MAIN
Engine (internal)
Previous Page | Next Page
You could consider a change to roller front bearings. "Jeremy Cogman" 1236... MORE
Hi Chaps, Well those of you who suggested the rumbling was front wheel bearings were right! I replace both the front inner and outer bearings, after making a couple of suitable tools to drift the bearings into the hub. The offside front outer bearing was cracked and it's inner race was pitted like the skin of an orange!!.......no wonder it sounded so bad. My feeling is that who ever did the job previously had not seated the bearing correctly. It is like driving on silk now........well comparitively speaking. Well thats another string to my bow, I now know how... MORE
John I have checked the wheels. The ex-viva wheels do have larger holes for the wheel studs than the midget wheel. However the taper of the wheel nuts fits the taper in the wheel perfectly although because the hole is bigger they go in deeper in fact right up to the hex. Am I right in thinking that the load is taken by the taper and not directly against the stud? Am I taking any risks in using these wheels? There is a 10mm distance piece on the rear wheels only. Terry 1972 1275 Midget UK spec "Terry Isherwood"... MORE
I believe there has been a quality problem with the new units. The bores can be rought towards the end and the seals get torn up when you push the pedal hard i.e. when you are bleeding it. You could disaaemble your next m/c from Moss and check the bore. Good luck! "Jeremy Cogman" 1213... MORE
Chris, Yes, I think at the conclusion to your note you are getting close to the cause, I believe the problem is known as "Rear axle torque steer", unfortunately I do have a fully detailed explaination, (something to do with engine rotation on decelleration, I seem to remember), but the installation of a Panhard rod would undoubtedly go a long way to solving the problem. If I can find my references I'll post an explaination of this rather uncomfortable phenomenon. Paul. paul@... 1210... MORE
Question master cylinder not a tough job but i`m about to reinstall my second new master from moss first one leak second no leak but on presser next morning peddle went right to the floor my machanic and good friend said to keep sending than back its defected am I missing something here is this a comon problem or is this my luck and yes I did preload it on my bench I keep card board under my car to trace back all leaks and i check wheel cyl. and all lines/fiting thanks stephen tjepkema 1212... MORE
g;day all......I have a sprite mk4 that has developed an amusing habit.When driving along in a straight line,if I lift off the throttle it turns left!!If I dip the clutch in the istuation as above it does not turn left!! I have replaced the rear spring saddle rubbers,replaced the shockies( adjustable spax ) ,and there does not seem to be any broken leaves in the cart springs. Yet still it seems as if the torque from the engine is somehow causing it to go left when lifting off the "power"??? Any and all ideas welcome........ Chris Perth , Western... MORE
James Thanks. Will check the clearance of the studs in the fixing holes in the wheels and the fit of the nuts just to be sure. The spare is the proper Midget wheel so I will make a carefull comparison of the two. Terry "Terry Isherwood" 1199... MORE
In my experience the rocker cover gaskets with black bits in the cork (rubber???) perform better! "Jeremy Cogman" 1184... MORE
Graham, Thanks, it is right hand I'm here in good old UK, (GOOD! what the hell am I talking about, it's pouring with rain, cold and miserable!). Anyway I have decided that this weekend I'm replacing all the wheel bearings, they are the best part of 30 years old, so they probably need changing. Thanks for the info. Paul. paul@... 1178... MORE
David, Thanks but, no it is definately a bearing rumble. 185x55's by the way Paul. paul@... 1176... MORE
This is true on some modern FWD cars but not on the Spridget (e.g. how would the rear wheels locate??...) It is important however to use the correct taper nuts and also ensure that the stud holes in the rostyles are round and not elongated/oval... It is also a problem with steel disc wheels that they can fracture due to metal fatigue. this is why most 'standard' class race series specify alloy wheels (usually 5" KN Minators) for racing on... The only problem I can think of using Vauxhall Viva wheels (When did you last see a Viva BTW...)... MORE
Be careful, I'm told that wheels should always fit the middle hole! Thats where normally all the forces during driving are going (not into the studs...) Eeg. eeg.oberije@... 1167... MORE
Paul Remove all the hubs (front and rear) and clean the grease/oil out of the bearings with degreaser. When they are spotless try spinning the hubs on the bearings - you will be able to tell if any of them are damaged because the bearing will make a racket and it will not spin as freely as the undamaged ones. You will also probably be able to see any damage to the bearing... Regards James B "James Bilsland" 1150... MORE
Hi Terry, I really have no ideas, but I run my Arkley, AKA midget MkIII 1972 with 185 x 55's on 13" rims, I use 22mm wheel spacers, and have lowered the whole suspension by about 35mm, it goes round roundabouts like it is on rails. Only snag is that I have to be really careful about lumps and potholes, the exhaust bottoms if I'm not careful! Still it is worth it, I lost a brand new Volvo Sports round a tight corner the other day, the driver was really pi**** off, (beaten by a 30 year old car... MORE
Hi Eeg, This is the peculiar thing I've jacked the car up and I have tried to rock the offside front wheel Top to bottom / side to side, and tried the 45 Degree positions inbetween, (my God this sounds like something the actress would say to a Bishop!!) anyway there is absolutely no movement what-so-ever, the wheel is rock solid, this goes for inside front as well. This is the reason I'm so stumped. Am I missing something, could this be kingpins or other associated components?, it really does not seem to make any sense. The rumble is... MORE
Hello everyone Anybody got an easy way to take out an old ignition switch(the whole assembly). I know I'll have to try to drill out the screws to try to get it out. But does any one have any helpful hints. Thanks Jason Gross Brewer Me 1971 Midget 1275cc GAN 5 UB 94654 G "Jason Gross" 1145... MORE
Why is it that when you want a thread to break free, even with a hammer, spanner and WD40 you have difficulty, but when you absolutely do not want it to come undone, it does all on its own! With reference to brake failures 2 and 3, do you use Loctite on critical threads? If you don't then it could save your life next time. Roy Drake Aerospace Eng. james@... on 04/04/2001 09:55:29 Please respond to midgetsprite@yahoogroups.com @INET2@wtgw To: midgetsprite@yahoogroups.com @INET2@wtgw cc: Paper Mail: Subject: [midgetsprite] Re: Brakes for racing *** WARNING *** This mail has originated outside your... MORE
War stories... Total brake failure, its happened to me 3 times... 1. Running down the back straight on the Silverstone International circuit at 7500 in top (3.9). Little did I know that the rear brakes were on fire and the seals in the rear cylinders had melted... Total brake failure meant that I cleared the gravel trap at the end of the straight and spun on the grass heading off down towards Stowe on the GP circuit... 2. Front Brake banjo worked loose (and yes I HAD checked it) coming into Chessons at Lydden Hill. Trying to run flat... MORE
Yep, it goes for the inner and outer bearing. The wheel bearings on a Midget are not adjustable! So applying more torque doesn't make a difference. Put the car on a jack (jack under the chasis) and feel if there's play in any direction on the front wheels. The kind of play you're having indicates what's wrong...(bearings, bushes, or whatever). If you're lucky it's only the wheel bearings (not so expensive to replace). Good luck, Eeg. eeg.oberije@... 1131... MORE
James, Now that is useful info, many thanks, does that apply to the inner as well as the outer bearing? Paul. EOG 188K NORTHANTS paul@... 1129... MORE
Hi Paul Many years ago I had strange noises coming from what apeared to be wheel bearings it turned out to be a loose spoke in a wire wheel. The moral being don't always look for the obvious. Keith 73 Midget from new "Keith Raynor" 1120... MORE
Tim I may have my basic hydraulics messed up but given a larger master cylinder bore shouldn't you get less movement at the master cylinder (i.e.brake pedal) for a given movement at the brake caliper but also less force. With a 7/8 master cylinder therfore you should get a nice firm pedal but will have to press it harder than on a 3/4 master cylinder to make the car stop? Another option BTW for those less interested in originality as far as tandem master cylinder cars are concerned is to use a pedal box from a later car with... MORE
Paul Checking the torque on the hub nut won't tell you whether your wheel bearing is knackered (and it sounds to me like the problem). Spridget wheel bearings are ball bearings not taper bearings and there is a steel 'cone' spacer in between the bearings. I would carefully check the wheel bearings again to make sure they are OK... Regards James Bilsland Charing UK "James Bilsland" 1116... MORE
I have found out that Rostyle wheels were made by Rubery Owens a manufacturer of automotive bits and pieces, hence R-O-styles. They were fitted to a range of cars in the 1970's including Ford cortina, VW beetle and some Vauxhall models. Those on my Midget are Vauxhall ones where the stud spacing is a direct fit on the midget. They are 5J13 mounting 165x13 tyres instead of 4.5J13 mounting 145x13 tyres. The thicker wheels and tyres necessitate 10mm spacers between the wheels and hubs so they clear everything. They have a 55mm hole in the middle which takes a... MORE
