hpremote
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Posts posted by hpremote
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Great feedback, folks; thank you, Trevor and Neil for your info and thoughts. Trevor: I thought I'd remembered something along the lines of this horror story from other unfortunates' experience. I'll have a close look at the construction of any replacement pump, if one is needed.
And I'll decant the discarded oil, Neil, so as to see what foreign matter might be lurking in the depths...
Tim.
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Many thanks for your input, chaps.
Roger: I will be patient and wait until I can have a long, objective look at whatever I uncover, next weekend.
Pete: that's useful; I'll mic. to specs. if it should turn out that I do need a replacement unit.
Fingers crossed in any event, that I did no damage hammering along with no oil pressure...
Regards,
Tim.
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Thanks for the rapid response, Roger; that's helpful. It is a few years since I last took my engine apart, so the mental picture is a little vague - though of course I am looking at the exploded diagrams in the works manual.
It sounds as if I might be able to do the examination both from underneath, with the dismounting of the oil pump - and from above, down the distributor drive. The Woodruff key looks to be towards the top of the assembly. All will no doubt become clear when I have the time to begin getting my hands dirty.
My specific Q. relates to the quality of replacement oil pumps: do people have any gen. on whether there are dubious quality batches?
Cheers,
Tim.
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Advice on replacement oil pumps needed, oh sage ones:
yesterday, while proceeding rather smartly up the A1 in the outside lane, I looked over at the oil pressure gauge, to see that it was registering zero lbs/sq in. Needless to say, I turned off the engine, switched lanes and was able to use my momentum to make the slip road into the nearby Services. I then gingerly started the engine briefly enough to confirm that no oil was spitting out of the rocker assembly and that none was pumping up through the tube to the pressure gauge. Also checked the oil pressure relief valve, which was seating as it should. The only conclusion I could then draw was that the oil pump was u/s - so perhaps the drive pump drive shaft has sheared.
Took the AA towrope route home and drained the sump. I didn't see any obvious large shards of metal or swarf emerging.
Next weekend will see the sump off and examination of the pump.
So the question: if a new pump is needed, are there any caveats re. the quality of replacement items?
Any thoughts would be welcome.
Cheers,
Tim.
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I first became aware of TR2s in 1955. Then in 1970 my grandmother gave me £50 for my 21st birthday and I was advised by an older motor sporting colleague at my vacation job to get a s/screen TR, seeing as how they probably wouldn't get much cheaper and could of course give the Frogeye a good kicking - if you could stay out of the greenery.
So I immediately answered an ad. in Exch. & Mart for a 2, located in Millom and going for £55; I turned up to be given a test ride and was bowled over by the acceleration, fiendish noise and general blur of countryside going by. I wasn't fazed by the fact that bits like the o/s sidescreen, steering wheel centre and the boot floor had gone missing in action.
Within six weeks the n/s rear spring had shattered and then the crankshaft broke. That winter I spent installing a scrapyard Vanguard engine, just to try and keep my 2 on the road. However, the reality was that I was a student and didn't have the dosh to run it. so I sold it for £60 to another local Cumbrian.
Nevertheless the damage had been done and I had become hooked on TRs. MJM 249 where are you now? - still taxed and on the road somewhere, is the answer.
With the exception of three years in the early 70s I've always had a sidescreen since - mainly this beige one I've got now. I'm still surprised at the fact that I still find it a friendly challenge every time I take it out, and that it still occasionally tries to do me harm - or more likely that I'm still not the driver I imagine myself to be.
Tim.
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Hi, Eddie: I've mentioned my experience in this regard before, but it was a while ago, so I'll repeat, and see how much I remember (without going out to the garage to have a look at the 3).
I first measured across the rad (11 or 12 inches IIRC). Then a quick visit to a local scrapyard produced a nice shallow electric fan to fit the rad. width, and with wiring attached.
I got three lugs welded on the fan frame at the 11, 1 and 6 o'clock positions; the first two enabled me to use the rad/inner wing stabiliser bolting points, while the lug at 6 was used to engage with a jubilee clip positioned around the cross-tube (yeah - typical Wilson bodge!).
Took the crank-driven fan off (but retained the crank extension).
The 'new' electric fan then went in pretty easily; I didn't even have to remove the rad. to get it in.
Menno is right about wiring it through a relay, but this is so simple that even I could do it. I haven't got a thermostat-based automatic system, just a manual switch and a warning light to let me know the fan's on. The only time I need to turn it on is when sitting in traffic on hot days. It's an idea to anticipate hotting-up situations by switching on as soon as you see the temp. needle rise away from its centre point on the gauge.
It's been 'fit-and-forget' (touch wood!) since I installed this rig back around 2001.
Go for it - oh and join the Register, too!
Tim.
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Doing the engine first, Romek, even if it then stands a year or three, is OK, since it initiates that 'hands-on', confidence building approach as you say - and brings the feelgood factor.
I think BRG looks great - a lot less bilious than beige! I've evolved my 3 over 36 years and have never been a great believer in adhering to originality for its own sake either - particularly if you are going to drive the car - and my recommendation is to drive it hard; TRs thrive on this, they're tough and easy to repair. It helps to keep the specialists in business too, when things drop off through fair wear and tear...
I'd suggest a few bonnet louvres (mainly for posing) plus an electric 'puller' fan for emergency in long, slow queues on hot days - particularly abroad. Delete the crank handle hole in the rad. too, if yours has one.
I've also settled with a hi-torque starter, Phoenix 4/2/1 straight-through exhaust, and 4A manifold, too. The 'spin-on' oil filter adaptor has been a boon for me at oil change times.
A Girling back axle with front discs took the 'pucker factor' out of mountain pass descents, as well. I haven't bothered with a r&p steering set-up; the old steering box is good and firm at speed and lightens up in the process.
As for wheels, I converted (late, ie. ten years ago) to 60 spoke wires and have found them to be flawless - ie. rigid enough (including pottering round the Nurburgring); have only lost a wheel once, when I mistook departed adaptor nuts for rear axle-to- spring fixings coming loose and, for a short time only, pressed on regardless...
Good luck - and get on with enjoying it asap; none of us are getting any younger and the collapse of the civilised world is just around the coroner...
Tim.
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Here's what works for me; and this ensemble kept me warm and dry for a three hundred mile drive in foul road conditions, with torrential rain storms and bags of lorry spray on the way from Gateshead to Ashford Services three years ago, en route to Le Mans classique. At times it was so bad that I couldn't see the rear lights of lorries I was overtaking on the A1 until quite close; you knew they were there, though, because of the moving walls of spray...
Fell boots; leather biker gloves (not gauntlets); any old trousers, but I was probably wearing fleece joggers; and here's the main thing - good waterproof anorak (c/w hood to go over the flying helmet); and waterproof trousers - both from Nevisport or similar; fleece shirt, scarf and fleece jacket under the anorak; it's important for me to stay warm!
Leather, wool-lined flying hat with goggles. Goggles are crucial even if it's just spotting with rain - or it feels like ballbearings are hitting your eyes. Lastly: an anti-misting application for smearing on the inside of the goggles. Bikers use this stuff and it worked fine on that trip. I take a back-up pair of goggles so that I can alternate while driving, if the fogging-up were to get out of hand. Amazingly, swimming goggles work - but don't do too much for your fashion-icon status... But what the hell - you're getting laughed at anyway by the Bloggsmobiles.
I find the trouble with a long, one-piece coat is that it can snag on seats or door, or limit your wriggle-room as you press on.
Tim.
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Nevertheless, Stuart, I have done it twice before - though the last time was almost thirty years ago, and so I forget some of the precise detail. I remember having to take off the fan and the crank extension - and the water pump. Probably the horns as well. It was tight, but just possible.
From what you are saying, Rod, it sounds as if you won't necessarily have the hassle of having the mechanical fan (and possibly extension) to worry about.
Good luck with that paintwork, whichever route you take.
Tim.
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If it was date referenced, Bill, this would equate to March '45, when of course WW2 was still in fairly full swing and not many Standards (other than those specifically for the war effort) would have been being manufactured. And Triumph was still just a gleam - albeit growing - in Black's eye!
Am I wrong, or did Roadsters have just two steering wheel spokes..?
Let's have a pic, Stan!
Tim.
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Hi, Rod: there is no problem in presenting your car for the MoT with only aeroscreens, and no wipers nor washers/bottle fitted. My 3 has only sported aeroscreens since summer 2001 (must try to remember, sometime, where I left the windscreen, sidescreens and soft-top) and passes the test each year without comment. I believe the MoT regs. may state something to the effect that if you present the car sans w/screen, wipers/washers are automatically disregarded.
Concerning the cut-down screen a la TR3S, Phil Tucker has this very assembly with, I suspect, no provision or intention for a full screen. He has clearly got his 3S "replica" through the test, as it's eminently roadworthy (he took it to Le Mans this year). He may even have a comment to add!
Good luck with such a screen; I think they look great.
Tim.
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Not sure what material the shroud/edges of the Kenlowe are made from, JJC, but when I installed the electric fan (out of a Japanese car in a scrapyard, for £5) in my 3, I got my local workshop to weld three lugs onto the shroud - roughly equilaterally. These attached the fan by way of the top two rad. support strut bolts; the bottom one engages with a jubilee clip which I'd placed around the cross-tube just behind the rad. It has turned out to be a nifty little bodge; everything has been in place and functioning for ten years now; the only time I've had to disengage the jubilee clip lug is when fitting a new fanbelt.
Tim.
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By pure chance I have located the whereabouts of this 6. My son was driving through Cumbria when he chanced upon a Frogeye sitting on a garage forecourt. He engaged the owner, who is standing in for the proprietor, in classic car-type conversation. Said chap duly informed Tom that he has, among two or three other classics, the TR6 reg. UYE 760M.
He has since confirmed that he bought it in Montrose, and that he might sell it on, or improve it slightly and keep it for a trip to the Monza GP next year. I have seen pictures of the car this week and it looks to be in goodish nick - it is now pimento red. The new owner has, I gather, joined the register and seems tickled pink with the TR.
I'll Email him (his name is Eric Ritchie) and ask him if he'll post more info on the Forum.
Cheers,
Tim.
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Don: thanks for the exhortation!
However, while I would certainly rather be travelling to cLM in the TR (we'll be in convoy with a number of Northumbria TRs) the one upside of this is that at least I won't have to use a Eurobox to get there. I don't own one; I am left to choose between a slightly souped-up Morris Minor and a TVR Chimaera - and purely because of the initials (ahem) it is no contest: I'm taking the Chim.
Not as basic as my 3, with its aeroscreens, straight-through exhaust and lack of carpets - but enjoyable in its own way - so long as nothing breaks - always a fair possibility with a Trevor.
Because of the sustained high speeds at which the convoy will travel, I will not subject the TR engine to sans-overdrive torment. I know I just wouldn't be happy with four, rather than my usual seven gears!
Very useful pointers re. the dismantling and resuscitation of the solenoid, too; those pics are fantastic. I will get stuck into this task when I have a few days free, later in the month.
I'll post a follow-up when I have news.
Cheers,
Tim.
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Tony, Don and Ian: thank you for the extra comments and advice.
Tony: the relay does seem to be OK; I had already checked the contacts, and of course the relay "click" is audible on operation of the dash switch.
The actuation lever adjustment is the next port of call. I will check the alignment of the holes using the 3/16" twist drill. Will also check for the 0.150/5" clearance between the rubber stop and the plunger.
Don: I really appreciate the coat-hanger system you rigged up for your trip - that is just my style! It sounds from your story that the solution for you was the purchase of a new item due to the ultimate failure of the solenoid itself - as suggested by Ian.
Ian: very useful word to the wise on the mortality of the solenoid unit - I had always put blind faith in the notion that the 2nd law of thermodynamics doesn't apply to this component, since it has always been faultless (and I got the 3 back in 1975).
I will check D-49 on the CD. I had not thought to dismantling the guts of the solenoid, but I'm always game for a laugh. The other solution in my case re. this unit, is a place called Autodiesel on the Newcastle Quayside - a miracle worker for all things electrical.
The bu**er on this is that as I work in London 4 days a week, it is now less than likely that I'll have resolved the issue by set-off time on Weds. evening - so, much to my chagrin, it looks as if an alternative (and probably less reliable) set of wheels will be pressed into service.
Cheers, all,
Tim.
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Thanks, David and Dave, for your quick responses.
First, Dave - yes the g/box level is fine. It's something I am always mindful of, and check after a long drive and at 3k services.
David - I don't think there's ever been a rubber cover at the bottom of my car's solenoid; the plunger (that part which is brought up electrically to operate the o/d)is exposed to the elements - but doesn't look gunged up. There is a rubber cover at the top of the solenoid unit - and of course there's a rubber gaiter (slightly holed in my case) halfway up the unit.
So I'm still scratching my head on this one.
And thank you so much for your invitation to come to the Team Hoble garage; I am already impatient to be there! I admired the Hoble 2 at cLM in 2008; it will be great to watch it once more.
No, the feeling I have from watching (and helping) the o/d engagement process, is that somehow there is a lack of the usual electrical force to bring the plunger up with sufficient impetus. I haven't yet gone into the reckoning of clearances with feeler gauge, etc., but may try researching this in the TR bible, later today or tomorrow.
Cheers again,
Tim.
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Morning chaps: After twenty-odd years of perfect operation, the 3's o/drive has been playing up over the past 6 weeks or so. No untoward reason I can think of, except perhaps less use than usual over the winter/spring months.
The symptom is: intermittent engaging of o/d in any gear when I switch in; more recently it has not engaged at all. I have listened for the familiar "click" on pulling the dashboard switch, and the click is there, but not so loud as when it's actually bringing o/d in. I've checked the relay, which is clicking as usual.
This morning I took the car for a rip down the A1 with the g/box tunnel off. I found that after pulling the o/d switch, overdrive would engage immediately and strongly - but only if I reached across and helped the plunger rise with the aid of a push from my finger. For obvious reasons I am reluctant to drive to LM with the tunnel off, and with my passenger manually operating my seven gears...
It may be too late for me to sort this by departure time for Le Mans, in which case I'll use the Tiv - but it's the TR I want to use.
Any ideas, please?
Cheers in advance,
Tim.
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Thanks for the follow-up, Ash. Interesting to see the photos of the 402 convertible, as well! I bet there aren't too many of those around now; however, I remember seeing one being refurbed by a small back-street garage in Jesmond, Newcastle, back in the mid-70s.
Cheers,
Tim.
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Hi, Ash: I don't believe that Bristol actually bought the rights to produce the BMW 328 engine; I think they just took it as war plunder in 1945. The Bristol 400 is a lovely car which for me bears a strong resemblance to the pre-war BMW 327. Interesting that you regard the TR 4-pot as superior to the BM engine, though; I had always thought the German lump to be more potent, inview of its pre- and post-war competition success and onward development. I'm thinking of what it achieved in the Eiffelrennen, Mille Miglia and at Donington - and then went on into the fifties to power the Frazer Nash Le Mans Rep. and AC, for example.
Phenomenal to think it emerged in 1936!
That said, I believe the TR engine was at least in part copied from the power plant for the Citroen Traction Avant, which came out even earlier...
Tim.
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Hi, Alan: I believe this print may be of the 2 owned by an American TR rebuilder and featured in one of Bill Piggott's books - possibly "Original TR 2,3,3A" (can't check as I'm in London and my books are at home in the North East).
The owner reckons that as the original colour of his 2 was listed as "Olive Yellow" and that, on stripping off all the paint he found this shade at very bottom, it was OK to conclude that this is yer actual Olive yellow.
However I think Bill P. expresses reservations as to the match of shade and name, and I would back him on this. I am just old enough to remember TR2s when they were current (I was a big fan of the model, even then)- and I cannot recall seeing such a livid shade. What I certainly do recall, however, is a Dinky Toys TR2 which I got for my 7th birthday and which was painted in a shade of yellow much "duskier" - almost as if it had had a bit of olive green tipped into the mix.
I think, saddo that I am, that this will be nearer to the real "Olive yellow" - but how to prove it!
Tim.
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Hi, Joe: years ago when I had an MGA stored over a number of winter months in a local barn, I encountered the dreaded "stuck clutchplate" syndrome. In those days, brute force and ignorance ruled more strongly perhaps than now, as preferred mode d'emploi. So without further thought I arranged for a tow. Going up and down the farm track a couple of times with the engine running and in gear quickly freed off the clutch and - maybe I was lucky - no further issues. In those days I'd have probably done it with a Lockheed axled 2/3 as well - and probably paid the price too! With your car of course there is no such design weakness...
Good luck,
Tim
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Hi, George: it's time for me to get my anorak; here goes: Kimber was killed in a freak rail accident just North of King's Cross, in, I think, February 1945. So he didn't get to see the TD or the TF (which I believe may have been penned by a chap called Gerald Palmer).
Cecil's daughter Jean has been/was a good mascot for MG fans over the years. It was her or (more probably) her sister whom I met in London in the early 70s, the consequence of being at College with Cecils' grandson, Lindsay. Linds at that time was not a car-bore like me, unfortunately (he was v. much into being a budding glamrock star); but he was very proud of his grandfather (rightly so, in my view) - and was actually the spit of him (with the exception of Linds's shoulder length hair...).
I had a 1960 MGA coupe at the time and it was OK. However I had already been bitten by the TR bug, having bought and briefly run a TR2 (before it broke its crank, naturally - it was 1970), and it was only a matter of time before I returned to the fold (never left it since!).
Tim.
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Hi, Bob: this definitely sounds as if it could be 35A fuse related. While the fuse might not have blown, it might have become gradually furred up with muck, verdigris, etc. So take it out, give it and its spring clips a quick clean-up (best disconnect the battery as it is a little confined and poky around that part of the bulkhead) - and see if that restores the missing current.
Good luck,
Tim.
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The other thing is Paul, that you could do a lot worse than join the Register and meet up with the Northumbria group at one of the many watering holes which feature on the twice-monthly meets and runs in the summer. There are a bunch of clever and resourceful types who show up every time, and who would be very keen to meet you, see the car and give you the benefit of on-the-spot diagnosis and car-aid.
Glad to hear that you are sticking with the TR; why not join up and come down to the IWE in a couple of weeks? I hope to be hammering down there in the 3.
Regards,
Tim.
Total loss of oil pressure
in TR2/3/3A/3B Forum
Posted
Thanks, Will - well, I hope that my experiences don't emulate yours too closely, when I delve into the sump area. Yep - my engine is also mildly cooking (again, not too literally, I trust...) with 87mm liner-out, road/rally cam and 4-branch. I'll look up your videos, too. Am attending CLM with Northumbria group.
Tim.