New owner with some questions!

[Heuer]

Hi

I have recently acquired an Elan S4 DHC which is in very good order. Runs superbly and is a joy to drive. I have however noticed that when pressing on the engine misfires at high revs which I assume is a rev limiter cutting in. I had been expecting this to happen at the 6,500 rpm red line but on my car the tacho is showing 5,500 rpm when it happens. Is this the rev limiter cutting in too early or the rev counter under reading?

I also want to remove the original fitment Radiomobile 1080 so I can add an FM board to it. Do I need to remove the entire dash to get the radio out or is there a knack of getting it out from the front?

Many thanks in advance for any advice.

David

[Elanintheforest]

Hi David and welcome to the other side.

The dash doesn?t have to come out to remove the radio?just take off the knobs, then the facia which ?clamps? the radio to the dash. It should then be free, allowing you to wiggle it out of the hole in the dash. You?ll have to push it in a bit in order to pull it out?you?ll see what I mean when you do it!

As for the misfiring, I would suspect the mechanical rev limiter, which is all part of the rotor arm, as it is just a sprung shorting mechanism. However, a low reading tachometer is not unheard of!. You can check the revs with some multi-meters, or get it checked out by the usual suspects.

Another probability is the ignition side, with any of the coil / condenser / cap / rotor arm / HT leads breaking down?not unknown for ?new? items, and very easily and cheaply sorted.

If that is all fine then suspect the carbs. The diaphragms need to be replaced periodically in the Strombergs, and when they start to go it can cause misfiring at the higher revs. They should also be checked to ensure that the float chamber levels are correct. Whilst the carbs are off I would also ensure that the distributor dynamic advance is working properly and not seized up. All symptoms of lack of use?get Matty to do all this of course!

All part of the new owner shakedown, needed after a period of little use.

Mark

[Heuer]

Thanks Mark

I think it is either the limiter or the tach as it happens consistently at exactly the same spot and there are no misfires under normal use. My ear tells me the tach is probably a bit slow. I will put a meter on it today and check it out.

[Leo Leentvaar]

Hi Heuer, welcome to the forums.

On my Sprint I have fitted an electronic ignition which is an unobtrusive mod and saves you removing the carb?s when you want to adjust the points etc. Works just fine for me.

Secondly I recently fitted a cheap new radio (from LIDL matter of factly) in the car that has a USB port for my iPOD.
The only thing I had to do was buy a multi connector to connect the radio?s terminals to the wiring behind the dash board,
in total 20 minutes of work and a fiver for the connector )can be bought at car audio specialists )

Wishing you pleasant summer?s motoring and enjoying the car!!

[Heuer]

Just gone to the car this morning to be greeted by the smell of petrol. Seems the tank is leaking from what looks like around the drain plug. It has a brass hex head but neither AF nor metric sockets will fit. Any ideas what size it should be, and more importantly what I should do next?

[pereirac]

A radio!! Can you actually hear the radio when the car is moving. I have one but it's really just for show and to fill the hole in the dashboard

Carl

[Leo Leentvaar]

I also have a better half to please when driving

[Heuer]

OK - found out the drain plug is 1/2" whitworth. Don't make it easy on these cars do they!

As for the radio I have a FM converted Radiomobile which I took out of my E-Type because I never listened to it and could never hear it. Seems to work well in the Elan though.

Edit: It works well with the engine off, lots of interference with it switched on

[Heuer]

Found the problem with the misfire - the car has the rev limiter rotor arm. Will replace it with a conventional one.

Fuel leak has mysteriously stopped after I filed a 1/2" AF spanner to fit. Can't be sure I manage to tighten or loosen the plug but messing with it seems to have done something. Set of Whitworth sockets should be here tomorrow so I will attack it with more confidence.

[ftsoft]

I'd use the rev limiter if I were you. It's pretty easy to hit the rev limit, in the first 2 gears any way. Just replace the rotor with a new one.

Frank

[billwill]

A radio!! Can you actually hear the radio when the car is moving. I have one but it's really just for show and to fill the hole in the dashboard

Carl

FM radios are OK, but AM has too much interference.

[billwill]

Possibly the spring in your rev-limiting rotor arm has gone weak, so it is operating at too low RPM

I've driven for a long time with a solid rotor arm, but then I'm not inclined to over rev the engine.

I would mind fitting a rev-limiting arm if I could get one though.

[billwill]

Fuel tank: hopefully it is just a missing or poor fibre washer on the drain plug, otherwise you are going to need a new tank or to have it welded up.

Welding fuel tanks is a SPECIALIST job., you have to get all the fuel out and then fill it with water to dispel any fuel vapour then empty that before you start bringing any welding gear anywhere near it.


New tanks don't always have a drain hole there. I have to pump or siphon all the fuel out of mine if I want to empty it.

[Heuer]

Car has been checked over by Paul Matty and has had the fuel tank inspected. They are as mystified as I am given the 'original' tank looks good. They have had the tank out and reckon it is secure.

[SADLOTUS]

Hi Heuer,
nice to hear you have an Elan, hope you dont get dispondent with all the constant little things going wrong with it....soon they'll all be gone and you'll start to replenish the pleasure bank. (eh?)

Anyway, in the past I've had a cutout rotor arm, you should be able to 'adjust' the cutout max revs by bending the little arm further away from the the springy bit that flies out under centrifugal force the more you rev it... in fact, i think it may even say this in the manual.

worth a try?