Engine problems - help please.

[selimg]

My van has recently been giving me some hassle again at the worst possible time (when it's time to head down to Le Mans, get the MOT done and move all my stuff down from uni)

It started with it loosing power and refusing to idle a couple of weeks ago but that was fixed by turning in the idle screw a few turns. This resulted in it idling a bit higher than normal but it still ran.

Then when I replaced a push rod tube (with a telescopic one) it refused to start at all. Some playing around with the carb and it started up, idled (bit lumpy though) and could pick up the revs ok in neutral. I've replaced the dizzy cap, rotor arm and plugs and redid the timing but this didn't help.

When I replaced the push rod tube I tightened the rocker bolt as suggested by everyone on these forums (1.5 turns after just touching the tappet). It looked completely different to what it was before I undid it and I thought this was the cause of my lack of power; exhaust valve lift being too low so that cylinder can't breathe properly. So now it's been turned in about 2.5 turns and it feels a bit better however it still struggles to move along (tops at 50mph on the motorway, just) and going up ramps or any small incline is a chore.

I'm now stumped as what to try next and could really do with some advice. Thanks.

It's a 1.9 DG wbx with a Peirburg carb (that was refurbished last year).

[boardmonkey]

Hello,

I have had similar issues with my big arsed beastie...1.9 WBX DG with the same carbs..

Ive resorted to a garage for the timing / minor adjustments that it needs after a engine gasket replacement and rebuild as I dont have the knowledge or equipment to do the timing properly. Plus they can hook it up to check it out.

Got it booked in for Thursday...

Regards, Richard

[toomanytoys]

Mmmm... sounds like carb has water/crap in it... needs cleaning out.. check the fuel filter to see if it has loads of rubbish in it....

But pushrod doesnt sound good... hydraulic tappets only need 1/2 turn from just touching to work properly.. did you make sure the pushrod was correctly located in the follower?

Oh.. can you fill out your profile with a location, there may be a member/workshop that can help you...

Richard...
"Engine gasket/replacement" ??? Why?? please do not entrust this to a mechanic that is not familier with the engines.. when you start opening up the WBX, it usually turns into a much bigger job than expected... Most of the time its better and cheaper to get a rebuilt engine...

[selimg]

How will I know it's actually in the follower? Will it 'click' in or is it an interference fit? It has been a year since I last changed the fuel filter so I'll give that a look.

And the timing isn't that difficult to do, just follow the Haynes manual for your engine and see if you can borrow a timing gun off a mate. Or you should be able to find a decent one for fairly cheap, useful if you plan on working on a few vehicles.

A handy tip: once the timing is done and the pinch bolt is tightened to keep the dizzy in position use a bit of tipex to draw a line on the base of the dizzy and engine block. This way if the bolt comes loose and the dizzy moves you'll know what to roughly reset it to. Useful if you're on the side of the road with no timing instruments to hand.