Scott
I'm on digest mode, so not as quick as Davies William, but that is the
answer- Bad ground strap between engine and frame.
On my TR4, I also discovered this the 'accidental way'. For years I
periodically had problems 'starting' the TR. Made no sense to me. I would
pull the plugs and the engine would spin fine, with plugs very sluggish.
Sometimes would catch (fire and run), other times not. For several seasons I
charged and changed batterys, pulled the starter and took it for testing,
even after I would hot wire the starter off the car with battery cables and
she'd spin - torque great, or so it seemed. A shop confirmed my starter was
'in excellent condition'. I sometimes would use a second battery hooked up
with batterycables - just in case it was the battery capacity was low.
The third season I went through this, I started being very methodical- with
notes- of my 'steps'.
I realized each time I got the car started- and right away with the solenoid
button- I had the battery ground strap cable clipped onto the rear manifold
head bolt. Then by accident I 'burned my hand on the extra return spring I
had hooked up between the carb butterfly linkage and the fender by the
horn. That was the clue- If this spring got so hot it wasburning me, it
meant it was carrying current- not the ground strap.
Investigating the ground strap I found the cable where it was 'crimped' into
the end fitting that was bolted to through the front crossmember end plate
through the frame and fender wall, was so embeded in dirt, the thae end of
the cable was no longer 'crimped'. I could only 'assume' that over 20 years
of engine torque somehow loosened the cable in the crimp- it was still
'tight', but not tight enough. I ran a temporary house gauge wire 12/2 black
copper along the original cable- and never had a problem since.
Nothing like feeling 'so naive'. You (and the TRiumph ) are fortunate having
survived your 'fire' experience. I have a friend who had a fire in his TR6
(bought new) and now is doing a frame off restoration. (I believe he also
suspected a fuel drip on hot starter.
--------------
I am still trying to figure out why that sparked, and, why the clutch line
gets hot when cranking the engine...
Scott
64 Herald 1200 Convertible (now with fire suppression systems)
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