Reliant Kitten Estate, Workshop Manual

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Page 86
Exhaust emission
Kittens have been manufactured to conform with legislation on
exhaust emission. The law requires that carbon monoxide (CO)
emission must not exceed 4.5% with the idle speed increased by 250
rpm or decreased by 100 rpm from the manufacturer's
recommendation.
Vehicles fitted with a carburettor having a tamper proofing device
conform with more stringent regulations requiring the mandatory
sealing of adjusters to prevent the value of exhaust emissions
exceeding the permitted level.
The tamper proof carburettor has the mixture factory sealed by the
fitting of semi-circular plastic shrouds with a snap fastening around
the mixture adjusting nut after the correct setting has been obtained.
If any attempt is made to remove these they will break off. Early
vehicles do not have these shrouds but are still required to be
adjusted to meet the regulations.
The information in the manual includes details of slow running and
fast idle adjustments only.
These are the only legal adjustments within the scope of the owner
mechanic, without specialised equipment.
If further servicing or adjustment is needed this can only be carried
out by an authorised Reliant Dealer. Any adjustment made without
the specialist equipment, or the breaking of the tamper proof shrouds
is now an offence and will result in the vehicle failing to comply with
the emission regulations specified by the Department of Transport.
Carburettor
The following information includes details of slow running and fast
idle adjustments. It cannot be over emphasised that these are the
only adjustments to be carried out by the owner.
Adjusting the carburettor
Before adjusting the carburettor it is essential that maladjustment or
faults from other sources are eliminated. Therefore, it is essential to
check the following:
(a) Valve clearances
(b) Spark plug condition
(c) Contact breaker gap
(d) Ignition timing and advance
(e) Possible air leakage into induction system
The latter will result in erratic running and misfiring due to weak
mixture. Air leaks can be caused by split or perished hoses, a worn,
split r missing "O" ring in the oil filler cap, a damaged rocker cover
gasket or even by the dipstick not being fully seated in its tube.
Operation 4 Adjusting - idling or slow running
1. Run the engine until it reaches normal running
temperature.
2. Turn the throttle adjusting screw ( Figure 4 ) clockwise to
increase the speed, or anti clockwise to decrease until the desired
idling speed is obtained.
The exhaust note should be regular and even at the correct idling
speed of 900 rpm. The carburettor is factory set to idle at this speed.
Should the idle speed alter over time, due to usual wear and tear, and
restoring the correct idling speed results inerratic running, then the
vehicle must be returned to an authorised Reliant dealer for
rectification.
Figure 4 Slow running and fast idle screws
1. Fast idle adjustment screw
2. Throttle adjustment screw
Operation 5 Fast idling (choke) adjustment
Pull out the mixture control (choke) until the linkage is just about to
move the jet. Start the engine and adjust the fast idle screw (
Figure 4 )
to give an engine speed of 2,250 rpm. Push the choke fully in and
check that there is a clearance of 1.016 mm (0.040 in) between the
end of the screw and the cam. The choke cable should have a
clearance of 1.6 mm (1/16 in) free movement before it starts to pull
on the cam lever.
Note: Any adjustment of the slow running (idling) must be followed by
a check of the fast running adjustment.
Accelerator pedal assembly
The accelerator pedal shares the mounting bracket with the brake and
clutch pedals. This assembly has to be removed from the foot well
before the pedals can be dismantled. The procedure for this is
described in
Section H.
Accelerator cable
The accelerator cable is adjusted by means of the trunnion (solderless
nipple) on the operating linkage.
To adjust
1. Slacken the trunnion securing the accelerator cable.
2. Pull the inner cable through the trunnion to take up the
slack.
3. Tighten the screw.
4. Start the engine and check operation. Readjust if necessary.
Accelerator cable removal (Figure 5)
1. From within the vehicle foot well disconnect the inner cable
and nipple from the lug on the pedal stem.