I'll take a stab, but there are more accomplished mechanical types on the list.
Comments below.
On 6/22/2013 6:16 PM, Chris Scholz wrote:
> Hello, I am new to this list. Just purchased a 1959 austin healey 100-6 which
> has a newly rebuilt engine, and underwent a full restoration in 1990. I have
> some questions on things I found wrong on the car:
>
> 1. The car runs better with choke half out, high idle. I put the choke in,
> and it eventually stalls. Tonight, it may have flooded, or vapor locked
> because I cannot get it restarted. I will let it sit for a couple hours. Is
> this a simple carb tune-up issue?
The first half of the choke travel should only open the throttles, the second
half should lower the jets inducing a
richer mixture. Sounds like your throttles are not set properly.
>
> 2. The clutch makes a howling noise intermittently when fully engaged, and it
> is hard to shift into gear--this in intermittent. It is almost like the
> hydraulic fluid may be low, so the clutch is not fully disengaging. But why
> is it so intermittent?
Could be hydraulic fluid level, air in the line, etc. Sometimes, things are
intermittent even thought they logically
seem like they shouldn't be. Also, the throwout 'bearing' is a carbon disk, if
it wasn't replaced at engine rebuild--it
should have been--you may be getting metal-to-metal contact between the
'bearing' housing and the clutch actuating disk.
>
> 3. This newly rebuilt engine has only a few hundred miles on it--I have the
> build sheet from the specialty British shop that did the work. But the car
> has some mild oil leaks. The seller says this is normal bbutecause of the
> leather gaskets--I noticed the biggest leak is on the passenger side, where
> the distributor assembly bolts to the block. Is it normal for all Healeys to
> leak some oil?
I don't know of any 'leather' gaskets on a Healey engine. The front seal is a
'rope' type, the rear main has a 'reverse
Archimedes' scroll that is supposed to channel oil back into the engine (if
sort-of works). If your rebuilder told you
there are leather gaskets I'd be questioning his knowledge and/or truthiness
(but, there may, if fact, be leather
gaskets somewhere but I can't recall one).
>
> The car is in great shape, but I don't feel comfortable driving it because of
> the worry it may quit or flood or vapor lock, or something.
>
> Looking forward to your opinions.
>
> Chris in Iowa.
>
>
>
--
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Bob Spidell San Jose, CA bspidell@comcast.net
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