Hi,
I was having a heck of a time trying to get a smooth throttle response when
taking off from a stop sign in 1st gear. I finally figured it out that the
throttle damper was probably dry or low on oil. So I unscrewed the black
plastic
cap and carefully lifted the cap, rod & damper (all 1 assembly) out of the Z-S
carb (1978 MGB) then after the entire cap & damper had been pulled out I
carefully put it (cap & damper) back in, there was absolutely NO resistence
when I
pushed the damper in. Having been told that this indicated that there was
little or no oil in the chamber I called my pal and asked our club President
Don
Cole (who just happens to be an excellent auto mechanic, by the way!) about
what type of oil I should put in the top of the damper opening since I didn't
have any of the Zenith-Stromberg or S-U oil. He said that ATF could be used in
place of the S-U type oil that is sold in the major parts dealers catalogs. So
I
put in about a 1/4 teaspoon (maybe less) and Viola! There was now strong
resistance when I pushed the cap and damper in. I then screwed the black
plastic
cap back on. Now, the throttle response is smooth although I'm sure that a
tune-up (clean or replace the spark plugs, etc.) is going to be next. I just
thought I'd write to tell you the hint about being able to use ATF (automatic
transmission fluid) in the throttle damper chamber, in lieu of having the
Zenith-Stromberg Dashpot oil, an excellent product, by the way, which costs
approx.
$8.00 plus S & H for a 125 ml. an amount that should last you a long time if
used
normally. But, like I said earlier ATF (or power steering fluid) will also
work if that's all you can find. Any comments?
Albert Escalante, owner 1978 MGB roadster
The Central Coast British Car Club (CA.)
Ventura, Calif. (www.ccbcc.org)
|