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About Ralph Whitaker

Profile Information
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Location
Pontefract, West Yorkshire
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Cars Owned:
Currently a 1960 TR3a and a 1979 Dolomite 1300. Also have a 1938 Hillman 14 (awaiting patiently for restoration, been 30 years already), and a 1948 Hillman Minx (restored many years ago but last used 1990). Had a 1968 Austin A35 van,( now sold), and a 1970 Triumph Vitesse convertible ( now sold). Also a collection of various grey porridge BSA m/cycles.
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Hi James, I had been supplied with a 43D electronic distributor when I built my car in 2020 and had never been happy because in order to stop it pinking under load I was having to run it greatly retarded. Just before christmas I was looking for an original 25D TR3/4 distributor and the prices being asked for the few I found were quite high, especially because they would have had to go for a full treatment by the Distributor Doctor before being fitted. I then came across Holden, part of the SNG group now, who had the correct P40795 25D distributor, that specifically stated all set up with
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This has just reminded me I have a dwell meter on the shelf in the garage somewhere . Having just converted my 3a back to a points distributor I will have to find it and dust it off. I think it is a Gunsons one i`ve had since the 70s. Ralph
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I appreciate that, but the point I was making was that it was always the weak spot on the 6s, and from my own experience even with a spin on filter conversion, which admittedly stops the filter draining, there is still a large volume of oilways to fill on start up in the galleries and the area inside the conversion head itself. Hence my softly softly approach to starting the engine when cold, don`t just turn the key and then rev the nuts off it as soon as it fires, even with the conversion give the pump time to reach pressure first. It makes me cringe now, but in the late seventies we use
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This has always been a problem with the 6 cyl engine, even with the spin on filter conversion and the filter hanging down. There is a large cavity at the back of the conversion where it bolts to the block and this will empty of oil when parked even if the filter itself doesn`t. Had it with my Vitesse even without an oil cooler. I used to spin the engine over without choke until I saw the oil gauge start to rise, then pull the choke to start. I also used to try keep the revs down until the oil gauge was showing full pressure. Rattly big ends on starting were common back in the day when the 20
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+1. I have a 45 amp alternator and it is wired through the 30 amp ammeter. On initial start up, even after cranking for a while to get the fuel up after a period of non use, the ammeter jumps to about 20/25 amp charge, but within 30 seconds is back down to 10 amps or so and within a couple of minutes back to zero. Not saying that if you had a clapped out battery the alternator wouldn`t try to put more charge in, but I have not had any problems in 5 years so far. Ralph
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All the ones I have seen have a woven layer normally. Also never seen an all black one, usually a browny red. That looks like a bit of ordinary rubber sheet that Jeffs pump had. Ralph.
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After you wound up the adjusting nut, did you make sure that the jet was all the way up?, the choke mech could have been holding it down, or sometimes there is a wear ridge on the jet tube that stops it sliding through the cork O ring. Usually just lifting it with a finger you can feel it click up a bit. In any case I would have thought that at 1.5mm down you should still have been close to right on the mixture. Many problems on H6 carbs can be attributed to sticking choke levers and inadequate return springs, do make sure they are all going on and off correctly before diving in to disman
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Everything you want is available on Ebay, spoon end arms brand new, don`t bother with the flat blades, go for the 8" flexible blades which are much better. There is a brand new door check strap assembly on there for loads less than Moss price, and currently there are a pair of second hand door latch assemblies but they finish in 11 hours, so don`t delay. Ralph
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1966 TR4a IRS - restoration and questions !
Ralph Whitaker replied to Adrienc921's topic in TR4/4A Forum
You mention that the motor runs and then stops without operating the dashboard switch. Are you sure you are setting the auto park correctly. When the motor runs and then just stops is this because it has reached the auto stop position? Problem is you need to start from basics, check the wiring is correct at the switch for a 2 speed motor, after all someone else has already been messing when they put the MGB motor on, and didn`t succeed in getting that working anyway, so you don`t know whats been messed with. Ralph -
If a 4A I assume they are HS6 carbs? That bolt should of course be tight but it does not in itself contribute to sealing the petrol in, unless the float chamber was wobbling so much it was affecting the needle and float and the petrol was spilling out of the breather hole. Ralph
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Phil, the damper, which is what the rod with the knurled top is, only slows the piston down on acceleration and deceleration as the vacuum changes in the carb. The downward pressure on the piston is applied by a long "slinky" spring. It could be that with the damper rod having become loose the piston at some point has moved upwards further than it would normally do and jammed up. After you put the damper back in and ran the car it may be that the heat of the engine warmed the carb up enough to release the jammed piston. Ralph
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Having nothing to do today I went across to Elvington again to have a look at the newly arrived kit form Avro Shackleton. They reckon 4 years before it is back in one piece at least Ralph
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How do you clean out an aluminium engine.
Ralph Whitaker replied to John L's topic in General TR Technical
Definately don`t want to be immersing your ally engine in that then. Ralph -
Sounds exactly like I had on the Dolomite last year after fitting an electronic module in the dizzy. One of the wires had rubbed through and was making intermittent earth with the body of the dizzy. I would check the wires in there and try a different condenser before doing anything else. Ralph
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How do you clean out an aluminium engine.
Ralph Whitaker replied to John L's topic in General TR Technical
Isn`t brick cleaner similar, and available from B&Q. Ralph