Dan:
Sorry to hear you got burn't. Unfortunately thrust failure is very
common in the 1500 Triumph derived engine. When searching for a used
component, assume that the thrust surfaces and rods are damaged. Have the
seller prove that they are not, before purchase.
When running a this engine, make sure that the thrust is checked on
a regular basis. Replacing the thrust washers and rod bearings before they
are badly worn is relatively cheap insurance.
Kelvin.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Dan Dwelley [mailto:ddwelley@excite.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2000 9:43 AM
> To: mgs@autox.team.net
> Subject: Buying a 1500 engine for a Midget (Warning)
>
>
>
> Hello all!
>
> I thought I would post this to the list to help others
> avoid what I failed to avoid.
>
> I purchased a 1500 engine for my Midget this past
> fall. The engine had good compression and oil
> pressure. I recently decided that I would clean it up
> and respray it before dropping it in the Midget. After
> removing a few parts, I bumped the crank pulley and it
> moved to the rear...hmmm...so I pulled on the pulley
> and it and the flywheel moved forward. This isn't good!
> I decided to take a rough measurement of the
> movement... .128". Guess what?...this is WAY TOO MUCH.
>
> I made a couple of calls and the normal end float is
> .006 to .014". Well...off comes the pan to check out
> the bottom end. My worst nightmares have been
> acknowledged. The crank and block have damage. It is
> repairable...so I'm told BUT the cost to repair would
> be greater than it's worth.
>
> Well, it looks like the original engine is going to
> get a rebuild after all...sigh.
>
> I'm not saying that I got ripped off (well notintentionally
> I'm sure but I paid a premium price forthis engine...so I'm told)
> but I am saying I didn'tknow what to check for on this type
> of engine. I figured compression was good, oil pressure
> was good,it ran fine...must be good right? wrong!
>
> When looking to purchase a 1500 engine for either a
> Midget or Spitfire, take a small prybar or large
> screwdriver and check for forward movement of the
> crank pulley. If it moves a noticeable amount...walk
> away or run! A dropped thrust washer can cause extra
> end-float but a non-repaired dropped thrust washer
> will trash the bottom end of this engine.
>
> Sorry to take up so much bandwidth with this but I
> thought this was an important lesson learned and I
> wanted to pass on my misfortune to those who may have
> travelled down the same road of fate as I.
>
> Thank you for your time,
> Dan Dwelley
> 77 Midget
> Alexandria, Va.
>
>
>
>
>
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