Rover P5 Running Issue

Picture of By Rob Harvey
By Rob Harvey

Here are Jonns notes relating to his recent work on our 1973 Rover P5 Coupe:

Rebuild carb and refit. Remove fuse for fuel pump and king ht lead. Remove spark plugs and carry out compression test.

Weld holes on wings and paint

Finish compression test all within spec. Clean, regap and refit spark plugs. Check static timing. Remove nearside rocker cover and check valve position to confirm timing. Clean and refit rocker cover. Drop off front exhaust joint to see if it will rev with exhaust disconnected. Still stuggles to start and rev. Check power supply to coil.11.5v crank over and check. Voltage drops at coil to 10v which maybe why it struggles to fire a nd why spark is inconsistent. Reconnect exhaust. Remove distributor and turn through 1 tooth and refit. Now Has scope for adjustment. Run wire from fuse box to coil inside car and back out nearside.

Tape wire into loom and neaten up. Test. Car eventually started but all fuses lose power when cranking so voltage to coil drops. Connect t to main fuse which is permanent live. Start car and adjust timing. Car revs ok. Nearside carb now leaking. Need to look at wiring diagram.

Remove offside carb. Remove jet tube and connection and refit rubber seal. Refit carb and check for leaks, ok. Remove steering wheel and ignition barrel and access wiring. Remove instrument cluster to trace wiring. View diagram with John’s help work out issue. Reconnect wiring to coil. Check ignition feeds. Wiring to rev counter ter ok. Small wire to coil for rev counter and carvwill run wired this way. Crimp on terminal and shrink wrap wires. Tape up old wires. Refit dash and secure ignition light. Start and test, runs ok and rev counter working. Take outside to warm up. Still not running right or on all cylinders. Suspect offside ca4b again as no fuel flowing from jet when piston raised. Remove carb again. Found small piece of rubber seal blocking tube. Remove and replace seal and retry. No leaks and fule now flows ok. Reconnect pipes and cables. Test. Starts and revs well. Fit new float bowl gaskets.

Investigate throttle linkage hitting air filter assembly. Fit air filter and pipes. Throttle now clear but choke hitting when activated. Remove and reposition cables andrefit air filter. Check for clearance, ok. Run up and take outside. Drive around yard ok. Noise and knock when in reverse. Wipers turn3d on by themselves whilst driving and now park function not working. Bring into workshop onto 4 post ramp.

Raise on ramp. Look for noise/ knock. Degrease prop shaft centre bearing. Jack up rear axle. Put into neutral and rotate both rear wheels in a forward direction, ok no noise. Rotate wheels in a rearward direction and noise from gearbox like bearing noise. Also found a hole in chassis at nearside rear within 30cm of spring hanger.

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