british-cars
[Top] [All Lists]

TR7 BFH#40

To: Triumphs@autox.team.net, british-cars@autox.team.net,
Subject: TR7 BFH#40
From: Eganb@aol.com
Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2000 18:51:00 EST
We (LBC owners) are the champions, of the world!!!....

There is absolutely nothing as sweet right now as the sound of a TR coming 
back to life once again.  Yep, we got it to start, and it settled into a 
throaty purr almost immediately.  To be honest, I was thinking I would never 
hear that sound again...

I can't even begin to describe the problem with the dizzy.  For one thing, I 
did have it backwards.  So, turning it around was no big deal.  But the way 
the wires went into the cap continued to be a complete mystery.  When the 
crank/cam/rotor were all lined up, it pointed to last intake manifold bolt 
AND the spark plug lead that went to #4 cylinder.  Turning the cap 180 didn't 
help, then it pointed to #2, I think....

So I figured, that's ok, I'm just not understanding something.  I'll time the 
engine with the #1 lead -- maybe the timing is just way off.  I took out the 
plugs and managed to get the strobe to work by just cranking the engine.  I 
couldn't use a test light across the points because I have the Lucas 
electronic ignition.  But the strobe didn't pick up any sign of the timing 
mark anywhere near 10 degrees BTDC.  Again, right #1 lead, but it went to the 
wrong place on the cap.

Then, on a hunch, I hooked up the strobe to the spark plug lead that the 
rotor pointed to when crank/cam/rotor/manifold bolt were lined up.  Bingo.  
The strobe picked up the timing mark on the crank immediately.  A little 
tweaking and I hit 10 degrees BTDC right on.  

So, what the heck, I took off the wires, rearranged them in 1-3-4-2 order on 
the cap, and gave it a shot.  The engine started IMMEDIATELY.   

Again, I swear to the TR7 gods I didn't change the leads around on the cap, 
but either I did or the previous owner had some bizarre setup, maybe with the 
distributor turned 180, that worked. 

I only ran the engine for about thirty seconds, then shut it down.  My handy 
dandy $14 oil pressure gauge got up to 50 lbs. pressure.  There is still has 
some air in line for the gauge, so maybe if I purge it the pressure will be 
higher, but is that in the ball park for idling?

And anything else I should check before I run it for 25 minutes tomorrow, 
then change the oil? 

And more on thanking all of you later for helping me this far.  


Bruce
1980 Inca Yellow TR7 5-speed convertible
Chapel Hill, NC

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>