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David Towers
Prolific User
Username: xtriple

Post Number: 219
Registered: 6-2010
Posted on Tuesday, 08 May, 2018 - 04:31:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

I have a Brooklands 'R' LPT (66221) which recently left me on the back of an AA low loader and is currently back at Specialist cars awaiting attention. It is a mystery to me what has failed/gone wrong so over to you guys...

Symptoms:
About 10 days ago, it was parked facing downhill and when I started it, the revs were considerably higher than usual - 1500 versus the 600 it usually idles at. It cleared within a few hundred yards of driving. A few days later, again parked facing downhill, started but was misfiring and felt very rough, cleared within seconds.

Parked in the same spot a few days later, it did the same. Then, driving along. was at traffic lights on a steep downhill and it began to misfire quite badly, pulled round the corner on back on the flat and it cleared but about 300 yards later, it started to misfire constantly at low revs - above 1000 it cleared then it got to be a steady misfire.

As I had just a few hundred yards to my destination I carried on and parked it in the same spot as for the previous events (it's where I take the dogs for a walk) and parked up. When I went back to the car, a friend held the bonnet while I checked for anything obvious - nothing, water level, oil level and all leads present and correct. Tried to start it and it just went 'Thunk!' no turning over, just 'Thunk!'

Off it went curtesy of the AA and since then unseen by me. Any ideas what the hell has happened to it?

I thought it had 'hydro locked' but water is correct, so I wondered if an injector could fail 'open' and dump fuel into its cylinder?
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Mark Luft
Prolific User
Username: bentleyman1993

Post Number: 185
Registered: 10-2016
Posted on Tuesday, 08 May, 2018 - 05:16:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

David, as you were parked facing down hill I would suspect fuel. How much is (was) in the tank? Fuel tank screen clogged? Or possibly the accumulator is bad.

Just my $.02,
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David Towers
Prolific User
Username: xtriple

Post Number: 220
Registered: 6-2010
Posted on Tuesday, 08 May, 2018 - 05:38:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

That was my thought as well. To answer the queston, about 1/3 of a tank. Another symptom: it has been really bad on fuel just lately, I didn't notice (I just put fuel in it when the gauge says it needs some but the other day, someone asked about MPG so I worked it out - 7.6mpg!) and I did wonder if some part of the injection was dumping fuel excessively. Its the locked up state of the engine that has me REALLY worried and I am hoping it has/might/could have filled a cylinder with super unleaded!
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Larry Kavanagh
Prolific User
Username: shadow_11

Post Number: 172
Registered: 5-2016
Posted on Tuesday, 08 May, 2018 - 08:37:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

I'm not familiar with the Brooklands R LPT but your symptoms indicate a combination of possible faults:

1) Fuel tank screen clogged or fuel pressure accumulator leak as suggested by Mark,

2) The "Thunk" when turning the key would suggest a starter motor solenoid problem or a corroded or loose wiring contact to the starter motor or battery or engine earth or perhaps the battery has lost its charge.
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Jim Walters
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Username: jim_walters

Post Number: 153
Registered: 1-2014
Posted on Tuesday, 08 May, 2018 - 09:04:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

I have seen this before but on carburetor equipped cars. Fuel pump valves are like check valves so will allow the fuel to siphon from the tank in through the carb float needles and into a cylinder with a partially open intake valve. It will fill a cylinder. When you try starting the piston starts to travel up and the intake valve closes and it hydrolocks the cylinder. If parked steep enough with the nose down the weight of the fuel will overcome the ability of the carb float to keep the needle closed and fuel will siphon into the engine.
If you give it several more tries of the starter after a couple minutes it will slowly force the fuel in the cylinder past the piston rings. Three or four start attempts will usually clear it but you should not drive it after this until you have changed the oil. Firstly, you are diluting the oil with fuel. Secondly, not rectifying this situation will destroy your engine. The excess fuel washes the oil off of the cylinder walls and the piston rings will wear extremely quickly. Driving it with that kind of fuel consumption will destroy the rings in pretty short order. The diluted fuel will not be kind to bearing shells either.
I'm having a difficult time figuring out exactly how this could happen in an injected car. Maybe it is not siphoning but the accumulator is pushing the available fuel through something into a cylinder when it is shut off. Either way, you should rectify it before the rings are ruined.

SRH8505 SRC18015 SRE22493 NAC-05370
www.bristolmotors.com
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Jim Walters
Prolific User
Username: jim_walters

Post Number: 154
Registered: 1-2014
Posted on Tuesday, 08 May, 2018 - 09:08:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

I should clarify I have seen the hydrolocking of cylinders by fuel only when a car is parked with the rear much higher than the front. The missing and stumbling when driving downhill, well that's indeed a strange one.

SRH8505 SRC18015 SRE22493 NAC-05370
www.bristolmotors.com
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ross kowalski
Grand Master
Username: cdfpw

Post Number: 771
Registered: 11-2015
Posted on Tuesday, 08 May, 2018 - 09:13:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

David,

Another one I've sceen is water in the filter just below the outlet when the car gets tipped water gets into the lines.

Would cause stumbling, but not hydrolocking.
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Jim Walters
Prolific User
Username: jim_walters

Post Number: 155
Registered: 1-2014
Posted on Tuesday, 08 May, 2018 - 09:23:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

Leaking cold start injector, has pressure all the time.

SRH8505 SRC18015 SRE22493 NAC-05370
www.bristolmotors.com
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David Towers
Prolific User
Username: xtriple

Post Number: 221
Registered: 6-2010
Posted on Tuesday, 08 May, 2018 - 20:13:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

Thank you all, Jim that sounds like it could be it. Hope so as possibly a cheap (all things relative!) repair.

Dave.
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David Towers
Prolific User
Username: xtriple

Post Number: 223
Registered: 6-2010
Posted on Wednesday, 09 May, 2018 - 00:47:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

Well, bugger! Just had a phone call from Specialist cars, cylinder B4 is full of water. This is NOT good news and they are quoting 5-6 thousand quid for the job to be done - 45 hours work! Worst is they can't even start to do the job for a few weeks.

Not having much luck with this car :-(
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richard george yeaman
Grand Master
Username: richyrich

Post Number: 965
Registered: 4-2012
Posted on Wednesday, 09 May, 2018 - 01:29:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

David sorry to hear that, you are having a rough time

Richard.
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Mark Aldridge
Grand Master
Username: mark_aldridge

Post Number: 530
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Wednesday, 09 May, 2018 - 02:47:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

David, have you considered quotes from other specialists. I am slightly surprised at 45 hours in a workshop, as my son and I did one bank plus a decoke and a new exhaust valve on a badly maintained carburetor Spirit with a seized on head a lot quicker than that. We were working outside in winter ! Mind you I would be loath to do another !
Mark
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Patrick Lockyer.
Grand Master
Username: pat_lockyer

Post Number: 1861
Registered: 9-2004
Posted on Wednesday, 09 May, 2018 - 03:54:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

5-6 grand for a head gasket job! would be for new cooling system and recon head + more.

Hope the water collected in the piston rings are delt with if left untouched for a longish time.

Sorry to hear bad news about the car.
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David Towers
Prolific User
Username: xtriple

Post Number: 224
Registered: 6-2010
Posted on Wednesday, 09 May, 2018 - 07:10:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

The water is out and has been dried out etc so that shouldn't be a further problem. If anyone knows of someone trustworthy down here in Devon area who would do a good job for less, I would be delighted to hear from them.

Apparently a lot of the time is in simply getting to the heads with all the ram pipes and plenum stuff but still, 45 hours seems excessive. I guess as they are saying they can't start for a while they don't want to do it. Strange as when I fist started using them, they were glad of my business.

How times change...
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Mark Aldridge
Grand Master
Username: mark_aldridge

Post Number: 531
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Wednesday, 09 May, 2018 - 10:18:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

David would it be worth transporting it to a specialist outside Devon., to a member of RRBSA possibly ?
Mark
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gordon le feuvre
Prolific User
Username: triumph

Post Number: 244
Registered: 7-2012
Posted on Friday, 11 May, 2018 - 18:46:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

Paul Yorke in Wales (Everything Rolls-Royce) or Steve Drewitt at Silver Lady Bourenmouth
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David Towers
Prolific User
Username: xtriple

Post Number: 227
Registered: 6-2010
Posted on Sunday, 27 May, 2018 - 04:27:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

Well, after much deliberation, I decided the best course of action was to get rid of the horrible thing! I asked Flying spares for a price to buy 'as is' and they offered £8K. I dithered.... a week later they increased the offer to £10K so I took it. Just had enough of the never ending hassle with it and I knew I'd hae another 10 grand in it by the end of the year, so it seemed sensible to get rid.

So it;s gone but not forgotten.
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richard george yeaman
Grand Master
Username: richyrich

Post Number: 970
Registered: 4-2012
Posted on Sunday, 27 May, 2018 - 06:59:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

David sorry about that,

Richard.
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Christian S. Hansen
Grand Master
Username: enquiring_mind

Post Number: 789
Registered: 4-2015
Posted on Sunday, 27 May, 2018 - 07:49:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

David....
Now take that 10K and use it as a down payment on a quality Silver Cloud Series (circa 50K) and start enjoying the Rolls-Royce experience. Wisely purchased Clouds are very dependable and will never be worth less than what you pay.

Silver Cloud Series

(Photo courtesy Michael Carr)

.
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Mark Aldridge
Grand Master
Username: mark_aldridge

Post Number: 541
Registered: 10-2008
Posted on Sunday, 27 May, 2018 - 08:12:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

David, from my experience, Clouds and S series are superb, but in the UK either buy shares in a good bodyshop or buy a good welder, compressor and spraygun !Getting the sill lines ripple free is a work of art. I still love my S1, despite the welding burns .
Mark
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Mark Luft
Prolific User
Username: bentleyman1993

Post Number: 189
Registered: 10-2016
Posted on Friday, 01 June, 2018 - 04:26:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IP

David, sorry you had such a bad experience. My Turbo R has been good to me (knock on wood). Please don't let this spoil your desire for another RR/B. They are lovely cars.

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