julianhensman
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Posts posted by julianhensman
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Aaargh!!! So I was going to do a limited experiment; carry spare fuel and do an extra 10 miles each tank until either I am satisfied with the additional mileage as a new limit, or I run out, preferably the first. Of course I ran out of fuel on the very first leg of the experiment having got 203 miles from a full tank - approx. 8 gallons used. Two possible thoughts here: 1) I have a small tank, 2) I am somehow not getting the fuel nearer the bottom of the tank. However, when I used a dipstick, the level did seem low so I can't imagine its the latter.
Any suggestions?
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Neil and Nigel, thanks. Very helpful.
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Thanks for the responses guys.
As far as I know my tank is standard so I therefore assume it holds 11 or so gallons. The fact that my seemingly reliable fuel gauge reads empty after using just 8 gallons is where my question came from and I suspect there is an issue with either the sender or the gauge. I think therefore I will indeed drain the tank when the needle is already showing empty to determine what is in fact left.
I still have the question though: Does anybody else read empty after 8 gallons or is it just me?!! I suppose I may even have a totally incorrect sender unit which does not reach the bottom of the tank.
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I have had my latest 6 for nearly four years now and have more recently been monitoring fuel consumption. I tend to drive reasonably enthusiastically and get an average of 25mpg, with up to 28mpg on a longer run, which is pretty much what I expect from the car. I normally fill the tank when the gauge is reading near empty and am filling a maximum of 38 litres / 8.5 gallons into the tank each time from this point. This gets me about 190 miles each tank.
However, I have for the first time today noticed that the tank capacity should be 51 litres / 11.25 gallons! Yes I know I could have thought about this earlier but it has simply never occurred to me that I was not using all the fuel in the tank and I just assumed without checking that this is how things were! So, I am guessing that there may in fact be a problem with the fuel sender or fuel gauge showing empty when in fact there is plenty of fuel left in the tank. It may even just be designed that way?
I am aware that you never really want to drain your tank completely but doing the maths, I should be getting nearer 280 miles out of the tank rather than a maxmimum of 190?
As far as I know, my tank is standard but before I syphon all the remaining fuel out next time the gauge is near empty to check, has anybody else experienced this and can anyone confirm my conclusion? Put simply, how many miles should I be getting from a tank?
As always, any opinion appreciated.
Thanks,
Jules
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In fact, the original seats do have two positions for the bolts that secure them to the runners i.e. where they pivot for gaining access to the rear. It's only about an inch difference between them but might make a difference
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Hi.
Whilst you have your dash out, I suggest you could improve your gauge illumination massively by painting the inside of the cases gloss white (white hammerite will do the job). It's a bit fiddly (you will need a very fine paint brush) and you do have to be VERY careful not to damage the needles, but the difference is tremendous. See pics below: 1) with tacho done and speedo not yet done, 2) with both done (note there is a bit of condensation on the glass on these bit it soon went).
1)
2) 
Jules
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@RobinTR6: Your problem may just be the "direct" clutch not wanting to "let go" under acceleration? Does it change as soon as you back off or does it then take a while? Another thought too; I don't know if it's possible to adjust the actuating lever too far so that the overdrive does not disengage! Does anyone know? It's something worth bearing in mind because as you may know, engaging overdrive by mistake in reverse will destroy either your overdrive or your gearbox or both. I suggest therefore if you have a lot of "play" to adjust in smallish increments - it won't take you too much extra time in the grand scheme of things as you can test drive with the cover off subject to weather and the above safety warning! Let us know how you get on.
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Hi All,
I hope everybody has enjoyed a good holiday season. It is some time since I started this thread but this weekend I finally got around to doing the work and thought you may be interested in the result
First thing we did was get the gearbox tunnel out. Not the worst job but not a doddle either. If you are planning this, note that you need to take both seats and the H frame that holds the radio out first (it's also a pig to get back in but that's another story). We then checked the operation of the solenoid and it appeared to be operating enthusiastically and there were no apparent problems with the soledoid coils (could not prevent it pulling in, could not pull it out when it was in, released fine). So we decided to leave it in situ without further tests (you can test the resistance etc) and look elsewhere.
The next thing was to check the locating lever on the other side of the geabox. Now I meant to take a photo of this with the tunnel off as for some strange reason, there are very few photos available of this side of the gearbox in manuals and on the web, but unfortunately, I forgot, sorry! Anyway, the locating lever moved downward on operation of the solenoid as it should, but ... when in the engaged position, I found I could still manually push the locating lever down another millimetre at least. I checked it's location as described in the manuals by inserting a 3/16 drill bit into the locating lever hole and ensuring it located into the hole in the gearbox casing - it fit perfectly. This was a little disheartening as I was hoping to find it short, which would immediately explain a non-opening valve. Anyway, we progressed further by removing the valve plug (thoroughly cleaning the area with petrol first (you must make sure absolutely no dirt gets inside the valve), gently taking out the spring, the plunger (with needle nosed piers) and the ball bearing (by cleaning first with a bit of kitchin towel and then using a bit of blu-tack on the end of a pencil to lift it out - don't drop it or lose it!!!). We then checked the seat where the ball bearing sits - clean as a whistle with any residue oil absolutely golden in colour. No problem there then.
Despite the locating lever locating properly, as my original suspicions were that the operating valve was not opening far enough, and as Buckeye Triumphs have also done an experiment on valve lift finding that only 2-3 thousandths of an inch make a difference (check here for that excellent article: http://www.buckeyetriumphs.org/technical/AOD/AOD4/AOD4.htm - 80% of the way down the page), I decided anyway to try to adjust the pinch bolt so that the locating lever would travel as far as it could when the solenoid operated. This adjustment was done by switching the solenoid on, loosening the pinch bolt, pressing down to the fullest extent on the locating lever and retightening the pinch bolts. Interesting to note here is that after the adjustment, I could still bet the 3/16 drill bit through to locate in the casing i.e. no discernable difference from before! Then we went for a quick test drive (Safety Note: Take great care if you ever do this with the propshaft exposed - NOTHING should dangle down around that area. If you get a coat or scarf caught in the propshaft whilst you are driving, you are likely a gonna - no joke). Result: the overdrive engaged with cold oil in about a second! I also had a pressure gauge on at this point (thanks to Jay at http://www.webring.org/hub?ring=triumphautos;id=24;ac=ImRE%BC%AD%9F%F4%E3%D1%CB%3E%5E%5D%3C%2F%1E%BB%BB%88%CD%A8%82%80w%7BN%25%7D%11%1C%EE%ED%DB%AB%BF%C5%9D%7DH%17%3B%3B%1E%F4%FB%CF%92%A4%89%D9%60u_%2F3%02%1D%E2%D2%9A;go) which read 380 PSI at peak and showed a drop when the overdrive enganged, building back up to full pressure again within a couple of seconds afterwards.
So to summarise: The original problem was that the overdrive was taking a long time to engage. It would disengage from the direct drive after about 10-20 seconds, then would be in a state of "limbo" whereby applying load would accelerate the car, but releasing load would disengage the drive altogether with the revs dropping down to tick over, then after about 2 further minutes (depending on oil temperature) of driving would engage into overdrive. What was actually happening was that the flow of oil to the pistons was far too slow, such that the filling of the pistons with oil (and therefore the travel of the internal clutch) was also very slow. This slow movement was caused by insufficient oil flow owing to the valve not opening far enough, hence the adjustment fixing it. The odd behaviour when "in limbo" was caused by the fact that the internal clutches had travelled far enough to disengage the direct drive, but not yet far enough to engage the overdrive. This meant that the drive to the rear wheels whilst "in limbo" was being provided purely by the one way clutch (!), which explains why I could accelerate but on coasting, the revs would go down to tick over.
I would like to thank everybody who contributed to this thread and also I would like to thank David Dawson who kindly popped round to offer expert advice along the way which was extremely welcome!
Kind regards,
Jules
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I removed and refitted by tunnel for some overdrive work over the past two days. Getting it out, once I had figured how to get it out without breaking it or removing too much other stuff (like dash, handbrake etc) was one thing; getting it to fit back in and locate the bolts through the rubber seal was something else! It seems everybody has trouble in this area and I can only assume the patern for the part was taken from a car that was different to everyone elses! My advice is to fit the front end first and don't tighten anything until all bolts are in. In the unlikely event you do not need to modify, you will still need to bend somewhat (being careful not to break as it won't bend too much!) in order to get it in. Patience in my experience was the order of the day. Took me and my son about 2 hours.
Good luck!
Jules
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Hi All. Am slowly trying to pluck up courage (and find time) to start this. When I remove the gearbox tunnel, will I need any sealant when replacing it, or are they just rubber seals? Need to make sure I can get the car back on the road within a few hours!
Thx.
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Hi,
I suggest whilst you have your instruments out of the dash that you very carefully take them out of their casings and paint the inside of the casings white with white smooth Hammerite. I wrote an article for my local group newsletter explaining, incuding pictures, which can be found here: http://www.groups.tr-register.co.uk/lea-valley/docs/Trunnion%2020126_trweb.pdf. see pages 9 and 10. The difference is amazing.
Jules
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Hi Christoph,
Have you fitted a new steering wheel boss? This happened to me after i fitted my MotoLita wheel. I think Shorting can happen in this situation if the steering column bearing is worn.
Jules
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Hi Robin and thanks. OK, may try the ramp method then - axle stands in my case. Do you think removing the rear wheels once on the axle stands would help reduce vibration and make it more stable or is this just asking for trouble in case the car does come off the stands?!!!
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Guys, thanks very much again for all the input so far. Very useful.
@Berry - I decided to order a US guage in the end as am too busy to source any other way - interesting post though, thanks. I ordered from Jay Holecamp in Wheaton Illinois at this link:
Jay was very helpful. His website ordering link didn't work for me so I emailed him and he sent a PayPal invoice which did work. Looking forward to received the tool! Will comment later on quality etc.
I hear that the safest way to do the lever test in situ (without moving!) is to disconnect the prop shaft. I am hoping this is fairly easy once the tunnel is off. Once it is off, pulling the level at a given rpm should simply alter the speedo if it engages. Any advice on this front? May be a silly question but I have to ask it - would it be too dangerous to simply attempt to do the test whilst actually driving the car with the tunnel off?!!!
Many thanks,
Jules
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Hmmm, one more thought. Any ideas where I can get a pressure gauge to fit?! I may as well check that whilst I'm there.
Thanks,
Jules
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OK, I will give it a go and post the result. May be a little while before I can get round to doing it though. Many thanks in the meantime for the input.
Jules
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Hi Roger, no haven't done that yet. I have a replacement tunnel which doesn't have inspection panels. In fact, that is the reason I started the thread as I wanted to see if there was anything else I should do first before the rigmarole of removing it. So do you think that the next sensible thing to do?
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Hi Al. Thanks for the response. I have read the buckeye stuff with interest and will check out the other link now. Am near Biggleswade, Beds. Is it possibly / easy to replace the pump in situ? It sits above the oil drain yes?
J
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I know this topic has been covered in other posts, but I haven't really figured out what order things should be done in, so thought I would ask here again. I also note that a recon A type unit is only £400 (although thats a lot of money), so lots of paid for labour by experts is probably not the way to go.
The problem is that the unit takes ages to engage. After I have thrown the switch, it will take up to two minutes to engage when the gear oil is cool and 30-45 seconds when it's hot (this immediately suggests an oil problem to me?). I am trying to go through a process of elimination to figure out what is wrong. I am working on the assumption that the sliding clutch is not slipping. I assume this because once the unit is engaged, it never slips out or even hints of slipping. Is this a safe assumption?
If this is true, then my next deduction is that the clutch is simply not engaging fast enough, and if it is not slipping, then the pistons cannot be pushing with enough pressure or certainly not quickly enough. Working backwards, this could be caused by the pistons somehow sticking but this seems very unlikely to me? This then must mean that oil does not reach the pistons fast enough. If the oil feed is slow, this I guess could be caused by a multitude of things. So this time working forwards I plan to check the following.
1) Oil. I know the oil is in good condition and at the right level, but as I have never drained and refilled myself, I don't know what grade it is. First thought then, drain and refill with 30ish grade? I guess I would need to check the filter too.
2) Solenoid engagement. I get the expected "click" when engaging and have been under the car and seen it operate. The plunger pulls the lever and although the plunger can be pushed into the solenoid slightly further after operation, the lever reaches its stop and I am sure it cannot go any further up. So this leads me to believe that the operating valve lever is also therefore operating the valve spindle (see later comment though). But can/should this be adjusted?
3) Operating valve. I am guessing that this may be one of the prime areas for investigation and it may well simply be clogged to the extent that the oil does not flow through very fast. But, I am wondering how this can be possible with over 300 psi? I suppose attachment of a pressure gauge that then indicates good pressure indicates good pump, oil, accumulator and clear oil passages up to the operating valve. But what would lower pressure indicate?
4) Pump. As the engagement of the overdrive is slow every time, but does eventually engage every time, I am thinking there is nothing wrong with the pump. If it was somehow losing pressure, or was not pumping, the unit would in theory not engage at all. Is this true?
5) Accumulator. Another prime target. I am wondering if the accumulator is not charging properly. However, if it was not, I am guessing there would be no oil fed to the main shaft, which in turn I think would have had other consequences. But if it was not charging, this might mean the pistons were being operated directly by the pump, which might explain the slow engagement? I was also thinking that perhaps the pressure relief valve might be leaking with the same effect? Or could the accumlator spring be broken?
6) Oil passages generally blocked. This is my last thought and a possibility I suppose. Don't know how I could fix that without a complete strip down.So, my next plan is to check the operating valve. As this means removing the transmission tunnel etc I thought I might try to bounce these ideas off the forum first! I was wondering though whether there is any adjustment anywhere to change the lift of the operating valve spindle or the solenoid lever travel, just to make sure the valve is actually opening far enough?
So I'm wondering what order I should check things in. Any help or suggestions you can offer would be gratefully received!
Thanks,
Jules
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Hi Winston,
Did you sort this out? I am getting the EXACT same behaviour!!!
Jules
Intermittent Wipers (Again)
in TR6 Forum
Posted
I am trying to install an intermittent wipe function in my TR6. I would like it to work when the wipers are on slow, so I can switch the wipers on as normal (slow), then to use another switch to change them between slow-constant and slow-intermittent. I know many fellow 6 owners that would love this feature and indeed, I know many already have it.
I have bought a simple Nagares time delay relay which came with the wiring diagram I have attached below, but I know I need more than this. I have read all the posts I can find in the forum on this topic and there seem to be quite a few people who have managed to install intermittent wiper functions, but not one thread says exactly how they did it! I have also Googled this to death but cannot find a single piece of information anywhere that shows how to wire them.
I have done some research on the wiper motor wiring diagram and have deduced the following. When the wiper switch is in the slow position, it connects the Green (+ve when ignition on) pin 2 to the Red/Light Green pin 3 on the wiper switch. This provides +ve to the motor which is obviously earthed through the Black wire at the motor. When the wipers are switched off, the switch connects the Red/Light Green pin 3 to the Brown/Light Green pin 4 on the wiper switch. The Brown/Light Green comes from the motor and whilst the wipers are not parked, provides +ve feed which goes through the switch, back out of the Red/Light Green pin 3 to the motor providing +ve to the motor which is still earthed through the Black wire. However, when the wipers park, they trigger a switch in the motor itself that breaks the +ve feed to the Brown/Light Green pin 4 and instead connects it directly to the motor's Black earth. This means that while the wipers are in the park position, both the Red/ Light Green and Brown/Light Green are earthed.
All this is well and good but it means that in order to get the intermittent wipe to work, you not only need to intermittently provide power to the Red/Light Green, you also need to intermittently break the Brown/Light Green, otherwise (with the wipers in the park position) you would simply be providing power directly to earth. Not good me thinks.
So far, I have managed to install a switch which activates the delay relay. The relay has a positive connection to pin 4 (on the relay) and earth connection on pin 5. When I activate my switch, it connects an earth to pin 2 and the relay starts "clicking" every 5 seconds. From what I can tell with my multimeter, as the relays activates, it provides a short "on" every 5 seconds from pin 1 which is normally "off", and a short "off" every 5 seconds from pin 3, which is normally "on". So far so good. In the diagram, the "Switch" allows you to either include the delay timer in the circuit, or not.
Given my understanding about the motor wiring in a TR6, my plan is to cut the Red/Light Green wire at the motor and connect one end (from the main switch) to pin 30 on the (normally off) standard relay and the other end (to the motor) to pin 87. But I think I also need another normally on relay, wired in parallel to the normally off relay so that I can also wire the Brown/Light Green wire in a similar way. This will then mean that the delay relay when activated will not only provide +ve to the Red/Light Green but also break the earth going through the Brown/Light Green. By the time the delay relay switches off again, the Brown/Light Green will again be made allowing the wipers to park.
I am not great at electronics (as you can probably tell) but I am hoping that somebody can confirm my thinking is correct.
Thanks in anticipation!