Post 2: Spring Clean 2018

Spring Clean 24th March 2018.


Time to wake old Reggy up for the 2018 season.  Started work on him over a week ago having just got back from Australia and New Zealand. 


But first lets go back in time, in fact October 2017 which was the last time I let him out!  All was well a very sort trip to Burbage to visit the MOT bay.  An uneventful trip although there was a whisper of "running rich" which I couldn't solve - the level was OK but only just.  This was a concern because the previous MOT's the car had been running weak so why it was now edging on rich was a little confusing.

Over the rollers at Tilleys

In any case the MOT was passed for another year - well done.  After getting home I am afrad it was sharply to bed for him for the winter.


So its March 2018 and I had prepared to open up the season with service items, new oil, filter plugs etc.  Reg had, had a problem with his points a week or so before the MOT and knowing I was putting him in bed for nearly 6 months I hadn't bothered changing them just gave them a quick file.  To be  fair to Reg on the way back from Tilleys he did start to misfire but he did start first time.


It wasn't that good though because there was a heavy misfire, not happy, but figured it was the points and all would be well.


Started the service, drained oil & filter and only then found that I hadn't bought the right filter - crap really.  As it happened I was working out side as my Mega-Project Healey powertrain was in the garage - in bits and then it snowed.

Reg jacked up, no oil and filter, no cover and snow!

In addition, I noticed that the carburettor rubber fixings to the intake manifold were once again cracked and needed replacing, not happy - this is the second time - maybe the rubber quality is poor I don't know, its not like this is a high mileage car!


A week later new parts arrive and we can get on with the service, New oil & the filter, points and plugs and also some new carb rubbers.


The carb rubbers are fiddly to say the least, there just isn't much access to the retaining nuts at all and you end up turning them a flat at a time, the back of your legs screaming!


All done and then the restart, smooth as silk - not!  Still misfiring so had some investigation to do to find the problem.  First thing remove the plug leads one by one, numbers 1 & 2 working - engine stopped.  Numbers 3 and 4 doing nothing - most unusual but then the engine does have 2 carbs so had to be lack of fuel really especially as I could feel the spark when I pulled the leads off - could resist!


So having put it all back together I had to go backwards a little ways to find the fault - fuel we had as it leaked when I took the float chamber pipe off.  No fuel however in the float chamber - lots of sand though!

Sand in the chamber - never good

Had to remove the chamber from the carb in situe to flush it out but after putting it back together the car fired up a bit lumpy which at first made me think there was something else but a quick rest of the mixtures on both carbs resolved that issue.


All done now and hopefully be OK as I need to use the car first had next week as my main form of transport as LandRover goes for his annual.