[Healeys] Paris problems

[Simon Lachlan]

Hi,

I have been to Paris and, touch wood, was able to help my nephew get his BJ8
up and running. In order to arm myself with all the information that I could
get hold of I've asked you guys quite a few questions and been pretty stingy
with the thanks and feedback.

So:-

1.	When we picked the car up at the port, it was hard to start -
unsurprisingly, I thought - and it didn't run very well. But it made the
100+ miles to Paris, only really baulking when traffic slowed us down and
the revs dropped.
2.	Subsequent to that, the car ran badly...erratic firing and then flat
battery.
3.	My nephew suspected the battery and bought a new one. That went flat
and the erratic behaviour continued.
4.	I suspected the generator and inquired of the list regarding
symptoms.
5.	I also got my nephew to run the standard "Does the generator work?"
tests. It failed them all.
6.	About this time, the front carb started to leak..nothing much, but
the behaviour and location of the leak pointed me away from the float bowl.

Some background, maybe some clues. We'll never know:- there are often a
stack of bits that come with an old car. In this case, the stack was pretty
big and, amongst other things, was a new Indian RB340 Lucas lookalike
Voltage Regulator/Control Box. The car was fitted with another Indian RB340
lookalike which looked brand new. That box was wearing the original Lucas's
lid.

There were also a number of carb bits...seals, jets and so forth. Plus a few
drum brake rubber parts. Now, hindsight is a lovely thing, but -
retrospectively - one wonders.

7.	I brought a new generator over from the UK plus other parts and
tools. Not easy these days what with security at the airports etcetc.
8.	We fitted the new generator. The car started, "no charge" red light
went off and engine ran well for, say, a minute. Then, smoke from insulation
on large terminal on generator. I suspected polarity and/or control box.
9.	However, the attempts at starting seemed to have turned the front
carb's leak into a flood.
10.	More questions to you guys. I suspected the diaphragm...the sheer
volume and location of the leak pushed me in that direction and you all
agreed.
11.	So, a two carb rebuild kit was ordered from the UK and, quite
miraculously, turned up within 18 hours.
12.	Removed the carbs...what joy.
13.	The front diaphragm was dry and split around the centre. The rear
wasn't much better, but it wasn't leaking yet.
14.	Curiously, or so I thought, the carbs showed some signs of being
rebuilt, but rather inconsistently and not the same parts in both carbs. But
why do the little bits and not the big one, the "Usual Culprits"??
15.	Anyhow, the rebuild worked and the drip/flood stopped.
16.	Back, finally, to the generator...not previously having liked the
mix of frying generator and spouting petrol.
17.	We had no luck initially but, after tidying up all the ignition
wiring and polarizing the generator we proceeded.
18.	The generator still worked. It passed the "Motor test". 
19.	The wiring to the, just in case polarized, Control Box was OK. So...
20.	We swapped the control boxes and hey presto...no red light, no
smoke, no erratic running. ie, everything they say about those boxes is
true.
21.	Thereafter, the car's run well. Starts first time and runs strongly
once it's warmed up.

And, if you've read this far, thank you all very much for your help.

Regarding not having a manual, I think that, between us, my nephew and I are
virtually into double figures. I do the research, read the manuals, make up
my mind and then, before I make a catastrophic cock-up, I ask the gurus. Can
save a lot of time and, in this case, an airfare or two!

 

Now.. now, I think it's leaking brake fluid somewhere. In the servo
somewhere is my guess. But the car's in Paris; my nephew's in the South of
France and I'm in the UK. So, we'll have to wait and see. It may be nothing,
but I wonder if the car, having sat around idle for ages, may have dried out
any number of seals and God knows what. We'll see...

Simon

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