Vin 2862

[Nick H]

Further to my last post. Thanks to a couple of people sending me distributor pics showing 
the advance weights and spring. It appears that this is the correct set up and nothing is missing.
 This is good news as a new Distributor is big bucks. I did find a very similar unit on a well known auction site NOS Peugeot. 
Bosch Classic division helped with the vacuum advance unit. The Bosch part
Number is 1 237 122 299. However they don’t have any.
So I bit the bullet and ordered a new one from a vendor.
As well as the old unit not working it had also created a massive vacuum leak through 
the holed diaphragm.

Nick H

[mknowlton]

Glad you got it sorted

Which vendor did you manage to get it from?

[Nick H]

(25 May 2018, 22:20)mknowlton Wrote: Glad you got it sorted

Which vendor did you manage to get it from?

DeLorean Go, always had great service and they beat everyone else on Delivery time.

However if you not in a rush you could check out Special T. who have it for a very good price. Just for fairness I have always had great service from them also.

Bosch recommended these guys may have a stash http://www.deloman.de/ 

Rebuilt everything last night. Put a new cap and rotor arm on while I was in there.
Had my 9 year old helping with the timing light.    
Runs fine now, but the real test is to take it for a run and see what it’s like under load.
Strangely the vacuum advance unit was bent/damaged compared to the new one. So potentially it’s never been 100% since I have owned the car, which is 19 years!


Last time I had the Distributor out was doing the headgaskets and timing chains a round 2005. Unless you have a new one to compare or are a familiar with the vacuum advance unit you would not notice.

Nick H

[Nick H]

Since my last post I cleaned the CPR screens, cleaned idle motor and pulled the spark plugs.
From the spark plugs it was obvious the engine has been running lean. Makes sense as it’s had the massive vacuum leak though the advance unit diaphragm.
I then disconnected the O2 sensor and gave the mixture a tweak.  Didn’t bother with my CO meter at this time. Got the engine hot and then tweaked the CO replacing the bung after each movement and leaving for a minute to stabilise.

Got it the point that once the O2 sensor was plugged back in the engine did not hunt. Then added aircon load and it would hunt. Tweaked the CO until it has a very slight hunt at idle with air con or electrical load such as headlights. I think a Dwell meter might help to get this absolutely spot on.

However the proof was in the test drive. Took Chris P’s advice and gave it a “Italian tune”. Dumped some Redex injector cleaner in the tank and loaded the Scorpions on the Stereo .
What a revelation! Revs to 6000 very happily no more dead spots or stumbling/surging under load.
Identical with Aircon on which I’m very happy about. Slight idle hunt with aircon on, 50 to 100 rpm movement. Increases a little more if you add electrical load such as fan speed 4 or headlights.

I’d be interested to know how others cars behave in this situation?

Generally 99% better than it was

Nick H

[Chris Williams]

Quote:I’d be interested to know how others cars behave in this situation?

Certainly mine does with large electrical loads, however I have 'cured' this to a great extent by fitting these: http://www.deloreanindustries.com/11-hig...d-upgrade/ though others are available!
Chris

[Nick H]

(01 Jun 2018, 07:42)Chris Williams Wrote:

Quote:I’d be interested to know how others cars behave in this situation?

Certainly mine does with large electrical loads, however I have 'cured' this to a great extent by fitting these: http://www.deloreanindustries.com/11-hig...d-upgrade/ though others are available!
Chris

Cheers Chris, I fitted DMCH new style modern fans last year. It makes a massive difference to the electrical load.

I picked up a dwell meter on Ebay the other night so when it arrives. I’ll check out the mixture again.


 First off I want to run through the throttle spool set up to make sure that’s 100% correct. 

The basic issue is that my car has been played around with by P.O.s who messed with things without having access to the factory manual.  

I replaced the vacuum solenoid last year as one of the electrical connections had broken. I reckon this was shot and not opening since I owned the car. Then when I fitted the new one it allowed vacuum to the Distributor where the advance unit was knackered then allowing a huge vacuum leak as well.

At least I’m making progress and the cars a whole lot better than it was

Nick H

[Chris P]

I might consider these new fans, as I'm still running my originals on DeLores, but then again,  having just MOT'd it again yesterday, I realised I had only done 1,200 in the last 12 months.....(now up to 11.5K)   

It made me think of when I was chatting to an auto-electrician about DeLorean alternators.  I said "Japanese cars don't seem to suffer from  'low voltages' drama.....so I should probably look at getting a 'high out-put' Japanese alternator".   He said "there is no such thing...they have just made the whole electrical system so much more efficient  and have smaller one's than ever."  .


I'm out with it on Sunday to Wollerton Park in Nottingham and a charity do at Critch and Nottingham on Monday.

[Nick H]

My eBay Dwell meter arrived. Interestingly it appeared to show that the Lambda/O2 sensor is faulty. 
I set the base fuelling to 1.5% CO with my CO meter(Lambda disconnected).

 I picked up a new O2 sensor today. Fitted it tonight (reset the counter as well) and the Dwell meter started giving sensible readings.

Tweaked the CO with the Dwell meter and now loading up the engine with electrical load has hardly any effect on idle. 
Definitely no hunting. 

Hopefully this has sorted the problem, fingers crossed  .

Nick H

[Nick H]

Just a little update. Got the chance to give the car a good run the other evening.
Problem appears to be fixed  .
No stutter with air con on or off. Looks like it was a multiple fault the last
part being the o2 sensor.
I’m going to put new Bosch spark plugs in as a precaution. The old ones have been
in there awhile.

Nick H

[Chris P]

I remember having a lecture from Dave Howarth about spark plugs....It has to be the very exact spec. Is it HS/ Silver? ? I can't remember!

Dave says he knows of numerous folk who have a car that ran OK and then they  changed their plugs for a very SIMLAR ones, with disastrous change of performance within a short period of time . ...just a thought....

[Nick H]

(15 Jun 2018, 19:06)Chris P Wrote: I remember having a lecture from Dave Howarth about spark plugs....It has to be the very exact spec. Is it HS/ Silver? ? I can't remember!

Dave says he knows of numerous folk who have a car that ran OK and then they  changed their plugs for a very SIMLAR ones, with disastrous change of performance within a short period of time . ...just a thought....

Thanks Chris, I'll double check. Silver is what I ordered.

Oh I found another previous owner bodge involving the Lambda system when I pulled the dash binnacle to clean the plastic lens. Someone
had taken the bulb out of the Lambda light!

Nick H

[Nick H]

A little update.
Last weekend I decided to finish off a job I started when I did the cars clutch. I replaced the gear change linkage bushing on the gearbox end but ran out of time (with the lift) to do the other 3 in the linkage.

 The cars gear change has always been a little tricky mainly first and second. Having never driven another DeLorean I had nothing to compare it with.
Anyway the the two bushings on the pivot in the frame were replaced although they did not look to bad the rubber was just starting to break down. 

The interesting part came with the last bushing at the gear shift end. The bushing was in slightly worse shape but not terrible. However something did not look right. The PO strikes again!  
The shift linkage had been bolted to the wrong side of the gear shift attachment point!
Having sorted this out including renewing the shoulder bolt and nyloc  nut. The gear shift is now as smooth as silk  . 

So if you have gearshift issues it’s definitely worth having a look in case someone messed up and did the same thing.

Nick H

[Chris P]

Great news that you have sorted it out Nick  

It demonstrates the dangers of buying a car that has been 'messed about' with by a previous owner. 

 Not that you could neccsarly tell by a quick look, prior to buying it!

...The FACTORY may not have got everything spot-on, but not far off........better than a bloke in his shed, that's for sure!

[Nick H]

(17 Jul 2019, 07:51)Chris P Wrote: Great news that you have sorted it out Nick  

It demonstrates the dangers of buying a car that has been 'messed about' with by a previous owner. 

 Not that you could neccsarly tell by a quick look, prior to buying it!

...The FACTORY may not have got everything spot-on, but not far off........better than a bloke in his shed, that's for sure!

Hi Chris, 
As you say it not something that’s obvious in a quick inspection.
On the plus side I’ve had the car 20 years and it’s a whole lot better than
when I first got it. I still keep finding stuff to fix and correct.

It was cheap though £8K with a MOT and I drove it home! So that’s the compensation.   

Nick H

[Chris P]

Nick,

Even if you trippled  that today.....I dont think you'd be driving it home!!

20 years ago I bought AXI 1698.....for £15k and drove it home from Lowestoft......with virtually no brakes !