Good evening, list:
Well, I am still trying to finagle (sp?) a decent stereo system for the
Midget, but I have caused yet another problem. The courtesy light no longer
is functioning properly. I noticed that there is a wrapped bundle of wiring
going through the console, several of which are black. I assume that these
are the ground wires, one of which originates at the courtesy light fixture.
Perhaps I have disrupted it, since the light now shines only very dimly. Is
there any easy way to recreate a suitable ground in the area of the console?
Is there an easy or straightforward way to solve this problem? There is no
obvious damage to any of the wires.
Now, for a real perplexing scenario: I changed the oil today. Drained four
quarts or so, and there was no evidence of water or other unusual impurities
in the old oil. (There is also no oil in the coolant resevoir.) I replaced
the oil with a non-synthetic 20w50, warmed the car up again, and drove for a
bit on local roads, and then on the highway. I noticed no difference in the
"feel," sound, or behavior of the car. However, I did notice that according
to the guage, my oil pressure as running at 5-10 psi less than previously.
When I sped up for the highway portion, I noticed intermittent emissions of
blue-white smoke.
What could I have done wrong? The filter was the appropriate Unipart
spin-on type. The engine was moderately warm, but not hot when I introduced
the new oil. I can't imagine that I could have damaged the rings in any
way. There seemed to be no oil dripping from the valve cover gasket which
might have fouled a spark plug. If I had blown an oil seal, wouldn't I have
been leaking oil rather quickly? The level was full each time that I
checked it. And what would make it smoke intermittently (mostly at high
speeds, but the engine performance didn't change when it was happening)?
Regards,
Charles
'74 Midget
cdsorkin@ix.netcom.com
Bloomfield, NJ
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