Had a prob with my starter this morning,it wouldn`t engage,so like a numpty i put a spanner on the cam sprocket,and moved it back and forth in gear to try and free it off. Got the wife to bring me a big hammer as i was only down the road,tapped starter a couple of times and it then started fine. It is now running really bad,thought i may have moved the belt a couple of teeth,but just been and checked the timing,and all marks line up,nuimber 1 at tdc,dizzy at number 1,both int shaft and crank marks line up,been from one end of the vernier to the other,with no noticeable difference,won`t idle ,and is running quite poor. What the hell is wrong,if i put my finger over the breather on top of rocker,it really sucks it,and then starts making a screeching noise and dies ? It`s a dx,with a kent gs2h on,running k-jet
Had another think,my vernier was right at one end of it`s adjustment,so in theory i could only advance it more.so making it run even worse. Think i am going to take the belt off tomorrow,and centre the vernier,so i have adjustment both ways. Would it suck in air like this if it was timed up wrong ? Or am i looking at bent or sticky valve ?
sounds like its time to whip off the rocker cover and check for damage. Try and bring the engine round to TDC ..... with a spanner on the crank pulley ! Keep a good eye on the valve gear whilst you're turning. Could be an idea to take all the plugs out that way the engine should turn free so if there is mechanical damage it'll be easy to feel. If you manage to get the crank round to TDC then check the marks line up on the intermediate and cam pulleys. I believe the DX engine is a non-interference engine so you might be lucky. Steve
just another thought here..... is the vernier keyed to the cam ? If not it could be you've turned the cam and not the pulley S
Yeah there is a woodruf key,i took the rocker cover off,couldn`t see any damage. Does the kent cam not make it an interference engine though ? When i turn the engine over by hand,i can hear it sucking and wheezing... And typically i have sold the spare dx head i had,as i now have the 9a to build,might end up regretting that
must admit things don't sound healthy. Maybe time to drop out the oil and see if there are any lumps in there, with the plugs out you can see the pistons @ TDC through the plug holes, maybe you can actually see some damage in there. Reading back through your early posts..... it sounds like your original problem could very well have been a mechanical failure of some sorts thus preventing the starter turning it. If you say all the timing marks line up then why should rocking on the cam pulley have had such a major effect ...... although we all know you shouldn't do it !! keep us posted Steve
Cheers for the help peeps,need to get me a vac gauge really,Would it not suck on the out stroke,and blow on the in stroke if the timing was out ? Had reply from Mikeh on roc register,thinks it might have been running lean,plugs were quite pale. I have been taking advantage of the dry weather,and country lanes,it`s been driven quite hard , Yeah i am kicking myself for doing that,with the cam,idiot !
sounds a bit of a long shot...... try this..... with the plugs out turn the engine and put your thumb over each plug hole one at a time. You should feel the pressure rising as the piston approaches TDC, if you don't then the problem will be related to that cylinder..... valves, piston etc.... Back to the oil pump theory. If the oil was so low then you'd be getting pressure alarms, dip the oil and see. Steve
The plastic dip stick tube is bust,and might be giving a false reading,was only replaced a few months ago.going to try and check it when the rain stops,have had the plugs out,and looked into the bores with a torch,couldn`t see any thing that worried me,i need something with a flexible neck,with a single led,think i might have something somewhere.....
Right i had a flexible usb light thing,which was butchered to check inside the bores,number 2 and 3 were both quite manky,sludgy deposits on piston crown,could it be a head gasket faliure,mate still not over with comp tester yet ?
could easy explain the sucking if the head gasket has gone. It could be allowing one of the cylinders to suck air in via one of the oil drain gallery's this will also account for the soup on the pistons. Compression test will show for sure. S
Right i did the compression test 1 was at 120 psi 2 was at 110 psi 3 was at 120 psi 4 was at 150 psi Not sure what to make of that,test was done dry,with throttle closed Going to do a wet test,with full throttle ? is that right,splash of oil in the bore,throttle open full crank for say 5 turns ?
Right i have been out and done another compression test,dry full throttle crank until gauge stops rising,which happened on 5 turns for each cylinder. 1) 8 bar on the nose 2) 8 bar on the nose 3) 7 bar on the nose 4)10 bar on the nose Not sure what to make of it really,is it possible that i have a sticky exhaust valve on number 4 ? Or a breached h/gasket....
4 is the good one - I'd suspect the gasket. Are you losing any oil or water? What were the plugs like when you took them out? There's probably too much compression there to be valve damage - maybe a sticky valve, but 3 cylinders at once is unlikely. Has it been overheated at all?
Nope not overheated,it did it Thursday morning,went to a job a mile from home,2 hrs later got in and it wouldn`t turn over,as it just clicked,so tapped the starter with a rubber mallet,it started ok but it ran rough,got home and looked under bonnet,with it running,went to empty my catch tank,and that`s when i noticed it sucking in through the breather. Not used it since,was no coolant loss,no oil in coolant,and no water in the oil,no sludge to speak of in rocker cover,if anything plugs are slightly light,but had them looked at and confirmed it was running fine,slight sludge on piston crown 2 and 3,1 and 4 were clean for an engine with this mileage. Think it must be a gasket,i have a mate with some valves i can have if need be,going to put a new gasket on and,possibly get the head refaced,no point spending money on it,as it will be scrap in a couple of months ,i hope
Sounds like you need to take the head off for a look... although I always have the nagging doubt that I've missed something when I start on that job
Yes,going to take the filter off,and look all through the air / intake system,check i have not sucked anything up there,would have thought the intake pipes would show signs though,like being sucked inwards or something. See what transpires,will keep the post updated,as i have asked a lot of people ,and they all said it`s a weird one,saying that though,i managed to blow a head gasket on an old mini,in the car park at work in reverse
Because i am an idiot !! [:^(] Don`t think it has had an effect on the gasket though really,timing was all still lined up,or i stretched the belt ! Was pushing and pulling the car at the same time i was moving the belt,so it`s not like the belt was taking the full force .
