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C. "Selling A14 engine from my departed MG Midget - recent rebuild; .020- over pistons, all new valves/springs/keepers/seals - has cast iron exhaust manifold, stock intake (non-heated) - reman carb & extra carb. Has remote oil filter included. Engine was run in car for @ 500 miles, no problems. Also have '80 210 5 speed trans available; may sell as package deal. Buyer pays shipping & crating fees. $1000 as engine/trans pkg, engine alone $850. Thanks, Bryan 919/875-1509 evenings - email: determined2win@... " DLancer7676@... 22248... MORE
The scroll on the rear of the crank is an archimedes screw, like a coarse screw thread. As the crankshaft rotates, it tends to "screw" the oil back into the crankcase. The only way to stop rear crank leaks is to maintain negative crankcase pressure. All the various factory crankcase vent systems did this one way or another. On my car ('68 engine) the front cover vent hose runs to the carbs between the piston and butterfly, thus is always under slight negative pressure whenever the engine is running. To prove a point, I once rerouted this vent hose... MORE
Hey.... If it's working for you, who am I to question? But it would run even better (most likely) with a little "through airflow". It's not that I think so....the factory thinks so 'cause that's the way THEY hooked up both the early and late "add on" crankcase evacuation (emissions) systems. The reason the original PCV valve "goes" and the engine begins to smoke is the wearing out of it's rubber diaphragm. It's much like the diaphragm used....well, never mind! :) When it becomes porus the effect is somewhat like your hooking up your PCV valve arrangement in reverse...the... MORE
Hi, Bill.... Ok....we don't know what sort of a rebuild job was done on the engine. Judging by the "tone" of the contents of your mail, probably not a very concientious one with respect to assembly anyway, it seems. That "scroll" rear engine area needs pretty close tolerancing as well as siliconing of the half moon gaskets back there or it will leak to one extent or another I am told, even on a new engine producing minimal blow-by. Speaking of which....what sort of shape is the engine in (mechanically speaking) in this respect? Compression, leakdown, etc.? "Blue" exhaust?... MORE
Hi, Bob in San Diego....bit warm out there today, aye?! When I was experimenting with a Judson blower on my PO'd '67 Sprite with stock 1275, I did experiment with adding an additional 2 quart tank, professionally fabricated and installed. This did slow the tendency to overheat in terms of rate of increase but eventually, it would get there anyway....it just got there more slowly once the boost truly came in. IOW, you could run longer in boosted operation before the temp. gauge began to climb towards never, never land. If there was someway to increase radiator cooling area... MORE
Max.... First of all, you have to confirm the water temp. gauge is reading accurately and not errorneously on the high side. Check your's with a thermometer or mechanic's gauge. Second, what range of thermostadt are you running? .......and is it "opening" at the correct temperature. The easiest way to check this would be by simple substitution. Thirdly, what is the outside air temperature at which these running temps are recorded? Usually, you run a 68c thermostadt when outside air temps. are expected to go to 20C+ and a 75c thermo. when expected to go much below 10c. For... MORE
Driving my '76 midget, at above about 2500rpm, especially in higher gears (it happens before 2500, just very minor), i get a vibration, and an un-nerving "vibrating sound" that seems to be coming from up front, passenger's side. I considered tire balance, and rotated them.. no fix. I thought it might be starved of fuel at high rpm, so i changed the fuel filter, then rebuilt the carb (needed done anyway) i thought about timing advance, so i changed the vacuum line to the distributor. I'm all out of ideas, you all have any before I exhaust my wallet... MORE
Yes, Bob!!! You can make more backfiring noise by further leaning out the mixture beyond what it "should be", but I wouldn't recommend it!! :):) Many years ago, we used to "blast out" a muffler to get more of this, as well. "Backing-off" exhaust sounds were considered mandatory if you wanted to be considered "cool". Of course, the muffler wears out in this respect over time and use but....we didn't wanna wait! The car had to sound "cool"....today......NOW!! Find a long hill and shut off the ignition while allowing the car to go down the hill while remaining in... MORE
Yes, Bob!!! You can make more backfiring noise by further leaning out the mixture beyond what it "should be", but I wouldn't recommend it!! :):) Many years ago, we used to "blast out" a muffler to get more of this, as well. "Backing-off" exhaust sounds were considered mandatory if you wanted to be considered "cool". Of course, the muffler wears out in this respect over time and use but....we didn't wanna wait! The car had to sound "cool"....today......NOW!! Find a long hill and shut off the ignition while allowing the car to go down the hill while remaining in... MORE
Hire a spray booth & air fed mask. Then go with the 2k. Be careful if you are using aquabase base coat in a water type spray booth as it will never flash off. "Beckers" 22078... MORE
Chaps.... Even with everything absolutely "spot-on" you are going to get a bit of this with a hot engine after a run so handling this through e-mail without actually hearing it (in terms of extent) and "being there" IS a bit difficult. My bet is that you would get less of this with an HIF (temperature compensated) carb., but this is just an educated (not very!) guess. I've always had at least a bit of this with every "A" or "B" series engine I've ever run, stock or "tuned", and more of it after a "run" wherein the engine... MORE
Sounds like it is running a bit weak, or that there is an air leak in the inlet manifold. Guy "Guy Weller" 22070... MORE
G'day guys Isn't a bit of healthy debate a great thing? The usual reason for sloppy wheels, even after new ball bearing races have been fitted, is wear in the hub where the outer part of both bearings seat. Even a few thousandths of an inch of wear (due to previous bearings being loose, or the outer ring slipping) will mean that the balls aren't correctly seating on the radial face of the outer race - they are being held apart by the cast iron inner spacer. As little as .005" can make the difference between a loose wheel... MORE
Hello chaps I'm hoping this isn't a problem, but here goes. We took the Sprite (1967 Mk IV) out for a run this afternoon, and we got onto some nice empty country roads in Yorkshire. Two or three times, as we approached small villages, we had to slow down from 60-70 to about 30-40. Each time, as the speed was coming down, I heard several (it varied from one to about four) flatulent sounds from the neighbourhood of the exhaust pipe, almost like backfiring. My brother (who claims to know about these things, but drives a Mustang, so there... MORE
Ok, I bled them again and found a copious amount of air in the rear lines. It is significantly better now - I can actually stop the car! I think I need one more bleed sometime next week followed by a nice cup of really hot tea and I am all set. Thanks for all your collective help! Happy trails! -Tom "tmruwart" 22014... MORE
Jens writes: "Thanks Bob, and do enjoy your cup of Java, you've certainly earned it". I thought so to...BUT.....not quite, Jens!! :) You should also have a draught (draft) tube connected to that "catch can" if engine compartment fumes are to be avoided to the extent they can be and the engine compartment is to be kept as clean as it can be. This will obviate the need for a catch can filter. The draft tube's extent of vertical travel should prevent engine contamination from outside foreign matter or you can simply cap the end of the vent tube... MORE
Hi All My name is Rick I live up in the adirondack mountains of NY. I justbought a 79 midget that has been stored under and over tarps for the last seven years. I was told the motor was seized but when I brought it home I put a battery in and it turned over. I changed the oil and filter.Put gas in the empty tank and a little in the webber carb. It cranked a couple times and started up after running it up and down my road a couple times it purrs like a kitten. But it... MORE
Bill.... "Sidebar"...... Was going to check further on the PerTronix/tach accuracy at higher rpm situation today but major accident on RT.95 along with construction on the "northern route" squelched this short trip! Tomorrow looks better (I hope!). Where a PCV valve or later "closed loop" breathing system is not employed (later post '67 system encompassing fuel system), there exists no means to evacuate crankcase pressure/vapours. David Vizard points the way in this respect in accordance with his "bible" on Series A engines. In such a case.... one must go back in time to the pre-emission "ventilation" theory. In practice,... MORE
I had my tach 'converted' to be electronic ignition compatible when i fitted an Ignitor. Basically they just piggyback a circuit board of some description (amplifier, noise filter, both?) inside the instrument case. However I also had the problem, even after the mod., of the tach stopping sometimes and needing some percussive maintenance to get it going. I had that tach apart a dozen times before I solved the problem. The hairspring that returns the needle to zero is also a conductor and it was occasionally shorting out against an adjacent earth (sorry its a while ago now). I... MORE
Hmmm. The recent discussion about silicone brake fluid has got me thinking about other bad ideas which sound good. Water wetter - it may do no harm, but it certainly does no good. Oil additives - nobody, but nobody understands oil technology better than the major oil companies, and their oils can't be improved on by pouring some magical goop in. Battery additives - same story. Fuel additives - another waste of money and possible source of harm. Tire sealant goop - can you say thump, thump? Whirligigs in the air inlet, spark intensifiers, once-a-year waxes. etc, etc. There... MORE
G'day Tom etc I support David's comments. Water vapour will still enter the braking system, it just will not dissolve in the Dot 5 fluid, so it pools at the lowest point. I used Dot 5 in my restored race car 7 years ago, simply because I didn't want to see all the paint blistering off all the newly painted parts when we first tried to bleed the system. And of course I was told that it would not absorb water. I gotta admit that I forgot the yearly routine of bleeding the entire system (thanks, Cap'n Bob) until... MORE
You may have some residual air in the system, and, as Allen suggested, repeated bleeding over a few days may help. It also may be that the new pads and shoes will need to wear in a bit so they fit up exactly against the rotors and drums before you get a rock hard pedal. Some people clain that Dot 5 always gives a softer pedal, but I can't confirm this. What I can confirm, because my car had Dot 5 silicone it when I bought it, is that Dot 5 is more likely to leak, and when it... MORE
I have a 73 Midget and recently rebuilt the front calipers and replaced the rear cylinders, put in new rotors and pads on the front and new shoes in the back. I replaced the flexible brake line in the rear and cleaned *all* the brake lines (inside and out) and the master cylinder. I then proceeded to put in DOT 5 brake fluid. Everything seems to be fine and there are no leaks anywhere in the system. I used a MightyVac to bleed the lines (in the recommended order - twice) but the brakes are still *very* soft -... MORE
Well, Rob.... If it's not being "lost" or "consumed", including finding it's way into the cooling system via a leaky head gasket, then somebody forgot to "top off" after the last oil/filter change immediately following engine start to check for oil pressure after filling initially with 3 US quarts!! I've seen this happen. The guy is back in a few hundred miles wondering where all his oil went as the level is just below the "min" mark so soon after an oil change! :):) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 21888... MORE
Nieither nor, Rob.... My feeling is you have another problem that has nothing to do with the breathing, ASUMMING both breathers & lines are freely breathing (open & clear) otherwise the catch tank would be full of oil. How much are you "losing" by the seals (sump, rear main, timing cover)? Or, are you getting "bluish" exhaust smoke indicating the engine is "using" it? Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 21879... MORE
