Won't Run Over 2000 Rpm

Welcome from Michigan, I would set it to TDC on number 1 and pull the distributor out, wiggle everything to see how much play it has. Spray it down with Brake Cleaner get all oil and geese out of it, file the points, clean it again. hook it up, see if it will fire the coil by hand. Put it back in, set the timing try it again. Now you know if it is the points, or the Solex carb. Good Luck.

 

+1

 

Just an FYI: Common on motorcycles before FI became ubiquitous. More or less a tiny carburetor in your carburetor. Only effective when the throttle is closed. Sounds like yours is working just fine.

 

+2

 

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Wow - a lot of input on this - too much to reply individually!

I have ordered a new distributor with electronic ignition. Will see if the coil the PO installed has a resistor, if not I have an extra from a '73 2002 restoration I'm doing. I will let everyone know how the fix goes in a couple of days. We did check the vacuum leak theory - seems ok. Points were cleaned after install and adjustment. Interested in how you (Mike) used compressed air to check for vacuum leak.

 

IMHO, those Chinesium electronic ignition distributors are notoriously unreliable. Your points distributor is far easier to diagnose.

 

The parts manufactured for the points distributors are not what they used to be either. I used a pertronix and never looked back.

 

I'm just curious, but did it run previously?

 

I think it is the modulating flux capacitor.

In case you need the part number..

 

Just my inexperienced opinion, but it doesn’t sound like the modulating flux capacitor is modulating. That’s the problem with these new Chinese capacitors. They don’t modulate the flux

 

At 2000 rpm he can't get it up to 88 miles per hour.

Maybe an oscillation overthruster would do the trick.

 

I still suspect the problem it is the spark advance in the distributor.

Now that is something I didn't think about. When I was a kid I recall a potato or two being stuffed up someone's tail pipe, but I ain't naming names.

 

mice love mufflers...

 

I found an exhaust filled with acorns once. Same symptoms. Also found a mouse spread eagle across the intake of the cab. Some PO had thrown away to air filter element and a mouse found a nice home till he got crispy fried.