Dear list, please help me decide what to do next with this motor.
My TR3A motor came from a guy who took it out of a kit car. He only drove it
once and said it ran great an no smoke.
I've started it and found the following conditions:
Hard to start and keep running initially.
Lots and lots of pressure coming out the crankcase vent and oil fill in the
valve cover. This is a mostly a white smoke, possibly steam really. I
suspect it is coolant rather than oil vapors since it looks like a steam
engine running.
No smoke at all coming out the exhaust, looks very clean.
The cylinders from front of the engine to back had 118 psi, 125 psi, 130psi
and 160psi on compression check.
I set the valve timeing and ignition timing with out much improvement.
When I pulled the head off I noticed that all head bolts came free with just
one hand on a short ratchet wrench and not a terrible strain. The front and
rear most studs had been used for lifting eyes so I had re-torqued those
myself to 100ft/lb and they were MUCH harder to break loose, requireing an
extention on the same ratchet wrench and both hands with a lot of effort.
Inside, the head looks like its been freshly cleaned up. Absolutely clean
and the valves look new to me.
The pistons look new to me and cylinder walls look free of any pitting at
all. almost no perceptibly ridge at the top. There are a couple verticle
scores in one cylinder that might be a good thousands or two deep. I'm not
knowledgeable enough about engines to say it they look glazed or not. I've
heard the term but don't know what it looks like.
Should I just try a new head gasket and torque it to spec and see what
happens?
Without being a machinest or engine guy is there a good way to tell if there
is too much clearence around the pistons (without removing them)?
One more thing. The marking on the second piston from the front is numbered
#1 and the front is #2. The third back is #3 And the one nearest the
firewall is #4. I have the plug wires so that the top left wire in the dizzy
goes to the front cyl. The top right goes to the second back. The bottom
left goes to the third back and the bottom right goes to the rearmost cyl. I
timed the ignition so that when the front cyl was at TDC The points just
opened to the top left dizzy wire then gave it approx 4deg. more. Is this
right? or is this my problem?
Thanks for any advice.
Cheers,
Curt Fisher (hoping to have a running TR by warm weather and before the
money all runs out).
WWW.essex1.com/people/fishnet/ <http://www.essex1.com/people/fishnet/>
Spritely Vintage Racing Homepage.
"Racing is life, everything that comes before, or after is just waiting",
Steve McQueen from Le Mans.
"Compared to Road Racing, heroin addiction is like a vague longing for
something salty"
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