trchris Posted February 22 Report Posted February 22 Hi Pete another way to try is remove battery lead put a 12v test light between lead and battery the bulb will be lit if there’s any drain then remove fuses until it goes out ( or unplug any gauges radio feeds etc ) the circuit that puts the light out is the one drawing the current Chris Quote
Charlie D Posted February 22 Report Posted February 22 Pete, WHY would anyone fit three extra dials with CREAM faces and CHROME bezels??? Charlie. Quote
Bfg Posted February 22 Author Report Posted February 22 (edited) Update 19. - Carmen's work-in-progress. Wishbone ball-joint and their gaiters ..and other stuff. Clearly, as is becoming increasingly apparent ; the box file of history and invoices is proving to be not so accurate when it comes to what's actually fitted to Carmen. The new front suspension ball-joints (and their gaiters) probably fall into the 'not exactly believable' category, because rubber gaiters don't perish in just ten years ..on a car that's unused and garaged . . My pre-purchase inspection ignored the box file and relied on physical evidence as seen by my own eyes and as recorded in photographs taken at the time (above).. So I knew the top and bottom ball joints were not sealed from the elements by intact gaiters and grease. And those on the LH side of the car in particular were in bad shape. You can see in the first photo - the top ball joint is rusty within and devoid of grease, and its gaiter is not pulled up to even seal the rust in.! The bottom ball joint gaiters, on both sides, are flattened and the rubber is both perished and split open. Again these are not new occurrences ..and inconsistent with the last MoT passes. ..Not to mention the dealer's description "All in all an excellent example that we feel is competitively priced at .." ^ I didn't want to delve too deep ..and take the car off the road while I waited for parts to arrive. I just wanted to see what was what - so I might order what's needed for the task to be done sooner rather than later. I've squirted penetrating oil all around, and disconnected the upper ball joint from the upper wishbones. I released the steering's link arm to get to the ball joint's bottom nut, but without the correct ball-joint cracker I could go no further. As an interim, I've packed inside the gaiter with grease, pulled the gaiter up and secured it with locking wire and reassembled it back onto the wishbone ..using Copaslip on each of the fastenings. This investigation didn't actually take very long but was useful to see just what was needed, and I've benefitted from seeing how it goes together. Although there's no play .. because of the failed gaiters and dirt ingress I think that top and bottom ball joints (with grease nipples) need to be replaced for new on both sides, along with new locking plates and split pins. I haven't yet come across polybushes yet. Perhaps I'm looking in the wrong places.? The Koni Classic shock absorber is described as an "Uprated Damper With Adjustable Rebound Damping" I understand suspension dampers to control the amount of bounce and free floating ..in conjunction with springs and anti-roll bars, but "infinite adjustment" of just rebound sounds like BS. And why I should want to adjust just the 'rebound' ..rather than both the bound & rebound together ? Perhaps someone might enlighten me. These dampers are uprated ? Uprated from what to what's more ? I've looked on the internet and seen how they are adjusted, but I really have little idea how to identify what the optimum adjustment for my car might be. - - - Moving on with other tasks.. the (as bought) flat spare tyre I took into a local tyre place, who said it was just a loose valve (tubeless tyres) ..but they've tightened it and rebalanced the wheel - £12 please ! The spare that was fitted onto the rear near side I pulled off and found the DoT date of manufacture on the inside tyre wall. . . ^ fifth week of 2002 ..I presume, although I don't know what the four dots indicate. It's enough to suggest this tyre is 24 years old. In my view it may be confined to the spare wheel well and driven with care if ever used. Although it can wait, I'm still considering trying a pair of new EV / HEV / van tyres of a 185 width, to ease the scuffing friction of the 205/70-R16's at parking speeds and equally to regain the full turning circle. The present 205 wide tyres scuff the inner wheel arch on full lock. On the rear axle they're fine. Rear springs and general condition of the axle I knew about from my pre-purchase inspection. Until I get around to power-wire-brushing those parts, I sprayed penetrating oil inbetween the cart leaf springs ..and all around .. if only to buy me a little more time ..for when the weather is warmer and there's possibly even sun light to help me see what I'm doing. My task at the moment is to inspect, so that I might formulate a priority list to tasks, but otherwise to get the car back on the road. Tyres are now the same on all corners, and the car is up on ramps to check fluid levels in the gearbox / overdrive and rear axle. Both were nicely quiet in operation but I was concerned about driving around with possibility of too little oil in either. I needn't have worried on that count. I first took to cleaning up the oil leaks, using parts cleaner followed by dry paper towels, so that I might stand a hope in identifying where they are leaking and perhaps by how much. I then removed the filler plug and let the excess oil drain out of each. 2nd photo above shows the amount of oil overfilled in the gearbox/overdrive. Speaking to Rich C-R he suggests that too much oil may contribute to the oil leaks but I really need to check their breather-vents are clear. Overfill of oil from carmen's gearbox+ overdrive and differential. The pots are from Tesco's or Aldi's Hummus, which is sold a 200g ..so the excess oil is probably 100ml each. ^ Draining the excess of oil, out of the rear diff / rear axle. ^ ^ I wonder if the numbers indicate the supplied part number or perhaps the ratio.? The standard diff ratio for the automatic (as this car was originally built) and for the manual 4 speed gearbox is 3.54 , whereas that for the manual-with-overdrive was 4.09. I think perhaps these may have been the same for both the 3.4 ltr and the 3.8 ltr., but I'm not certain. The 'S' specification cars had a limited slip diff, and this one is not one of those. As this car's gearbox + overdrive is from an early Jaguar XJ6 - I don't know what the gear ratios were for that car. But the XJ6 S1 was fitted with 205/70-R15 tyres, so its wheel diameter is an inch smaller than the XK150's. I guess I'll discover the bottom line when I see what rev's the engine is pulling at 70mph. Important to me, is the gearbox and differential oil levels have now been checked / corrected and I'm more confident they'll not come to harm when I drive the car .. which as I've worked through most of the critical items on my list ...will be soon ! - - - Other little jobs I've attended to this past week were ; the bonnet release and the spare wheel. The bonnet latch was sort-of-working but a little iffy. Not something I really want to see fail before my eyes ! The cable lacks lubrication and was a sod to pull. I've oiled the pull slider and that's helped a bit but I suspect the cable needs lubrication along its very long length. Cable oiler are sold for use with motorcycle cables so I probably need to buy or make one of those ..to inject oil from one end to the other. I also pulled apart the latch and greased it. I reckon the spring is overly stiff so I'll look to change that too. ^ While at it I added an emergency bonnet-pull string (..you see I did learn something from owning a Triumph) which is pretty crude but it does work. I'll most likely change that for a piece of fine (bowden cable) wire but for the time being the cord will do. The bonnet's bottom safety latch was out of adjustment, and didn't catch ..so that was adjusted too. And then again the bonnet hinges were adjusted, so the bonnet now closes centrally at the front ..it was 1/2" to one side. It all helps and whereas the edge paint of the bonnet was being chipped - it's now good. Finally.., for this report .. the spare wheel well . . . ^ As it was, the spare wheel well had a screw-down block bolted to its floor. The spare wheel / tyre fits over this ..which means that all that valuable space within the wheel's dish is lost from practical use. I removed that screw down block so the spare wheel can now face the other way up. . . I had a modern scissor jack, which I'd bought to use with the Daimler as she never came with a car jack. Now with a bit of carving of its polystyrene holder - it sits nicely within this wire wheel ( Carmen likewise came with no car jack so someone somewhere must be an avid collector). I have tried this car jack and it does lift under this car's chassis adequately well to change a tyre. The wheel itself doesn't need to be fastened down anyway, because its cover (the boot floor) locks down over it. Now she has a car jack + the block of timber for between the car-jack and the chassis + the block of hardwood I use to protect the wire wheel spinners from impact damage and of course a lump hammer to undo the road wheels. I haven't had a puncture stop me in a car for years, but if I don't carry an umbrella - it's sure to rain. ! That's it from me for this weekend. I bid you spring sunshine to brighten your day and good health to enjoy your own classic loves. Pete Edited February 23 by Bfg Quote
Bfg Posted February 22 Author Report Posted February 22 3 hours ago, Charlie D said: Pete, WHY would anyone fit three extra dials with CREAM faces and CHROME bezels??? Charlie. Possibly the same reason they'd fit a variety of switches, a modern radio and then an ugly box over the gearbox tunnel ? They have refined taste whereas you and I my friend are .. mere plebs ! Looking on the bright side .. I am profoundly grateful to the person(s) responsible ...because had they done it otherwise (.. near original or at least sympathetic to the period) then I wouldn't have afforded the car. Pete Quote
Bfg Posted February 28 Author Report Posted February 28 Tuesday 24th Feb ; and a slight deviation from Carmen's Work in Progress . . . As you may recall, a primary objective has been to consolidate my cars, so my time and effort, as well as the costs are in one car rather than spread over several. Katie., my TR4A, was by far my most expensive ..at double the value of my Daimler 250 v8 ..an original manual with overdrive car, which I worked through brakes + cooling + engine oil pressure + driver's seat + a number of other minor issues - and was now a very nice driver with a genuine 91,000 miles and unrestored. I had also bought a Daimler 2-1/2 rolling body shell (grit blasted and restoration work being done to build a concourse example of this lovely Daimler compact saloon. Once I'd made the decision to consolidate - the rolling body shell went first ..to a gentleman who races a Mk.2 Jaguar in classic events. You may see it sometime next year blasting around Goodwood. I then found Katie, a new home with a gentleman living near Bridgenorth, only a handful of miles from M&T Classics where her chassis was swapped. And now it was time for Burble, my beautiful Daimler, to likewise find a new home. A number of individuals had shown interest, but each dillied n' dallied, and as I found with Katie's numerous prospective buyers.. no-one would make a decision. With Burble, the latest was David from Glasgow. He came very close, but then decided to borrow money rather than use his savings. We agreed a price and I waited for things to happen. A week later he text me to say that the loan was approved but the figures weren't working out... would I accept another £500 off the asking price.? I said no (not least because he'd already said that he otherwise enjoys ownership of a Saab 900, and already has savings enough to buy Burble outright, and without reason or fault with the Daimler or on my part (..having just put off another prospective buyer for a week) - he's suggesting I give him, a complete stranger who I may never meet, a £1000. Why ? I don't understand the rationale . Is this a new-age cultural thing where people just give money away for no good reason.? In my younger years (..I dare not say good-old-days ! ) a vehicle's final price may be negotiable if the prospective buyer finds an undeclared fault, like a damaged tyre, a rust hole, or like when I bought Carmen - excessive play in the steering. Perhaps a price may be adjusted for sake of a quick and trouble free conclusion (..not that was applicable here ! ). But, judging from recent experience, prospective buyers just want a chunk off the price so they can feel like they've got the upper hand. Whatever happened to a good & fair agreement - for both parties ? Anyway I'd said no to David's low offer, and he replied by text that he'll 'leave me to think about it'. Our previous conversations and interspersed text communications had been confusing anyway and I felt like I was being played. David didn't like that term ..to which I replied that it wasn't an accusation, it was as I felt.! My listing on Car & Classics included a detailed and honest description and 90+ clear photos. I'd held off others and waited for him to conclude his finances, and in return he'd offered an even lower price. As far as I was concerned - this concluded my gentleman's courtesy. And so I phoned Piers from north Devon ..the gent who I'd put off from coming up to see the car. I explained the situation, to which he replied that he would come up the following week to see and test drive. Okay no problem. I would wait upon him now. David then comes back to me and offers me more than our formerly agreed price, but I said no. I explained that I'd now said to Piers that he can now come up from Devon to see Burble .. and I would honour that appointment. Even then he text me to say to let him know "early as you can, enable me to finalise business this end and obtain funds". I ignored him. But do some people have no understanding of 'personal integrity', or is that something a quaint mannerism left over from a bygone era that only old wrinklies now have ? I was thinking about Burble being driven down to Devon, over 300 miles away. If I were to drive down there, I'd first want to check the fluid levels in the gearbox and differential, brake and clutch reservoirs, and squirt a little grease into ball joints down under. The Daimler is unrestored and so some oil seals that were iffy even when new are a little less-than-perfect some 68 years later. So that's what I did. . . ^ I don't recall when I last checked the gearbox and diff' levels, but I had the car three or four years and it's not something I do very often. But before a long journey I think it's a sensible precaution ..and very much cheaper than rebuilding damaged components. Of course the drain plus are rather inaccessible, so I check the level ..using a small Allen key as a dip-stick and then top up via a surgical syringe. ^^ here you see 40ml being infused into the differential. Not much more to show, when it comes to maintenance, especially of the dark underside components of a black car, in a dimly lit barn. So instead.., I'll share a few comparative photos of the 1968 Jaguar-Daimler compact saloon -v- the 1960 Jaguar XK150 fixed-head-coupe. . . ... Piers from Devon, came up the following day (Wednesday) with his friend Tim. the weather was beautiful, and we met at the Sorrel Horse, Barham for lunch, a viewing and a test drive. He / they liked Burble, and decided to buy. After a silly offer (£2000 off ! ) - which I instantly rejected. Why the silly offer I don't know ..because he found nothing undeclared / wrong with the car, and was very impressed with the way she drove). Anyway, he immediately agreed to the price David had offered, transferred the funds to my bank account and gave me a lift into Ipswich, where I could catch a bus home. He, with Tim in the escort car, drove off into the sunset ..almost literally. They headed off around the A14 and across to Coventry, then dropped down onto the Fosse way and were planning to stay the night in Stratford upon Avon. And that was the last I saw of Burble. whimper Carmen is now my only classic car, although I still have two 1953 Sunbeam motorcycles and a 1972 sailing boat to otherwise keep me busy. Pete Quote
Bfg Posted March 5 Author Report Posted March 5 27th Feb ; and a slight deviation from Carmen's Work in Progress . . . This is what a garage looks like when empty. No Katie, no Burble, just a void waiting to be filled. And this is what the garden looks like when the boat has been emptied of 'stuff' and the polytunnel is stuffed full.. This polytunnel btw is the same, albeit just half of what was formerly the polytunnel-garage, under which I did a lot of work on sorting Katie after her chassis replacement (which was moved to here when I moved home). The motorcycle is 'Nudge' my lovely old (1953) Sunbeam S8, which aside from moving here (when I move home) has not be used for something like five years. But now I needed her service one again. First of all she needed air in her tyres. And then a quick check of oil level and half an hour on the battery charger. A fuel tap was leaking, but that just proved to be a loose petcock (possibly due to the cork seal inside of it having dried up). And then she was good to go. Amazing to think that she's now what 73 years old and yet she pops back into spritely life when called upon. But the issue was that Carmen was in the storage barn 9-miles away and I wanted her here in the garage ..so that I might potter around fixing a few more things without that to-the-workshop commute. The ride across to the storage barn was surprisingly enjoyable. The greatest distraction was in fact my own anxiety, having not ridden any motorcycle for a number of years, plus of course the usual damp country lanes and the back-of-the-mind feeling "..will we make it ?". Anxiety killed the fun of the moment, but was otherwise so good that I went out to the unit, and used the bike this past Monday morning, on a beautiful spring day, to attend the first Coffee & Classics @ Needham meeting of the year . . . Oddly, just as pulled into the event's entrance gate, after a 15 mile ride across country, the engine suddenly cut out. Dead as a dodo. apparently electrical / ignition, so I did what I do best.. I ordered a cup of coffee and a delicious breakfast butty and allowed myself a moment to think. 'Nudge' used to be my daily rider, and I know the bike inside out (literally). I quickly checked the obvious, the leads to the coil, the coil's temperature, and the lead to the distributor. Yes the Sunbeam is unusual for a motorcycle in that it does have a distributor. A quick lift off the cap, and a little poking around revealed the condenser-to-contact-breaker wire's insulation having been rubbed away by the spinning distributor's rotor arm ..which then allowed that wire (to the points to short). I guess it's an issue of an aftermarket condenser being a bit bigger than the original and with a very slightly different wiring route. I've never come across that fault before so I'm still learning, but also quietly chuffed with myself at having discovered the fault so pragmatically. It was a fabulous first meeting of Coffee & Classics with 60+ cars of great diversity in attendance. Emma, the event's organiser also remember to bringing along gorgeous springtime sunshine. I met up with old friends, and also met a new one who came on his 1953 AJS. ...same year, both 500cc twin cylinder engines ..but oh so very different a British motorcycle. When I came to leave 'Nudge' was unusually hesitant to start, but then we no issues all all as we rode back (15 miles) across the beautiful Suffolk countryside to Woodbridge. In fact after four or five years of not having used the bike I enjoyed the ride so much that I'm motivated to use her (and care for her ! ) very much more this year. Conversely, Carmen was crawling along like sick dog for the 9 miles back from the storage unit to home. I even pulled in to a service station to see if I'd inadvertently knocked one or two of HT leads off, or perhaps swapped them over. yep she felt like she was running poorly on four cylinders. No sign of issue, no fuel pissing out all over the place, so back onto the road. Road works, congestion, and then dual carriageway, followed by more heavy congestion did absolutely nothing to help. But she limped home. As this was the first drive since my pre-purchase inspection, test drive and delivery up from Kent ..it was very disappointing and discouraging. The one thing I did note was that the fuel gauge was reading a very quick drop in fuel level. One would think she was a TR6 ! Anyway she's home, and now I (hope) I can get to the bottom of things. . . Pete Quote
stuart Posted March 5 Report Posted March 5 (edited) Float sunk or choke stuck on? Or just old fuel, could be pump or check the fuel cap does breathe properly. Stuart. Edited March 5 by stuart Quote
Bfg Posted March 6 Author Report Posted March 6 Thanks Stuart, I hadn't considered four of your five suggestions so I'll check each of those, although I don't know what might have changed since I previously test drove the car. The electric fuel pump sounds like its priming just fine and the fuel AC Delco glass bowl was full and clean when I checked that the other day. My distrust of the enrichment device ..or the electrics / switch is probably more founded in poor reputation my own unfamiliarity rather than sound reasoning, so I'll try to keep a more open mind. Cheers, Pete Quote
Bfg Posted March 6 Author Report Posted March 6 27th Feb ; Back to Carmen's Work in Progress . . . Now conveniently in the garage at home, and so devoid of the 9 mile commute through contraflow roadworks and heavy traffic congestion, and equally less impacted by icy cold winds and perpetual drizzle that seemed to be a theme throughout February, Carmen's engine bay was to be the focus of my attention. . . Although first impressions shows Carmen's engine bay to be nice and clean and not overly tangled... upon more thoughtful consideration there are things that don't add up to common sense for ease of access. My first point of call was to visit the distributor ..it's access is something the XK engine is renown for ...a long reach down into. The width of the front wings and the narrow bonnet opening of the XK150 is easier than the even narrow bonnet openings of the XK120 & 140. But it must have been a wonder for marketing when the Jaguar E-type featured such fantastic engine bay access. Introduced in 1961 ..just two years after the Triumph Herald. With Carmen running so badly - I first wanted to check that I'd not inadvertently swapped the order of HT leads. Firing order is ; 6, 2, 4, 1, 5, 3 with spark plug nearest the bulkhead as being #1 cylinder (which always seemed arse about face to many). These were correct but when I lifted the cap off (..only to find electronic ignition inside, and no points) it was a devil of a task to refit that cap squarely in place. The cap appears to be a horribly thin after market item and its indexing to the distributor body is very poor. I'll be on the look out to replace it with an original. Oddly the bonnet stay is on the left hand side of the engine bay on LHD cars. I don't know why it should have been fitted in the way for RHD cars, but its rubber block (for when the stay is not in use) is a flipping nuisance. A prior owner had deemed it 'a tidy thing' to run the new wiring loom under the carburettors. I moved it on Katie because I didn't like the idea of any petrol leak dripping onto electrical wires, and so I'll do the same for Carmen. Another prior owner 'feature' was that the compressor pump for the air horns should be at the top, whereas the fuel filter was hidden down low where its glass bowl could not be seen. That should be where the air horn pump is. I didn't like the wobbling coil on a home-made bracket above the fuel enrichment device. The position is close to being original but the bracket is completely wrong. Anything that shakes that much cannot be good for wiring connections. And if I'm to diagnose and tune these carburettors, then I want better access that that coil position offered. So their were my tasks . . . ^ With the coil removed, you can now clearly see the home made bracket, taken from two of the carburettor mountings. ^ ^ It was an elaborate but poorly engineered bracket, which they'd gone to the trouble of having zinc plated. It's now in the scrap bin. I've also removed the compressor pump for the air horns and found the bonnet release cable. The AC Delco glass bowl fuel filter showed a non-standard / after-market paper element filter and absolutely no debris in the bottom of the glass bowl. I'd come across these paper element filters before ..and the fault in their fitting. The design of the filter is that ; the fuel enters the middle top of the bowl, Dirt particles and sediment (from a rusty fuel tank) settle into the bottom of the bowl, and then there's a gauze mesh around the top through which the fuel is filtered before being fed to the carburettors. The issue with these paper element filters is that the fuel is fed inside the element, which because of its small internal size get clogged up. My third photo shows just some of these sediments after being gently tapped out on paper. I have experienced one (my 1966 S-type Jaguar, similarly fitted) get almost totally blocked, whereby the engine faltered through lack of fuel. The paper element filters are good, insomuch as their filtration is very much finer than the original wire gauze. But when used - the feed into and out of the filter housing need to be reversed. Then, the fuel (from the fuel tank) is fed into the glass bowl. Some dirt particulates fall out of circulation and settle in the bottom. The petrol is then drawn through the paper element from around its outside ..which is always being washed by the flow of petrol. ^ The fuel pipe used has braided covering, but I don't know if its ethanol proof. After all this car was restored over many years. It didn't feel as if the rubber was dissolving, and so I've cut this one down to reverse the petrol feed to the filter (a new element has been ordered), but I'll replace all the fuel pipes in due course, just to be safe. By the way .. an Oops by the prior owner or mechanic .. Neither end of its wire clip, which holds the bowl tight against a seal, was seated correctly in the filter-body's grooves. Should either end of that clip have slipped into its groove, then the glass bowl would no longer have been tight against its seal, and being hidden away down there any fuel leak might have gone unnoticed. More updates to follow . . . Pete Quote
Bfg Posted March 6 Author Report Posted March 6 28th February - 4th March ; Carmen's Work in Progress. . . . With the coil out of the way I had clear access to the cold start enrichment device. . . The cold start enrichment device is actually a separate, and very crude, two stage carburettor with a solenoid which opens or closes the fuel-air mix passage into the inlet manifold. The solenoid as standard was operated by a thermo-switch situated in the engine's water cooling system. That switch was set to automatically switch off / close the valve as coolant temperature reached 35 degrees C. However after so many years, it's no wonder that switches failed. When it did - the enrichment device did not switch off, so it's now common practice to fit a manual switch to override that. Carmen has such a switch, and the thermo-switch has been removed. Unfortunately there's no warning light to advise that the enrichment device has in fact been switched off. ^ A single screw-down clip holds the solenoid's cap on, under this is just the two wiring connections. But the whole solenoid body is also loose. As you can see the wiring was 'marginal' on the power feed connection. I've now replaced that. The solenoid itself is a simple electrical-coil magnet with a steel-shafted bobbin pin that lifts or drops according to it being switched. On the end of that bobbin pin is a simple valve which opens or closes the flow of air+fuel mix into the inlet manifold. You can see the fine spring, which helps seat that valve was twisted around the brass spring plate ..because it had been fitted upside down. Fitted the other way around its edge lip contains the tail end of the spring. That I've also now corrected. ^ Inside the valve seat looked fine. I added a smear of oil to the solenoid's bobbin pin but otherwise it's now reassembled. The illustration on the right shows a cross-section through the enrichment device aka Auxiliary Starting Carburettor, showing the solenoid tower to the left ..and its closing valve, and a fuel-monitoring jet to the right. I haven't yet pulled the latter apart because I don't want to adjust too many things all at once ..and that nut (#13) on top of the needle, is its adjustment. As I understand it - the adjustment of that nut alters the fuel/air mix ratio. And the needle lifts against the spring (#11) compression when there's more suction through at inlet manifold, ie., for faster engine revs / driving speeds when the engine is still cold. By the way, its fuel supply is from the adjoining carburettor, which in turn is levelled by its float. Moving on ... The coil I've moved to placed it alongside the engine cooling fan's shroud. There's a removable inner wing panel which is only used for access to the steering rack, so drilling and mounting it was easy. It's now (mostly) out of the way when needing to access the distributor, but clears its wires off the engine, and also minimises its vibration. The wiring to the coil, or from the coil to the distributor didn't need any alteration. but the wire to the cold starting device did need extending ..with the old wire and its iffy connector being replaced at the same time. There are a few spare wires from the loom, from the cold starting thermostatic switch (no longer fitted) and from the originals horns, but the main loom to the front lamps is now back to where it was originally ..running along the top of the wing opening. The bonnet pull cable was likewise straightened out and routed along the top. ^ while I was at it, I oiled the bonnet pull cable with 5ml of gearbox oil. ^^ I also found a suitable square headed bolt for the air horn compressor pump, and mounted that low down on the inner wing panel out of the way. Again I'm glad to be rid of its wires and air tube from where it had been mounted, by the distributor. Next up I wanted to fit some air filters. I just don't like dust, pollen and cub-scouts being sucked into the carburettors. I also wanted to introduce short ram pipes to smooth the air flow in. I did this with both Katie and Burble, so clearly I think it's worthwhile. A link to that is ; The information I base their worth on, is from a book dedicated to tuning an MGA, which surmises their research into this chart . . . The rams fitted to Carmen were the equivalent of #4 and I'm changing to a cross between #8 and #11. According to their research - the sharp edge of those bell mouths (#4) has a detrimental effect on flow efficiency by up to 5.5%. Whereas fitting a short stack with a minium of 1/4" radius (in my case a short ramp pipe approximating a cross between #8 and #11) suggests a 5% improvement ..over just a hard edge hole in an air filter. Critically for me is that I can fit a short stack inside an air filter, whereas at best the long bell-mouths has only a coarse wire gauze. And not even those were fitted to this car. ^ These are old air filters from Katie, now being repurposed for use on Carmen. In due course I'll buy new ones, but I do like the quality of these old ones better. In the background you can see the different ram pipes. But whichever I use, I first needed to adjust the fit of the short stacks to fit the carburettor. . . ^ One on the right I'd already modified to fit these carburettors. That on the left is marked to show where I'm to remove metal (best part of 1/8" on one side). Being aluminium they're easy to cut by hand ..well by cordless drill and bit, followed by sanding drums and flapper wheel. ^ these short stacks are just £9.95 pr. off of ebay which are great value and an excellent starting point for final shaping and smoothing. Of course, I needed to modify the air filters too, to take the short stack's outside diameter. Incidently the outer rim size of these short stacks is exactly the same as that of the long bell-mouths that were fitted. I yet need to get out to B&Q to get the rubber o-rings I use around the outsides ..to achieve the roll radius (minimum of 1/4" ~ 6mm) as recommended by the MGA guide. That ought to happen this weekend as I have a TR Register breakfast meeting to attend. ^ metal shears were again used to open the air-filter's orifice ..as I don't want metal filings inside it. ^ first trial fit of the Triumph TR4A filter plus short stack on the carburettor itself. Getting the 3" long x 5/16" bolts in to the forward carburettor's flange is a bit of a fiddle due to the close proximity of the engine bay, but it's doable. Now to tidy the filters up, again as I had done with Katie's. ^ Expanded mesh gauze, left over from when I did Katie's, cut to width, sharp edges removed, and wrapped around as before. A little spray paint is more presentable than the surface rust on these old filters. I need to tune the cold starting device and check the balance the carbs before fitting, but overall this week - I feel as if I've made useful headway. The new paper element fuel filter has just arrived from Moss / Rimmers so we're ready for a restart. Pete Quote
stuart Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 I think I said before how to tune the auxiliary starting carb but I think it got lost in the previous posts. The little brass plate on the bottom of the solenoid pin should be lapped flat to ensure no bypass leaking of air for one and to weaken or richen the mixture the adjusting screw on the jet needle needs to be screwed out for richening and in for weakening. Adjustments best done when engine is cold and it should be just rich enough to allow good pull away from rest but not rich enough to flood the front carb. As those engines warm up pretty quick as theyre a big lump of iron it may take a few cold morning starts to get it spot on. I personally prefer the original "Otter" control sensor in the water jacket as opposed to a manual switch as when both carbs and auxiliary carb are tuned correctly there is a seamless transition through the cold start to hot run condition. (FWIW you always know when the auxiliary carb is working as you can actually hear the sucking sound it makes.) Stuart. Quote
Hamish Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 That’s interesting as in the last 10 years my Alvis has had a very similar “enrichment” device fitted and it works very well on a manual switch fed by a very basic copper pipe into the inlet manifold balance pipe. Quote
trchris Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 Hi Pete I think l would reinstall the “Otter “ switch , via a relay and install a tell tail warning light neatly inside. Chris Quote
Bfg Posted March 6 Author Report Posted March 6 4 hours ago, stuart said: I think I said before how to tune the auxiliary starting carb but I think it got lost in the previous posts. The little brass plate on the bottom of the solenoid pin should be lapped flat to ensure no bypass leaking of air for one and to weaken or richen the mixture the adjusting screw on the jet needle needs to be screwed out for richening and in for weakening. Adjustments best done when engine is cold and it should be just rich enough to allow good pull away from rest but not rich enough to flood the front carb. As those engines warm up pretty quick as they're a big lump of iron it may take a few cold morning starts to get it spot on. I personally prefer the original "Otter" control sensor in the water jacket as opposed to a manual switch as when both carbs and auxiliary carb are tuned correctly there is a seamless transition through the cold start to hot run condition. (FWIW you always know when the auxiliary carb is working as you can actually hear the sucking sound it makes.) Stuart. Thanks Stuart, I had noted you previous advice about adjusting the needle's top nut, but you also added here about lapping flat 'the little brass plate on the bottom of the solenoid pin'. Cheers for that. Perhaps fitting an Otter switch will be a good thing, together with the switch (and warning light) to add the belt to the braces.? _ _ _ Today I fitted the new petrol filter from Moss-Rimmers and then took off the carb tops to check a float hadn't sunk as you suggested, and while I was in there to adjust the float level. The prongs were meant to be 7/16" dia bar above the lid's rim, ^ as per the manual , but they were wide open. I carefully adjusted them down to 1/2" and tried it.. and fuel pee'd out all over the place, literally squirting out of the top of the auxiliary cold start carb's needle, and running out of both the carbs. The fuel shut off valves and needles look new, in both the carbs, and the needles are of the Viton tipped type. The tip still feels elastic and there's no grit in there to hold it open. I've reset the arms to almost as far as they were. They're now over 3/4" (20mm) rather than the recommended 7/16" (11mm), and although the fuel's mostly contained there's still weeping from the carburettors. Probably I wouldn't see anything if the engine was running. I've checked the (brass) floats and judging by shaking there's no fuel inside of them. I used a fine scouring pad to clean off any fuel residue, but really there wasn't much anyway. Despite trying to be accurate in the adjustment of each float-level fork ..after trying again ; the forward carb's float is 20mm below the bowl's rim whereas the rear float is only 16mm below the bowl's rim. Accordingly, the rear carb is weeps more than the front. The floats both look a bit scratched from wear and very slightly indented ..but not so badly as to account for the flooding. Two things come to mind. The first being that the pressure from the electric pump is too much for the needle valves ..the other is that the carbs are a mis-match of body and float chamber, float &/or float chamber lid. If it were the former (too much pressure) then I'd expect to see the bowl full of petrol when I take the lids off. Regarding the latter (mis-match) I need to cross check each part in an original parts manual, which I don't have. If you have other suggestions then I'd welcome your thoughts. I know the engine is tilted up at the back, with 1/4" packers in each of the rear engine mounts, if that makes any difference. Apparently the packers were fitted because the Mk.2 exhaust manifolds needed a little more clearance. I'll deal with that anon. Thanks again, Pete ^ AUC. 7801 with 7114 hand written above it. ^ ^ AUC. 957 AUD. 2284 Quote
trchris Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 Hi Pete l would suspect the float chamber needles aren’t doing there job they may look good but !! easy check assemble back along with float hold upside down and see if you can slightly blow through the pipe inlet . There is another option for the float jets available (Grose jet ) a tad more expensive but does away with the Viton tip so more reliable Chris Quote
RobH Posted March 6 Report Posted March 6 5 minutes ago, trchris said: (Grose jet ) a tad more expensive but does away with the Viton tip so more reliable I found Grose jets to be significantly worse for leakage than the SU originals - which I reverted to. It's worth checking that the needles and jets are matched. They do come in a variety of diameters. According to my catalogue the XK150 should have AUC855 float jets with WZX1102 needles. Unfortunately it doesn't list those float chamber lid numbers. Quote
Bfg Posted March 6 Author Report Posted March 6 Thanks Gents, Neither the shut off valves nor the needles have any number / markings on them at all. I thought they were bought in pairs valve + needle. I couldn't even say what these carbs are off, but a search on Burlen Carburettor website shows the tag number AUC 957 (from the banjo on the float chamber lid) lists the AUC 957T for a Pair of HD6 Thermo Carburettors for a Jaguar XK150 3.4L 1960-62. .. listed as currently available Carmen is a 3.8 ltr but that may just be a matter of jets fitted. The carburettor, according to that same website, should be AUC 985T .. listed as Not currently available. Pete Quote
harlequin Posted March 7 Report Posted March 7 Pete For your float height setting to be so far out (3/4" instead of 7/16") I would think that you have a mismatch of parts or possibly somthing missing where the float chamber attaches to the carb body. The float chamber is clearly sitting to high! Maybe there is an exploded diagram of your particular carburettor on the Burlen website George Quote
stuart Posted March 7 Report Posted March 7 Do the shut off valves have a fibre washer between them and the float chamber lid? This can make a difference to shut off height., Is the lever bent up or down at the short tag end that contacts the shut off valve? FWIW this picture of a 150 engine and box in a bare chassis may help. Look at the carb bodies and see how much lower the float chambers sit compared to yours . Stuart. Quote
harlequin Posted March 7 Report Posted March 7 1 hour ago, stuart said: Look at the carb bodies and see how much lower the float chambers sit compared to yours . Stuart. That was my thought Stuart, it's hard to judge from a photo but the top of Pete's float chambers appears to align'ish with the bottom of the dashpots. If the fuel level is to high at the bridge is it possibly the wrong floats i.e. to short have been fitted at some point? George Quote
stuart Posted March 7 Report Posted March 7 Just now, harlequin said: That was my thought Stuart, it's hard to judge from a photo but the top of Pete's float chambers appears to align'ish with the bottom of the dashpots. If the fuel level is to high at the bridge is it possibly the wrong floats i.e. to short have been fitted at some point? George Yes the float chambers do come in all sorts of shapes, angles and sizes depending on application. Stuart. Quote
harlequin Posted March 7 Report Posted March 7 Maybe a photo via email and a follow up phone call to Burlen for advice, they are very helpful people George Quote
Bfg Posted March 7 Author Report Posted March 7 Thanks Gents, i do appreciate your input and recommendations.. 4 hours ago, stuart said: Look at the carb bodies and see how much lower the float chambers sit compared to yours . The vertical dimension between the top of flange (see red dimension lines) downwards to the rim of the float chamber's rim (measured without the lid on) is about 3/4" (19mm). You may recall my saying (yesterday's post) that the top of the float in the bowl (with fuel in after flooding) was about the same again below the bowl's rim ..for the front carburettor but 1/8" (3mm) higher level in the rear carbs bowl (which is flooding more. Not easy to measure while the carbs are on the car, below the level of the front wings but... the vertical distance between the top arc of the venturi mouth and the aforementioned top of flange (see red dimension lines) is about 5/32" (4mm). The venturi mouth is D= 1-5/8" (42mm). So, the fuel level in the carb is from that datum top of flange ; minus 1.5" (38-39mm) .. the bottom of the venturi (where the fuel seeps to) is 5/32" + 1-5/8" = 1-13/16" (46mm). ie. 5/16" (8mm) below the fuel level in the float chamber. I do not know how high the bridge is within the carburettor's venturi, (I've not yet taken the carbs off).. but as the flooding has abated to just a dribble at this float level, then I'd guess it might be 7-8mm above the lowest of the venturi diameter. ^ Here you can see the extreme bend in the fuel-shut-off-valve forks to achieve those float levels. ^ the fuel-shut-off-valve & Viton-rubber tipped needle ..which each look brand new ..measuring about 23/32" (18.5mm) from shoulder of valve body to the tail of the needle. There is no washer in the exploded diagram under the valve body, but adding one would certainly improve matters. Alternative a longer valve and needle would do the same. Perhaps the issue here is simply that the aftermarket shut-off valve & needle is 1/8" too short ? Pete Quote
RobH Posted March 7 Report Posted March 7 AFAIK the needle valve assemblies are all the same length Pete, and that one looks right to me - the needle has a brass body so that must be a WZX1102 since the others are aluminium or steel. Quote
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