Well, after the 2 1/2 year restoration, put the 65 TR4A on the road
yesterday. Drove about the 8 mile round trip to the registry to get the
plates. (Guess what was available? TR4A. I wouldn't have believed it. Glad I
asked.) The drive over was fine but toward the end of the return trip, the
car started to sputter - felt like no compression. I pulled off the road,
shut it off, and let it sit for a moment. It then started right up again and
I went another mile or so before it started to sputter again and I barely
limped home with it. A little later, went out and it started right up again
so I took it for a short spin to see if it would repeat. It did - after about
a mile and a half. I left it overnight and then today took it for a spin to
see. It took perhaps 2-3 miles and it started to sputter. Now keep in mind
that the car isn't stalling - it will apparently idle smoothly indefinitely.
But when you put the car in gear and try to move - nothing. The engine
practically shuts down. Then put it in neutral, race it (it sputters a bit at
first) and then it gets back up to say 800- 1k rpms and it will idle nicely.
Now, the mechanicals are pretty much original and the parts are the ones that
have sat for the term of the restoration and about 3 years before that. First
thought was the fuel pump so I checked the fuel line just before the
carburetors and that seems fine. My Haynes seemed to suggest it could be the
condenser so I took one out of the parts car (and, yes, that one could be
dead, too) and ran the car till the problem asserted itself. Switched the
condensers and the problem remained. A neighbor - quite knowledgeable -
suggest it could be the coil. And I wonder about this advance/retard business
which I am aware of but aren't at all knowledgeable about. (Though I may be
about to become so).
Anyway - enough info to suggest what the problem(s) might be? And where I
should look first?
Jim
65 4A
CT54531L
/// triumphs@autox.team.net mailing list
/// To unsubscribe send a plain text message to majordomo@autox.team.net
/// with nothing in it but
///
/// unsubscribe triumphs
///
/// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool
|