SJ410 -1985 'Cabrio', engine rebuild

[binge]

It does indeed have a vacc. Noticed that today, so got it plugged in, and got it idling beautifully.

Had a good go over the electrics, managed to get everything working as it should, as there were all sorts of problems, such as when you pressed the horn, the High beam dummy light would come on in the clocks. Haha!

I started it up a few times over the course of the day, ran fine each time, but still no power really.
Then it just cut out, and I couldn't get it going again. Pulled one of the vac hoses off, and petrol poured out of it, so I think I must have pipes on wrong still.

On the carb, there is, I believe, a fuel regulator (Vac operated). It has 2 take offs on it, when you suck on the top one, it 'pops' inside. The bottom one however, 'pops' when you blow into it. Not sure where that wants plugging into? As when I give it a vacuum, it pumps petrol out of it, and into the inlet, flooding the engine.

Nightmare this is! Should NOT have taken the pipes off last month. :(

[binge]

Got it running today. Took it for a rip up the street, seems okay.
Need to make up a shim/plate now, to sit between the carb and manifold as ideally it needs to be sitting flat, like it was in the Swift.

[binge]

All sorted, took it for a proper drive today. She bloody rips!

I have ordered a new radiator and some silicone flexi hosing, so once that's all fitted, I can get it up to BD engineering for setting up on a dyno with the snorkel and exhaust system fitted.


And after that, It's off out to go head to head with my mate Bobb's Vitara! I have a feeling the SJ will take it to the cleaners. It's impressively fast with the Swift GS lump fitted.

[binge]

Went for a very short drive today. Still couldn't go very far as once it is fully up to temp, it boils over as I have to leave the rad cap off (Hole in top of rad).

Re-located my rear shocks as they were bottoming out. Once I get new rear springs, I can move the shocks back out, but for now, they are gonna have to stay at the silly angle.

Bolted my ammo box back into the rear for tools and jack.

Gave it a quick vac inside as it was minging. Siliconed up all the remaining holes in the bulkhead and around the roof/rear.

Remaining jobs to do:

Finish the exhaust system
Fit a snorkel
Fit new rad and hoses
Take to BD Engineering for RR'ing and setting up

[binge]

I drove the anus 30 miles today, and it was good as gold!

Does a steady 55mph in 5th (Very noisy 5th may I add, think the gearbox is on it's way out, DOH!)
Will thrash to about 65/70mph.
Will sit comfortably at 50mph though. Well, it WOULD...

Swapped all my pipe work over this evening to blue silicone hoses.
There must have been a blockage in one of the old black hoses which came from the inlet, and went to the T piece, for the fuel reg, and dizzy advance.
As once I connected the new blue hoses, it was detonating excessively, so timing was far too advanced once the vac worked on it.
So I backed off the Dizzy to where it was originally in the Swift.
And now it runs like pig sh*t. :(

Gutted!


So im in two minds now, whether to just blank off the vac hose, and bang the dizzy forward again, so it runs smoothly. Or not go out in it this weekend. Booo!

The strange thing is, the vac for the fuel regulator cant have been working either, no idea how it was was running? Strange.


Took it off road too, on the way home from work. Very good, apart from a nasty knock from the rear end. I think having the shocks at that silly angle isnt doing them any favors. It's not bottoming out. Defo need a new pair of rear springs.

[Rhinoman]

Check that the distributor is advancing correctly, if you have the vacuum hooked up wrong it could be retarding.

[binge]

From what I understand, at full revs, it will go back to standard timing, it only advances at low to medium revs. I'm sure that's how it works?

And it's bogging down at full revs. Low to med revs it's perfect.

There is only 1 vac-advance unit on the dizzy, not sure how I could set it up wrong? Very strange.


Think I am going to just disconnect the vac, and whack the advance back up a bit, ran like a little rocket this morning. Pain in the arse car!

[twiss]

Thats how a mini works.... they have full advance at idle which drops off as the throttle opens
Zooki engines seem to mostly be the other way around. They have no vac advance at idle and full at wide open throttle

Hold you finger over the dizzy end of the advance hose at idle, if theres a lot of suction, its wrong!
Should be basically nothing at idle and a lot of suction at WOT

[binge]

Not sure where the vac take off needs to come from then. There are a few valves on the manifold, recon one of those could be for reversing the vac?

[binge]

Oh, and as for the rear knocking noise, I found it today.

I lifted a rear wheel up with an engine crane (very impressed with the front flex from the RUF)

Fecking calipers on the rear are touching the bump stop brackets! DOH!

So I unbolted the conversion brackets, and rotated them backwards, so the calipers are no longer at the top, they are at the rear.

Now I know why I lost brake pedal after going off road. The calipers were being pushed outwards retracing the pistons.