triumphs
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: ZS150 Dashpot Oil Level

To: triumphs@Autox.Team.Net
Subject: Re: ZS150 Dashpot Oil Level
From: Ken Streeter <streeter@sanders.com>
Date: Mon, 05 May 1997 13:45:36 -0400
Organization: Lockheed Sanders, Inc.
David M Brock wrote:

> Thanks for the quick reply.  When I originally got it, there
> were traces of a fluid that my (mechanic) friend said was
> automatic tranny fluid- red, and sweet smelling (he didn't take
> long to identify it, so I trust him).

The above description could also describe Marvel Mystery Oil,
which is what I use in my dashpots.

Does the air valve drop down freely?  They should drop with
no binding whatsover.  If this is the case, then it is
unlikely that anything else (other than the damper) is
is binding it up.  With the oil in the air valve, if the
damper rod (the thing that you unscrew from the top to fill
the oil) is taken out, does the valve move up and down freely?
If so, the problem is almost definitely either that the air
valve is overfilled with oil, or a drastically heavy oil
has been used, or that the damper rod is bent.

If the air valve moves up and down freely with the damper rod
out, check to see if the oil is overfilled.  The correct height
is such that when the damper rod is inserted, you feel that
it touches the surface of the oil when the threads of the
damper rod are about 1/4" away from meeting the top of
the carb body.

Whether it's overfilled or not, you'll probably want to
now repeat the test with no oil, to see if the oil is what
is causing the problem, and not just a bent damper rod.
Examine the damper rod visually.  It should be straight.
Next, drain the oil out of the air valve.  To do this, you'll
need to either pump it out if you have a hand pump, or
remove the carb top cover, carefully lift out the air
valve (be careful of the needle on the bottom and
tearing the diaphragm) and dump out the oil.  Then
replace the air valve (be sure to put it in the right
orientation, there is a "key" on the diaphragm for this),
put the carb cover back on (be sure to put it on in
the right direction, a line is scribed on it for this),
put the damper rod back in, and see if the air valve
moves freely both up and down. 

If it doesn't move freely, you probably have a bent
damper rod, or possibly the wrong type of damper
rod installed (did these even come in different sizes?).
If it does move freely, the oil was probably either
overfilled or *much* too thick.  It may also be that
a piece of grit or something had worked it's way in
there, causing it to hang up.  (Why a piece of grit
would cause it to hang up in one direction only, however,
is beyond me!)

If it did move freely with no oil in place, now
add oil to the correct height, no higher!  (Don't
just fill it up "to the top!!!")  Then perform
the test, and hopefully it'll "just work!"  If not,
report back to us, and we'll hemm and haww about it
some more...

--ken
VTR WWW Maintainer -- http://www.vtr.org
'70/'74 TR6 Daily Drivers, complete with damper oil...

-- 
Kenneth B. Streeter         | EMAIL: streeter@sanders.com
Sanders, PTP2-A001          | 
PO Box 868                  | Voice: (603) 885-9604
Nashua, NH 03061            | Fax:   (603) 885-0631

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>