In need of some Healey help!

[Legal Bill]

Distributor being out 180 degrees is possible. The new engine was out 180, the old one wasn't, you put the diet. in the new engine the way it was in then old engine and bingo, you are out.

 

[restorationist]

Compression on all four cylinders is above 110PSI, Valve action appears correct. Tried another coil, same gig. Reset points, rechecked timing. Rechecked valve lash, still at 12 thousandths. I did pull the drive gear out of the block and checked where it was, it was correct, so just in case i pulled it out and took a good hard look at the teeth to make sure they weren't chewed up, everything there is good. and even if it was 180 out, I could always simply swap the plug wires on the distributor around to accomadate. Any other ideas?

 

[Legal Bill]

Actually, when they are out 180 degrees, I see the distributor installed 180 degrees out. See if you can twist the distrubutor 180 degrees and still attach the plug wires.

 

[Brinkerhoff]

I don't think an engine will run 180 out. Think about it , if the plug wires are in the correct order then spark will occur on the exhaust stroke causing a backfire through the carbs . I've re read your initial post. I'm reading that it starts up ok and seems to idle fine but it puffs out a cloud of fuel when you open the throttle up. So its firing on all four cylinders at an idle right? You can pull each plug wire off at a time and notice a difference in the running engine? If it is ok then it would make sense that its way too lean , you may have a plugged main jet or like Bill says , a vacuum leak. Do the carbs respond to mixture adjustment at idle?

 

[DGHall915]

Bad rotor? Works on low RPM then shorts out at higher speeds....?

 

[Brinkerhoff]

If its got compression , ignition and fuel it will run . You've ruled out compression. Make sure your ignition is firing to the plugs using a timing light while the engine is running. Its something simple, you'll find it. That engine should start instantly and sound lively when revved up , keep at it until it does.

 

[bob hughes]

I don't think an engine will run 180 out.

It could, I had a 850 mini and rebuilt the engine on a bench, placed the dizzy drive into the block with the engine upside down ( reading the manual which of course is for an engine the right way up,) then carried on the build. Installed it into the car and started it up, it fired up but was banging and farting all over the place. Stopped the engine and thought about it and came up with the fact that the drive was in 180 degrees out, the drive for the dogs at the bottom of the dizzy were the wrong way. I carefully removed the drive with a bolt into the threads and installed it the right way, dropped in the dizzy and bingo started up great.

 

[Brinkerhoff]

Bob, you must be a better engine builder than I ! I just can't seem to get one to run 180 out... I did rebuild the engine in my Bugeye ( a long time ago) and had set the wires to fire 1,2,3,4 (seemed logical to me) . It started and had a lumpy idle ,coughed fuel out the carbs, and only seemed to make power enough to drive around when revved up...., I don't think you can explore the simple things enough in a situation like this and I'd never condemn another for something I could have done. And by the way I tore that Bugeye engine completely apart again to find out why it didn't run properly, only to find it was the last thing I'd done to it before I started it ! That was 37 yrs ago by the way.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Bad rotor? Works on low RPM then shorts out at higher speeds....?

... or bad distributor cap and/or secondary ignition wires.

I'd try the 'dark test:' run in a dark, but ventilated, garage and look for arcing.