That master automotive humorist and talented journalist, Peter Egan, penned some ‘Tech Tips’ for an issue of Road and Track several issues back. We enjoyed them so much, we are reprinting, with the gracious permission of R&T, an excerpt from Peter’s article. (If you don’t already subscribe to Road & Track, you should! Peter’s columns…
I was converting my older British car over from positive to negative ground when I came across the question of coil polarity. I discovered coil polarity is very much misunderstood. In researching it out it got me very confused until I found out there are two definitions of coil polarity. I talked to 3 or…
You don’t need a special tool to remove a ball-joint stud. Loosen the castellated nut several turns. Now all you need are two heavy ball-peen hammers of equal weight. Strike the support with the other hammer. Several hard blows should loosen the ball joint. Remove the castellated nut, and take the stud out of its…
From Moss Motoring 1984 Function: The function of the points is to make and break the electrical circuit to the coil. Each time the points open, the circuit is broken, causing the magnetic field around the ignition coil to collapse. When this field collapses, a high voltage spark is created that fires the spark plug….
PROP PROBLEMS Many owners of MGB roadsters from 1971 on have trunk lids that are bent or creased. This is caused by the telescopic trunk lid prop fitted to these cars which replace the ‘rod type’ props fitted to earlier models. The trunk lids on these cars are very heavy and require more support than the original BL design allows….
From Moss Motoring 1985 Kevin Edgley Duncan, OK A random ‘knocking’ or ‘clattering’ sound at idle on MGBs with the 3-bladed fan may be due to bad rubber grommets in the fan mounting holes. The sound is similar to that made by a bad water pump bearing. To check the fan, rotate it first one…
From Moss Motoring 1985 A knock in a worn engine is relatively easy to diagnose, but-what about a knock-in a freshly rebuilt engine? Especially one which has been assembled with great care in respect of bearing clearances and piston fit? We recently came across a very annoying problem which had an unusual cause… Subject: An…
From Moss Motoring 1985 In building TD and TF Gearboxes, a dummy shaft is used in removing and replacing the cluster gear which is located in the bottom of the gear box. One of the last steps in the assembly process is to turn the gearbox over allowing the cluster gear to fall into place….
Adjustment of most British brake systems is a simple operation which should be done regularly. The general method is to turn the adjusters clockwise until the shoe comes up against the drum, ‘clicking back’ until the wheel turns free. Most manuals recommend one click to free the drum, but two or more are usually needed….
By R. B. Hart Freshly tuned carburettors, proper running adjustments, an oil and filter change; these are just the start of a successful driving season Making sure that your car will stop is probably the most important part of the Spring maintenance routine This year, why not give your car a thorough brake safety check?…
