spitfires
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RE: Damper Oil

To: spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: Damper Oil
From: "Simmons, Reid W" <reid.w.simmons@intel.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 10:57:19 -0700
Yeah, I use the same stuff I put in the crankcase.  I've heard Marvel
Mystery Oil is OK too (why is it called that anyway?).  However, no matter
what I put into the damper it is always gone by the next weekend, and yes, I
did replace the 'O' ring on the needle adjuster.

Reid
'79 Spitfire (original owner)


-----Original Message-----
From: alemen@pop.ftconnect.com [mailto:alemen@pop.ftconnect.com]
Sent: Friday, July 14, 2000 10:26 AM
To: spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: loss of power and poping



Tim, I always have put teh standard engine oil in teh dampers. This was what
the garage always recommended when I had Triumphs in the UK. Also it is what
is listed in the manuals. It always has worked fine for me, so when I got
the current car that's what I have and it's no problem. Most of the cars I
looked at never had any oil in the dampers and the owners nver new to fill
them. It's one of the first things I always checked. It showed if the PO's
knew anything about the car or not.

Also a thought about the Colourtune, did you do both pairs of cylinders?

Alan.

Original Message:
-----------------
From: T. .R. Dafforn td214@cam.ac.uk
Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 11:23:37 +0100
Subject: Re: loss of power and poping



Richard,
Thanks for all the suggestions, I was just coming to the conclusion that
maybe I
should get the car tuned properly. The only trouble being finding a mechanic
I can
trust, and who can still remember how to tune twin SUs. I have only recently
installed a fuel filter after a long lay up due to restoration, it could be
that
it has pciked up rubish (ie dust from the kilos of bondo I gound out). Fuel
pump
is new (100 miles) so that should be OK. I agree that fuel blockage should
produce
later sputtering. I ave put standard engine oil in the carb dampers, would
that be
a problem? I did this for many years in an old rover metro which had a
single SU
and it was fine... The strange thing is the fact that it seems to happen as
the
car gets hotter, so perhaps  a vapor lock?
As to the temperature guage I'll try a thermometer, but where do you put it?
Thanks for the help
Cheers
Tim
Richard B Gosling wrote:

> Tim,
>
> Two thoughts occur about this - tuning or fuel starvation.  If you've
tuned it
>  using a Color Tune then tuning should be OK - I've never actually used
one of
>  these, so I don't know how good they are.  What I do know, after a fair
few
>  attempts at tuning myself using the
>  push-up-the-lifting-pin-and-seeing-what-happens-to-the-engine-note
method, is
>  that I am no good at it at all, and now tuning is one of the (very) few
things
>  I leave to a professional who does know what they are doing!
>
> The other thought is fuel starvation.  Have you checked your fuel filter
(in
>  the top of the pump on the LH of the engine) - could be blocked?  Also,
does
>  this happen particularly when you are low on fuel - you could be picking
up
>  crud in the tank and that could be causing a blockage - my wifes Panda
used to
>  do that if the fuel ever dropped below 1/4 level.  If neither of these
are
>  correct, then it could stil be a blockage, but it could be something
lodged in
>  the system somewhere - this may require dismantling and cleaning out
parts of
>  the system, which sounds like a hassle!
>
> Although, thinking about it, a fuel filter blockage shouldn't cause a
problem
>  until after several seconds of sustained acceleration, unless it is a
very bad
>  blockage - after all, the carbs have their own little float tanks, so
until
>  those are empty there will still be fuel for the carbs.  Very small
particles
>  from the tank, that pass through the filter, and then block the carbs may
be
>  more likely.  I'm not going to go into this any further, as carbs remain
>  beyond my comprehension, I still don't really understand what goes on in
>  there!
>
> As for the funny coolant temps, have you checked your voltage regulator?
>  Admittedly, when these go, you usually get a high reading not a low one
(I
>  spent a couple of months fighting what I thought was an overheating
problem
>  until I replaced the regulator), but it might still be this.  If it is,
your
>  fuel guage will be funny too - does it read full when the tank is full?
If
>  not, then it is almost certainly a regulator problem.
>
> Hope this helps!
>
> Richard and Daffy

--
Tim Dafforn
Structural Medicine
Department of Haematology
CIMR
University of Cambridge
Wellcome-MRC Building (Level6)
Hills Road
Cambridge
CB2 2XY

Tel. (01223) 336829
Fax. (01223) 336827
http://smokeroom.cimr.cam.ac.uk/





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