SLANT 4 IN A VIVA

Tips and help requests for your cars mechanics. points gaps, timming settings all those sorts of things

Re: SLANT 4 IN A VIVA

Postby droopsnoot » Wed Aug 26, 2020 10:23 am

I don't know the OHV engine, but if it runs hot* and the radiator and water pump are fine, then you may have blockages in the waterways inside the block and head, common if the engine has been run with plain water instead of coolant with an anti-corrosion additive.

Running hot in itself can cause problems as components have to work at temperatures they're not designed for.

(* presuming you've checked that it actually is running hot, not that you also have a temp sensor or gauge problem).

This is one of the water fittings from my Sportshatch engine (OHC, and actually the fitting for the pipe that runs under the twin carburettors) showing how they can get. (For those who know the car and the state it was in, this wasn't from the car itself, it's a pair I bought separately, so not just this bad because the car was this bad generally).

Last edited by droopsnoot on Wed Aug 26, 2020 10:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: SLANT 4 IN A VIVA

Postby 1972nail » Wed Aug 26, 2020 10:26 am

I agree, there is something not right with your engine and it sounds very like it needs properly set up. Not just by someone who knows what points and a coil are, but someone who knows how to diagnose what is going on and knows how to fix it properly.

There should be no misfires or lack of go, bearing in mind it is 1256, and it should be equal to any basic 1300 F@#d crossflow.

It's not a modern engine or car design so you can't expect it to be like a modern car, the view through rose tinted glasses sometimes has to be re-examined.

The 1256 has some tuning potential and that could be explored but only after you get it running like it should.
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Re: SLANT 4 IN A VIVA

Postby lord13 » Thu Aug 27, 2020 7:40 am

HC Fairley wrote:Quite the juxtaposition here. Never thought I'd see the day when the top IVA enforcer would be telling us how to do things to our vehicles in an improper fashion :jawcropyel: :wink:


Erm.... I don't mention any cutting of any part of the bodyshell . . . not do I mention using any non-standard equipment. So it's all good where the IVA is concerned :D
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Re: SLANT 4 IN A VIVA

Postby lord13 » Thu Aug 27, 2020 7:49 am

Tokyo-Grift wrote:Thanks for the advice everybody. After reading this I'm looking at crossflow engines! The long short of it is my 1256 has been running funny and unreliability since the say I got it. £250ish later and its still missing slightly, down on power, even though its had a carb rebuild, compression test, valves are good etc. Won't go over 60mph before feeling stressed and also takes a year to get there. So if anybody can let me know in depth how to make a 1256 fun, I would be very grateful. However a nicely tuned 1300 xflow or a standard 1600 xflow is looking rather appealing. I did look at the essex v6 but unreliability seems to be there too! Thanks again all


Don't... a crossflow might be appealing but it's way too expensive to fit one of these compared to the power output you'd get with a standard or mildly tuned one. You'd be better off with a more modern GM engine rather than mess around with a crossflow. For a start the type9 5 speed you will need are getting to be hens teeth and very expensive, plus you'd need to mount it too far forward to get the gear lever in the right place ( to avoid IVA ), and then you will have sump clearance issues. A MT75 box is too big, and a rocket or earlier ford 3rail will set you back a fair bit and they only have 4 gears.
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Re: SLANT 4 IN A VIVA

Postby lord13 » Thu Aug 27, 2020 8:01 am

As others have said previously , there is something not right with your engine...

I've had many of the OHV engines in the past, of all 3 factory capacities, and they have all been pretty good, but some 1256' ones were pretty variable in performance.

I had one in a HB which was ok but I soon removed it and put the 1159 back in as it revved better, I also had a silver HC that was abysmal, super slow and not much grunt. But then again, one of the HC's I had, a yellow and black 4 door, that was full of filler and held together with hope, ran like a dream, it was super fast ( for a OHV) and just kept going, it would rev and rev, It absolutely flew... One of my favourite viva's that was...

They are pretty good engines, and can be tuned to produce fairly ok power... there is a new facebook group that deals with these OHVs, and the opel version, It covers a wide range of tuning and there's some interesting posts. Although it does seem like the opel boys got the better deal in tuning and parts availability....
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Re: SLANT 4 IN A VIVA

Postby viva les vegas » Sun Aug 30, 2020 1:03 am

Try and get the 1256 rebuilt, or at least looked at by a specialist, as previously mentioned. My old ‘72 had a Silver Seal 1256 and ran like a dream. The speedo was slightly out, as I found out when friends in a modern car were trying to keep up on the M5, and she could easily do over 100. I did a trip (many times) from Plymouth to Hull, and I worked out she returned somewhere in the region of 48mpg with 5 people and a boot full of luggage, at proper motorway speeds. Only time she overheated was when a radiator hose split.
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Re: SLANT 4 IN A VIVA

Postby GTpete » Sat Sep 05, 2020 9:15 am

Still remember when I took my Rover V8 engined GT out for the first time...things like this you don't forget....It was nice having the fastest Viva in town!!!
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Re: SLANT 4 IN A VIVA

Postby 1972nail » Sat Sep 05, 2020 10:37 am

These days it's more like the only Viva in town.

I suppose even if it is a 1057 HA running on 2 cylinders it's still the fastest one too. :lol:
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Re: SLANT 4 IN A VIVA

Postby GTpete » Sun Sep 05, 2021 10:51 am

Any update on what you decided...?
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