MAIN
Engine (internal)
Previous Page | Next Page
Easiest way I found was to centre punch the break bolt, drill the end with a suitable size drill and use a stud removal tool. It is rather like a threading tap, except that it has a VERY course and shallow left hand helix running down it which causes it to pull into and tighten into the drilled hole, where it lock and then carry on unscrewing until the bolt is out. It only took me about 7minutes to remove all the screws. R. "Roger Stinson" 23607... MORE
Don, Re the crack, there are many al. alloys which are not weldable, but I have no idea about this one. In any case, a typical good welding-repair practice for large and relatively fragile castings such as this is to pre-heat the whole bare casting (in an oven) and keep covered with thermal blankets as much as possible during the weld time to minimise distortion. Without this, even if the bell housing IS weldable, one of the dangers is that you might just cause the crack to propagate further by attempting to weld in situ and thus cause more... MORE
Had to fight off some depression yesterday because my wrist joints were hurting so much buy the end of a day of cleaning the engine bay. . . the mind is willing but the old body is protesting and when I think of how much sanding I have to do on the bonnet . . . guess I will have to keep the pain pills handy and an ativan when the going gets really rough. Yours in pain, don Anyone ever noticed why the word paint contains the word pain? Nigel 71 Midget inching closer to its first coats... MORE
After stripping off the front end outer metal work and cleaning the engine compartment I discovered there is a crack in the transmission bell housing. The tab like area at the top of the clutch bell housing where the top two bolts are located has a horizontal crack below them.. It does not appear to be a major structural problem once the transmission bell housing is bolted on as all other areas and bolts are sound. It looks like an easy in place weld job. Is it possible to weld the aluminum housing material? Some PO strangeness as usual... MORE
Ok folks I'm new to the MG money pit ! :) I need a windshield post for my 79 MG midget, and can any one tell me how to go about replaceing the glass. The next problem is engine overheating. That is a LONG story but I'm glad to share it with any one willing to listen. Lastly is body work. I need some help here too. I have been able to beat the prince of darkness ( Lucas ) at his own game hahaha. Also anyone out there need a tester for Triumph TR type fuel guages? I... MORE
Rick... Gerard is of course, correct, unless you are choosing between running a mechanical or electrical "puller", in place of the mechanical? Mechanical fans are mounted as close to the radiator as possible for maximum flow effect. And if you do decide to "replace" the mechanical rather than "supplement" it with a "pusher", you might as well order a larger 4.5" (Cooper S) water pump pulley and install same while you are "in there". And maybe even replace the old cast iron water pump with a "county" deep-impeller alum. one...without a water "bypass" for even better cooling in summer... MORE
Dear Listers, I hope someone out there can point me in the right direction. Just finished ( to the point where it should run well) my '75 Midget. I have a recurring problem with stumbling and power loss during higher speed cruising, above 40 mph. The spluttering is usually accompanied by a 5 dg. or so rise in coolant temp. If I back off, the car will smooth out again and run OK if I don't push it. The magic number seems to be 50 mph. If I cruise lower than that I usually don't have problems. At 50... MORE
Rob... the temp rise, along with the stumble... tells me it's running very lean at higher speeds. Do an old fashioned 'plug check'. Find a stretch of road where you can cruise at say.. 30-40mph steady for about 10 minutes. While at speed, switch off the ignition and coast/brake over to the side of the road. Pull a sparkplug and see if it's whitish, or grayish/brown in color. Now repeat the cruise at 50-55mph. Kill the engine at speed Pull over and check the plugs again. If they are much whiter than before....it's running lean. If you simply slow... MORE
I have a new Kenlowe kit, built to go in front of the radiator in my 71 crossflow 1275 Midget, but I'm interested in fitting the electric fan off a 89 Civic Si behind the rad if there's room. With my engine out, I can't measure the gap. The Honda unit looks far more robust an air mover, but will need a minimum or 4 and a half inches - 5'd be better. Could one of you boys 'n girls go measure? Sure would appreciate it. It's 86 degrees in my shop today - could be worse, eh? Thanks... MORE
Just make a tow bar. It is simple and cost next to nothing. First a piece of 1" angle iron cut to about 3.5'. then drill two holes in it at the distance part that the front bumper studs are. Also hole must be big enought for the bumper studs to fit through. Then get a 4" "U" chanel about 4' long and weld them together to make a "T". Add acouple to small straps from the ends of the angle to the "u" neer the far end. Then drill holes in the far end of the "U" chanel... MORE
Mark Don't do it the gauge is easy to remove the dash is not. Just undo the knurled nut at the back of the clamp and pop it out, the oil pipe union can be unscrewed from the engine or the back of the gauge (once popped out) the water temperature sender connection if it is into the rad (as mine is on the 66) can be a bit of a pig to remove without damaging the sender cable but if you are renewing the gauge this will not matter. Best of luck Dave (65 & 66 Sprites in... MORE
Someone buy my Sprite, don't force me to put it on eBay, I don't want to part it out. That would be sad. 210 Tranny $200, engine $200, carbs $100, shell $200, man, that would be more than what I'm asking for the whole thing. Maybe I should... YK "yucholian" 23447... MORE
G'day all Here's your chance to own a genuine piece of history. An Arkley Sprite, modified only by the complete body shell, Mazda Rotary engine, Honda Prelude gauges etc etc. But wait - there's more. According to the owner: "the radio is not connected, but it used to work." Grab it while you can. Must be a one-off. avagoodday Colin "Colin@SpriteParts" 23416... MORE
"I am building a 1275 to the specs of my 1340 Cooper S that I had in the UK. I had the cam ground close to the 731 cam that I had in that motor. It will have a big valve head and cooper s distributor. It is .030 over. I have several leather hides and decided to cover all panels and dash with that. I put floors, lt rocker and A post piller sections back in it plus a new bonnet. (Since buying a bonnet I bought a 68 with an excellent bonnet for $400.) Oh well. All... MORE
Copper side (with the reliefs in them) toward the crank. gerard 23446... MORE
"...if the tming chain goes, what can I expect?" Jason... The engine is not an "interference" motor with respect to valve/piston clearance so mechanically nothing much to worry about. It'll probably backfire a couple of times as it looses power and quits as valve timing is lost. BTW, as timing chains really wear, they usually "rattle their cage", making quite a bit of mechanical noise under there, especially to those you are approaching who are standing outside towards the front of the car. They usually last a good, long time, though. Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 23420... MORE
Hello Folks I have just finished last spring on a 3 yr restoration on my 1971 MG Midget. The only thing I did not touch would be the motor. The PO said at the time of purchase that he had rebuilt the motor and it only had around 6,000 miles on it. Maybe he did maybe he didn't. My question is, if the timing chain goes what can I expect? Will it screw the whole motor or what will it do? Thanks for the advice Jason 1971 MG Midget 1964 MG Midget "Jason Gross" 23419... MORE
LOL, Kelly.... I figured you'd "get it". Understand it is meant and intended in a purely joking way. Believe me, the girls I flew with at Amercan "Eaglet" were excellent team mates and "sticks"....and I am not being patronizing...they were good and a pleasure to work with. I recall one girl based at JFK called "Mimi". She was infamous for her "one liners". Girl had me in stitches most of the time...funnier than hell. Who'd you fly for or were you a "groundling" type PSA or what? :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 23395... MORE
Yes, Electric Fan well worth doing (IMHO). Mine is actually a mk2 Sprite but I have a Kenlowe fitted as a puller (i.e. inside the engine bay pulling air in through the rad) and the engine fan removed. I actually ignored the Kenlowe fitting kit which is a one size fits none Heath Robinson affair. I slung the fan on some brackets attached to the shroud. It's been like that for several years 20k miles and seems fine. Ava would have a different rad. of course but still possible I expect. It's a great mod beacuse it's win-win. The... MORE
The green wire spoken of is inside the case. An excellent illustration is on this site: http://www.lotus-cortina.com/electric/convert.htm There is also a schematic for the more technical savvy. A 150 ohm resistor, (mistakenly called a diode in some instructions) in the "positive ground" unit one end is soldered to the "power in lug" which in a positive ground car would be the negative side of the battery. Resistor color ring markings: first brown 1, second green 5, third brown x 1 zero. The silver band would be the tolerance which is +/- 10% "Don May" 23394... MORE
in fact, you can't actually remove the dash completely till you've taken the dual gauge out, because you can't separate the temperature capillary; you have to unscrew it from the engine end and thread it all back through the bulkhead. "David Jacobs" 23358... MORE
If you can get creative with some fittings you may be able to run water from the garden hose through the engine (then water the oak tree) ;-) "Trevor Jessie" 23350... MORE
LOL, Don May.... I can see the headlines now.... "Giant oak fallen by mighty mite engine" Very wise of you to check out the gearbox before installaton into the machine. Otherwise it could be a real bummer to find out afterward....... Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 23330... MORE
Thanks to all for the advice and humor. I will not start it indoors on a carpet floor and if in if in a grocery cart will do so on level ground. At this point I think I will just push it under the big oak tree out back and use block and tackle to lower it back in and out as necessary. It is actually the transmission I am most concerned with testing before lowering it back in. I had the engine running fine before I took it out. Don "Don May" 23328... MORE
Come on Bob, it's only a weekend trip. I'm actually surprised that no one hasn't taken it yet. You know you want it. If you buy the engine stand for $1000, I'll throw in the car for free. Better yet, some of my marketng friends tell me that shoppers like the number "9". So I'll lower my price to $999. Now, I should be swamped with emails... YK "yucholian" 23312... MORE
