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Discussion
The initial advance (static and when idling) timing on the 1300 xflow is 12degrees BTDC if it is the low compression engine and 10 degrees BTDC if it is the high compression engine.
Regards the handling the large tyres will not help as they could well either be commercial grade tyres and/or "tracking" on imperfections on the road surface.
The Jago will be a lot lighter than the vehicle those tyres were designed for.
Have you tested the suspension for weak dampers by doing the corner bump test.
Just in case you do not know what I am on about this is where you press down on each corner of the vehicle in turn (on the Jago this is the bumper) If the dampers are working correctly then the car should rise and then on the down stroke settle. If it moves up and down much more than this the damper on that corner is past it's best.
If you find only one damper defective you still must replace the axle set (ie both front or both rear) never just replace one unit.
Other things to check:
The steering rack mountings if there is any play here especially with big wheels and tyres the vehicle will do it own thing as it moves along.
Track control arms (these are the cast units that connect the bottom of the front struts to the crossmember) Check the bushes on these by raising the front of the vehicle and with the help of another person (steering lock off) push the steering fully to one side (left or right) then push or pull (depending which way is easier for you) on the wheel so trying to move the steering even further in the direction it is already turned to. The second person should be looking at the inner bush(arm to crossmember) to see if there is any excess movement. Repeat on the opposite lock.
Any movement here will alter the track and camber of the front wheels as the vehicle moves which makes quite a difference even on standard 14" wheels.
Whilst the front wheels are off the ground also (still with a second person watching) put a hand on the top and bottom of the wheel and try "tipping" the wheeel in and out (pull on the top will pushing on the bottom and repeating the opposite way). the second person should be looking at the ball joint on the arm that connects it to the base of the strut. Again any movement here will cause bad handling. (You can also check the ball joints using the method of test for the bushes)
If the ball joint has got play in it then you need to replace both track control arms. If the bushes have got play in them (this could be the inner bush and or the one that links the anti roll bar)then you can either again replace both arms with new units or re bush the arms. Here we recommend the polyurethane bushes (warning if you feel you need to remove the arms from the vehicle this could damage the boot on the ball joint so it is often easier to buy new arms and re bush them prior to fitting with the poly bushes).
Again whilst the wheels are off the ground check the front wheel bearings by repeating the test for the ball joint but also trying the same technic on the sides of the wheel.
Is there play in the actual steering rack mechanism or are the track rod ends worn? Is the rubber damper coupling in the steering column worn?(this is usually the last part of the column where it goes onto the steering rack).
All these items would cause bad to impossible handling either on their own or worse still if a number of these faults are present.
Other checks you can do are to the back suspension.
As well as the bump test you have already done check the leaf spring bushes and the "top hat" bushes which hold the swinging spring carriers to the rear bumper.
Again any wear in these bushes will cause handling problems as the rear axle in the worse case could be trying to steer.
Again if possible to firm things up poly bushes are the best option.
Are the U bolts holding the axle to the leaf springs tight enough to stop the axle moving/ rolling?
If the shoes on the axle are rolled at their ends where they sit on the springs then at some point or currnetly the axle is moving on the springs. If so then either a replacement axle is required or the axle needs to be removed from the vehicle and the shoes repaired/replaced.
Lastly is the tracking correct?
There are various tracking settings that can be used on the Jago.
The usual straight ahead method most tyre centres set cars at works on some Jago's where as others need 1/8" toe out (yes toe out). This has been known to calm down the fidgity road handling of some Jago's.
It may also be worth checking out the technical site www.joctechnical.org.uk for any further information.
Hope the above is not too much to take in and may help you get your Jago behaving a bit better.
Regards the handling the large tyres will not help as they could well either be commercial grade tyres and/or "tracking" on imperfections on the road surface.
The Jago will be a lot lighter than the vehicle those tyres were designed for.
Have you tested the suspension for weak dampers by doing the corner bump test.
Just in case you do not know what I am on about this is where you press down on each corner of the vehicle in turn (on the Jago this is the bumper) If the dampers are working correctly then the car should rise and then on the down stroke settle. If it moves up and down much more than this the damper on that corner is past it's best.
If you find only one damper defective you still must replace the axle set (ie both front or both rear) never just replace one unit.
Other things to check:
The steering rack mountings if there is any play here especially with big wheels and tyres the vehicle will do it own thing as it moves along.
Track control arms (these are the cast units that connect the bottom of the front struts to the crossmember) Check the bushes on these by raising the front of the vehicle and with the help of another person (steering lock off) push the steering fully to one side (left or right) then push or pull (depending which way is easier for you) on the wheel so trying to move the steering even further in the direction it is already turned to. The second person should be looking at the inner bush(arm to crossmember) to see if there is any excess movement. Repeat on the opposite lock.
Any movement here will alter the track and camber of the front wheels as the vehicle moves which makes quite a difference even on standard 14" wheels.
Whilst the front wheels are off the ground also (still with a second person watching) put a hand on the top and bottom of the wheel and try "tipping" the wheeel in and out (pull on the top will pushing on the bottom and repeating the opposite way). the second person should be looking at the ball joint on the arm that connects it to the base of the strut. Again any movement here will cause bad handling. (You can also check the ball joints using the method of test for the bushes)
If the ball joint has got play in it then you need to replace both track control arms. If the bushes have got play in them (this could be the inner bush and or the one that links the anti roll bar)then you can either again replace both arms with new units or re bush the arms. Here we recommend the polyurethane bushes (warning if you feel you need to remove the arms from the vehicle this could damage the boot on the ball joint so it is often easier to buy new arms and re bush them prior to fitting with the poly bushes).
Again whilst the wheels are off the ground check the front wheel bearings by repeating the test for the ball joint but also trying the same technic on the sides of the wheel.
Is there play in the actual steering rack mechanism or are the track rod ends worn? Is the rubber damper coupling in the steering column worn?(this is usually the last part of the column where it goes onto the steering rack).
All these items would cause bad to impossible handling either on their own or worse still if a number of these faults are present.
Other checks you can do are to the back suspension.
As well as the bump test you have already done check the leaf spring bushes and the "top hat" bushes which hold the swinging spring carriers to the rear bumper.
Again any wear in these bushes will cause handling problems as the rear axle in the worse case could be trying to steer.
Again if possible to firm things up poly bushes are the best option.
Are the U bolts holding the axle to the leaf springs tight enough to stop the axle moving/ rolling?
If the shoes on the axle are rolled at their ends where they sit on the springs then at some point or currnetly the axle is moving on the springs. If so then either a replacement axle is required or the axle needs to be removed from the vehicle and the shoes repaired/replaced.
Lastly is the tracking correct?
There are various tracking settings that can be used on the Jago.
The usual straight ahead method most tyre centres set cars at works on some Jago's where as others need 1/8" toe out (yes toe out). This has been known to calm down the fidgity road handling of some Jago's.
It may also be worth checking out the technical site www.joctechnical.org.uk for any further information.
Hope the above is not too much to take in and may help you get your Jago behaving a bit better.
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