Andyww Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 The other problem is inconsitency of fuel these days, and the increasing ethanol amount. EFI cars with feedback can adjust to compensate but carbs cannot. I dont think carbs can ever be absolutely perfect and stay that way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted April 7 Author Report Share Posted April 7 The pistons are HC, I am now running at 165 psi, Instead of about 135 psi. Thats why I have started to transition to HC jetting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gold FFM Barrykearley Posted April 7 Gold FFM Report Share Posted April 7 So they have changed the cc then and lowered it ?? Quote Only here once Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted April 7 Author Report Share Posted April 7 Yep, but the gasket is thicker and makes .5 difference to the compression.Theorectically the effects should have cancelled out. Other builders have said there is no need to adjust the carb set up. That hasn’t worked with my build. The head skim has had more of an effect on this engine than I expected, as Dave Changes thought it might. The engine needs bespoke tuning. I have limited experience with these carbs, so will have to spend far longer getting it correct. When I get it drivable it will go on the rolling road. Heres the choke or (venturi). The size is stamped on it as in the picture. I am going from 36 mm to 35 mm. This in theory should make the car more driveable in the lower rpm ranges. I am hoping because its all rebuilt I won’t have to remove the carbs to get these out. If I do it will morph into a big job! These were supplied by Eurocarb and are fitted to the HC cars. I have switch the idle jet to a 58 and gone weaker with the holder as per the HC set up. Hopefully when the choke is fitted the mixture will be richer at the weak flat spot. Right no more talking, chokes to fit! I plan a test drive later today and will report on progress, if any! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilW Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 On 06/04/2021 at 06:51, Lotusfab said: I think it will be fine if sufficient lubrication is on the barrel and wheel. Tyre bead sealer needs to be on the lip as well. I am using Voodoo motorsport to put my tyres on from now on. My local garage isn’t up to the task. They treat it as a modern wheel, which you really can’t. They have cost me four days of hard work and fractured a wheel lip so far! Looked this company up yesterday and will likely use them too when all mine are assembled. One question though which I will probably get destroyed for........Are inner tubes a solution or a good reason why not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted April 7 Author Report Share Posted April 7 I suppose an inner tube would work.My front wheel is fine now Voodoo used the correct technique. I won’t bother going anywhere else from now on. Well I am stumped. I just changed the chokes, it fired a few times and now won’t start! Back to basics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted April 7 Author Report Share Posted April 7 Its probably over fuelled, will have to get the plugs out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdoom Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 Careful !! There is NO correlation between choke size and startup. You may have assembled bits in some sort of disarray so check over what you've done. The change from 36 to 35 mm will be of no great consequence other than marginally earlier mains online but doesn't hurt to try and is without peril. FWIW, Keith Frank ( chap referred to earlier in regard to tech analysis of carbs ) has determined Dellortos to be handicapped in terms of emulsion tube and slow run designs quite comparably to the Webers. Your transition behaviour issues will likely derive from these aspects, perhaps aggravated by modern fuel characteristics. With the DCOEs it's been pointed out that one may run with main clusters removed altogether, for the sake of evaluating the slow run operation more clearly. Suspect it's the same with the Dellortos. This must be done with care to avoid any chance of needing deep throttle, as with traffic merging and avoidance events, but will permit low load cruise at a fair turn of speed. Checking in this way will offer some insight into the function of slow run jets, progression holes, and also the balance. Complex matter, this parsing of fuel delivery. In what sense were you advised to expect change of carburetion due to the small shift in CR? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted April 7 Author Report Share Posted April 7 Well I have been investigating I found the forward carb float height was low and the rear high! I have used a method of measuring the fuel height in the bowl. It seems to be far more accurate. They are both 27 mm. I made gauges out of plastic to set the float height and a piece of cut bent metal to measure the fuel height in the bowl. Far easier than using a slide rule. This is of course nothing to do with it not starting, there is no spark! Now I have to find out why. I have a megaspark coil running with lumenition, maybe this is the issue and the amp has packed up? Bit of a coincidence it has happened now though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyww Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 The Lumenition amps are very reliable except for the very early type. A weak point is the connector between the optical sensor and the module, with the Molex plug. If you have been going in under the carbs you might have pulled it apart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
910Esprit Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 if your fuel level was low in one of your carbs, I suspect you will be getting closer to solving your problem. Fingers crossed! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted April 7 Author Report Share Posted April 7 Hope so! Well I have just been trying to solve the ignition problem. I shorted the blue and black wires on the module. There is a spark. So the amp and coil works. The fault is probably in the wiring to the optical sensor. To test and repair very tricky in situ, I might have to take it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LOTUSMAN33 Posted April 7 Report Share Posted April 7 I have a spare lumenition module if you end up needing one Fabian 👍🏻 Dave 1 Quote Do or do not, there is no try! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted April 7 Author Report Share Posted April 7 Thanks Dave, I am hoping its just a wire c9me off the switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdoom Posted April 8 Report Share Posted April 8 Lumenition served me very well for 12 joyful years of Elan motoring ! The floats are off after service at a specialist ??!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted April 8 Author Report Share Posted April 8 The specialist did the bearings and clean I did the rest. I am the culprit who set them wrong! I must have misread the vernier. This time I used gauges, much easier. I also tightened the floats around the spindle , , they were rocking slightly which might have allowed the floats to snag. I am truly stumped by this ignition problem. I tested the amp it works, the optical switch works, the distributor is turning, but no spark at plugs??? could it be the rotor arm or distributor cap?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
910Esprit Posted April 8 Report Share Posted April 8 21 minutes ago, Lotusfab said: could it be the rotor arm or distributor cap?? Yes. Are you getting a spark from the Coil lead? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted April 8 Author Report Share Posted April 8 Yes? I tested the optical switch with paper and the coil lead sparks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
910Esprit Posted April 8 Report Share Posted April 8 Well that doesn't leave much else! Presumably there must be a path to earth in the distributor, but its a mighty big co-oincidence that it should go fall after you have been working close to this area. You could substitute your S1 rotor & cap to test? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted April 8 Author Report Share Posted April 8 Hi Steve, Andy on here came over to have a look. Very interesting problem. We tested the amp, all the connections to the main loom and the optical switch. All tested ok again. Andy brought over some spark testers. We go an indication from them, but nothing from the plug. In the end we found the spark was enormous from the coil lead, but really poor from the other leads. Only things it could be are the rotor arm or cap. Andy noticed I have a old rpm limited rotor. I am going to switch it out and try a new cap. If that doesn’t work I will take the distributor out and investigate further. Thanks for the input, always frustrating when you can’t start your engine! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdoom Posted April 8 Report Share Posted April 8 Look for the very best quality ignition parts you can source and purchase a couple of rotors and caps. Notwithstanding my endorsement of Lumenition I'll have nothing to do with distributor managed ignition henceforth. As posted elsewhere I was stranded for days in a small town, struggling to figure why the Twincam cut out when both fuel and spark seemed fine. Turned out to be failed dielectric of the rotor permitting high tension bleed to earth via the shaft to cylinder block. The arc trace was almost invisible on the rotor body. Your engine will do much better when the carbs are altogether balanced. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted April 8 Author Report Share Posted April 8 Mmm thats interesting. The carb earth wire is touching the distributor body? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyww Posted April 8 Report Share Posted April 8 I was surprised to see the old rev limiting rotor arm earlier. Never knew these were even fitted to Esprits, likely most have been swapped out for standard by now. They used to fit them to the twincams in the Elan/Europa and they were notorious for causing ignition problems, this has to be the prime suspect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted April 8 Author Report Share Posted April 8 Parts ordered, lets see what the issue is??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotusfab Posted April 8 Author Report Share Posted April 8 Heres the rotor arm I had fitted Looks like these have a history of problems! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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