Spooks in the electricals.

Post by **docchevron** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 10:52 pm

Doesn't really leave alot then! Could be a tooth out maybe?/

AlanS · Post by **AlanS** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 11:32 pm

docchevron1472 wrote:Doesn't really leave alot then! Could be a tooth out maybe?/

That's what they reckon, one tooth.
I've been a bit unlucky because they reckon it's retarded the valve timing, but had I been advanced I probably may not have even noticed it. Just made it perform a bit different, but still plenty of get up and go which it doesn't have now.

Alan S

Post by **docchevron** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 12:23 am

Yeah it's odd how that happens. Smiffy's old ZX 1.9 Volcane was a tooth out (advanced), always started on the button and went like hell.

Lets hope it just needs a tooth advanced then, easy enough to do and free!

AlanS · Post by **AlanS** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 10:21 am

OK, an update.

Retimed it and it absolutely flies.
Too stuffed to go into too much detail now but I'll write it up first chance I get as we also sorted the 16V out as well as hauled the sunroof out of the Xantia and have driven a hundred or so klms in the process.
If we had a humour section in this forum, I'd have to consider posting the story of it in there. What a tool I was to do what I did.

Alan S

Post by **docchevron** » Sun Jul 01, 2007 11:06 am

Happens to us all mate.
We did have a humour section, once......

Stick it up on AF when your less knackered and I'll have a look there!

AlanS · Post by **AlanS** » Mon Jul 02, 2007 12:37 am

As posted elsewhere for those who may not have seen it:

Rightho, had a snooze and so time to 'fess up.

Whenever I've done (the many) cambelts I have on various cars, it's always been a case of set the sprockets and pulleys, remove, replace, retension and test and then reassemble, but this shows you how familiarity breeds contempt.
When I had the mechanicals out, it was fully stripped and left swinging off an engine stand. Upon reassembly all the technical stuff was doneand as a final part before refitting the transmission and refitting into the car, I decided to do the cambelt so it was done as close to perfection as was possible due to being able to get a clear go at everything associated with it.
So, I set it all up and bingo buwwdiful!! I thought.
When I had it all in the car and it started, it sounded a ripper but went like a dawg; was not impressed, so had it looked at by several trying to diagnose it and everything pointed to spark. It seemed to me as though it was both retarded as well as running as though it was half missing on a couple of pots, so at Fentos we did a compression test; not as good as it should be, but hey, new engine, only 300 klms on it, maybe a few hundred more klms will bring it up more.
In the process, I changed plugs, distributor cap, leads, igniter, r & r leads to the injectors, cleaned earths etc but whilsy we seemed to get a bit of movement, still no real progress made until #1 son comes for a run and asks about compression test. When I gave him the result, straight up asks if I'm positive the cambelt is correct as he feels a combination of poor performance and a lower than expected compression reading to him says camtiming out and possibly retarded, so yesterday, back to Fentos and up she goes and off comes all the gear and sure enough we find the fault.
It seems that the crankpulley may possibly be used on more than just the BX as it has 3 raised holes in it and one non raised.
IIRC, when I've done a couple of 2.0i Xantias, I've commented on how it is timed via a non raised hole, so as I had been going for a couple of weeks on this engine/clutch rebuild and had a few distractions in between times, I didn't take any notice where it was timed when I pulled it down, so I simply 'hahumm-cough', used the non raised hole instead of the one next to it, effectively being around 3 teeth out.
No real risk that I was ever going to bounce valves off pistons as I always do a lot of cross checks by hand to be 100% certain of no mechanical contact, but shees, what a goose I ever feel.
Once in, we took it for a lap of the block and when I looked like getting a green light just up the road from his place and floored it, it literally fried the tyres, so it appears all the other work that was done in trying to find the fault has paid off in the finished product as I reckon it's now as quick as any 16V we've ever had anything to do with including the series one.
Happy chappy now; all I have to do now is track down #3 son, the owner to pass on the news.

Alan S