February / March 2021 Issue 327

Don Sinclair writes:

''Another great magazine on the right side of Christmas. Many thanks to all involved in the production and distribution of Issue 326. We look into the unknown again. Some of our members have taken their steeds out for a wintry blast around the area, but its a bit like those loonies who swim around Hampstead Pond on New Years Day. A chosen sport! Then we read of TS2's planned trip around the country in spring, and hope very much that this will happen. Scribe is not aware of any major changes to the vehicles within the GWTR Group, but there are bound to be some which will become apparent as and when we can meet again. Our worthy GL has, as will have been noted previously, been assiduously restoring his TR6, which surely will be a runner very soon. He has kindly given us an update:

So what does the Tr5 man about town do when Evans radiator fluid spurts out from the dipstick tube after a short run, apart from getting the rags out to clean the newly restored and repainted engine bay wheel arch right away. Checking the flame trap to see if that is clean a clear step along with checking the Tappet cover filler cap for oily cream and the Radiator fluid level.

Here we have a low mileage engine freshly overhauled by those excellent people at Classic & Modern along with his original Prestige overhauled Metering unit ,our man even has the Lucas original screw tag on his Metering Unit . Picture with this article [Prestige are now no longer ]

Puzzle away is the answer as no obvious sign of a Head Gasket rupture as the speedy engine switch off may well have limited the escape of water into oil resulting in a pressure wave though the Dipstick tube or elsewhere.

A quick call to Paul Adams; head honcho at Classic & Modern and venture a ruptured Head Gasket as the most likely cause. Those using Duckhams Oil will know that on colour it is a close match to Evans Waterless Radiator fluid. Luckily our hero still has the golden running - in oil coursing though the chambers of his block. Paul was quick to respond and even paid a personal visit, excellent service there!

Now the Lucas Injection system the Metering unit is driven by a horizontal shaft engaging, via the Distributor Pedestal Assembly [DPA] with the Distributor drive to the Camshaft / Oil Pump by using interlocking cogs on shafts. [ here all those with Tr3 and Tr4 Tr7 marques may start to lose their attention span as they use carbs]

The cast moulding of the DPA has a small hole, it’s on the underside and sits between the two shaft seals which snug fit around the shaft which prevents the ingress of engine oil into the Metering unit and fuel and the egress of petrol into the engine oil. This hole is a telltale bleeder hole and should a seal fail it will normally drip fluid out. Now, two new seals were carefully fitted onto an original shaft but it appears that the battery side seal in its bedding – in action, whilst under pressure, allowed a bypass of petrol to squirt out all over the place.

Actual real time evidence of this was repeated with another engine test. General relief all round as changing the Head Gasket is a time consuming sweat especially as our man has a sports manifold extractor fitted.

The prognosis is to allow the seal to settle down and with careful checks it should not turn into a chronic fault . Replacing these seals requires the Metering Unit to be re-timed to the No 1 cylinder at TDC

So if you have an unexplained drip on the battery side of your distributor pedestal , email GWTR at gwtrgroupleader@gmail.com, you may well save yourself a heavy garage bill.

Many thanks to Robin for this informative input, and the email reference above also refers to any new owners and potential recruits in the Goodwood area interested in joining us. The year just has to get better!