09 May 1997, Johnny Storm, <hiu06f@bangor.ac.uk> wrote:
>
> On Fri, 9 May 1997 EPaul21988@aol.com wrote:
> > One of the things that's easiest to overlook is that 20+ year
> > old heat gauge. Is it really accurate? Bob Paul
>
> Good point and what about the sender unit??
> With my old engine it would reach half way and stay there but
> with my new (old!) engine it reachs three quarters before resting
> there. I would imagine it would be okay as long as it doesn't
> race straight past these 'regular running temps'. probably!
> Johnny Storm
Or the Voltage Stabilizer. Does the fuel gauge also read high... the
needle moves pretty slow for the first half of the tank, and then dives for
"E" in the second half? Then it's probably the voltage stabilizer, or a
faulty ground to the stabilizer. Without a proper ground, the voltage
will go high and the temp and fuel gauges will read high.
In the order of failure probability, I would bet on the stabilizer ground
first, then the stabilizer itself, the sender, the engine and the gauge.
The voltage stabilizer is a pretty common gremlin in British electrics and
worth putting on your hit list. If you purchase a new one, be sure it's
the correct output voltage. I believe the two options are 10v and 4.8v,
and Triumphs should have the 10v. When you install it, ensure that it's
properly grounded, and that it's installed within +/- 10 degrees of plumb.
Water Wetter does work... it's good stuff. That and the 160 degree
thermostat would be good preventative measures against summer heat... but
don't run the engine without a thermostat. Flush the cooling system and
have the radiator checked for crud build-up/ blockage. If the radiator is
toast, have a local radiator shop re-core it with a thicker, denser core.
Check the ignition advance too... both Idle and maximum advance. Advance
mechanisms get old too. Also, running more and quicker advance is a
popular way to pickup some extra performance. Either way, too much
advance will cause the engine to run hot.
Regards,
Tim
PS... I'm just lurking around on the Triumphs list while trying to assist
a net-impaired/ car-impaired friend sell a couple of Triumphs (the clean
TR-3B is gone, the TR-250 project has an offer pending). I haven't messed
with Triumphs before, but I'm mired in Lotus up to my ears... another
Scion of Lucas... and Smiths... and Stromberg... et al. Many of the
same solutions apply.
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