There was a known fault with the distributors, under the plastic cover, under the rotor arm is a cross shaped thing, these have been known to slip on the shaft... Speak to Roy, knows more about this fault than I do...
I have cleaned and dried the distributor and cap. I can get the engine to run on 3 cylinders but get an occasional back fire.
I suspect that the number 2 plug is fouled because the valve seal is worn.
I have new seals, but no way of replacing them.
I Will try to get instructions from Roy, since there was a post about replacing them and a tool to do the job.
Hello Jon,
If it is misfiring on one cylinder, and the distributor and H.T.Leads seem fine, then when you remove the plugs they should indicate where the fault lies. Normally all the plugs would look the same, but when one cylinder is misfiring, the plug from that cylinder will be different and its condition should indicate the type of problem. Black and wet would indicate excess fuel or oil. Excess fuel will smell of fuel whilst oil will be thicker and feel oily. If it is dry and clean it could be no fuel is getting there at all.
I can't remember, are you using twin side-draught carbs. (what type), or the single down-draught Solex carb?
If you were using a single down-draught carb. it would be almost impossible to have no fuel to only one cylinder, but obviously with twin side-draught carbs. giving one venturi per cylinder it is possible.
You say one week it was running fine, the next it was poor. Has it remained poor since, or has it gone back to being good (I ask as if it is the latter, that would indicate an intermittent fault).
Since your other post on the valve seals shows you had some of those valve seals with the white centre sleeve, are they fitted at present? If you have them on the engine, I might suspect a seal has failed.
Roy