Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

I am having a problem with knocking in my +2S. It has started just as
the weather here has gotten drier and hotter. It was running really
perfectly when the air was cool and wet, but now that it has changed,
I am loosing power and hearing a slight knocking sound.

I tried adding some fuel additives but it does not seem to help. So,
now I believe that I probably have to retard the ignition a bit.
Problem is I have not done this before--always a mechanic friend of
mine has helped with the timing settings. Unfortunatley, he is now
out of town and I would like to try o get this settled myself--good
thing to learn I think.

My question is, which way should I rotate the distributor--clockwise
or anti-clockwise? I know I could just try it and see what happens,
but would rather get it about right the first time.

Thanks for the help.

David
1970 +2S

David,

To retard the ignition, turn the distributor counter clockwise, but not much
though. If I were you, I'd purchase a timing light so I could see exactly
what the timing is set at. Once you've loosened the distributor and turned it,
you've done most of the work already. The timing light hooks up between the
first plug wire (the one at the front) and the plug. If it's an inductive
timing light, it simply clips on to the spark plug wire and may have a couple of
leads to get power from the battery. One suggestion. Get some day-glo paint,
orange or yellow, and paint the mark on the crank pulley. It will make it a
lot easier to see when you are setting the timing. Good luck.

Frank Howard
'71 S4 SE
Minnesota

distributor runs ccw, so retarding it you also rotate ccw

I wonder if you have gotten some bad gas or are running lean for some reason. Weber or Stromberg?
The engine shouldn't just start pinging


----- Original Message -----
From: david_c_w <***@***.***>
To: ***@***.***
Subject: [LotusElan.net] Eliminating Knocking/Pinging/Pinkering in +2S
Date: Fri, 24 Jun 2005 13:14:03 -0000



--
_______________________________________________

I have Delloreto carbs and tried adjusting them a bit, but didn't seem
to help. Also tried cleaning and regapping spark plugs. Could be a
bad batch of gas, which is why I tried the gas additive, but again no
help. Any other ideas before I try to retard the advance? I am
runnig an electronic ignition system, by the way.

Thanks for the help.

David

--- In ***@***.***, "e s" <stupidemail5@l...> wrote:

The inductive timing light is only used for checking the dynamic ignition timing. To check the static, all you need is a small 12v bulb wired between the coil and the dist. Disconnect the coil to dist feed and connect the bulb in series. When the lamp goes out, the points have just started to open. Retarding the timing an undetermined amount can be done by turning the distributor slightly ccw, but the best way is to check your present timing (See when the light goes out, check the timing marks) Reset the crankshaft position by rotating the timing mark up to the desired setting (in the running direction, to take up lash) and set the distrib position. The dist. should be rotated in a clockwise direction to take up lash. Finally, check it by turning the crankshaft again and noting the position when the light goes out.

Sean Murray
----- Original Message -----
From: ***@***.***
To: ***@***.*** ; ***@***.***
Sent: Friday, June 24, 2005 3:09 PM
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] Eliminating Knocking/Pinging/Pinkering in +2S


David,

To retard the ignition, turn the distributor counter clockwise, but not much
though. If I were you, I'd purchase a timing light so I could see exactly
what the timing is set at. Once you've loosened the distributor and turned it,
you've done most of the work already. The timing light hooks up between the
first plug wire (the one at the front) and the plug. If it's an inductive
timing light, it simply clips on to the spark plug wire and may have a couple of
leads to get power from the battery. One suggestion. Get some day-glo paint,
orange or yellow, and paint the mark on the crank pulley. It will make it a
lot easier to see when you are setting the timing. Good luck.

Frank Howard
'71 S4 SE
Minnesota













------------------------------------------------------------------------------





***@***.***




------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David
Just a quickie,the advance retard mechanism hasn't stuck has it?
John


david_c_w <***@***.***> wrote:
I have Delloreto carbs and tried adjusting them a bit, but didn't seem
to help. Also tried cleaning and regapping spark plugs. Could be a
bad batch of gas, which is why I tried the gas additive, but again no
help. Any other ideas before I try to retard the advance? I am
runnig an electronic ignition system, by the way.

Thanks for the help.

David

Sorry John, not sure what to look for tocheck this--I know I am
showing my basic knowledge of car mechanics here. However, I believe
that this is part of the distributor mechanics and my distributor is a
rebuilt one about 1 year old, so I am not sure it can become gummed-up
in that short period of time--if you tell me what I should look for I
will check it out.

One thing--I have read that pre-ignition can be prevented by adding
moisture to the air--hense the explanation of why it ran great in wet
weather and why I know beleive that the pinking is due either to the
hot dry weather we know have and/or a batch of bad petrol.

David

--- In ***@***.***, JOHN CLEGG <john.p.clegg@b...> wrote:

David
Basically take the dizzy cap off and see if you can move the rotor arm against a spring tension and it should return fully.....
John


david_c_w <***@***.***> wrote:
Sorry John, not sure what to look for tocheck this--I know I am
showing my basic knowledge of car mechanics here. However, I believe
that this is part of the distributor mechanics and my distributor is a
rebuilt one about 1 year old, so I am not sure it can become gummed-up
in that short period of time--if you tell me what I should look for I
will check it out.