ENGINE STRAINING

[marcus1970]

Hello all,

I know CERBS are fast, but I always feel that the engine is straining itself, runs out of legs quickly and feels like it's never happy until it finds it's legs in 3rd gear.

It never feels smooth and progressive, more like a sprinter running his boll*cks off flat out and then thanking god that there is a 3rd gear, so that he can settle down and really start giving it some.

The engine seems to be like a swimmer in a frenzy as though it hates slow speeds in 1st and 2nd, as if it's drowning and desperate for air whilst thrashing around in the water, until it reaches 3rd and can then power off like a criuse ship.

Does anyone know what I mean, or am I just talking crap?

MB

[RUSSELLM]

No reason why these cars can't run perfectly.

Mine sits in traffic every morning/evening, and will happily move along on tickover & any revs above that.

I'm guessing, throttle pots, induction hoses or more likely, lack of control due to knackered throttle cable

[GreenV8S]

marcus1970 said:

Does anyone know what I mean

Not the least idea I'm afraid.

[DaveR]

Are you sure you just don't mean that you have so much torque that 1st and 2nd gears just don't seem to be tall enough ratios?!

I'm sure we can all understand that. IIRC, the 'close ratio' 'box addressed this with a much longer 1st, and maybe a longer 2nd too. I'm sure someone can confirm or deny.

Or is it just that your car won't run smoothly on part throttle openings around town (in lower gears)?

[morebeanz]

I know mine is very awkward at around 2000rpm, which is where town poodling speed seems to be. I suspect that re-mapping and a little induction work would sort that out though.

[BCA]

Remap and induction.

Ours has never felt like its struggling at all, but there was a hesitance every now and again at lower revs that is possibly what you're on about?? Either way, theres nothing hesitant about the Cerb now.

[FarmyardPants]

Sounds like you watched too much of the Olympics

But from the asthmatic athlete analogy, maybe your ignition is too advanced. Not even sure how it's adjusted on the cerb, crank angle sensor presumably, but the symptoms are typically that the first 10% of throttle travel gives 90% of the grunt and the rest doesn't add much (ie not progressive, as you say) with the effect less noticeable in higher gears. This is from years of turning dizzy caps and measuring the results on the butt dyno, so YMMV. Worth checking the ignition timing anyway. HTH

[C3BER]

The cerb is:

174mph car one day
The school bus the next
Work transport
A rush hour crawler
A clear road monster
A car to cruise the Blackpool lights (speed cameras now, bugger)

So far three years of ups and downs and a few 360s and she's deep in my blood.

[jammy_basturd]

By the sounds of it, it just needs a good tune, throttle pots are out, lambda sensor is duff, etc.

[pjac67]

Handbrake off? ;-)

[WIL35]

DaveR said:

Are you sure you just don't mean that you have so much torque that 1st and 2nd gears just don't seem to be tall enough ratios?!

That's the impression I get, unless it is just me being too mechanically sympathetic and changing up too early before it all sounds like it is being thrashed. I can see the OP's point, once into third it doesn't feel quite so frantic!