• The Roadster Factory Recovery Fund - Friends, as you may have heard, The Roadster Factory, a respected British Car Parts business in PA, suffered a total loss in a fire on Christmas Day. Read about it, discuss or ask questions >> HERE. The Triumph Register of America is sponsoring a fund raiser to help TRF get back on their feet. If you can help, vist >> their GoFundMe page.
  • Hey there Guest!
    If you enjoy BCF and find our forum a useful resource, if you appreciate not having ads pop up all over the place and you want to ensure we can stay online - Please consider supporting with an "optional" low-cost annual subscription.
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this UGLY banner)
Tips
Tips

TR2/3/3A TR3 Misfire +[ Randall you're correct again]

oxendine

Jedi Hopeful
Offline
Finally getting back on my 1960 TR3. Sold the other. At one point in time had 2 cars running on 4 cylinders between them. My 60 starts with the choke full on. When I try to idle it down it runs really ragged. Pulled the 2 front plug wires off and no difference. I can spray gasoline into the front carb and the engine smooths out until the gas is burned. Carbs freshly rebuilt, float bowel full. Linkage hooked up and free? any ideas? Randall you were right about my generator. It was bad, not the control box. the brushes were stuck in their holders.
 

TR3driver

Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
I'd pull the float bowl off and pour out whatever is in it. Check that the passages are clear, then reinstall the bowl & fill with fresh fuel (preferably from a can rather than from the pump). If that doesn't work, remove the jet (without disassembling the carb, so you don't upset the centering, etc) and check that it is clear.

The E10 they sell these days seems to dry to a hard rock-like substance that even "carb cleaner" will not dissolve. So it could be that the fuel in the jet has dried and the deposit clogged the jet. I had to literally chip it out of the main jet on my lawnmower!

Or the fuel may have gotten damp enough to get "phase separation" and there is water in the bowl/passages. Or the gas is just so old it won't burn.

Hmm, I'm assuming you are letting the engine warm up before trying to run it without the choke on. I have to drive several miles before mine will idle without having the choke out at least a bit, and it's probably warmer here than in Huntingburg.
 
OP
O

oxendine

Jedi Hopeful
Offline
Re: TR3 Misfire

I removed what I felt comfortable with and sprayed carb cleaner down the jet. When I did that there was no obstruction between it and the float chamber as what little fuel remained there splashed out. I put things back together again and had the same thing, cylinders firing when I spray fuel into the throat and not firing when the fuel runs out. Got plenty of fuel pressure rear setup works fine, it's just the front that has me stumped.
 

trrdster2000

Luke Skywalker
Country flag
Offline
Re: TR3 Misfire

Does the piston go up and down freely or if you push the piston up slightly will it draw gas and smooth out. I have seen stuck pistons cause this with two different problems, (1) the screws on the piston crown were screwed all the way up tight one at a time and it locks the piston by cocking the crown one way or the other and (2) the needle not being centered in the jet, see if it clicks when being dropped from about halfway up.

Wayne
 

trrdster2000

Luke Skywalker
Country flag
Offline
Re: TR3 Misfire

Thinking about your problem overnight and it was painful, not a lot of activity up there.

Get a half sheet of paper and stick it over the carb to see if it sucks it in, if not you have a major air leak somewhere or just use the unisyn and see if the ball goes up and down. If so, we have ways to find it.

Wayne
 
OP
O

oxendine

Jedi Hopeful
Offline
Re: TR3 Misfire

Today I started over again by going step by step with the SU manual. Adjusted the jets and linkage and so on. For some reason the front carb is where the problem is. I seem to have more vacuum from it than the rear? When the choke is full on it seems to run okay. It might seem that way because the engine is running pretty fast and a miss is not so noticeable. A friend of mine is coming over this week to see what he thinks. I'm missing some great driving weather here. Winter to arrive in a few weeks. Still got the Morris Minor to to keep me from going nuts.
 

poolboy

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
Re: TR3 Misfire

I had a TR6 engine running similar to that. I spent a couple days fooling with carbs even chaning to a spare pair that I had just refurbished for a friend.
Really started getting to me because I fancied that I knew ZS carbs pretty well.
In the end, I swaped distributors from my car to this engine and the engine straightened out. So let me say this before someone else does and claims it's his saying, which it's not (I don't think any of us have been around long enough to claim it as "his").
"90% of carb problems are electrical"
 

poolboy

Yoda
Country flag
Offline
Re: TR3 Misfire

You kinda left us hanging there Bremer. How did it turn out ?
 

Bremer

Jedi Hopeful
Country flag
Offline
Re: TR3 Misfire

Well, as I had described in my original thread, the carbs were grossly out of synch, giving the impression that the engine was running on two cylinders only. I removed the rear carb (which was drawing more air than the front one) and realigned the throttle plate a bit. It was a subtle change, but it improved things significantly and allowed decent synchronization. Both throttle bores are somewhat worn (tips on how to fix that are welcomed), so idle speed isn't quite as low as I would like it but it's acceptable for now.
Bottom line: It never ran on only two cylinders, but the symptoms were such that I thought it did.
Hope this might help the original poster scratch another item off the list...
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
M TR2/3/3A TR3 ignition misfire Triumph 5
mctriumph For Sale front apron 57 Tr3 Triumph Classifieds 0
Rick_Thompson TR2/3/3A TR3 rack and pinion kit problem... Triumph 17
S TR2/3/3A differential hubs early tr3 and tr2 Triumph 22
S TR2/3/3A Tr2 and early tr3 differential. Triumph 10
71TR6 TR2/3/3A TR3 WIper Wheel box Triumph 2
RonC General TR TR3 Shifter on TR6 Triumph 8
jfarris TR2/3/3A Modern Temporary Donut Spare for a TR3 Triumph 1
G TR2/3/3A What color is my car? TR3 1958 Triumph 16
S TR2/3/3A Rebuilding a tr3 transmission and second gear, Triumph 57
mctriumph For Sale Odd bit for Tr3 and early 3A Triumph Classifieds 0
S TR2/3/3A turn a tr3 non-full syncro transmission into a full syncro Triumph 3
Y TR2/3/3A I cannot get my TR3 in correct timing. Triumph 7
mctriumph TR2/3/3A Safety mods every Tr3 should get Triumph 12
Editor_Reid TR2/3/3A Whitewall Tires for TR3 Triumph 11
curdy TR2/3/3A TR3 Stalling Issues Triumph 8
S TR2/3/3A Anyone cut out the spare tire compartment on a tr3? Triumph 4
S TR2/3/3A put a differential back into a tr3. Triumph 2
S TR2/3/3A tr3 breather pipe Triumph 2
2 For Sale 1957 Triumph TR3 Small Mouth Triumph Classifieds 0
Jim_Stevens TR6 Barn find of TR6 and many TR3 parts Triumph 9
J For Sale 1958 TR3 Partout Triumph Classifieds 12
R For Sale TR3 Dash Triumph Classifieds 0
D TR2/3/3A Thread and size for tr3 fuel tank vapor line fitting Triumph 0
S TR2/3/3A Aluminum door capping for tr3 Triumph 12
tinman58 TR2/3/3A TR3 at Mammoth Lakes Triumph 4
G TR2/3/3A TR3 starter disassembly rebuild early M428G bomb Triumph 6
luke44 TR2/3/3A Calling all Wiring experts TR3 Overdrive Wiring ver A or ver B or are they the same? Triumph 8
A TR2/3/3A VERY wobbly TR3 - help needed!!!! Triumph 53
vpanza TR2/3/3A EARLY TR3 hubs for wire wheel????? Triumph 5
vpanza Wanted TR3 FRONT backplates needed Triumph Classifieds 2
mctriumph For Sale Cluster gears Tr3 Triumph Classifieds 0
T TR2/3/3A TR3 pistons and liners Triumph 14
jfarris Wanted TR3 Luggage Rack Turnbuckles Triumph Classifieds 0
K TR2/3/3A Further question re TR3 red ignition light. Triumph 1
G For Sale 1960 TR3 A Triumph Classifieds 0
S TR2/3/3A Tr3 pics. Triumph 8
P TR2/3/3A TR3 Clutch Bleeding Problem Triumph 10
Joel Lester TR2/3/3A Finished my TR3! Thanks to you guys... check it out! Triumph 22
Bocaray TR2/3/3A TR3 Wheel Lug Nuts Size? Triumph 2
jfarris For Sale TR3 Stock Fan used (1956) Triumph Classifieds 0
jfarris For Sale TR3 Rear Sway Bar Triumph Classifieds 0
jfarris For Sale TR3 Speedometer SOLD Triumph Classifieds 3
S TR2/3/3A My tr3 was stuck in reverse after a short drive Triumph 3
G For Sale NEW PHOTOS: Triumph TR3 Chassis Frame + Front Suspension, Fits TR2,TR3,TR3A,TR3B Triumph Classifieds 1
luke44 TR2/3/3A TR3 not engaging 2nd gear Triumph 24
R TR2/3/3A TR3 Wiper motor Triumph 10
H For Sale TR3 RHD tonneau cover nee Triumph Classifieds 0
J TR2/3/3A TR3 Soft top speed limit? Triumph 9
5 TR2/3/3A TR3 fender patch panel question Triumph 10

Similar threads

Top