B230E not passing above 3000Rev in test drive

Duck · 2025-10-31T01:58:27+00:00

So finally coming to the end of my rest efforts on my 82 240 Having gotten it out for a test drive I've found that bizarrely it's unable to climb above 3000...

Duck

Rory also noted about NOT needing to prime it, may be worth seeing how it reacts to being started without the usual thing I do, I guess a weak fuel pump would not come as too much of a suprise, though it'll be interesting to sus a replacement if it tis.

ramrod

Duck

Where in the world are you?

Going by what you’re saying, am I right in assuming you’re not from Australia?

Duck

ramrod across the pond from ya's, New Zealand. Howdy neighbours!

ramrod

Duck

I was there earlier this year.

Have you checked the fuel pressure? It’s critical to the running of k-jetronic.

Duck

ramrod have not, would need to see if we even got a tool in the garage to measure it with, or get one but i'll make a point of checking that when I'm not working next

Forg

This may be a really dumb idea, but if you put the gearbox in 1 or L, whatever the lowest gear is, how do you go with the revs? I only say that because then you’re taking gearing, gearshifts, slipping on gearchange, blah blah out of the equation doing that.

Have you been chatting about this car in other threads such that people who know more than I do know the backstory? It sounds like you’ve fitted a 1985 engine & gearbox into a 1982 car? I have zero idea about K-Jet in order to make any comments about possible differences between a 1982 & a 1985 …

Duck

Forg i was thinking of trying that actually, it'll be a little bit before I can do my next test drive but running it in 1 is worth a try.

And you're mostly correct on that one, was an 87 rather than 85, 740 I nicked the block and tranny from, though I don't think there'd be much changes to the K-jetronic system over the years it does give me a thought..

having gone from 1.9->2.3L I'm thinking maybe the k-jet unit needs to be adjusted to compensate for the increased displacement, that maybe it's pushing enough fuel to operate in neutral, but under load it just doesn't have the power to go higher than 3000, it was sounding VERY tractory when I was at 3000 so I'm wondering if it could be that it's struggling from a k-jet that's been configured for a 1.9…

Hmmm will need to ponder that once I try that drive in 1 idea to check how that goes

Forg

Ah, TBH I just assumed a NZ car from 1982 would have the same engine as an AU car from 1982, didn’t occur to me you might be running K-Jet set-up for a 1.9L engine to supply a 2.3L engine! But yep, you may have nailed it there, unless you have Lambda (which I doubt) K-Jet can’t adjust to the fuel requirements of the engine when you embiggen it, you probably do need to adjust something-or-other, or fit something-or-other that allows the extra fuel to suit the B230E.

You might need a tailpipe oxy sensor to adjust the K-Jet fuel supply so much … we might have some K-Jet nutters ‘round here who know. 🙂

Duck

Forg nah no lambda that I know of, the more I think about it that seems very likely, I do believe the k jet can be adjusted with an Allen key, though it'll be interesting to work out how much I need to adjust by, I think i agree I might have hit the nail on the head with that one, see if we get any k-jet experts to chime in, but so far that seems to be a sound thought 🤔

ramrod

Before doing anything:

Fuel pressure needs to be examined.

Control pressure and system pressure.

Don’t touch anything else, you’ll be chasing your tail forever.

Duck

ramrod good point that. Best not to jump the gun, check the basics first.

Duck

ramrod as far as fuel pressure testing goes ramrod, what exactly am i looking for toolwise, from a quick browse i can see multiple types of pressure testers but i'm drawing a blank on what exactly i should be looking for.

On another note when i'm measuring fuel pressure, am i measuring the pressure from fuel pump/accumulator to the control pressure regulator, between the CPR and distributor, or both

Forg

@ramrod if the system is tuned for 1.9L of engine and it’s trying to feed 2.3L of engine, is it the fuel pressure you adjust for that purpose?

Duck

Forg i cant quite recall but I remember when I was studying some videos/manuals about the system I think you're adjusting the lever between the air flow plate and the plunger so that the set point on the plunger is higher/lower and by extension more/less fuel being delivered

ramrod

Forg

The fuel pressure check is a health test for the components that make up k-jet.

Adjustments don’t need to be done and people think they know what they’re doing when they say I made an adjustment. They don’t.

The adjustment is just for idle CO. It has nothing to do with the behaviour of the fuel system beyond idle.

When you’re dealing with over 40 year old mechanical fuel injection systems, it’s quite possible that the system is contaminated due to rust in the fuel tank. This can block up the very super fine tolerances within the sensitive components involved, even getting past the filters.

That’s why it’s critical to check the system pressure before going any further.

Lots of things can cause what the OP is describing.

Major Ledfoot

OP - find or download a copy of the Green Book TP 30454/1 aka TP 30454-1, and do some heavy reading.

Edited to add: there's copies in the Technical Archive.

When you're discussing the 1.9 litre engine, I presume this is a B19E and not a B200E?

B19E and B23E both use the same CPR and injector types.

Duck

Major Ledfoot yehp B19e, replaced for a b230 block, and noted on the TP number, I'll jump onto the archive and have a read

Edit:

I should see as well because you had said the B19E - B23E had the same CPR etc.

it was a B230 block I had stolen so it makes me a B230E did the CPR etc change when they went through that change in nomenclature? I can't remember if anything changed between the Bxx - Bxxx family other than some casting changes

Major Ledfoot

Duck B23 and B230 are very different in terms of crank, rods, bearing, etc.

160, 398, and 405 heads on B21 types were replaced with 530, 531, and the silly Heron head.

I haven't look through the B230 books to see what they did with the B230E, which were a 1985 thing only in OZ.

But if you've put a K-Jet head on a B230 block, it should work the same as a B23E.

B19E uses either a D or an A cam. B23E use either an H, K, or A cam. See TP 30170/2.

I haven't looked up the ignition system to see what difference there are in B19 and B23 dizzys, if any. That - or vacuum leaks - may be why it won't rev past 3000 rpm.

Duck

Major Ledfoot yup basically took the cylinder head and k-jet from the B19 and slapped it onto the B230 Bottom end, still using the A cam as well least from what my notes say, so in that case as you said, should work the same as the B23E.

vacuum leaks are a distinct possibility, I want to say i could hear a hissing somewhere while it was idling so there might be a leak somewhere, will need to investigate properly when i'm off work next