When I drove my mostly-restored TR4 home from Triumphs Only a few years
ago, I noticed that the engine was running cooler than normal. I made a
mental note to check the thermostat operation as soon as I got to the
safety of my garage. The thermostat checked OK, so I was somewhat
puzzled by the gauge reading. But a low reading is less worrisome than
a high reading, so a few days later off I went to my first meeting of
the local Triumph owner's club. I got to the meeting with no problems,
but the engine started running rough on the way home. It quit about a
half-mile out, but I was able to restart and drive a few more blocks
before it quit again. About one block from home, it quit for good and I
had to push it home.
The next morning, I looked down the fuel filler and found a bone-dry
tank--even though the fuel gauge read half-full when it quit the night
before. So I was off to the gas station in my other car (Every Triumph
owner has another car, right?), brought home a gallon can, and the TR4
fired up immediately. So I was off to the gas station again, this time
in the TR4. I filled the tank and started for home--about a mile away.
Halfway home, I glanced at the gauges and was horror-struck to see the
temp gauge at full hot! But the engine did not seem at all distressed,
so I just babied it home.
It took me longer to diagnose the problem than it should have (and I'm
sure some of you have already guessed where this is heading), but the
problem turned out to be crossed wires to the temp and fuel gauges. So
the low temp gauge reading on my first trip home was really telling me
I was low on fuel, and the full-hot reading on my way home from the gas
station was just telling me the tank was full! Whoever wired them at
Triumphs Only had to stretch the be-jesus out of the sender wires to
connect them that way. But it was a lesson to me: just because somebody
has been in the Triumph-restoration business for years does not mean he
knows what he is doing or checks his work.
Craig Foch
San Luis Obispo, CA
=== This list supported in part by The Vintage Triumph Register
=== http://www.vtr.org
|