Well, after receiving many posts from several helpful list members regarding
my loud engine noise, I have decided to begin the full restoration of my '76
TR6 a couple months earlier than I had originally intended. What can I say,
the car wants to be fixed earlier rather than later.
The oil pressure is low compared to what everyone has told me to expect.
The engine noise kicks in around 2500 rpm, and sounds like a VW bug.
What troubles me the most is that, on advise of one list member (thanks
Bud), we checked my crank end float and we figured it to be slightly more
than half of 1/32 of an inch. Yes, that would be more than 1/64th of an
inch. I estimate the end play to be between .015 and .024 of an inch
(Sorry, no dial gauge available, just a ruler and my eyes). Well, this is
more than tolerances allow, according to my Bentley manual. The trouble is
that I had just checked it a couple weeks before the engine started to make
noise, and it sure wasn't as noticeable as it is now.
I haven't opened the engine yet. I'm currently going through the process of
getting it ready to pull out. Maybe in a week or two the engine will be out
and I can give the list a description of what I find.
My questions - and I'm very interested in your thoughts:
1) If a thrust washer falls out, what end float would I expect to see?
2) Could I expect a noise associated with the engine after the washer fell
out?
3) Would you expect that the end float I described means that the thrust
washers have fallen out, or just that they are badly worn?
4) Could this end float cause the Connecting Rod bearings to go bad?
Eric Conrad
Denver, CO
econrad@teal.csn.net
1976 TR6 CF52678U -- desperately requesting the restoration
now rather than in October.
|