on monday we tried to change the cambelt on my EK4.(we didn't as we couldn't get the crank pulley bolt undone, but thats irrelevant for now)

after getting pissed off with it & putting it mostly, all back together, we adjusted the valve gaps, as it was tapping abit & it was annoying me.
(basic run down of what we did: took off rocker cover, earth strap, plugs & leads, lower splash gaurd, both front wheels & upper timing belt cover. we did take the induction kit off & remove the starter motor to wedge the fly wheel.
then we put it all back except the rocker cover, earth starp, plugs & leads)

we rest the inlet to 0.17mm(range 0.15-0.19) & the exhaust to 0.19mm(range 0.17-0.21)
originally we reset it 1, 2, 3, & 4.

all were ok, but abit loose. except no.3 these were very tight(spot the mistake below)
as soon as i started it, i new it was wrong. it didn't sound right for a start, let alone it was nearly stalling after being revved & the engine itself was shuddering very violently while it was doing it.
it started at the revs it should be at when warm(around 800rpm)
it drove fine though. pulled as good as it always did, but tapped abit more.

then we realised that we had set the gaps on no. 3 at TDC of the exhaust, not compression.
so we reset them(this was why the valve gaps were non-existent)

immediatly upon starting it, it sounded better.
was still starting at 800rpm though.
when warm it was running about 500rpm.
the revs keep dropping to nearly stalling then coming back up to 500rpm.(enough for the lights to dim)
but as before it drives ok. just won't tick over.

no engine fault codes thrown.

i'm confussled & hoping it's not serious, as that'll make JAE ****.............

just been & tried it again & it's still doing it.

begining to wonder if it's an electrical problem as it only does it on tick over??? but we only removed the earth strap......

 

did you put the ground (earth) strap back on? The starter will not turn over most of the time or all the time with the ground strap off. This will also affect idle quality, and light dimming.

 

yeah, it's back on.

everything is as it was before we touched it. only the vavlve gaps are different.

 

we did discover something else last night as well:
i took it to my mate. he's not very technical(like me) but it was more to see if i'd missed something stupid. it was sat running, slightly roudh on tickover for around half an hour.
then i went to see someone who works as a mechanic on abit of everything. as i explained it to him & then tried to show him it, it wouldn't do it!! :-o (as always!)

this was the first time it had got properly 'hot' (with the fan kicking in five or six times)
then it sat fine & ran perfectly on the way home.

currently waiting on the rain to die back abit(as most at JAE will be too!!) to check if it's still doing it when cold.