Could really use some encouraging words and advice....

[81AirCooled]

I'm becoming increasingly frustrated with the van, it's like 1 step forward 3 steps back at the moment. Funds have pretty much dried up and I'm working on the thing all day every Saturday only for another problem to worsen or crop up.

Yesterday I did the pushrod tube seals on one side which I think has cured the oil leak on that side, I also plugged a couple of holes in the exhaust in the hope of clearing up a misfire or backfire issues when slowing/braking. Well today I changed all the thin vacuum hoses in order to fix a suspected air leak as the van cuts out at junctions when I leave it in D and occasionaly in N (automatic). I took it for a 15 minute spin and there was no real improvment, the van still misfired and still wanted to cut out when stopping.

I then put some Liqui Moly carb cleaner in the petrol as advised on the bottle and took it out for another 20 minute drive. I barely made it home. It ran ok but started misfiring after about 5 minutes but after about 15 minutes it started cutting out as soon as I started slowing. Once I restarted I could hear a sound a bit like a rattle snake coming from the engine every time I took my foot off the gas. It doesn't sound like a metalic rattle, sorry but it's really hard to describe. Then afterwards it just kept cutting out as soon as I braked.

What I don't understand is how it can go from a relative minor problem to being undrivable simply bay adding carb cleaner? Could it really have that affect?

I also paid more attention to the sqealling brake problem, after the drive I noticed the left front wheel was a little warm to the touch, while the other 3 were cold, so I've got pads a possible a disc to replace. What can cause brakes to stick on or is it not that bad yet?

I also noticed a junction at the air filter box near the vacuum unit which looks like it has a hose missing, is this right and if so where does the hose go?

Sorry for another essay but I'm at my wits end

[dugcati]

I think that pipe outlet should connect onto the carb balance pipe that goes across the back of the engine (could be wrong though!...)

[BOXY]

On my van that outlet on the airbox is connected to a plain piece of pipe that exits through the tinware into fresh air. I've always assumed its a vent but I haven't got a vacuum dizzie on my van.

[MrMagoo]

On my van that outlet on the airbox is connected to a plain piece of pipe that exits through the tinware into fresh air. I've always assumed its a vent but I haven't got a vacuum dizzie on my van.

Mine is the same as yours.

[meehaja]

mine is like that, doesn't go anywhere...I think it supposed to be like that, or as suggested above, lead to fresh air? What you are describing sounds like problems I've had, whereby the engine would cut out unless i revved it a lot. This was rectified by plugging an air leak, which in this case was at the hose form the left carb to the servo (the one that exits from the left of the carb and leaves the engine bay at the back low down in the left corner.)

I also had a problem with backfiring, which seems to have been solved now. I couldn't tell you if any of the following affected it, but it seems to be rectified now... I had fitted an air hose to the vacuum unit (a big one, going to fresh air, at the right vent like in the top right of your pic) this was the only change I'd made prior to the backfiring, so i felt this was a likely culprit even if I didn't understand how, perhaps it was kinked and limiting air entry?

I also found the HT lead from the coil to the distributer was quite short, and therefore quite tight, often the plug at the coil end was quite loose. I reattached that and it seemed to start a whole lot better!

I also cleaned all the connecters in the plug that would be plugged into the idle stabiliser unit as one of these had become corroded and delayed us by 2 hours on the way to Glastonbury.

Hope some of this helps, stick with it you'll find the answer and feel great when you do!

[BOXY]

I've had a look back through your other posts and I think your problem is caused by a weak mixture which it causing overheating? I think the best solution is to check everything you can both fuel & ignition until you find the cause.

Did you replace the fuel filter under the van? Did you find an air leak on the carbs?

Try taking out a couple of spark plugs and see if their condition gives you any clues as to how the engine has been running. Are the plugs the right ones? If you can borrow a compression tester check that at the same time.

If you've got a timing light check where the ignition mark is at idle and 3000 rpm.

The rattling noise could be pinking. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_knocking or it could be the tappets resetting if you've had them apart but normally the rattling would be there as soon as you started up?

[PetenAli]

[

I also paid more attention to the sqealling brake problem, after the drive I noticed the left front wheel was a little warm to the touch, while the other 3 were cold, so I've got pads a possible a disc to replace. What can cause brakes to stick on or is it not that bad yet?

I also noticed a junction at the air filter box near the vacuum unit which looks like it has a hose missing, is this right and if so where does the hose go?

Sorry for another essay but I'm at my wits end [/quote]

Is your brake problem down to a siezed piston in the caliper?? I've had this happen in previous T25s I've owned

[81AirCooled]

Thanks for the tips. I'm still wondering if the carb cleaner has made any possible carb air leak worse but maybe it's just a hose come after the work I did on it yesterday. I really didn't feel like looking again last night after that nightmare drive. I'll have a couple of hours time tomorrow morning to look change the fuel filter and check the vacuum hoses again.

Brakes are a worry and something I'll have to do in a week or two. Is this stuff an absolute novice can do or do I need outside/workshop help?

[pionte]

Brakes are a worry and something I'll have to do in a week or two. Is this stuff an absolute novice can do or do I need outside/workshop help?

It sounds like a partially seized/binding calliper, Its not too complicated to remove, strip and clean and replace any worn parts...... but unless you have a good understanding on how the brakes work and what you have to do to bleed them after the fix then I would take to a garage and pay someone to do the work for you, im guessing that a new calliper would be around £60-£70 and maybe 1.5 hrs labour charge, so £200 tops .... a lot of money but worth it, I am all for people having a go at fixing things on their vans, ( most stuff is pretty basic ) but brakes and steering are things that if you get it wrong very nasty things can happen !

Martin.

[81AirCooled]

Thanks Martin. I'm not worried about changing the pads but if there's something causing them to bind and I need to bleed the system I'd better bring it to a garage as I'm really a novice. I've only done my first oil change last week and now the pushrod tubes and that's the extent of my knowledge

[BOXY]

I agree with pionte if you haven't worked on the brakes before it might be better to let a garage do the work. If you try it yourself and something breaks then driving the van anywhere to get it fixed might be impossible. Snapping a bleed nipple off can really ruin you day. The problem might not be too serious anyway? When you're driving find a quiet, straight stretch of road and at about 20mph gently loosen your grip on the steering wheel. If the brake is binding badly the van will get pulled in the direction of the sticking caliper. If the van stays straight try gently pushing the brake but be ready to grab the steering wheel in case the brake suddenly grabs. It might do this if the disc is cracked or warped. Depending on how severely or not the van pulls to one side and when will give you an idea of how much the brake is binding. If you don't fancy a rolling brake test, just jack up the suspect wheel and try turning it by hand to see if it turns. If you can turn it by hand, pump the brake pedal a few times and try turning it again. If it locks then you know the caliper isn't releasing properly, leave it a few minutes and try turning it again. If it stays locked then the caliper needs to be looked at. If you can turn the wheel after a few minutes the caliper is just being slow to release. It might just need a clean up an dab of lubrication on the piston, and maybe new pads if they've gotten worn down or glazed. I've got a motorbike that I only use every few months. Every time I first use it the front brake (twin disc) drags so much the bike is difficult to push. Normally after a few miles and a couple of deliberately heavy stops the calipers free up. If they don't, I wind the pistons in with a g-clamp, dab some copper grease around the lip, and pump the pistons back out a few times.

If the van stops in a straight line and doesn't need the length of a runway to actually come to a halt you might find the caliper frees up on its own.

[81AirCooled]

I've had a look back through your other posts and I think your problem is caused by a weak mixture which it causing overheating? I think the best solution is to check everything you can both fuel & ignition until you find the cause.

Did you replace the fuel filter under the van? Did you find an air leak on the carbs?

Try taking out a couple of spark plugs and see if their condition gives you any clues as to how the engine has been running. Are the plugs the right ones? If you can borrow a compression tester check that at the same time.

If you've got a timing light check where the ignition mark is at idle and 3000 rpm.

The rattling noise could be pinking. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_knocking or it could be the tappets resetting if you've had them apart but normally the rattling would be there as soon as you started up?

Time was very limited yesterday so I only changed one spark and HT lead. The old spark was dry and had carbon residue exactly like the one in the Haynes describing too rich a mixture. I don't think there's an overheating issue, all the tinware is in place and I can still touch the dipstick without burning my pinkies, and the van ran fine (at least not worse) on the first testdrive after the change.

It only got really bad after I used carb cleaner and took it for another, slightly longer drive hours later. I still haven't sourced the air leak though, but when I place my hand below and to the left of the lefthand carb I can feel air blowing. What I can't tell is if this is coming from the carb itself or one of many nearby hoses

[81AirCooled]

Thanks for the tips on the brakes Boxy, I'll definately try that. Could be relatively minor but will give me some good pointers.

[BOXY]

Right air leak first. Try spraying soapy water around all the pipes and carbs joints with the engine running. As soon as the soap gets near the leak it will bubble up like spit. I can't think of what could be "blowing" air near your carb? Its not just the cooling air from the fan leaking out from the tinware or spark plug hole is it? I had a look at the video from your earlier posts and its hard to tell what the sound is, it sounds like its drawing air rather than blowing. The hose with the silver tape on, did you replace it. I know if you take that hose off the carb it makes a similar noise because it normally sucks air from the air box. Try spraying WD40 and listen to the engine note to find "sucky" leaks.

Backfire or misfire. I want to make sure we're using the same terms to describe whats happening to your engine. To me backfiring is a loud "BANG" normally accompanied by What the blithering heck! Misfiring is one or more of the pistons / plugs slacking off and not bothering to help turn the engine. Normally sounds like a cough or a hic-cup.

If its "banging" then a weak mixture and a blocked fuel filter could be the cause. If its coughing and losing power it could be a choke problem causing the engine to flood once it warms up. Your sooty spark plug points towards this but I never trust just one spark plug!

[81AirCooled]

Right air leak first. Try spraying soapy water around all the pipes and carbs joints with the engine running. As soon as the soap gets near the leak it will bubble up like spit. I can't think of what could be "blowing" air near your carb? Its not just the cooling air from the fan leaking out from the tinware or spark plug hole is it? I had a look at the video from your earlier posts and its hard to tell what the sound is, it sounds like its drawing air rather than blowing. The hose with the silver tape on, did you replace it. I know if you take that hose off the carb it makes a similar noise because it normally sucks air from the air box. Try spraying WD40 and listen to the engine note to find "sucky" leaks. Cheers, I'll definately check this in the morning. It's a strange one cause the hissing sound on the video sounds like an air leak but there's blowing down there. I haven't been able to replace the pipe yet but could just buy something similar to see if it inproves. The blowing will probably end up being from the tinware lol

Backfire or misfire. I want to make sure we're using the same terms to describe whats happening to your engine. To me backfiring is a loud "BANG" normally accompanied by What the blithering heck! Misfiring is one or more of the pistons / plugs slacking off and not bothering to help turn the engine. Normally sounds like a cough or a hic-cup. Definately misfiring then as it's like a popping sound, when slowing. Could still by my exhaust silencer causing the problem. I did fill a couple of holes but the seem isn't the best either so that'll need patching and the whole thing eventually replacing.

If its "banging" then a weak mixture and a blocked fuel filter could be the cause. If its coughing and losing power it could be a choke problem causing the engine to flood once it warms up. Your sooty spark plug points towards this but I never trust just one spark plug!

I wasn't losing power during the drive so I'l definately replace the fuel filter asap, hopefully tomorrow morning too.

Thanks Boxy, I've now got some thing to focus on the trace this bugger down