Help fix Charles's wife's stumbling rover

[proletariat]

1992 RRC, 85k miles

It's developed a miss or stumble. It happens 'around' 2000 rpm in 3rd or 4th gear when the engine is loaded and bogged down a little; like going up a hill. It can happen below or at operating temp. Intermittent doesn't begin to describe the fickality.

Spark Plugs and Wires replaced. Alternator within the last 8 months. (The ignition lamp does glow ever-so-slightly while running, but I have a hunch that this is the grounds or battery cables.)

O2 sensor? I had an S-10 once with driveability problems from O2 sensors. They have thrown a code once, but I don't know if this was a fluke.

Cap & Rotor? It seems too intermittent to be this.

Fuel Filter, Fuel pump, Fuel Regulator? Too intermittent. And, the missing stops if I floor it, so starvation is out. Unless of course it's the wiring to one of said appliances.

Throttle Position Sensor? Maybe, but it's not really throttle position dependant. I can vary the throttle (as long as I don't engage the kickdown) and it keeps missing. It's not like it has a 'bad spot' in the rotation.

Ignition Amplifier? Honestly I don't know a damn thing about these.

Coil? I don't think so. They usually live or die. I've never heard of a lanquishing coil.

Fuel Relays under the seat? Maybe. I don't know. I've tried wiggling them while driving to induce the miss, no dice.

Grounds? I dunno. We lived in a corrosive environment before just moving to PA. I don't know if these would even have an effect, let alone an intermittent one.

ECM? I hope not.

I bought the Workshop Manual hoping they'd have some diagnostic procedures, but was a little dissapointed. Is there a dianostics manual?

I searched here, rovers north (whose search doesn't work), and discoweb before subjecting myself to this board for a performance problem.

My wife will be eternally grateful, and probably leave me for whoever helps figure her car out.

[PTSchram]

Originally Posted by proletariat

1992 RRC, 85k miles
My wife will be eternally grateful, and probably leave me for whoever helps figure her car out.

(Pendy voice on)got any pics of the wife? (Pendy voice off)

(oxygen sensor rant on) failing oxygen sensors will usually only result in a diminution of performance and fuel mileage, not likely what you're describing. (oxygen sensor rant off)

Peace,
PT

[pendy]

Try disconnecting your "new" alternator. One of the diode trios is out if the light is flickering and it still charges, most likely.

Got a substitute coil to try? Maybe off another vehicle just for testing.

I am sure you tried the seafoam already from discodwebs advice. What symptoms were present before and after? You need to try harder swinger.

JP

[Black Mustache]

i'm with pendy on the coil. i had the same symptoms a few years ago.

[proletariat]

I never would have thought that a coil would give symptoms like that. I'll check the connections and try tapping on it while the motor's running to see if it misses. If nothing, then I'll go find another coil to try. I'll check the TPS and grounds tonight to rule them out.

As far as the alternator goes. I took it off and Napaguy tested it when I first noticed the glowing light. We're talking *barely* glowing, like hard to tell at night; and that's with no dash lights to impair the view with their pesky glare. The stumble is a recent development, and the light has been on for a while.

Symptoms are just momentary missing and stumbling, not enough to even cause a big jerk to the passengers.

It's load dependent. After I replaced plugs & wires it showed improvement, until me and Dog (280lb) rode with Wife this weekend.

The motor has to be bogged down but not enough to downshift. It's happened on the interstate and on backroads, but always between 30-70 mph. Not at low speed.

[proletariat]

Tested the TPS last night. It was normal.

I also frapped on the coil with the motor running at higher rpm in a vain attempt to get it to miss. I don't know what I thought I was doing, but I've seen them start working this way, so I thought it might stop working this way.

I guess the next step is a new coil. We'll see what autozone has to offer.

[DChapman]

Just wondering, but what type of plug wires are you running?

[proletariat]

Whatever they sell at Atlantic British. The price difference at the parts store wasn't enough to warrant the 2hrs it would take to go get them.

[DooDoo Brown]

Check the distributer shaft...I bet it is shot. It has happened twice to me. It does the exact thing you described, stalling/hesitating around 2g's...I think it is a problem with rovers cause when It happened the second time to me, I knew exactley what it was, ordered a used distributer, and had to send it back cause it was loose the same way. When I put the pricey new one on, it fixed and has been working beautifully again.......

Gary

[proletariat]

If it's the distributor shaft, we will be living with it until the problem gets alot worse. I'll check it though.

What, will the rotor just have a lot of slop in it? Rotational slop from a worn gear, or wallow-around-in-the-hole slop?

How many miles did yours have when the dist. went? 85k seems kind of young to be failing on mine.

Was your problem intermittent? It seems like mechanical parts would cause constant problems.

[DooDoo Brown]

the gear was loose from the shaft both times. It was intermitant at first and got worse as time went on. The mileage was somewere around 90 on the second. The first one, I have no idea as the odo was broke when I go it. The first symptom of the second time it happened was hesitating under a load, then it would always hesitate at around 2g's.

Could not be that on yours, but its worth checking...I just reread your post though and had horrible flashbacks. I had a Rover Dealership check it out and they missed it (imagine that) My buddy figured it out the first time and boy what a nightmare it was tracking the problem down.

[proletariat]

Update: For those of you on the edge of your seats that need closure.

I replaced the coil. However, the rover didn't do its trick for about a week prior to me replacing it, and it hasn't done it since. So, maybe that was it or maybe it wasn't.

I haven't taken the distributor out to check for wear. If the problem shows up again, I will, but that ghost will have to go unchased for now.

[Cherub Rock]

Originally Posted by proletariat

Intermittent doesn't begin to describe the fickality.


They usually live or die. I've never heard of a lanquishing coil.

...or wallow-around-in-the-hole slop?


We're talking *barely* glowing, like hard to tell at night; and that's with no dash lights to impair the view with their pesky glare.

My wife will be eternally grateful, and probably leave me for whoever helps figure her car out.

I will, but that ghost will have to go unchased for now.

if anything, you've approached the problem with the semantic excess that elude even the best Wheeler-Poets

The languishing coils! The unchased ghosts! That pesky dash glare...obscuring mechanical absolution with the lotus-haze of Calypso!

my favorite is 'wallow-around-in-the-hole slop'. It's like Wind the Willows Mr Toad's motorcar tech.

just pokin' fun.. we'd be all cooler if we talked about our vehicles with such lamentable nostalgia