I discovered this newsline 2 months ago and am fascinated.
Here's some thoughts on recent contributions:
-on the British vocabulary- as a Canadian working in England in
the 1970s, I noticed that often only retired folks used some
words I found in old British car manuals, while younger people
used the American words. Eg. only older folk talked about wings
and fascia rather than fenders and dash. However many differences
are alive and well, eg. bonnet and boot. Here are some more words
I didn't see come up in last months discussion:
-layshaft (for countershaft)
-estate car (for station wagon)
-shooting break (sort of a "woody")
-on copper fuel/other lines: I remember pre-war car repair books
(from the library and my grandfather, when I first got interested
in old cars 30 years ago) which suggested copper lines as being
easy to work with, BUT the work-hardening of copper must be
allowed for (after tempering copper, stretching/bending/working
it turns it from malleable to brittle, making it fracture-prone).
Lines under the car will slowly work harden due eg. to the body
flexing while going over bumps. The recommended solution: flex
points in the lines eg. rather than a straight line, something
like ____
______/ \ _______________________
\____/
(gentle bends only- sharp bends will create fracture-prone points).
With such allowance for stress relief to avoid fractures, copper
was claimed to be suitable material for fluid lines under the car
(so the books said... I haven't tested this).
-on the potential for disaster from leaking fuel injection lines:
I believe this is nonsense. The injection pump pushes out high
pressure, but no more volume than a standard pump, so a complete
break will not result in any more gas. My own experience:
-with the Bosch mechanical injection on my '76 Volvo, the line
rusted through due to all the salt on roads up here in winter,
after 15 years. However, the leak was hard to find: a pinhole
which left a gas smell, but no visible drip. Finally found
and fixed.
-in contrast, I have helped people with American carburettors,
which when they get a little older and gummed up, and the
temperature falls into the -20 to -50 range, experience this:
-float in float chamber sticks open.
-gas pours into carb: engine will only run at a roar,
otherwise floods.
-gas pours out air vent on float chamber and down engine.
-solution: tap float chamber with heavy rock or tire wrench.
Often sufficient to get people home or to repairs.
I believe in practice fuel injection has given much less trouble
with either operational problems or safety problems, compared to
carburetors.
-regarding capacitor discharge ignition: I used to build these
things. They generate comparable voltage to conventional ignition
(unless designed to provide more), but the voltage build up
is much faster: full voltage 1 microsecond after points open,
compared to about 100 microseconds with conventional old system.
(Simple transistor ignitions are inbetween). With conventional
system, one plug will always fire first (even with 2 connected
in parallel, there will always be some difference in firing
voltage). On firing, voltage drops rapidly, so second plug will
not fire. But with cap discharge system, having full voltage
and power appear "relatively instantaneously", if there is
a substantial leakage path eg. across distributor cap from
proper plug to another plug, both may fire at once!
Other ways to go wrong: I once put in a capacitor 3X bigger
than recommended, figuring extra spark heat couldn't hurt.
On my '64 Datsun at the time, it really helped in winter:
I used to have to keep adjusting the choke in/out with engine
speed when cold, or the engine would sputter. With the fat
spark, the problem was solved: no sputtering when driving
away in winter. However, after 15K miles bad bucking started
up. Turned out for all 4 plugs, I'd pretty well completely
burned away the side and centre electrodes!
Interesting side effect: the faster voltage buildup gives
equivalent of an extra 2 or 3 degrees of advance at 6000 RPM.
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My 2 questions about my MGA which I am occasionally working on
repairing:
-it uses the Lucas C40 dynamo with the old Lucas 2 coil
regulator. Regulator has failed, and I need a new one. I see
in MGB manuals, they list the B using the C40 as well in the
'60s, but the regulator looks much different in pictures:
sealed and longer, presumably a 3-coil with better regulation.
I can get a new B regulator much cheaper/faster locally. Any
reason I shouldn't use one?
-I've got one side off, busy welding in new panels and F section
(bought myself a MIG welder, only way to go). I HATE RUST! Most
rust seems to be from tire spray. Most cars of the last 10+ years
are sold here with plastic fender liners, which help a lot.
Anyone ever seen these for the MGA? or tried to fit recent ones
from any other kind of car?
Any advice appreciated...
Dave Agnew
613-763 3197
e-mail: crm24@bnr.ca
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