Listers - thanks for all your comments and suggestions about the recent
carb problem on the TR4.
Today we went to the Bowie British Car Day, and at TRF, I bought some
new Champion Plugs , an oil felt seal, a trunk platform and some dash
bezels from Charles . The trunk platform I ordered from Charles when we
were up at TRA2000 (sadly without the TR4), and per my request he
brought it down for me so I saved on shipping, tax, + got the catalog
sale price. Charles is really a super guy.
Going back to yesterday- still hoping to get the TR running for Bowie, I
pulled the plugs as I was getting intermittent spark yesterday- after
earlier in the morning I reinstalled the rear carb again. She would
start and run, but still stall with opening the throttle (butterflys),
or still flood or stall.
Then the car wouldn't start- or periodically puff- a new problem. Timing
light showed spark to distributor, but each plug would not consistently
fire. Swapped Lucas Sport coils from my E-Type-Same situation. Checked
plug
firing - intermittent. So I pulled the plugs. I then observed ALL the
plugs were black with rich fuel , not just #4 (new situation) .
I then ran a compression test . 160 on all cylinders- I expected 150
but this confirmed that the valve train was in fact working well-as I
observed when I pulled the valve cover. So the 160 on every cylinder as
it came up, was reassuring. Only @500 miles since remanufactured
Cylinder Head, but still good to see.
I also checked the new Mallory distributor, and discovered point spark
was intermittent. Discovered the condensor was not quite 'budgeless' -so
I tightened the screw a fraction- Then I said MMMMMNNNN.
Maybe all this starting, and periods of ignition on/off, maybe the
condensor is going bad.
Cleaned the plugs with carb cleaner and re-installed the plugs,the car
wouldn't even fire now, and the rear carb was still flooding. Decided to
buy new plugs . Pulled the rear carb again, put the jet (float valve) in
cleaner. That was it for yesterday, as we had an 80th birthday
celebration to go to for my mother-in-law.
Back to today, after Bowie. Once I got home, I 'gifted' the TR its new
trunk platform. Gapped and installed the new plugs, changed condensors
(new spare), and for the 7th time installed the float valve in the carb,
which had been sitting in 'GM throttle body cleaner' overnight. I
remembered my neighbor has a compressor, so I blasted the float valve
after its 'soak' before I installed it. Carefully measured the float
height again. Closed up the carb, and installed the carb for the eighth
time.
( If you recall, Joe said the float should weigh no more than 15 grams,
and we got .5 ounces or 14.+. Joe Curto said he'd send me a new one- but
its not here yet and I was
'Triumphious' (anxious and impatient)).
Well, closed the mixtures screws, opened both 2.5 turns. Connected the
battery-
Turned the key-instantaneous VaRoooMMMM! and manually moving both
throttles produced smooth accelleration and no backfire, and no dieing
when returning to idle stops.
Tweeking the mixtures and idle stops- I could get the car to run smooth
at 900, but eventually got it down to 650 RPM -a little wavy on the
needle- but not the 'beat'. I then tweeked to linkage to hold steady as
I tightened the cclamp, and now typival TR- Red light at idle- off at
1100, on when idle. None the less I'm happy and excited (like a college
kid getting an 'A+)
Got Camellia , still wearing her TRA2000
T-shirt to go for an evening ride.
The car is beautiful again- we took a 40+ mile back roads 'test ride'
before the thunderstorms hit and bottom line is: Its been a great
'British Car Day"
"my Blue Baby' is well again- and I'm feeling great too!!!!
A special thanks to Bud Levi and Dick Dell respectively for their notes
about 'specks & varnish'' and ignition; also to George Hahn.
I'll be adding a shut off valve before the pump and another filter after
the pump glass bowl filter but before the carbs as my next project'!
Sherman
Sherman D. Taffel
TR4 Restoration 'complete'
CT40054L
CColumbia, Maryland
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