Topic

Just a few jobs have been doing over the last few weeks. Had the front bumper resprayed, now hoping to get the air intakes blown in. Its coming together slowly.

No way to get your old steel pipes (to FRANCE), decent enough condition for an old rusty F with fully rotten ones???

Andy the tyre man wrote: wrote:

Looks like you've got your work cut out there mate!!

If you think that's bad look what I found when I removed the plastic inlet manifold:-

It does not show up well in the photo but that pocket between the ports is stained pink from dried leaked coolant.

Am currently pricing up replacing the coolant hoses and David has suggested converting to PRT however that seems very expensive and am not sure how many hoses need to be rplaced in doing so. The main engine outlet hose of course but it seems the by pass hoses are different as well and one of them is a horrendous price. Am fitting an alloy TF 135 manifold in place of this knackered plastic jobbie.

Hmmm well I have the underfloor pipes I replaced on "Blue" still they were not leaking and I replaced more as a precaution than a need. The problem is the channel of course. Posting would be too expensive and I no longer do day trips like I used to. The Euro put paid to that as everythign became about teh same price in France as here.

Finally got the "little one" back. Had the sides painted and rebuilt the side air intakes. When I bought the car, the intake covers were fitted in with silicone, with nothing behind them. Why, I don't know. Having found and purchased the intake ducts and retainers, fitted them today. Now just the interior and hood to clean and polish and she should be looking great.

As some might have noticed the inlet manifold was rather worse of wear and from being malhandled. The over heating didn't do it many favours either I gather! So after looking around and comparing prices a TF135 Alloy manifold complete was bought. Of course this raises a few issues such as plenium volume, the need for the support bracket, and port mismatch from manifold to head on the 118 bhp MPi.

Now I knew that this mismatch was a issue when using the TF 135 or VVC manifold and plenium and also that one loses a bit of torque when doing so. We hope to address this issue at a later date but for now surely a bit of chamfering would help smooth or at least disrupt the flow a bit less if the sharp edge and step was reduced or removed. I am not about to start opening up inlet ports but a simple chamfer to help a little that I can manage

Well it's done .................................. mostly with an hand scraper. Although I did get the Dremel out to smooth it off a bit only to find it's decided to short out and burn out inside and have harly used it really. Oh well here is what they look like:-

Nothing major but it should at least reduce the large sharp step from manifold to head. Whilst I was down in there thought might as well remove the flywheel closure plate:-

Oh dear it would appear to have gotten a trifle warm as most of the paint has been cooked off it. Luckily I have a spare which I have cleaned off and repainted already. Went to see how the flywheel locking tool fitted and was annoyed to discover using it means removing the starter motor ...................................... Oh Pooh! I did however fit the flow restrictor in the thermostat housing and cleaned the housing and treated the O rings with a spot of silicon spray and slide it into place:-

and offered up the engine coolant rail and put the two bolts in for now. The silicon makes it so much easier to slide this assembly into place over the O ring. Next for the engine is clean the lower inlet manifold and swap the injectors over. Fit the sensors to the plenium and get the lower cam belt cover off to examine the water pump etc.

Still have the manifold support bracket to get and a replacement rad fan that works but those can wait until after Easter. Have the front hubs to finish painting then fit the new top ball joints. Once the hubs are on the sub frame and wishbone the hub splines can be fitted and the nuts done up ready for the front brakes when they arrive next week.

It feels good to be refitting parts and fitting new parts is a better feeling still rather than dismantling old worn and knackered stuff.

GIRLING BRAKE CALIPER CLEAN UP
Had a look at the brakes this week......well no issue when parked up for winter spell since October......but anyway stripped front calipers and gave them a good clean............on first appearance looked quite rusty.....theres no point polishing those alloy wheels when you can see rusty calipers peering through,,,a waste to replace with newer calipers ,so posh up the ones yer got




after dismantling and cleaning I painted them blue to match the mg


Then the brakes were bled using a one man blead kit.......simple and cheap......and some new fluid


the finished item was worth the effort looking at the calipers through the wheels now show respectable well working brakes that did not cost a fortune


after I finished this labour of love I went back into the house where others were taking it very easy indeed

So off came the wheels to clean the brakes on my tf......good time to grease your nipples......the ones on your suspension I mean.





.......removed a little bit of dirt using degreaser around the nipple..........then removed and cleaned the grease nipple on refitting I attached a grease nipple protection cap to keep it clean along with a good squirt of grease..job done

This week I got it out and drive-d it.

Popped in a nice performace filter (thanks Pgew!) and box that had the two pipe holes (115 only has the stupid rear hole!)... popped a flexy pipe down to the passenger side vent too.... seems a bit perkier!

I still have the rough running on tickover and (now I have played with the throttle screw so it doesn't conk out) it is running rich as I can smell it from the exhaust. Now seeing as I have changed the plugs and coils, tried other known good leads, swapped IACV several times, changed MAF, etc the only other thing I can think is the timing is slightly out? Russell did the HG however when I got it so I can't see how! Is it easy enough to check just by rmeoving the top timing cover and making sure all marks line up? Can I see it through the wheel arch and from the engine access cover? Thanks in advance to the gurus!

"Buying" another one.......project thread to follow.

Connected the coolant hoses and filled her up. Then fitted the plenum tot eh lower manifold, fitted the throttle body, and connected vacuum hoses etc. Then tried to start her ................................ the 75th this is but she won't fire at all. We know she ran before and have checked the compression which is fine. Have a spark from the H/T lead from the coil to the distributor but don't seem to have one at the plugs ......................................................... Tried the cap and leads on "Blue" my other MPi and Blue fires up fine so tomorrow will try to get a new rotor arm is case it's that. Unless have missed a multiplug somewhere am flummoxed as to why she won't fire up.

Oh well changed the clutch fluid in "Blue" and lubed her clutch release arm. Hosed the mud off the gear box and under the air box .................................................... sheesh it was flithy darned farmers and their machines. Oh well tomorrow is another day.