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Re: [TR] Spit vacuum retard fix--WORKS!

To: Tim Gaines <mtgaines@presby.edu>, triumphs@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [TR] Spit vacuum retard fix--WORKS!
From: David Porter <frogeye@porterscustom.com>
Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2015 16:07:02 -0600
Delivered-to: mharc@autox.team.net
Delivered-to: triumphs@autox.team.net
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Tim,
  Do you still have the vacuum switch on the carb linkage? Can you send 
a picture?
Dave

On 3/15/2015 3:56 PM, Tim Gaines wrote:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "John Innis" <jdinnis@gmail.com>
> To: "Tim Gaines" <mtgaines@presby.edu>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2015 10:11:49 PM
> Subject: Re: [TR] Spit vacuum retard fix
>
>
> I did not use that method to fix this problem on my '76. Instead I disabled 
> the vacuum retard. I screwed the two plates in the distributor together and 
> blocked off the opening with a bit of aluminum. My car (with a DGV) performs 
> fine this way (centrifugal advance only).
>
>
>
> On Tue, Mar 10, 2015 at 9:00 PM, Tim Gaines < mtgaines@presby.edu > wrote:
>
> No one on the list even uses the vacuum units anymore, at least as far as I 
> can tell.  But I like the way the retarding unit smoothed the idle on my TR6, 
> so I wanted to restore the one on my Spit to working order too.  The 
> potential O-ring "fix" I mentioned last week (below) actually seems to have 
> worked.  I can't blow air into the vacuum line anymore, and when I pull on 
> the arm that normally extends into the distributor, I get air movement in the 
> line.
>
> I haven't been able to see it in action, though, because I've encountered a 
> very weird problem in my attempt to start the engine after letting the car 
> sit in the garage for 3 years.  I'm going to post a question about that in a 
> few minutes.
>
> Tim
>
> ___________________________________
>
>
> I've discovered that the vacuum retard unit on my 1980 Spitfire 1500 
> (original Lucas electronic ignition) has a leak. When I blow through the 
> attached vacuum line I can feel air escaping near the movable shaft that 
> hooks into the distributor. I decided to look for a replacement and trusted 
> Google to get me to the regular suppliers and others I might not know about. 
> One of the finds was a Tips & Tricks section of the online Spitfire and GT6 
> Magazine, copied below.
>
> ------------
> "I was able to repair my vacuum retard with a 69 cent o-ring. Just remove the 
> vacuum retard from the distributor. Slip the o-ring over the shaft and push 
> into to housing. I used two o-rings but one seemed to work just as well. This 
> won't work if you have a ruptured diaphragm but in most cases the vacuum leak 
> occurs at the shaft. You can get this part at any hardware store. The size is 
> 1/4"OD x 1/8" ID X 16" thick."
> ------------
>
> I'm sure the last dimension given would be 1/16" thick.
>
> I'm just wondering if anyone has experience with this fix. I plan to get to 
> the hardware store tomorrow and give it a try, but this sounds too good to be 
> true. Was there an O-ring in the unit originally, or would this be a fix for 
> some other broken seal?
>
> Tim Gaines
> Clinton, SC
> 1974 TR6
> 1980m Spitfire
>
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>

-- 
Dave Porter Porter Custom Bicycles 2909 Arno St. NE Albuquerque, NM 
87107 505-352-1378 Go HERE: my world www.porterbikes.com/

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