Heya guys,

I'm not that good with engines.

I'm hoping someone with more knowledge than me can help with an engine diagnosis problem I am having.

Bit of history: I recently purchased a 1200 ute with an A14 in it. I was hoping for a driving rebuild/project with this car but ran into issues the day I got it

One problem I was having was a flat spot when you depressed the accelerator so I took a look at the plunger and noticed it was worn, so I put a kit through the carby (standard carby). Taking the carby off I noticed that the choke (manual) was set to have the butterfly close…engaged all the time. Then I noticed that the throttle screw was out 7 full turns from seated. Got to thinking that was a whole heap of fuel going into the engine with minimal air just to drive it.

So while the carby was off, I decided to do a compression test and found that the #4 cylinder was lower than the rest. #1 – 155psi, #2 - 155psi, #3 – 150psi, #4 – 130psi. It was low but I figured that it was still ok to run.

I checked the static (no light yet, need to get one) ignition timing and it was like 15-18deg in advance… I put it back to factory ~8deg.

So I bolt on the carby and turn it over, it fires but now it is coughing big time with the dreaded bluish smoke. It does sound like it is running on 3 cylinders. Checked spark was getting to the plugs, plugs are sparking, cleaned and gap set.

I am at a loss,
1st: why is it now blowing smoke and farting like a howitzer when it wasn’t previous?
2nd: What could have been behind the thinking of so much fuel going in earlier?
3rd: Why so much advance in the ignition timing?

Can someone please point me in the right direction with this, I don’t have a great knowledge working with engines. I am resigned at this point to do a rebuild on this car, I haven’t even put 20km on it. Not that I payed much, but still.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Clay

many folks put the ignition timing up there. It is not spec, but may run OK.


The carburetor sounds like it was messed with. Probably no thinking went into , just someone twidling the screws.


Why is it blowing blue smoke? Because oil is in the cylinder. Rings or (more likely) valve guides are worn. If it clears up a few minutes after starting it is probably worn valve guide which cause oil to burn when you start it.

The blue/oil smoke shouldn't affect how it runs. I ran a very smokey A12 for a few years. Ran sweet as a nut but just had to keep an eye on the oil level. Likewise I doubt the lower comp on the one cylinder would make a noticeable difference, at least just in a light run/warm up etc. Static advance of 8-10 should be good.

I'm with DD - I say someone's messed with the carb. Did you sort the choke butterfly issue or is it still closed?

Assuming you've re-assembled the carb correctly and its a standard A series downdraft carb, and so long as it's complete (eg not missing a jet) the only adjustment is idle speed and idle/low speed mixture.

Does it have the inlet manifold type with the rubber airtube that runs to the aircleaner? If it does but it wasn't reconnected, it would run rough.

Thanks heaps Fandatstick and ddgonzal for you replys.

I did re-assemble the carb myself, so I could have stuffed it up. I might take the carby of and look to see where I went wrong. Other than that I guess a new carb might be in order as this one is showing signs of age (as in pitting).

I opened the choke out and set it as per standard.

The inlet manifold does have a rubber hose that runs to the back of the engine, but that is it. It is about a 20mm hose. I'll have to double check this when I get home.

Thanks again guys, really appreciate it.

Clay