Chim with running stutter

[Golflion]

Recently bought Chim from a guy who liked the sound of the V8 but never really drove it.Was told to slowly increase the revs in each gear over a few runs to reset the ECU to my style of driving.
This resulted in a better pick up /acceleration but seemed to alter the smooth running of the engine.
I was told to remove the Steppa Motor and clean it as well as the throttle flap which i did.To be honest it didn't seem to make much difference even though the end of the motor was carboned up.
Yesterday she started running as though the fuel was not going through every now and again,(bit of a stutter every now and again).
For the record i have been using Shell Optimax fuel with Magnetec engine oil.
Oil is full, and oil pressure is ok.
Have also noticed a slight ticking noise coming from the engine when she is travelling, but no tick when she is reved stationary.
Since i got her in November(don't forget weather not been to good in Yorkshire over last few months) i have only taken her out at least once a week,sometimes for only short runs.Could this have a bearing on the situation.

[ATG]

I don't think the ECU is adaptive and the stepper motor controls the engine's idle only. I'd guess the problem lies elsewhere. From what I've read here on PH, it seems that troubleshooting this kind of problem can be an expensive pain as it seems to revolve around swapping components out till the problem is cured. Personally I'd hand the car over to a competent independent who has a fault code reader, experience, and a big pile of spares to swap in and out. It might be as simple as a duff coil, wintery gunge on the dizzy cap or a knackered throttle pot ... it might be something a bit more esoteric like the time the Hall switch position sensor in my distributor worked itself a little bit loose.

[Cider Andy]

When was the car last serviced? They can be prone to not run well if the plugs are not in pristine condition.

If it's due a service you may find that that clears the problem up, otherwise I'd do what ATG suggests and take it in to a specialist.

[Golflion]

Last serviced in August 2005.

Would you go to rolling road specialist or main dealer.

Cars done 68,000 on 96 N

[The Surveyor]

The ticking noise could be a sign that the cam is going (especially with 68k miles), or more likely that you've aquired a leak on one of the exhaust manifolds, either on the gasket (cheap fix but ackward), or at the joint where all the primaries meet (this is quite common and will require a replacement).

You can rule out the lack of use by giving it a little 'Italian Tune-up'! make sure everything is nicely warm, and then drive it like you've stolen it (of course keeping within the legal speed limits and not exceeding the engines recommended rev limits etc... ). If it's still running badly, it may well benifit from an early service!

[ATG]

Golflion said:

Last serviced in August 2005.

Would you go to rolling road specialist or main dealer.

Cars done 68,000 on 96 N

Don't know your area of the country, but there'll probably be people along soon who can recommend a garage. Failing that, it might be worth contacting your local TVRCC and get a recommendation from people there. I'd go to anyone with a good reputation whose prices weren't outrageous. If a main dealer fits the bill, then great, but there is no particular reason to use a main dealer. In my case I use an independent firm. They don't have a rolling road, but unless you specifically need to test the car under load, I doubt that is a problem.