keith1948
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Posts posted by keith1948
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Just got a pair of Kismet turning radius gauges that were being sold at a garage closure. Only £20 the pair so no brainer as they say. Just about finished cleaning them up and refurbishing them but the locking pins are missing. These gauges are 1960's vintage model KWA334 I think. I could make a couple of locking pins but just wondered if someone out there has a pair of these gauges and can provide the exact dimensions of these locking bolts. From the holes they look as if they might be stepped rather than a straight pin?
Keith
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I fitted a stick on LED bar just below the top rubber of the surrey back window several years ago. If the stick on pads need replacing simply get those that are for interior mirrors. I wired it into brake light circuit in the boot and earthed to car body in boot. It certainly seemed to help in France where the sun is much brighter than here and the standard brake lights don't show up very well.
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Thanks to John Martin. Mine is a toothed belt (first time I've used one of these). Maybe time for a new one. I have a spare clipped with a couple of plastic ties ready to pop on so I don't have to jack engine up to change fan belt. Learnt this trick a long time ago and came in very useful when fan belt disintegrated in France on 2 occasions. Incidentally discovered that the wide fan belt also seem to fit agricultural mowers in France.
Have been thoroughly enjoying Rogers rebuild diary -brilliant. Should publish them in a book!
Keith
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Just a helpful tip I learned today from our group leader who is all things when it comes to TR maintenance. I had a noise coming from around water pump/dynamo or fan belt area. Just about to dismantle first 2 when I decided to visit said group leader who produced the ubiquitous WD40. A quick squirt on the pulleys and the fan belt was silenced. Easy when you know what to do!
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I recently took the plunge to renovate a steering rack. I replaced the bush (part 76 128002 Moss catalogue). I used a long metal rod to knock it out from inside the tube. I also did the outer ball joints which are inside the bellows. Depending on condition you might simply be able to reshim these or may have to replace. Don't forget the damper plug (part 78 145108) which is fitted from inside before you replace rack inside rack tube. I also reshimmed the pinion parts and replaced the bushes there. It is quite easy to tell if you have reshimmed everything properly by clamping steering rack in a vice and testing it by moving rack backwards & forwards and moving outer ball joints. If it is too stiff add shims, if too loose take some out. Other issue I had was steering column. Part 63 149862 should slide inside part 55 154640 for adjustment. This required lots of WD40 and patient jiggling to get these to move again. I also had to replace upper part of steering column part 55 and upper bush part 5 209423 because the part 55 was worn and a new bush would not take up the slack. The job appeared more daunting than it turned out. Once tracking had been reset it has been fine. No rattles. I did consider trying to try to do the jobs with the rack in the car but in the end it was simpler just to take it out.
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One word of warning - disconnect the battery first to prevent any sparking around fuel tank when you remove sender unit. If it turns out not to be sender unit then just check that pointer in dashboard guage isn't sticking anywhere - I had that problem on one of dash guages.
Good luck
Keith
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Yes it is a fly off handbrake. I hold button in to count number of clicks as a sort of measure of amount of movement before handbrake is full on to set it up.
keith
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On the Welsh weekend I fixed a sticking plunger on the brake switch on a friends 4A with a bit of spit! It hadn't worked properly for some time before this 'fix' but worked perfectly afterwards. We all offered to spit on his car to polish it as well but he sensibly declined the offer!
Keith
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Just like to report that I have just done the handbrake mod on page 33 of TRAction 269 (Sept 2013) and it has improved the performance of this a lot on my TR4A. Can now use just one hand to pull on handbrake and it holds on steep hills. Just like to add that new pivot hole is 11mm centre to centre from old hole. Also you need to make sure both cables move at same time on equaliser plate (may need to lengthen/shorten one) and when handbrake is partly on, both wheels offer same resistance (jack up rear of car and try to turn each wheel in turn by hand - resistance on both should be similar. If not then adjust square adjuster on backplate.) Both wheels should spin freely when brake is off. Moving pivot hole does mean a bit more movement of handbrake lever but not really noticeable. My handbrake is fully on at 6 to 7 clicks on lever.
Many thanks to Tim Hunt for posting this in TRAction - it has improved my 4A a lot.
Keith
P.S. don't be tempted to move new hole more than the 11mm or it will foul inside of handbrake bracket!
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I've just done the handbrake mod in current TRAction moving pivot point for equaliser 11mm (centre to centre) closer to pivot point of handbrake. Must say the handbrake now holds on steep hills using only one hand to pull it on. Used to use both hands and footbrake to hold it on a hill. Well worth doing and relatively simple DIY job (if all goes well!)
Keith
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Hi Bob
Fitted the Moss headlamp relay kit (comes complete with fitting instructions) to my TR4A. The relays fitted near fusebox & control unit in engine bay. Uses a lot of original wiring. Made tremendous difference to headlamp brightness. Decided to do this after one of our group fried the switch wiring on his car. One of the best mods to the car I've made.
keith
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Agree with Neil & Roger. If you can summon up the enthusiasm then go for a new loom. Best thing I did on wiring was to fit Moss headlamp relay kit to standard sealed beams. Instant light in the darkness. Much better lights and no worries of frying the lights switch as happened to one of our CVTR members one evening. The other thing I'd recommend is to solder into bullet and spade connectors rather than just crimping and also fit new earth connectors on inside front of wings for sidelights etc. Once had a really weird problem where main beam warning light came on if I pressed the horn. Turned out to be poor earth for horn cicuit. Loom on my car is showing signs of age with split rubber insulation on bullet connectors and a few other dubious bits of insulation so planning to renew mine soon hopefully
Keith
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Hi Andrew,
I do my own tracking after I used Kwikfit. They asked for toe in setting and I said 0-1/8th inch as in Haynes manual. All they seem to have heard was the word 'inch'. I assumed their laser equipment would be used properly. Anyway had to replace 2 tyres at front not long afterwards after they had been scrubbed out at the edges. A different specialist garage checked the tracking and found it was toeing in by one inch!
It is easy to do yourself. Simply set up 2 thin strings parallel to the sides of the car at hub level using a piece of metal or wood at front and back to attach string to with distance between strings same at front and back. Then align strings each side of car making sure measurements between string and each rear hub are same and strings and each front hub are the same. Centralise steering. Then measure from string to rear rim of each front wheel and from string to front rim of each front wheel. Adjust tracking until toe in between 0 and 1/16th each side. Its a bit fiddly but not complicated.
Good luck
Keith
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Thanks to AlanT
Don't think any rust issues there but won't know until strips removed. Prefer to try to save as much original as possible. Already discovered last fitting at lock end is a stud but didn't know how it was fitted (rivet or bolt). Would have made life easier if all had been bolts but guess it was too expensive/slow to fit in assembly.
I'm in Cotswold Vale group near Evesham. Respray has been on the cards for a few years now but problem is I drive TR too much and can't seem to fit major respray in!!
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Sounds like cutting buttons off from inside might be best bet but could be difficult on inside of wings that have thick layer of underseal. Probably best to get new buttons as well.
Thanks
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Yes you need to remove convertible hood first and the finishing caps on the B posts (Moss part Nos 622748 and 622747) because the surrey frame bolts down here using a stud (Moss part number FHS2410). You need to remove back panel inside boot behind petrol tank to get at fixing bolts to remove convertible top and to fasten surrey in place. Don't forget to fit rubber seal between surrey and body of car (Moss part No 610633). The other thing to note is that the capping strip on top of the windscreen for a surrey top is not the same as for the convertible. You need the one that projects (Moss part No 806189) instead of the standard one. You may need to prise it up slightly once fitted to allow front of soft surrey top to clip under the front of this capping strip. Very important soft surrey top fits under this capping strip to stop it blowing off. You may also find you need to adjust the window height. You need to remove door trim panel to get at window mechanism. Can't remember exactly how I altered window height but vaguely remember an adjustable stop bracket possibly moss part 610174 but not sure about this one.
There are also small brackets (moss 612453 and 611895) that fit on the surrey frame and windscreen frame to attatch hooks on soft top to. I had a second hand surrey frame that had brackets missing and ended up making a couple and riveting them on.
good luck
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How do you remove metal trim strip that runs along side of doors & front wings on TR4A prior to respray. Do they just prise off and clip back on or is there a cunning plan to remove them? They are the strips along the side not the top of the wings which I can see how to do.
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Hello Wayne
Tuning Strombergs is a bit fiddly but once set up they are fine.
1. Ensure they are balanced using a carb balancer. Listening to air inlet with a tube is an alternative but not so accurate. Also ensure both carbs move exactly together. Sometimes there is a bit of play on the connecting spindle that allows one carb to move before the other.
Raising lifting pins fully and allowing to drop back you should hear carb pistons fall (remove damper to do this). Pistons should rise & fall easily. If not then either they need the sides of the pistons and the bore cleaning and/or they are misaligned.
To align then you need to loosen upper nut (bush retaining screw) at base and wind piston right up using lower mixture adjusting screw. Raise & allow piston to fall a few times as bush retaining nut is tightened and then wind adjusting screw (lower one) back down. Piston should rise & fall easily.
To set mixture strength raise piston lifting pin or use screwdriver to lift piston (after removing air filter). At correct strength engine speed should rise slightly and fall back. If it cuts out it is too weak if it speeds up it is too strong. Once set plugs should be light tan in colour.
I also use fast road plugs which run cooler NGK BP7ES to prevent run on.
Regarding strobe ensure at TDC the rotor arm is pointing to No 1 cylinder and not no 4 which would indicate distributor is 180 degrees out.
Turn distributor body clockwise to advance and anticlockwise to retard. Pulley is approx 427mm in circumference so 4 degrees BTDC is about 4.7mm clockwise from timing hole on pulley.
Keith
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A couple of suggestions. If you have a vacuum advance check that disc shaped vacuum unit on the side of the distributor is working. Suck on the pipe connected to it and the advance mechanism inside distributor should move a bit. If there is no resistance to you sucking on the pipe and you get air instead then there is a hole in the diaphragm inside the disc and a replacement is required.
Second I have cured the running on problem I had by fitting a cooler spark plug. I use NGK BP7HS (fast road plug) instead of the hotter running BP6HS (standard road plug).
Keith
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I use Gunsons easy bleed kit all the time. Just use an old foot pump with pressure guage on connected to it and pump to about 15psi. Only problem is possibility of fluid leakage at master cylinder cap. So much easier than trying to get assistant pumping pedals. Also because you have constant pressure at bleed point there is less chance of drawing air in when assistant releases foot on pedal. Dead easy once you have used unit once or twice. Used it on BMW 3 series, Ford Fiesta, new MINI and the TR. Done brakes and clutch - piece of cake.
Keith
explosive water
in TR4/4A Forum
Posted
With regard to heater not working, I have recently dismantled a heater matrix with a view to repair. Not recommended I might add. But anyway the design of these is terrible. At each end is a box that feeds the heater pipes. The far end box opposite the feed pipes was virtually full of sediment and would not really have been removed by flushing with a garden hose. I would recommend that if the heater matrix is blocked a new one would be advisable. The heater tap might also be blocked.
Re overheating, I have a multi blade plastic fan on my 4A and the car has never overheated even in nearly 40C temperatures in France.