Hi John,
Check all the wires for continuity and ensure that the connections are
clean and snug. Loose connections can drive you nuts chasing these
intermittent problems.
Slide back the inspection band and look at dynamo brushes. The spring
for each should arch high enough over the brass brush holder so that
there is no chance of grounding and the brushes are pushed evenly against
the armature. You can lift out the brushes to judge their condition, and
to measure their length. But you don't have to worry overmuch about
length specifications if the springs are arched away from the guides.
As to the ammeter---it may (or may not) be connected right at this
time. A quick check:
Ignition off- needle should be centered. If it's not centered,
disconnect one battery lead to see if it moves. If it moves, there's an
electric leak somewhere. If it doesn't move and needle is not quite
centered, it's ok, but you have to remember to make a mental adjustment
for the volt or two that the scale is out of calibration.
Ignition on--needle should drop a couple of amps to Discharge, and
should pulse in discharge direction as you hear the fuel pump click.
If it's not moving to discharge in these tests, it should be moving to
+ charge, which tells you that the ammeter is working but is hooked up
backwards. Disconnect battery and reverse ammeter leads if it's reading
reverse.
TFs do ride a bit lower in the stern than TDs. The rear springs are
flatter. Moss has both TD and TF springs. TF springs are cheaper. Good
thing, as they are thought to wear out sooner. But unless the spring is
really wiped, you shouldn't get the impact that pops the steering wheel
hub out. That's way too firm. Is the axle striking its bump stops when
this happens? Look for shiny area on top of axle and clean area on the
bump stop.
Are you sure that the rear dampers are actually working? If they were
dry and took a lot of fluid, they may have been air bound. It would be
worthwhile to check fluid level again, since if they were air bound the
bubble could now have purged itself, leaving the fluid level too low to
be effective. And, it could be that the dampers need rebuilding from
being run dry by the DPO.
I haven't bought T-series springs, so can't comment from experience
about buying new or having old ones reworked. Look at the wear on the
rear leaves, which may be relevant to having them repaired/rearched.
What tire pressures are you using? For general driving, most prefer
pressures that are considered pretty low these days. 24 front 27 rear is
a place to start. If someone has put 35 lbs into the tires, the car will
be on the pavement occasionally but in the air a lot if the road is
bumpy. It's great on a track, but miserable on a road. MG suggested 18,
which does give a boulevard ride, at boulevard speeds, but is too low for
general use.
Bob
On Wed, 15 Oct 2003 16:43:40 -0500 "Gunnell, John" <gunnellj@krause.com>
writes:
> Howdy Mates
>
> We're getting the old TF sorted out.
>
> Problem 1:
>
> Dynamo-related. One time it charges fine. The next time I drive it
> shows discharge, then back again. Sometimes it will charge while
> driving, then discharge when I get home and keeps discharging even
> if I rev it up. When I do rev it up and it's discharging, the red
> light gets brighter as I rev it. This in partucular doesn't seem
> right to me. Even if the dynamo was weak, if yoiu rev it things
> should get better, not worse.
>
> Sometimes the light is on while I'm driving. I have not yet
> experienced any battery weakness, but I carry the crank in case.
>
> You may recall that when I got the car the battery was in backwards.
> I reversed it and re-polarized the dynamo but did nothing else. Some
> said to reverse ammeter leads, but I thought re-polarizing took care
> of that. The ground cable is clean and intact, though it is not the
> skinny MG type.
>
> To me it almost seems like the polarity is reversing back and forth;
> as if it is actually charging both when it shows charge and when it
> shows discharge.
>
> I don't have electrical gauges to check things out. I'd love to hear
> some opinions on whether I really have a problem and simple fixes.
>
>
> Problem 2:
>
> On bumpy roads the rear end feels like it's riding on rocks! Even
> smooth roads are "thumpy." Car shakes so bad the steering wheel
> center pops out. Shocks check out OK and have fluid and the rubber
> snubbers are there. I noticed that the front bumper height of the TF
> is the SAME as my TD, but the rear bumper of the TF is an inch and a
> half lower than the TD's rear bumper. I suspect that they should
> both be the same height and that the rear springs on the TF are out
> of camber.
>
> If this is the case is it better to have the rear springs rebuilt
> and re-arched or are aftermarket springs the best option? I see that
> the aftermarkets are of a more modern design, but my car isn't a
> show car. Anyone have experience with the aftermarket type? What
> other spring-related parts usually need replacement when the springs
> are replaced or rebuilt?
>
> John Gunnell
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