Those of us who labor in the restoration of LBCs are aware
that there are several basic truths to keep in mind. However,
one's mind occasionally wanders, and needs to be nudged.
I was reminded yesterday of one of the eternal LBC maxims:
"When one adds vital fluids to a reservoir, but the level of
said fluid does not rise as quickly as expected, it is
generally time well spent to take a look on the floor under
the LBC, to see what may be leaking out."
Or, to put it into the American idiom, only an idiot pisses
upwind. In my case, I decided that all vital fluid levels
in my A-H 100 should be "topped up" before attempting a
short drive after a couple of years of inactivity. I was
pouring 140 wt. gear oil into the steering box, and the
level just didn't seem to be coming up. Eventually I got
down and looked under the beast, where the oil was dripping
off the steering joints at about the same rate as I was
pouring it in above.
The Healey (and maybe some other LBCs, I don't know) has a long
tube that runs down the middle of the steering column, carrying
the wires from the turn indicator (sorry, trafficator) switch
mounted in the hub of the steering wheel. Where the tube emerges
from the steering box, it is sealed with a compression ring and
nut, just like you use on bathroom plumbing connections. I was
aware that this was missing, since the whole tube would rotate
freely, causing the trafficators to indicate randomly and
unpredictably. I removed the whole tube to get the steering
wheel off, to get the transmission out, to get the overdrive
off, etc., etc. So now I find that without the tube installed
and sealed, the steering box won't hold oil. I wonder how long
that seal has been missing? And how long did the Dreaded Previous
Owner(s) drive around with a steering box lubricated by dust and
memories?
Anyway, the Healey eventually came snorting and blatting out of
the garage for a brief run around the neighborhood (with windshield
folded down, of course). Eventually the throttle linkage
disconnected from the carbs, but that wasn't totally unexpected.
I set the idle up and eased it back into the garage. At least it
saw the light of day and moved under its own power.
More news later.
Jim Beckman AT&T, Middletown, NJ att!mtqua!jeb
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