Hi guys,
My new '65 122 is kicking me in the ass- literally. It'll run fine and then give a hard stumble, almost as if the engine is dying and restarting itself. It kicks me pretty hard in my seat when it happens. It also has no cycle to it. It will happen at any RPM, any speed, any load on the engine, sometimes a few times in a row within 10 seconds, and then nothing for 10 or 20 minutes, and then once, then nothing again for a few minutes. The plugs, wires, and distributor (1-2-3) are all new. Carbs were rebuilt and re-bushed. Engine is a B-20 with Ipd street torque cam. I'm stumped, and it's really annoying. Has anyone else had this, or if anyone can point me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!!

Rob

Guys, thanks for your suggestions. I did some digging and found that my alternator was charging at 16V!! If you own a 123 ignition, and you are having misfiring issues, CHECK YOUR CHARGING VOLTAGE! These distributors have a voltage spike protection feature that exhibits in just the way I originally described. I changed my alternator so that I'm now running at 14v, and the problem has completely vanished. Unbelievable...
I'm smiling now!

Rob

If you can, connect a timing light with the wires running out of the hood and into the cabin or tape the light to the windshield in a way that it's visible to the driver. Go for a drive and see if there are interruptions in the spark that coincide with the stumbling.
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Current rides: 2005 Volvo S80 2.5T, 2003 Volvo V70 2.4NA, 1973 Volvo 1800ES (getting ever closer to road worthiness)

It sounds like an electrical problem.

How do you have the 123Ignition wired?

Are you using the stock ignition coil?
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Eric
Hi Performance Automotive Service (formerly OVO or Old Volvos Only)
Torrance, CA 90502
hiperformanceautoservice.com or oldvolvosonly.com

Hi,

I had a similar fault in a 240 that was cleared by cleaning and tightening the small wire connection at the coil.

Peter