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I ordered a side entry distributor ignition wire set from Victoria British. The illustration on page 115 item 8-292 shows a set of wires with termination caps for the spark plugs. Today they arrived and all they are is a set of cut lengths of wire stuck through rubber boots, no terminals on the spark plug end just straight cut off wire. I have a side feed distributor cap so cut ends are called for on that end. My old set of wires have only a couple of ohms of resistance, and have stranded wire conductors. The new wire... MORE


That's what I did. I used a large pipe wrench to hold the pulley still while I broke the puley bolt loose. Worked pretty good. Make sure you oil the seal before you slide the shaft through. I didn't. Did it all over again 3 mos later. Good luck Alex ' 61 midget COFNCAR "Alex Volk" 14842... MORE


Advice needed please. I'm losing oil fast from either crank seal or timing cover.Either way I have to pull the front pulley.Anyone done this with engine still in car?Maybe release the front mounts and jack it up under the sump? Thanks, Steve 72midget "Steve Cowling" 14830... MORE


Handbrake feels kind of springy when pulled up - it is obviously doing something but not enough! The '71 Sprite has the funny little turret compensator thing on the back axle and I suspect that is where the problem lies. Ends of the rods look OK and are a close fit on the clevis pins without much free movement. Guy "Guy Weller" 14788... MORE


Sorry to be a pessimist,but low oil press.is more likely to be worn main bearings.Oil feeds to the big ends thru the crankshaft from the mains,so creating more restriction. Steve 72midget "Steve Cowling" 14821... MORE


for the meet. Hope to meet some listers there. I remember about a year ago I was corresponding with lister Roy Rogers in Florida about attending the Classic in Lynchburg, TN and meeting and having a beer. Neither of us got to follow through and attend. Listers may remember that Roy was killed later, in December, in a car crash. I hope to see some of you guys there. Should be a really big event with a super autocross/funkhana on Saturday and my Tennessee winding mountain backroad Rally on Friday preceded by the Car Show. And just 10 miles... MORE


far off the drum as they need to be to give running clearance, and this will cause the levers that the handbrake rods attach to to push the rods back. I am thinking maybe these drums have been turned by a PO. How do I check them? Anyone got the internal diameter spec? Guy "Guy Weller" 14798... MORE


I cannot get the handbrake to lock up the rear wheels on my '71 Sprite. It has new shoes and cylinders at the back, brakes are bled and work fine on the pedal - it will lock all 4 wheels with only moderate foot pressure on the pedal. Just the handbrake dosn't do much and the MOT tester wants it improoved before he will pass it. It has new handbrake cable, and all the cotter pins and pivot points on the rods seem OK. Ideas very welcome! Guy "Guy Weller" 14773... MORE


Well I spent some time today "adjusting" and they are better, although the handbrake still feels "springy" when pulled on as if something is stretching or bending. New cable so maybe that is still settling down. One odd thing is that I fitted the new cable because the old one was on the limit of available adjustment so I thought it was stretched. New one is almost the same. Maybe I do need new drums. Oh - another thing - should there be some sort of pull off springs attached to the handbrake rods? There dosn't seem to be... MORE


Bent push rod or broken cam follower...How many rpm beyond 6500 were you running??? "tloutrec" 14794... MORE


Does the handbrake pull all the way up without much resistance? If so, (and assuming the brakes are adjusted properly) something to check is the condition of the linkages between the rods and the brake shoes (the levers that go into the backplate). Even a small amount of wear here can make a big difference to the handbrake (as I found on my '74 Midget - replacing them made a huge improvement, but you couldn't see much difference between the old and new ones) Or you can cheat and pack out the ends of the outer cable with washers... MORE


Hi The end of the oiling system is the rocker shaft and rockers. On my 1275 the shaft was worn real bad and the rocker bushings were also worn. I took the valve cover off while the motor was running and I was flooded with oil squirting out of everywhere. I replaced the shaft and found some rockers that weren't worn as bad and it shore improved my oil pressure hot. Take off the valve cover and see how much oil is passing through there while running and hot could be there is no resistance there for the oil... MORE


Brad- Sorry about the bad news but at least you have your answer(s). You were right all along unfortunately with respect to the head gasket and further, WST is right on the money with respect to metal contamination....regarding #8 unless that pushrod IS bent. How many total miles on the motor? Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 14778... MORE


In messing with the car, I pulled the rocker assembly to see if the pushrod was bent. I didn't see any noticeable curvature to the rod, so I put my finger on it and pushed the solenoid button. DOH!!!! So now it begins to seep water out of the head bolts............. I pull the head the rest of the way. Guess what, it is all sooty on the gasket between 2 and 3. That explains the poor performance. Now I still have the problem on #8 valve. I get a little bit of a bump on that one when... MORE


Brad- The pushrod is in the FULL UP position and the valve is not open? Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 14772... MORE


I change the condenser on the car, and when I started the car to see if it made any difference, I noticed a noise that didn't sound quite right. Curious, I pulled the valve cover and started the car. I see that no. 8 valve is not opening or closing. The push rod is in the up position, so the cam does not appear to be rounded. What can I do to get this to move again, or is this a rebuild situation?? Brad Brad Fornal 14771... MORE


Hell, Don- Having owned LBC's before, tuning SU's should be easy for you! Seriously. No rocket science, here. They are one of the most reliable and user-friendly devices on the car. One read of the manual and you'll feel right at home and if not, feel free to contact me off list with any problems/ questions. Not working this sequence due to a cold (medicating - can't fly) so I'll be around. And we have scads of people on the list that know SU's if we can't come up with the answers!! Just make sure they are clean on... MORE


I suppose it would also depend on the valve timing - a sports cam with wide overlap would probably spit back through the carb. David "David Jacobs" 14748... MORE


Well, Brad- I can see why you thought "head gasket"! Compression has changed, eh? OK, standing by. Let's see what replacing parts does. May be more than one problem occuring "coincidentally" in time. Then again, poor ignition could account for "cooler" exhaust temp. and lack of "pronounced" compression (presssure) as well. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 14752... MORE


Well, David- These were "stock" cars but, I think you are correct in your thinking with respect to cam timing (overlap) in any event! :) Man, it was fun to see the expression on their faces when that potatoe left the exhaust system and "split" at high speed with a helluva "boom". The "victim" would literally jump about a foot off the seat! Now I've beome a "responsible adult" and can't "play" that way anymore..... "inappropriate behaviour"!! How boring!! :) Sometimes I wanna "go back to the future"! Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 14750... MORE


1976 MG Midget 1500 Ignition Question I do not have spark when the engine is cold. Leave the key in the on position for about 5 to 10 minutes first however and the spark returns and the engine fires. What gives? Ignition (Distributor)is electronic. The ballast resistor has been bypassed as required and the car ran fine till just a few months ago. Leaving the key in the on position definitely warms the coil and the distributor resistor. Though probably unrelated, the alternator is new. The only other variable has been that the car has not been run for... MORE


DCOE or SU "upgrade". When properly tuned for the application (and I am talking very "generally" here 'cause I am aware of the many "variables" which could concievably make for exceptions!) and all else being equal: The "fixed venturi" DCOE carb. will usually provide better top end...as opposed to the latter "variable venturi" SU type which usually provides superior bottom end and mid-range torque. Cam utilized can obviously be chosen (in a general sort of way) to "match" whichever carb. you choose. Depends upon application, also. (A cam with Sprint timing isn't a wise choice for the "street"!:) Fr'instance,... MORE


give him/her a hard time (like a particular teacher or something like that)? The "results" varied. Some cars just wouldn't start....others would backfire through the carb. Still others (these were the ones I remember best!) would start and eventually blow the potatoe out the exhaust with a sonic "boom", the potatoe tearing across much territory at what seemed like Mach 1.0 at the time! (Much fun!) So, I am thinking compression pressures (engine "health") must've made the difference in how each car reacted? Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 14733... MORE


Brad- While I agree with others that your problem is most likely electrical in consideration of the symptoms as you describe, there does seem to be another problem in addition to the foregoing considering you can shut the engine down simply by placing your hand over the exhaust (assuming this requires no particular "strength" on your part). Maybe time for a "mechanical" check of compression along with a leak-down check when you can get around to it? Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 14727... MORE


Well, I agree with most of the responders. Probably points, condenser or rotor cap. Why not take quick and easy compression check. Could be timing chain, or head gasket, but I would hope for the best and look for the easy stuff first. Bill French '59 AN5 Hilton Head frenchww@... 14722... MORE