Xs Engine Splutter Round Corners And Steep Hills

[Guest sam-black]

Hi,

I've got a 1990 XS which I love to bits and always love to drive, but there is just one problem which really annoys me. When I go round a corner quite quick and straighten up the engine seems to splutter and almost cuts out for a second then comes back to full power. The same sort of thing happens when going up steep hills and booting it, although it's not as bad as round corners.

 

It seems like the engine is starved of fuel due to goin round the corners or up hills but is there any way to cure this or do I just have to keep my tank topped up high?

 

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Cheers,

Sam.

[macaroni 17 1 Cars]

Get your filters cleaned. The inline filter beneath the radiator expansion tank and the gauze filter which you can find if you undo the inlet fuel hose to the carb. I suspect your fuel bowl isn't filling up properly.

 

If they are clean, try resetting your float height to the recommended level.

[Guest sam-black]

Ok thanks I have recently changed the inline filter so will have a go at the gauze filter, need to clean up the carb anyway as hasn't been done in a very long time.

 

Cheers for the help,

Sam.

[PumaRacing 1]

Get your filters cleaned. The inline filter beneath the radiator expansion tank and the gauze filter which you can find if you undo the inlet fuel hose to the carb. I suspect your fuel bowl isn't filling up properly.

 

If they are clean, try resetting your float height to the recommended level.

 

I suspect it's more likely the float chamber is overfilling and sending a slug of neat fuel down the manifold during sharp changes of direction. However yes, it's likely to be one or the other.

 

Reminds me though of a strange symptom from many years ago that afflicted MGB's converted to the Rover V8 carb engine where a similar splutter/misfire would occur during cornering. No amount of playing with float levels or fuel pumps/filters would cure it and everyone was stumped for ages as it couldn't be replicated on a rolling road.

 

The carb V8 engine with distributor ignition has 8 contact points inside the distributor cap which is a lot to fit in. One contact every 45 degrees and when you consider the width of the brass end on the rotor arm there were only a few degrees of clear rotation between the rotor arm leaving one HT contact and coming in front of the next one. Any degradation of the HT lead system or maladjustment of the dwell angle and it was a recipe for cross firing between cylinders. The HT leads are pinned to the cylinder heads to keep them apart but have a run between the head and distributor where they can flap about. What was actually happening was two HT leads were being thrown into contact by the cornering forces and if the insulation on the leads was not 100% the spark cross fired down the wrong distributor cap contact.

 

New leads and a little plastic spacer clip to keep them apart and the problem went away. Anyway, as usual I digress and show my age. It won't be that on a modern 4 pot.