Frank Condelli writes
>Yesterday I came out from work and found my "69 MGB with it's ignition
>lite lit up !! At first I thought I had left the ignition switch on but
>after some contemplation figured this was almost impossible. I checked
>and sure enough it was off. I tried the starter and vroom away we go. So
>there seemed to be no battery loss or not much that was noticeable. So I
>drove home and everything seemed fine. I had to go out after a quick
>shower and when I got back in the MG the lite was not on. I went to a
>meeting and after the meeting some some 2 hours later, the lite was on
>when I came to the car. It started up just fine and I drove home and did
>not notice anything else wierd. I will check it again this morning but I
>don't have a clue as to what is happening. The ignition switch is
>supposed to cut off all current to the vehicle, right? Has anyone else
>ever experienced this phenomen and what was your cure ??
Frank, you are suffering from a failing voltage regulator. Generators have
a "cut-out relay" in the regulator which disconnect the gen from the rest
of the system when the engine isn't running. Said relay isn't working for
you. This will drain your battery dead flat after awhile, in fact I'm
surprised it hasn't already. There are two solutions, a. replace the box,
or b. find a mechanic/auto electritian who can tweek the box back into
functioning. Mind you, fixing the thing will only put things off for a
while, you will need to replace in the end.
Jennifer Joy wrote that she enjoyed buffing =:-0 and was surprised at the
cost of a buffing machine.
Jennifer, if you'd like to come to BC, I've got a job for you, buffing
boats :-) Buffing machines run slower than grinders because of the
possibility of burning the finish from to much heat. They are more
expensive than grinders because there are a lot less of them sold. It's
sad, but true. Now I swear by my Porter-Cable, but it does cost 400$. The
two handed jobs you can buy from Sears and the like are affordable, but I
have never been happy with the buffing pads you get with them. I would
suggest you talk to a autobody paint and supply store. Maybe they could
point you in the direction of a good used unit. BTW, these stores are the
best place to buy supplies for buffing, particularly if you bring donuts.
Ray Gibbons has some questions about head bolts.
Ray, first off, if you are going to be actually slacking and removing any
head bolts, I would drain the coolant at least to below the level of the
gasket. Normally, if you are retorqueing after a valve job or something,
you just put the wrench on and tighten. Slacking the bolt and then
torqueing it again is a little counterproductive, because you have the same
condition as with the original install and should check again.
In your case, I would check the other bolts (after all, you've got the
wrench in your hand), but I would only worry about the bolts you actually
re and re. Make sure the engine is stone cold before you do this, however.
After you've got the thing back together and have run it a couple of hours,
recheck the torques (wait till it's stone cold) one more time and you
should be off to the races.
Well, I'm done (murmur of relief from the crowd).
Yers,
Vern
_____________________________________________________________________
Vern Klukas I'm a little teapot
vernk@carver.dataflux.bc.ca or Short and...
ug141@freenet.victoria.bc.ca or
inkspot@carver.dataflux.bc.ca
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