Noah, sorry for the delay in answering this. I wanted it to be right and
needed the time for that. See my answers below in your message.
In a message dated 26-Apr-01 10:36:10 Eastern Daylight Time,
Noah.Freeman@Bain.com writes:
>>As Charlie (my new TR4 (2nd night in possession)) and I were terrorizing
suburban Boston last night, I came up with some questions. These may all be
really dumb, but I thought Id ask anyway.
-Top speed- if top speed is a measure of top RPM power, im a bit below spec-
the car is supposed to go like 102 mph (w/OD), but I could only hit about 90
ont eh mass pike (big highway) (all you boston guys and policemen on this
list look the other way)(I dont actually want to drive this fast, I was just
curious. (was it becaseu the top was down, which makes for more wind drag?)
Or is something funny with my carb tune, etc? <<
Check to see what your RPMs are in 4th gear (without OD). 3000 Rpm should be
60 MPH, 4000 should be 80 MPH, and 500RPM should be 100 MPH etc. (I.e. in
4th gear the ratio is double 2000rpm = 40mph). If you are not seeing that
then your speedo could be off.
>>-Oil pressure- once the car gets really warm, my idling oil pressure is
20lbs...is this too low? Oil cooler? <<
That's fine at idle. The important thing is that you should see 65 to 75 psi
at rpm's over 1500. If you don't see that then you need to adjust the oil
pressure relief valve in the oil filter housing. Easy to do.
>>-Water Temp- the car stabilizes with teh temp gauge 0.25" to the left of the
white band near the 100 mark- is this correct? (i heard proper temp is 85C,
but ther is no mark for that on the gauge) <<
Not good. It should read somewhere in the inverted "E" (under the 70degree
mark). Flush out your cooling system and add a mix of 70% water and 30%
antifreeze along with a bottle of "Water Wetter." If that does not bring the
temp down then you will need to check your thermostat.
>>-Shift points- where do you all shift? What is your top RPM for engine
happiness? Engine seems to make noise long before it reaches redline.<<
I shift when it sounds right. I would say around 2500 to 3000 rpm. You
should not be revving up above 4500 rpms for extended periods and very rarely
above the 5000 rpm redline. As for the noise I would need more info on that.
>>-Is the ammeter supposed to alway read a little bit positive, or is supposed
to go to zero once hte battery is recharged? (mine stays postive all the
time, but the battery may just need a lot of charging) >>
Mine usually reads a VERY slight bit to the left (charge) for about 10 or 15
minutes at speed after I crank it up. Then it goes to the center. If yours
never goes to the center then you might have a slight drain on the battery.
That would need some more troubleshooting. Ask Dan Masters on this list for
help on that. He really knows his stuff and is a great help to us all.
>>-What is proper idle RPM?
Proper idle is 600 - 650 rpm. Mine idles fine at that. If yours won't then
go up 50 rpm at a time until it does.
>>-What tire pressures do you all run at? >>
I run Michelin XZX tires (steel belted radials) and use 24 psi front and 33
psi rear as recommended in the manual for Michelin X original factory
installed tires. Works great. The manual also shows 22 psi front and 28 psi
rear for the original Goodyear wire belted radials. Your rear tires should
have more pressure than the front ones. (Trust me on this - I've been doing
it for 36 years - the car rides much better.) Don't exceed the maximum
pressure rating on the sidewall, however.
>>-is it bad for the motor to decelerate by downshifting (using hte motor as a
bit of a brake)? Some people told me it was, but i figured the "i do
rebuilds" crowd would know this for sure. >>
Not "bad." Just puts wear on the clutch faster. Normally I slow down in
fourth and use the brakes. If you need faster deceleration or want to play
"racer" then downshift, but I would not do it all the time. Brake pads are
cheaper than clutch disks.
>>-What eninge oils are you all using? 10W30? Favorite brands?>>
I use Mobile 1 synthetic 15/50. Last time I was into the engine I saw very
little wear. I also change it at 4000 mile intervals.
>>-Antitheft mechanisms- what do you all use to keep someone from hotwiring
and stealing your baby? Im a bit paranoid...do people use electricity
shutoffs, "the club," etc? What options are there that dont require
openning the hood each time I get in?>>
Don't use anything. Never had a problem. Your choice -as to what you think
the odds are that someone would want to steal a little, old, standard shift
car rather than a new Camry or a modern sports car. If you are worried there
are very simple "kill switches" around. Check your local auto parts stores.
Hope this helps.
Art Kelly '64 TR4 CT33118L (original owner/ factory pickup)
VTR TR4 vehicle consultant
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