Guys

Just had a bit of a mucK around with the wheezy old oil burning 308 in my Overlander. It's really due for changing but i don't have the time right now, and I need it to do a bit of towing over the next few months.
I just fitted a HQ 350 5 x row radiator, and sealed the shroud to the radiator with foam tape to keep it from overheating. In the process I eliminated the radiator cooling tube and now the TH400 uses only the oil cooler in front of the radiator. I also painted the fins matt black on both the radiator and transmission cooler. Also temporarily fitted a WB radiator/washer bottle (will be in the road of the battery when the EFI engine goes in), new cap and flushed the motor.

It's been pinging on gas a lot lately with a blue 253 manual dizzy set to 8deg initial. Been reading that LPG likes a lot less total advance, so I disconnected the vacuum advance and dropped the initial timing back to 6deg and it seems to have stopped pinging (well obviously pinging anyway). This is what Gas research recommend anyway. I tried 12deg initial but it pinged it's head off. Will see how it goes. Does anyone know any more on this? I'm thinking that it may be a bit of carbon buildup too, so I mixed some metho with the upper cylinder lubricant to see if I can clear a bit of the carbon. Is it worth draining the upper cylinder lubricant, and running water/metho mix for a 100kM or so to try to elimate the carbon? Ethanol blend petrol might help too I suppose.
Any more suggestions to reduce pinging? Apart from a dizzy regraph which I'm not going to do as the EFI motor will run twin programs stacked upon each other, switching between the two for LPG and petrol (advance different in LPG and fuel turned off).

_______________________________________________________
If we all had the same (good) taste, who would buy all the Fords?

Edited by user Thursday, 22 February 2007 7:30:54 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Thanks Dave. That was the idea with the metho, as it's a bit hard with the new-gen gas mixer in the road. But i'll try it if the metho doesn't work. I'll give some metho/petrol mix fuel a go to (ie Ethanol blend).

______________________________________

Byron

Have you checked the operation of the mechanical advance with a timing light?. I have found plenty of cars over the years that were pinging badly for no apparent reason and it was caused by a combination of wear and the old springs being weak or

Will try a cold air setup, but this will be hard with a newgen mixer which is basically a 4BBL aircleaner. A Cold air box with foam under the bonnet surface may work though.
HEI mechanical advance is OK - checked it with a timing light.

______________