On Wed, 19 Jun 2002, Nels Anderson wrote to mg-t@autox.team.net:
> The engine breather has noticeable smoke coming out of it. I believe
> this is normal, but just how much is normal and under what conditions?
Noticeable smoke coming out of the breather isn't normal or acceptable.
If it has been years since the engine was last run, could be the rings are
stuck and can be freed up. If that's not it, the smoke indicates extreme
engine wear or damage (probably rings and/or cylinder bores), or else an
engine that has been rebuilt very sloppily.
> I did not pull the spark plugs on the initial look (it was getting dark)
> but want to go back and do that. How should they look on a properly
> working engine?
Tan or brown, and dry. If black and dry, the mixture is rich. If white
and dry, the mixture is lean. If black and oily, it's a sign that the
rings and/or valve guides are shot.
> There are some questions about the brakes. The owner says they were
> repaired about 3 years ago (about 300 running miles, since the car has
> not been used much recently). One drum was replaced and the brake
> cylinder redone. There is no apparent problem when running, but when the
> brakes are applied the car pulls to the right a bit. He explains that
> the pad adjustments are done in steps and unless pad wear is exactly the
> same on both sides you will always get some pull to one side or the
> other. True? If not true, how hard to fix?
Not true. It would be true if the car had purely mechanical brakes that
were misadjusted, but it isn't true with hydraulic brakes. The adjustment
controls the at-rest gap between the brake shoes and the brake drum. As
long as that is the same on both wheels, and as long as the rest of the
brake system is in good condition, the brakes won't pull to one side.
Pulling to one side means the brake on that side (probably front) is
braking more than the one on the other side. Look for wheel cylinder
problems, or problems with the brake shoe mounting, or possibly oil on the
shoes on the side that is not pulling.
> There's also a bit of a rattle which appears to come from the right rear
> wheel area. Any ideas what might be loose back there (brake pad, ...?)
> and how much of a problem it's likely to be.
Hard to say what that is. Could be as simple as a stone inside the hub
cap, or something loose in the brake assembly. Pull the wheel and drum
and investigate.
> The gas tank leaks. Not fast enough that we could see it actually drip,
> but there is paint damage from it. The FAQ has a pretty good discussion
> on this but is a couple of years old. Is there any new knowledge about
> this sort of problem?
Where is it leaking? If there is a rust pin hole in the tank, aircraft
"slushing compound" may stop the leak. If one of the soldered seams is
coming apart, you'll need major tank repairs. If the fuel level indicator
sending unit leaks where it mounts to the tank, or if its top cover leaks,
then new gaskets and gasket compound will stop the leak unless the parts
are badly distored from overtightening.
> He has a spin on oil filter adapter that apparently does not work well.
> He's had it blow the filter seal twice right after startup due, he says,
> to high pressure. By letting the car warm up (and thus the oil warm,
> thin, and max. pressure go down) he says there are no problems. He
> suggests I switch to the other type of filter mod (the one with
> replaceable filter elements) which is supposed to work properly. This is
> discussed in the FAQ too so making the change does not seem to be a
> problem, but is there any new knowledge on this topic?
There's nothing inherently bad about a spin-on filter conversion, but
there have been some very poorly made adapters sold over the years. How
much oil pressure registers on the gauge at cold startup? I can't imagine
it's high enough to blow out the filter gasket unless the filter wasn't
installed correctly or the gasket surface of the spin-on adapter isn't
machined accurately. Switching back to the original filter cannister is
easy enough, but spin-on filters are easier to get and easier to install.
If you want to stay with a spin-on filter, get an adapter from Bob Grunau.
His are excellent. In any case, I wouldn't consider this a deal breaker
unless the oil pressure really is incredibly high. That would indicate a
problem with the oil pump relief valve or something elsewhere in the
lubrication system.
See if you can get someone really familiar with T-Types to inspect the car
for you. It sounds like the current owner is not representing the
car's condition entirely honestly. You could be getting a worse can of
worms than you expect.
--
Chip Old 1948 M.G. TC TC6710 XPAG7430 NEMGTR #2271
Cub Hill, Maryland 1962 Triumph TR4 CT3154LO CT3479E
fold@bcpl.net
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