Tom,
First get a shop manual!!! Either Haynes or Bentley or both. If nothing
else it will help you figure out what a mechanic is talking about.
Second, Where do you live?? Certainly there are some LBC types somewhere
near you that can offer an assist, advice, or a shoulder to cry on ;-).
Simple answer for the translucent tank - it is the cooling system
overflow. From the Thremostat housing (the round aluminum dome at the
front of the head with the hoses attached to it) there is a hose that
goes to the tank at the front of the passenger side engine compartment.
>From there, below the regular looking radiator cap, is a tube where a
hose goes from that tank (the expansion tank) to the translucent one.
Good Luck
Larry
>>>>On 8/18/99 12:30 AM so and so (Tomsjetta@aol.com) said. (And I quote:)
>I have survived week one of Midget ownership.
>
>Some of you howled when you found out I took the car to the shop, but, let
>me
>be honest here, I am dumb as dirt when it comes to working on cars. I have
>no
>experience, no tools, nothing. Trust me, for the sake of the car, you want
>me
>to take it to a mechanic.
>
>As usual, nothing here is as simple as hoped. My whole wiper switch was
>replaced. Wipers now work, but cannot be turned off unless you pull some
>plug
>under the dash (I asked, but was not shown). Mechanic tells me I need a new
>wiper motor to fix the problem. Fine, I say, but I am told his parts guy is
>off till Labor Day, and that this part is almost impossible to find, and,
>the
>motor is year specific to the '78. If this is true, why does the Moss
>catalog
>have the wiper motor available, but says nothing about the '78 cars
>needing a
>'78 only motor? Also, windshield spray not working. I am on day 7 of a 20
>day
>temp registration-I do not have a lot of time to waste.
>
>Next item. Car has Weber carb. Car backfires when backing off throttle at
>anyhthing over 3,000 rpm. Mechanic tells me he leaned it out as much as he
>could, but it still backfires. I'm told it is an older carb, but was given
>some instruction as to tell whether or not it needed to be replaced. Guys,
>it
>was so far above my head he may as well have been speaking Swahili. So, I
>don't know if I need a new carb or what. The car runs a little rich. It
>passed emissions today, which is obviously important. I am totally in the
>dark here.
>
>Next item. Thermostat. I am told it is not there, or not connected. Car sits
>in traffic and gets hot, then the idle deteriorates, and the oil light
>flickers a bit. List member tells this is the result of oil thinning out due
>to high heat. This I can understand. I tell mechanic I obviously want a
>thermostat. I am given a set of instructions I again do not understand. I
>tell him I don't have a clue about this stuff, but it gets me nowhere. So, I
>have no thermostat, no indication mechanic wants to do it for me.
>
>Sadly, I am told that this guy is incredible with these cars. BUT my wife
>and
>I feel like he is simply disinterested in our car, or in helping us get the
>car right. For $350 he replaced a piece of fuel line, the switch for the
>hazard lights, installed the wiper switch, changed the oil, took it for a
>drive, leaned out the carb and made a temporary fix to get the driver's side
>mirror on the car. With my car in his garage, I asked him how to do
>something, and he couldn't show me, write it down, anything. For all the
>praise I hear about this guy, I guess I just don't see it. My local garage
>takes better care of me with my Jetta.
>
>Yes, after today I did ask myself if I should even own this car. I love
>it-but I find it a fault that I cannot diagnose nor service it as a severe
>detriment to those who own and service these cars. I am not trying to be
>ignorant-I simply do not know, but I need to be taught in a way I can
>understand. I only want what is best for this car, and I know I am not the
>person who can provide that service at this time.
>
>Onto the next problem. Mechanic complains that the clutch does not feel
>right-says it should only feel that way if it is new, or if the hydraulics
>are on their way out. I am told to keep track of the clutch fluid. I looked
>at it tonight, and it is filled to the top. I will pray, and hope it stays
>that way.
>
>On the passenger side, under the hood, right above the wheel well, there
>is a
>translucent container with a tube coming out; it looks like it leads to the
>radiator-the container is totally empty. What goes in there? I have the
>original owner's manual, and I can't find it.
>
>I know I've come here with many questions, and I am sure more will follow.
>Please understand that I am learning all of this for the first time. I've
>shelved my male ego and simply confessed I have not a clue how to help this
>car myself. But, I love it, and I love to drive it, and enjoy it. This past
>week, the best part of my day is to fire this car up and go for a drive
>along
>the shore. That alone makes me wonder how I ever got along without this car.
>
>If my mechanic is too elite for a newbie like me, that I can understand. A
>guy almost made me an offer on the car this weekend, and he recommended his
>place where his XJ-6 is serviced, so I might give him a shot. All I know is
>that this car must pass inspection in a few days, so whoever is willing to
>help wins my $$.
>
>Tom
>78 Midget
Larry Macy
78 Midget
Keep your top down and your chin up.
Larry B. Macy, Ph.D.
macy@bblmail.psycha.upenn.edu
System Manager/Administrator
Neuropsychiatry Section
Department of Psychiatry
University of Pennsylvania
3400 Spruce St. - 10 Gates
Philadelphia, PA 19104
In a world without walls or fences, what use do we have for windows or
gates?
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