[Mg-t] Triumph! OT, but pertinent

[Richard Lindsay]

Hello Friends,

Yesterday I spent a little time with my '62 TR3b. The Triumph was quite
dusty, having not been driven in ages. I had, however, charged the battery
recently and it was still full of 'juice'.

I added 2 gallons of fresh 93 octane fuel to the tank, topped up the
coolant - it needed almost a half gallon - and checked the oil level. It
was fine and looked clean.

I turned the key and the fuel pump jumped to life. Long ago I replaced the
mechanical pump with a 3 psi aftermarket electric. Within a second, I
smelled fuel and saw a dribble from the rear carb's overflow pipe. (Sound
familiar?) As expected, one of the float bowl valves wasn't sealing. Key
off and a few gentle raps with the screwdriver handle put the valve back
operational. It will be cleaned later.

I next pulled the choke control only to discover that it would only move
about 1/4", taking up the slack in the mechanism. The jets would not move
down, thanks to being stuck in place. Today I will wet them with thin oil
and carefully work them free. I suspect that the 'glands', or gaskets have
just dried.

Instead of applying choke, I gave each air cleaner a little spurt of
starting fluid (ether), turned the key (no leaks), and pressed ( Triumph:
push,  MG: pull ) the start button. Varoom! The little guy started right up
and tried to idle! Unfortunately, a old iron engine, however healthy, needs
enrichment to idle when cold. Too much of the fuel condenses before getting
ignited, leaving the charge too lean to promote idle. Still, it started
right up (Thank you Pertronix distributor.) and after the choke is back
lowering the SUs' jets, the car will be back in good form.

In conclusion; The brakes are firm, fluid level is fine, clutch is too.
Tire pressures are a bit low, as one might expect, and the car is really
dirty, but SHE LIVES!

Happy Tuesday,

-rick
PS: No, the Maserati's plenum seal did NOT arrive yesterday so completion
of that project is delayed. So its back to the Triumph, oil can in hand. TD
to follow.
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