Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[klassicdave]

I've just been going through the last few things before MOT'ing my Prefect truck conversion. It hasn't been on the road since 1972, so I've had to do quite a bit of recommisioning of the running gear whilst also carrying out the bodywork changes.
Well finally today I got to drive the truck for some distance whilst checking out the effectiveness of the new brakes and found that under driving conditions, the engine started to play up. It idles unevenly and hunts a little and when going up through the gears it is reluctant to accelerate smoothly and sort of holds back on power. I can't think what it might be as I've cleaned out the carb and jets, checked the vacumm wiper pipes for deterioration. When I carried out the 12 volt conversion I fitted a new control box, new points and condensor, new rotor arm, cap and plugs.
One thing that I did notice when adjusting the timing for the hundreth time was that the cam gear in the distributor seems to have quite a bit of turn - is this normal on these cars?
Can anyone help me with this problem as I'm desperate to start enjoying the Prefect after all the work I've put into it.
Cheers
Dave

[victor 101]

Cam should have some movement but should be held in check by springs under the base plate, these are connected to weights that are thrown out at higher revs. When you twist the cam it should spring back.

[Rick]

has the engine been apart? Another thing, have you checked the compressions recently, for sticking valve(s) etc?

Rick
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[peter scott]

Sorry if this is a bit obvious but I wonder if your choke cable is adjusted correctly? It sounds rather like what happens when you try to run on a small amount of choke when warmed up. It's 40 years since I last drove 100E but am I right in thinking that the carb hisses if the choke is operating. So you may be able to check just by pulling out the chock and pushing it in again. The hissing should stop.

HTH

Peter
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[Rick]

When the carb was cleaned, did you remove the thin emulsion block off the side of the float chamber? perhaps something in there is blocked, or the gasket has broken down

R
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[klassicdave]

Hmm, certainly some good suggestions - thanks lads. I'll have to wait a few days before testing whats been mentioned as I'm waiting on a petrol pump repair kit to see if this might cure the problem. I've also removed the distributor to inspect the bob weight springs as the rotor cam doesn't seem to spring back when turned.

Rick, I did remove the emulsion block when I stripped the carb, but it was clear of debris. DOH !!!

[JR FLYWHEEL]

Hello Dave, Can i just chuck in my 2 penny worth. I did have some running problems with my 103 E 10hp pop. I found a couple of things that can get overlooked but are not always obvious when you get these sort of problems.

1 Take the carb float out and check to see if its punctured. (put in hot water) i used one of the wife's pyrex jugs. (not impressed) My float had a very slight leak on its seam so it was filling with petrol, and not butting up to the petrol valve and closing it off.

2 remove the distributor plate and check if the weights are moving freely, and are lubricated. This did make a great deal of difference with the running of my own cars engine.

As i mentioned these are just a couple of small things that i found helpful. I hope you get a result to your own problems soon. Please post again.

Regards to all on here.

Flywheel (John)

[buzzy bee]

Hi

The weights on the dizzy were ceased, well not ceased but sticky on Ernie once upon a time, lubricating/freeing them helped quite a bit. Worth checking.

Timing was a pain in the bum and never quite got it righ myself I don't think, so could it just be slightly advanced or retarded to much?

Cheers

Dave

[Nic Jarman]

Hunting is a classic symptom of running lean and so are the other problems you have reported. Whip your plugs out and check, if the plugs are OK then it is most likely a dizzy problem. Do the easy stuff first and work methodically and trust your results. My Midget had a vibration problem after a part rebuild, checked ignition timing 2 or 3 times, played with the carbs far too long then removed the fan belt, bingo, the fan was not seated properly. Good luck.

[klassicdave]

Thanks fellas for all your valuable input. I can't say for sure what actually cured it as I methodically went through every possible candidate and now its running fine at long last. PHEW.

I can finally drive my old jalopy and get some miles under those 'expensive' new crossplies I treated the car to.

Thanks again

Dave

[Jim.Walker]

A bit late this it seems, but it may be of help to others.

No one seems to have mentioned two very common problems with Prefects and some other similar Fords.
1. The vacuum reservoir tank for the wipers can rust through on the invisible underside. Even a small pinhole of rust has a significant effect and a bigger hole will stop the engine.
2. The Solex Carb. has an external air-bleed jet on the side, which is not protected by the air filter (if it has one). That commonly became (sometimes partly) blocked by dirt. When this happens the engine will generally tick-over, but needs 'help' from the choke knob to get the engine to rev.
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