Amusing ridiculous diagnosis

[darmahsd]

Thanks!

 

[j_radcliffe]

Hey there folks. I went down quite the rabbit hole the last few weeks with the 2000tc and I thought maybe some of you would be amused with this tale. I needed a new rear muffler and took it to my usual shop where after the muffler was delivered it took them about 2 hours to fab/install it. They take it off the lift and no matter what, it won't start. It would rev for a second and then die. I have had some continuous issues with the car being hard to start which I have had great suggestions from the members of this forum on how to solve this.. Once warm, it runs very well. So I had to have the car towed back home.
So I checked the float levels in the carbs; all good. I also removed the tops and blew out the main jets and made sure everything was clear back to the fuel filter. After that didn't do anything I finally took the distributor guts out and cleaned it and lubed the weights and installed new points, condenser, rotor, cap, plugs, wires and static timed it. I also checked the vacuum advance to make sure it was working properly. Try again and the same result....yikes.
Now you get into that weird mental state when you start to realize that you should have been thinking simple stuff all along but your brain initially rejects the obvious; what is different? Of course, being an old car with gremlins and demons in it; I assumed that it not starting at the muffler shop was just a coincidence. What is different? New muffler. So I finally have the brilliant idea to look into the tailpipe with my flashlight and can see I am sure what you have all have been guessing all along! The baffle inside is completely stopped up.....the old potato in the tailpipe prank; of course! Undo the assembly back to the first fitting and take it back to the muffler shop and reinstall new non defective fucked up muffler!l; runs like a champ.......

Funnily enough back in 2009 I had got my Rover 2000 TC back on the road after many years of non operation. I drove by a pub on the way to the store. On the way back through one of the drinkers came out and talked to me about my Rover. He described a similar problem with a Rover that he had owned with a flap blocking the exhaust!