help! gutless 2l pinto

[Dano]

Hey,
I have a 2door, 1980, 2litre, escort, manual

Basically it goes like crap, I have been in stock 1200 corolla that goes harder.

There are a few things going on:
1. It pings its head off at more than half throttle (I think I can fix this by adjusting the timing)

2. When I start it in the morning, even with a brand new battery it struggles to turn over, It sounds like it's half seized or something

3. It sounds like a tractor when its idling even after fitting a brand new muffler and an extra baffle.

Apart from fiddling with the timing (it is now set to specs from gregorys manual) What should I do?

[shepv8]

Check points dwell angle, cylinder compression , spark plugs and leads, and get the weber carb serviced by a decent tuning shop

[EA2BA]

get a kit and service the carb yourself it is really not difficult at all.

Sounding like a tractor, 1. check your manifold exhaust manifold bolts are tight, 2. check the timing sounds lik,e it running very retarted timing or its way off.

[shepv8]

oh , your starter motor could need a look at. Check the brushes etc.

if it sounds like a tractor check you dont have a leak at your exhaust manifold. If unsure put a new gasket in and torque up the exhaust bolts properly

[tufLTD]

Originally Posted by Dano

Hey,
I have a 2door, 1980, 2litre, escort, manual

Basically it goes like crap, I have been in stock 1200 corolla that goes harder.

There are a few things going on:
1. It pings its head off at more than half throttle (I think I can fix this by adjusting the timing)

2. When I start it in the morning, even with a brand new battery it struggles to turn over, It sounds like it's half seized or something

3. It sounds like a tractor when its idling even after fitting a brand new muffler and an extra baffle.

Apart from fiddling with the timing (it is now set to specs from gregorys manual) What should I do?

Sounds like your timing is way advanced. This would cause the pinging & the sluggish starting. Try setting the timing to 10 deg BTDC at idle (with vacuum hoses disconnected). If it doesn't ping at 10 deg, try going up another 2 deg at a time until it pings, then pull the timing back a little.

[Dano]

cheers dudes, im onto it. will let u know how i go