Jump to content

wayne taylor

Registered User
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Content Count

    150

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Posts posted by wayne taylor

  1. Water pump advice required please

    in TR4/4A Forum

    Posted

    Over the last two weeks there has been a dramatic increase in engine bay noise. It is accelerator movement related (rev related) and sounds like a "whirring" sound almost 'bearing' like. A little like a thrust bearing but its not the thrust bearing if you know what I mean!

    OK. I have pinned it down to the front end of the block and could either be the water pump bearing (Recently I complained on here that the front end of the water pump (pulley end) is too hot to touch even after a relatively short 10 mile journey)

    or the dynamo bearing.

    Tomorrow I am converting to narrow belt AND alternator. This will eliminate the latter suspect (dynamo).

    IF the noise remains, I have these questions for you please?

    1. Do water pumps on TR4's fail often? This one was fitted in 1996 and has done about 1500 miles since then (the last 1000 miles in the last month!).

    2. Do I replace the main water pump housing AND the bearing section or only the latter.

    [i noticed a tiny weeping between the housing and the engine block last night when I shut the engine down].

    3. Do I buy a repro or a recon original?

    4. Who would you trust to supply the part (I normally like dealing with TRGB)?

    5. How much would the entire assembly cost.

    6. Any other advice before I splash out please?

     

    V Many thanks guys

     

    wayne

     

     

     

  2. Spark plug

    in TR4/4A Forum

    Posted

    Couple of Q's on this subject if I may:

     

    Is .80mm same as 25 thou?

    I have a lumpy tickover. The rev range is smooth. My plugs are the correct colour except number 2 which is a little sooty. (NGK B6HS). New valves/head/dizzy/EI etc etc. Car has done 1200 miles from rebuilt engine. twin Strombergs.

     

    Where do I look for an obvious problem? Or is it too hazy a Q!!!

  3. hot hot hot

    in TR4/4A Forum

    Posted

    Fan belt tension is perfect, it's actually 1/2" either way making it a total of 1" along its longest length. We've wandered off topic a little. What are your front extremity of the water pump and the dynamo temperatures like please chaps - simples!

  4. hot hot hot

    in TR4/4A Forum

    Posted

    What I find strange is that the front end of the water pump pulley (the nut end) is only about 'x' inches from the radiator so it should be getting cool air passing over it. Secondly when I touch my main cars alternator and especially its fan belt - it is cool to the touch. The belt is ambient temperature.

     

    Is this really right that the dynamo on the TR4 should be too hot to touch?

  5. hot hot hot

    in TR4/4A Forum

    Posted

    After a shortish run (10miles) I find that the water pump bolt at the front is very very hot.

    I also notice that the dynamo is hot (too hot to touch for long)and also (what I would term) excessive heat is transferred to the fat fan belt.

     

    Is this normal?

  7. DC to AC

    in TR4/4A Forum

    Posted

    Jim,

    You haven't upset me, far from it, I like a challenge!

    To be honest, if anyone can measure a fuel efficiency of 1mpg, you're a better man than me "gunger-din".

    Aussie may be hotter than here which is why an "additional" cooling system is needed and why the Triumph was not built for those conditions; but an electric fan is surplus to requirement on an old inefficient car like this because the difference is:

    (a) costly

    (B) more susceptible to breakdown

    (c ) more unreliable than the original fan

     

    Technically one could argue that the curent drawn by the electric fan (which after all can only come from the engine providing more power) cancels out the 1 mpg offered as a reward for removing the original fan !!

     

    I have yet to be convinced why people put electric fans on their old cars here in the UK.

  8. DC to AC

    in TR4/4A Forum

    Posted

    With the electric fan and a dash light to tell you when it is on, you find that the OEM fan isn't needed when you are on the move, it is only when you are stationary that it comes on.

    So the mechanical fan is thrashing round wasting energy most of the time, and is at its least efficient when you are idling at the lights.

     

    The OEM cooling device IS the metal fan. How can this "come on" when stationary? It's on ALL the time is it not?

     

    Mechanical fan thrashing around all the time not being efficient. We are talking about an 8 valve tractor engine producing 25mpg at best and you are bothering about the inefficiences of a metal fan? A 5HP saving (by removing the metal fan) will probably save you diddly squat in mpg and add about 0.5mph to the top end :rolleyes: .

    Taking it off also exposes one to electrical failure of the replacement electric fan which on the basis of probability will fail far far more often than the metal fan. Then what? The more I think about it...the more illogical it becomes doing away with the metal fan.

  9. DC to AC

    in TR4/4A Forum

    Posted

    TRGB - I love them! Got quotes off all the other suspects and two things happened - (a) they didnt even come close. I got some horrendous rip off quotes from some of these 'key' players...laughable and an insult to be honest and (B) no advice or chit chat, just a cold e-mail stating price and delivery dates. What happened to customer service.....ah, it's all gone to TRGB it seems!

    They sent me an e-mail describing exactly what was needed and some minor pitfalls and of course their experiences with other TR4 owners. All of this was without committment of course.

    So having spoken to them also: I have decided to stay with the original metal fan. The observations they make are that an electric fan is surplus to requirement "in this country" for 99% of the time. The OEM fan does the job admirably it seems (and I have proof of this as I left the car running one very hot day two weeks ago for over an hour and the gauge didn't flinch past the half way mark).

    The reason they say others buy fans is to supplement cooling if travelling abroad in hot climates for long periods or stationary in traffic anywhere for very long periods. This misnomer about gaining extra power by removing the fan is, to be frank, lost when it comes to 'enjoying' an extra 5HP!!!! That really does show (not).

     

    This is the good news:

    Narrow belt conversion AND Alternator conversion kit, including EVERYTHING needed to convert: £185 +vat. All I need is to do some brazing at the control box as a junction box. And Tom Holland Roberts has very kindly sent me pics and explanations on how to do all of this (Thanks Tom).

     

    At this price it is insane NOT to convert.

     

    Any views.................................

  11. DC to AC

    in TR4/4A Forum

    Posted · Edited by wayne taylor

    I have finally been convinced to 'modernise' the car a little to minimise the risk of breakdowns.

    My colleagues locally have strongly suggested an alternator conversion together with a narrow belt conversion (obviously).

    What sort of prices am I looking at to:

    (a) get it all done at a TR specialists, and (b ) buying the kit and doing it myself. Is it a straight forward conversion or are there pitfalls lurking just around the corner. I see Revington are charging £300 for the alternator kit and also the narrow belt conversion kit. It strikes me as being way over the top.

    PS: I don't intend doing much night driving so what's the optimium output of the alternator?

  12. Tatton classic car show, Manchester 1st / 2nd June

    in TR4/4A Forum

    Posted

    Good day, weather held up. Redrose looked busy. Only saw 3 x TR4 out of the dozens of triumphs there. In fact this is my third car show in as many weeks and have only seen 3 TR4's in total! Friend of mine went to an auction last w/e and saw a TR3 go for 25k!! Later that evening it went on the market for 30k! A green TR3 in very good condition was purchased for well over 20k by the owner, relatively recently. It seems the sun is going to people's heads.................

  24. Tuning strombergs

    in TR4/4A Forum

    Posted

    I strobed it yesterday as I have just fitted E.I. It runs very well but I wanted to ensure the timing was spot on. Having painted the pulley tdc in white I fired the strobe gun at it and couldn't see the damn mark no matter what i did with the distributer movement??? Why might that be?

     

    I have also received this advice:

     

    "...Take off the air filter and lift the piston 1/32 in. (1 mm) with a thin screwdriver. Listen to the engine note while you do so. If the mixture is correct the engine speed should rise slightly for a moment, then return again to normal.

    If it rises and stays fast the mixture is too rich.

    If the engine dies when the pin is lifted, it is too weak...."

    Would you agree?

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Please familiarise yourself with our Terms and Conditions. By using this site, you agree to the following: Terms of Use.

  I accept