08-04-2019, 06:25 PM
Good evening everyone,
The mystery seems to be solved!
On closer inspection, the lip around the distributor base plate had managed to break itself into many pieces with the result that the cap, whilst still attached via the spring clips, was free to move in any direction it chose. I suspect that this would cause it to have "variable timing|" (I know it's a feature of many modern sports cars!!) with the result that everything was a bit random to say the least!
Anyway, half an hour or so fiddling about fitting a "new" base plate - at least it had a lip on it! - and everything was back to normal. It starts first time hot or cold as usual and the mysterious bag of marbles has disappeared - presumably as a result of the intermittent over advance the engine was experiencing?
I don't know if that makes any sense at all but I've just done about 20 miles in the Nippy and everything appears to be back to normal.
In answer to the last post, I use the Nippy every week to commute to work so can easily clock 60 - 70 miles a week before I start. It's also done JOGLE and I often travel around visiting friends and family in the car and a few club events as and when I get the chance due to other commitments. Other than a broken crankshaft 22 1/2 years ago (hence the Phoenix crank) I've had very few issues running it regularly. It's first journey out from the engine rebuild was to drive from Sheffield to John o' Groats when I finished work before arriving in Lands End the following day and returning home to work the day after that. Roughly 2000 miles in 3 1/2 days with no problems other than the usual oil leaks which I've given up trying to sort in all honesty.
Hopefully we might meet up at some point on an event somewhere or other?
Best wishes,
Nick
The mystery seems to be solved!
On closer inspection, the lip around the distributor base plate had managed to break itself into many pieces with the result that the cap, whilst still attached via the spring clips, was free to move in any direction it chose. I suspect that this would cause it to have "variable timing|" (I know it's a feature of many modern sports cars!!) with the result that everything was a bit random to say the least!
Anyway, half an hour or so fiddling about fitting a "new" base plate - at least it had a lip on it! - and everything was back to normal. It starts first time hot or cold as usual and the mysterious bag of marbles has disappeared - presumably as a result of the intermittent over advance the engine was experiencing?
I don't know if that makes any sense at all but I've just done about 20 miles in the Nippy and everything appears to be back to normal.
In answer to the last post, I use the Nippy every week to commute to work so can easily clock 60 - 70 miles a week before I start. It's also done JOGLE and I often travel around visiting friends and family in the car and a few club events as and when I get the chance due to other commitments. Other than a broken crankshaft 22 1/2 years ago (hence the Phoenix crank) I've had very few issues running it regularly. It's first journey out from the engine rebuild was to drive from Sheffield to John o' Groats when I finished work before arriving in Lands End the following day and returning home to work the day after that. Roughly 2000 miles in 3 1/2 days with no problems other than the usual oil leaks which I've given up trying to sort in all honesty.
Hopefully we might meet up at some point on an event somewhere or other?
Best wishes,
Nick