hc emissions failed, couple of other mot bits ..

[xpress]

i am sure ian is a top bloke and great at what he does. but let's stop and think about one thing, how can anyone possibly know for sure what it is unless you can see the vehicle yourself? my personal opinion, if it's the hose then i will eat one of them. i put my money on the carb now, but that's my opinion and i share it with waltraud. i am getting ready to get a carb kit and just get stuck in.

i am not beyond help, i have worked on many cars, old and new, and i get there in the end. i felt a bit down after today, the engine is old and i came back in and my clothes smelled from the rich mixture. i felt bad also because there was some sort of steam coming up from under the manifold and a coolant smell, might be the water jackets? i think a lot of things are tired and need replacing, possibly an engine out job, and read compression levels. i will do it because i like doing this stuff for fun. i have to realise it's an old van, an ongoing project and it's not all going to be put right overnight.

seriously, thanks to everyone if you have spent more than 2 seconds thinking about my van and helping me, it's very appreciated!

[toomanytoys]

Carb "gaskets" wont cure it if its at fault.. there is little info on rebuilding the carb for some strange reason.. so you need to understand how it works before trying to rebiuld correctly.. the kit comes with some parts that quite frankly very few people will know where they go.. and are quite critical..

oil around the carb is normal on an old one.. this is from the crankcase breather.. the small plenum on top of the carb is likely plastered in oil inside, as the top of the carb will be.. I would say that poss the engine is "breathing" a bit and this could affect the HC results too..

Trying to tackle some problems by trying to "fix" 10 different things at the same tim eisnt helping you.. back to basics.. full service, clean/replace any items that look worn or plainly crudded up, time correctly, check all vac hoses connected and in good order if the carb cannot be adjusted to give the right results then its a dissmantle clean and reassemble job with new seal and gaskets taking care to make sure all components are working to spec and set to spec..

[Nicola&Tony]

. . . but let's stop and think about one thing, how can anyone possibly know for sure what it is unless you can see the vehicle yourself? . . .

So why bother coming online and asking for help? Sounds like you're determined to go your own way regardless of the advice that is being offered.

As others have said, you could make like easier for yourself if you adopted a more systematic approach and started with the easy stuff first. Our carb looks like yours (we have the same engine), covered in oil, and the van runs very nicely with it like that.

Tony

[mike_gee32]

I know I'm coming in a bit late on this but I have to agree with the last few posters there has been some good advice given. Think about it you've got an early engine there so it's at least 25 years old and I doubt that every pipe and hose has been replaced. I'd be replacing every bit of pipework that is available it won't cost much and then you will know they will be good for another 10 years at least. I've had two 1983 vans and both of them had porous brake servo hoses and perished vacuum hoses, even though they looked ok changing them really smoothed out the idle and improved pick up.

Also looking at the pics of your engine you should have vacuum hoses attached to the top of the air box, one comes from the back of the carb the other goes to the adapter on the intake pipe before the filter, put new ones on because I guarantee the rubber ends will be perished under the overbraid. Don't worry about the hot air pipes (the corrugated paper ones coming from the airbox to the exhaust) they are only needed for cold starting in extreme temps, I've not had them fitted for 8 years or so and the vans never failed to start or run properly on choke.

Last thing, and probably the most important, change your fuel lines even if they look ok you don't want to risk an engine fire. Even if they have been replaced recently get rid of the nasty jubilee clip on the fuel pump to carb pipe and replace it with a proper fuel line clamp, jubilee clips at that size don't tighten up evenly and you have a very high chance of splitting the hose, that one looks to have been a couple of sizes too big as well.

Good luck with getting everything sorted, it will be worth it when you've got a fresh MOT and you're back on the road.

[peteabbott]

Plod on mate, keep going and when you get to know your van intimately after you have tinkered with everything you,ll gain confidence in her.
We all started somewhere and at the moment you, understandably, sound a tad frustrated..........chin up eh. Good luck.

[xpress]

hi there, thanks for your inputs, much appreciated. all good advice.

ok i took a look at the front ns brake hose and it's no different from the offside front, and doesn't look bad at all.

no bulging, no cracks when flexed, doesn't appear any different in terms of wear to the offside front one that passed. does anyone have anything to add on this one?

everything else is more or less done, the emissions should improve a bit with a run and now with a new cap and rotor arm, plugs and leads. i can always ride the mixture screw a bit as well. and might gap the plugs a tiny bit more too.

[Ian Hulley]

ok i took a look at the front ns brake hose and it's no different from the offside front, and doesn't look bad at all.

no bulging, no cracks when flexed, doesn't appear any different in terms of wear to the offside front one that passed. does anyone have anything to add on this one?

Change it, the MOT man know's best, you obviously don't. You can quote chapter and verse at an MOT tester and all he'll do is find more wrong, in his PROFESSIONAL opion it's NOT safe. He's trying to look after you and those around you.

[xpress]

you're right ian, i obviously know nothing about anything.

[fullsunian]

Looking through from the start of this thread you don't tell us why this flexi brake hose failed. Your Mot tester must have had a good reason and for the price of a new one just change it. You then know its safe. Lets put it another way...what would have happened if your tester had missed the failed/faulty brake hose?...
IAN

[CovKid]

I've had a few occasions when I know the tester has simply got it wrong (including marking down corroded brake pipes that were old discontinued lines, failing a beetle for 'worn anti-roll bar bushes' when it was in fact a Z-bar and only fitted to some models - he wouldn't even accept me removing it - grrr), but from experience, in the end its cheaper to say nothing and just replace or show evidence of work to get it through.

[xpress]

ben outside on the van, decided to try and change the hose anyway, the nut had a tendency to want to burr off, tried heat, do these clips just prize off with a screwdriver? anyhow, i tried to undo the hose from the union because i suspect the union has seized onto the pipe. the hose is not off the van yet, i am taking it carefully. tried plusgas a few times, more heat, not moving. maybe i should head it up for longer unti it glows a bit red. went back to the next union, not budging. i swear this is why god invented grease. some people don't use it.

secondly more importantly, i can see a needle type screw protruding from the carb as you look into the engine bay from the back. what's this screw and is the mixture screw supposed to be on the right of it or the left because i can't see it. i have a pierburg 23 (3) i think. i am trying to sort out the emissions.

[kevtherev]

thats the idle speed screw
emissions needs a gas anylizer

[xpress]

there's two screws tho right? where's the mixture screw, to the left or the right of the idle speed screw? i am going to put an inductive pickup on an ht lead when engine warmed up and get the revs to about 900rpm i have a co2 analyser. what should it be reading?

[toomanytoys]

CO screw is accessed from the right side of the carb as you are stood at the back of the van..

You have a Haynes manual?? it IS in there... (less than 4.5% IIRC prob 1-2.5%)

As for the reading on the CO meter... Again what you need to get to IS in there and hopefully you have the instructions for the CO meter too... If its the gunsons one it needs a good long warm up time on a nice flat surface and not to be moved AT ALL while setting the base setting..

[toomanytoys]

what was I saying

ah heat on the brake lines... you want to be very carefull... lots of heat means FIRE.. brake fluid doent like flames and heat....