MAIN
Ignition System
Previous Page | Next Page
G'day Brandon This should be no problem to find. They are readily available in Oz, and I'm surprised Moss don't stock them. There is nothing special about it - just your everyday welsch plug. From memory, it is 1" across, but measure it to check. Then visit your local engine or cylinder head reconditioners. These guys have buckets of welsch plugs of various sizes, and they will probably give you one for nothing! avagoodday Colin "Colin@SpriteParts" 26738... MORE
LMAO, Nigel.... It was a "bloody nightmare" back in '72 when I visited .... NYC traffic has nothing over London traffic, I am sure. I got "trapped" in round abouts all the time...it used to set me to ROTFLMAO much to the consternation of wife #2 who feared my loss of control due to extreme laughter on my part (I'm inclinded to see the humorous side of things even while they're happening). I mean I used to get dizzy while working my way to the "outside". I'd even get off at the wrong place just to pull over and... MORE
Wire wheel, rear axle, I have gear oil coming out from the welch plug (oil collects in the spinner). I pulled out the plug and the seal is bad. I am unable to find a direct replacement part from Moss. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to build a new plug and/or seal to eliminate the oil leaking through? (1967 Sprite) I am replacing the bearings and grease seals also but have these parts available. Thanks for the help. Brandon "brandonweeks2000" 26725... MORE
For North American Sprites, it was at HAN9 72034, so Brandon's would most likely have been Positive earth originally. (These chassis number change points do not necessarily indicate everything before was one spec and everything after was another - minor part changes especially would have been brought in over some period of time.) Regards David "David Jacobs" 26690... MORE
Hi, First off hello to all. I am a new spridget owner and enjoy reading all the posts. I was wondering what the "normal" exhaust noise level for a 1967 1275 should be. I am quite new to this car and think it needs a new muffler but not sure. I know they had a raspy sound but this sounds too extreme. Any points welcome. Thanks Duncan "duncan846" 26689... MORE
I have a 1967 Sprite that I just bought. The guy I bought it from swears that it was originally a negative earth. However, he only had it a few months and was not sure. Points leading to a negative earth; It is currently hooked up that way on the battery and the generator and fuel pump seem to work fine. There has also been an aftermarket radio installed. Why I think it was a positive earth: The Tach says positive earth (which is currently not working) and the VIN is more like a positive earth...HAN9L64745 Is there anything... MORE
Nigel, do you mean the oil seal or the grease cap/'welch plug'? The hole in the centre of the inner bearing is smaller than the actual oil seal, and is quite big enough to get a drift through. David "David Jacobs" 26480... MORE
Martyn...you misunderstand. The spring over the air valve in the SU carb determines mainly when the air valve reaches the full open position with respect to "redline" assuming all other things equal. This is it's only purpose. As cam profile duration and lift increase (over "stock") so shall vacuum produced by the engine at lower rpms DECREASE. IOW......at lower rpm (idle) the engine will "suck" LESS, all else being equal. With respect to your problem, vacuum in this case is working FOR you, not against you. Make sure your throttle return springs are properly hooked up and that the... MORE
Setting the ignition timing made a big difference, it now idles at 1500. I believe that the VP3 cam is causing a large vacuum and the pistons are being raised more than is normal. Cap'n Bob suggested using a stiffer spring in the carbs. Those are on order so next weekend should be the final step in getting the beast sorted. I put 30wt oil in the dampers and that helped with the piston oscillations but they are still more open than I think they should be. Am I correct in thinking the stiffer springs are the right solution... MORE
Bob.... Go with an alcohol/water mix (60/40) and I am quite sure you could run up to 8psi boost on 9.4 with no problem but, you're gonna be far better off running both the foregoing along with an ignition retard system or, limiting advance to something like 24 degrees on a regular mechanical advance distributor considering the best you can get in terms of pump fuel will be 98RON unleaded. MSD makes an excellent boost retard ignition system and I am sure Aldon over there has some ideas in this respect as well which may very well consist of... MORE
if im building a midget metro turbo but want to keep the boost to 7/8 psi and use an intercooler and aquamist 1s water injection could i use the comp ratio of 9.4:1? and remain well under detonation level? what would be the best way to build this engine or which engine midget/marina etc would be best to use for this application? the reason for the higher comp is i still want good half throttle fuel economy which ignition system would people reccomend for this too? thanks for using everyones vast knowledge rob "Robert EADES" 26378... MORE
Bob, Well... You're right what skews my thinking is that many years ago I had a worn timing chain that was so bad the headers would glow red as the engine speed increased. BTW the chain is new duplex with vernier gears. In order to get it to idle 900-1000 I had to retard the timing (rotate the dizzy ccw). The idle screws would have no effect on the speed unless I did that. Does this mean I got some leaks around the carb shafts? I'm going to go back and static time the ignition and see where it's... MORE
I know this is basic but maybe it will save someone else a lot of frustration. The previous owner of my car had installed a Pertronix distributor conversion on my 1963 1098cc Sprite. No other modifications; no new wires, coil or plugs. Since I drive this car to work every day, I decided to replace all of the basic electrical components; relay, fuse box, spark plug wires etc. I also decided to replace the Pertronix unit with a new one AND their coil. Having accomplished all of that, the car ran hot, stumbled until it got warmed up and... MORE
Well... Sounds to me like you've got ignition timing mixed up with cam timing. The cam timing can be "staight up" or for a little heftier lower range at minimal expense to the top end, timed in no more than 4 degrees "advanced" per Vizard's recommendation. Assuming you are using a new timing chain, after initial chain "stretch" the cam will end up running 2 degrees advanced...perfect! For your application considering a small bore engine, and "long stroke" at that, I'd go "straight up" for the track, 4 degrees advanced for the road, most especially if you're planning to... MORE
"I once forgot to install the rotor"......BTDT! :) Cap'n. Bob '60 :{) PilotRob@... 26298... MORE
Martyn, Are you sure that the points are installed correctly? If the nylon spacers on the points are not installed correctly, you have a direct short. BTDT Biff Jones '59 Bugeye, 'Kermit' '62 Sprite, 'Ole Gray' '71 Midget, 'Freebie' http://sprites2.homestead.com/ "Biff" 26277... MORE
To my spark plugs that is! I've replaced the points and wired them correctly, new rotor, cap and wires. Still no spark, I'm lost as to the problem. The points have voltage on the outside contact when open and voltage on the inside when closed, referencing the shaft as the inside. I checked the wire to cap connection with an ohm meter everything's good there. The coil gets power when the points are closed, the coil is new also. Does anyone have an idea as to what I've over looked? Thanks. "Martyn Eastwood" 26273... MORE
Martyn, A bit confused by what you mean here. "The points have voltage on the outside contact when open and voltage on the inside when closed" Their should be no reading of voltage between ground and either of the point contacts when they are closed. If you have voltage between chassis ground (body of the distributor) and either of the point contacts when the points are closed you have a ground problem. The stationary point contact should always be at ground level. Check your ground wire from the stationary point contact base plate base and the case of the... MORE
Good Morning or afternoon, I have a perplexing problem and have come to the fountain of knowledge for help. I purchased a new ignition swithch for my 63 Sprite. The old one has three spades coming out of the back. the new one has 4. On the old one, 2 white wires are soldered together and are attached to the last spade on the right as you view it from behind the dash. The middle spade also has a single white wire on it and the last one has the brown and blue wire attached. What do I do... MORE
After fitting a pair of new outer sills to the 1972 midget the plan was to use the old sills as a template for the M I D G E T letters since the new sills did not have these holes. I would then scan it in, tidy it up and print it off. I would email it to anyone else who wanted it. I was going to stick it on with wall paper paste so I could soak it off when finished. It turns out that a previous 'restorer' welded an outer sill repair section over the old... MORE
Hmmm, could be several things. With these plastic filters, as I recall, the fuel flows into the centre of the filter element and outwards so you don't see when it's full of clag. T hat said, you can drive on long cruising stretches fine. IT could therefore be the fuel pump. This is (if it is as standard) mounte d under the 'rear seat' and has a crude (but effective electro-mechanical m echanism akin to a doorbell. IT contains a set of electrical points which detoriarate over time which can lead to the pump 'sticking'. Often a bang on... MORE
Julien... Well, could be an old or weak fuel pump, lack of a heat shield between carbs and engine (it gets hot under there when not moving at speed) causing fuel to percolate or "vapour lock", or lack of a vented fuel cap (though the latter is usually a case of fuel starvation which shows up under load..as in climbing a long hill with the foot well down). So, number one, check for the heat shield (basically a metal plate upon which the throttle return springs are mounted in the stock set-up). If it's "there"....go to... ...number two; at... MORE
This came from my sister. Margaret South Lincolnshire UK The Letter From God One day God was looking down to earth and saw all the evil going on. He decided to send an angel down to earth to check it out. So, he called on a female angel and sent her to earth for a time. When she returned, she told God that yes, it is bad on earth, 95% is bad and 5% is good. Well, He thought for a moment and said maybe I had better send down a male angel, so I can both points of... MORE
I have power going into the dizzy, ignition switch off or on. Power to the coil when the points are closed. Still no spark, I guess it's time to replace the cap, rotor and wires. I replaced the coil this morning. I converted the car to an alternator and negative ground earlier. Is there anything there that might be causing the problem? BTW the coil was warm after checking for spark. This is really puzzling. Thanks. Martyn "Martyn Eastwood" 25899... MORE
Yes, there's power to the coil. I do need to check the wire inside the dizzy. Everything is +15 years old, no it's sat that long so I would think things would be ok. I'll delve into it further this weekend. "Martyn Eastwood" 25851... MORE
