I appreciate everyone's input on this perplexing problem, and determined
that I would need several weekends to try all the suggestions rendered thus
far.
Had an interesting session with TA Terry's favorite mechanic, Laurence
Anderson in Berkeley. We drove the TD over there and it sputtered and missed
much of the way. Stalled at a couple of stoplights, mostly kept on running,
though not smoothly.
Laurence operates a small shop in an industrial mall sandwiched between a
Ferrari shop and a custom motorcycle place. Inside his garage there were
five or six Rolls Royces ranging in age from 1920s to relatively modern.
There is also a steam car from the 1890s and another tiller-driven gas
horseless carriage, plus some steam engines and model steam locomotives the
size of kids' pedal cars . He's a man in his mid to late 50's, quiet
spoken, with an air of confidence that is encouraging. After telling him
the symptoms and what we had done so far, we each wondered which side of the
hood he would raise first. He went to the right side and started
disassembling the float chambers on the carbs. He found some powdered rust
in each chamber, and also that the float height was badly out of adjustment
for each. On the front carb, there was significant wear on the pin holding
the float lever in place, and one of the fiber washers (the round one with
three recesses along the inner circumference) was missing. He cleaned the
chambers and reset the floats, using an aluminum cylinder of the correct
diameter, and then spent quite a bit of time adjusting the carbs, using only
that thermometer-like balancing gauge and his ear. Then we test drove it . .
. dramatic improvement in performance, though still some scepticism from
driver and passenger. He then went to the left side and advanced the timing
. . . no lights, just rotating the dizzy by feel. He test drove it, then
advanced the timing a little more, drove it again, and reset the timing to
his prior setting.
His conclusion: no "smoking gun," just several minor things that could have
contributed. Recommends driving it and bring it back as needed. Cost me a
hundred bucks, which was worth the price of admission.
Performed flawlessly on the way home (10 miles) freeway and all. On the
final leg, it stopped cold when I stopped for a stoplight. It wouldn't
start after three or four cranks, so I pushed it to the curb. Tried again
and it started right up, ran well all the way home. I haven't had time to
look at it since then.
My next plan is to check the filters on the fuel pump, as well as some of
the electrical connections . . . engine ground, low voltage ignition circuit
and ignition switch. There's still a mystery out there.
Andy Moyce
52 TD
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