problem lay with the resistance wire, I replaced it with a new standard wire and a ceramic ballast resistor and the problem cleared up. Not that this is your problem, just remembering the past. --elrey
 
Hi Frank,
Let's try to get this car running the way it should. I might be wrong but I think we can get this going.I would like to start tuning these carbs from the beginning.If you are interested, Get back to me or PM me.Don't give up the ship.
Bobby R
 
What about could it be vapor lock?
 
Hey Frank, did you ever get this problem figured out? I have a slightly similar problem with my BJ8, and can't seem to find an answer.

Thanks!
Bob
 
I think I have a black cloud over me right now. If this response shows up twice, I'm sorry, I just typed one and at the very end it just disappeared!!

I haven't updated this issue because 1) I'm still recovering from the lightning strike that took out almost everything electronic in my house and 2) I still did not have a definitive solution to my problem.

As of today, I have the car back and have put over 100 miles on it without it dying out or stopping. That's the good news. The bad news is that I'm not exactly sure what was causing the problem or that is really totally solved!

Everything looked like fuel starvation so the fixes centered on float jets, fuel lines and associated adjustments. Finally, after monitoring the fuel pressure constantly while driving we would occasionally see some fluctuation and dips to zero for very short times. After replacing the fuel pump the pressure is strong and stable I can't make it starve out no matter how hard I push it. I'm still not confident though, the idle seems rough and when the engine is warmed up and I'm sitting in traffic I still feel the engine seem to miss a little.

I'm going to revisit the ignition wiring again because today I got caught in a heavy rainstorm and the missing was noticable.

Sorry I haven't found the magic bullet but I'm still trying. Good luck on your BJ8 and let me know if you find anything.

Frank
 
Ok, I tweaked the to idle up some (to about 800 - 900, my tach is off so I'm going by what I was told was the error number) and things seem to be running well. I still am going to look at the ignition again but I haven't found anything that would explain the slightly rough idle.

All in all my confidence is up again ... keep your collective fingers crossed! Thanks for all the help and thoughts.
 
Good luck, Frank! Maybe it was just a combination of a lot of little things (which I think is my problem) and you've got it licked.

~Bob
 
Frank C. said:
Ok, I tweaked the to idle up some (to about 800 - 900, my tach is off so I'm going by what I was told was the error number) and things seem to be running well. I still am going to look at the ignition again but I haven't found anything that would explain the slightly rough idle.

All in all my confidence is up again ... keep your collective fingers crossed! Thanks for all the help and thoughts.
Click to expand...
One thing I've learned about my Healey since 1972 and that is almost everything can be "slightly off" and the car runs good. It is when one of those "slightly off" things finally goes kaput is then you have to change everything to get back to where you were before that "one thing" went kaput.
Patrick
 
Ok, I hope this is the final update for this post (of course, saying that is the kiss of death!).
I replaced all the ignition wires, which were the newer suppression type, with standard solid wire and in the process noticed that one of the spark plugs (#6) had a smaller gap than normal - maybe 0.015 or so. After I regapped and replaced the wires I took the Healey for a run and it seemed much better in the idle department. I did notice a louder than normal hissing from the rear carb so I tweaked the settings one more time and everything seems to be back to normal!!!!

Summary of the work done:
New float valves
New fuel pump
New ignition wires
Lots of tuning and retuning

Thanks for everyone's help and support ... keep your collective fingers crossed.

Frank
 
I would hold onto the parts and store them under the battery especially the fuel pump. My two year old pump went out on a trip last month and I had fortunately had the original rebuilt and stored under the battery. Saved the trip. I am running the 48 year old original and have replace the points on the newer one as a reserve.
 
Good advice ... I'll add it to the extra rotor, spark plugs, etc. I carry for those unexpected road issues!
 
I've been following your post Frank.
Congratulations!
It's nice to read that when a Healey owner commits to fixing a problem that it eventually gets fixed. We all know how frustating these type of situations can be. Happy motoring.
 
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