Thread: A well used 80''called Klonk

Know were you are coming from for a while I had a problem with my MGBGT were it would just start flooding , & I would pull the top off the float chamber & take the needle out of the needle & seat blow it through & it would be OK for a couple of weeks then play up again , eventually I pulled the carbys off & striped them down to find a small beetle in the float chamber top that was gradually braking down & bits were getting on to the seat causing it to flood . I can only guess it got in when I 1st overhauled the carbys. The other problem I have with the fuel system on Landy is because the tank is under the seat when I wash her water must get into the tank . I would be driving along & she would stop , what I found was the water would get to the line filter & block the filter . I would just remove the filter & blow it back wards refit the filter & away I would go until the next time the tank started to get low. I have now fitted a new seal on the tank cap & have not had the problem since.

Tonight I had the pleasure of refitting the starter motor, it tested ok on the floor, so in it went. I used cap screws to bolt it up, a ball ended allen key is easier then a socket. But it is still abit of a fiddle to get it in and yes it works fine.
Found a cause for the miss, one of the coil terminal nuts was half undone so had a loose wire, tightened it and it ran better but still has a flutter. I connected a neon timing light to number one spark plug and found it was not an even flash. So time for more new parts. Still havent looked at the charging system.
The photo is before the first run on Saturday.

Cheers Steve

Confession time.
During my testing of klonks ignition, I had a slight mishap. I checked the carbi for fuel delivery. The air pipe was removed from the carbi and with the engine running I could see plenty of fuel coming from the emulation tower, which was good, I turned it off. I then went to the dissy, removed the cap and flipped it over the rocker cover to inspect the points etc. I turned the key on and decided to put a wire under the carbon rotor button and check the spark to earth by opening the points to make the coil fire. Well on the third time firing the coil there was an almighty explosion. Shook the spiders off the roof but not quite enough to make my ears ring.
While gathering my thoughts I could here voices,"Are you alright Steve".It was the neighbours behind the shed. " Sorry that wasn't ment to happen". It was fine to laugh afterwards.
It seems that the bang was caused by a rouge spark from the back of the dissy cap to the carbi top, lighting up the vapour floating out . The air hose was immediately put back on the carbi to stop any more leakage.
One good spark in three, no wonder it wouldn't run properly. Tonight I fitted another new condenser and got a start, run smooth as. Third one lucky.
So please be carefull playing with your toys.

I got the ignition parts from bare-co for the early dvx4a distributor. They fit the little grey fergies. via a tractor dealership also on eBay. Part no's are contact set b3790, condenser b 3791, rotor b3789 and coil b5212 has original screw outlet.

Cheers Steve

So easily done , when I was service manager for a Jaguar ,Rover , Triumph dealership one of the mechanics had to pull the motor out of a Triumph 2.5 TC & when he disconnected the the fuel line the fuel ran down over the hot lead light under the vehicle there was panic for a while until some body put the fire out with minimal damage to the vehicle.
I can also remember going out to a VW 1500 one tome that was 1/2 way up a hill when it stopped. while I was checking to see if there was fuel & spark all of a sudden there was fire . What had happened a plug had come out of the carby & there was fuel all over the top of the motor that ignited when I was testing the spark when I pulled my hand away I knocked the fuel line off & the fuel was gravity feeding down from the tank. The whole back of the car was burnt. The most embarrassing part of this story was because I didn't like working on VW's I had told the lady owner because of all the problems she was having with the vehicle to make sure it was well insured & it would catch fire like most VW's. I was luck she was with me when it happened other wise she may have thought I did it on purpose After she got it back after being repaired she only kept it a week & traded it in a Gemini, she said that the car was parked under the house she thought she could smell petrol all the time .

Hope there wasn't any damage except for your undies .

My 86" had been running great until I drove it home from Dungog back in February, it drove up there like a charm and around the place with no fuss, but 10k's out of Dungog on the way home, no mob/ph to ring for help LOL etc it started to miss n run horribly, lost power, so I pulled off the road and left it idling, after about a minute, I could rev the engine, so off we go and about 6-8k's down the road it's back, same thing pull over let it idle then move off, I managed to turn a 1 hour 20 minute into 2 hours though, anyway I still haven't fixed it but I know it's the condenser, and yes you guessed it the Series 1 hasn't been out of the yard nor run since Feb, way too may other things had happened Land Rover wise, anyway Steve good to see you got on top of your small list of issues, and btw Klonk looks great cheers Dennis

This weekend I managed to get the charging system working. After reading another article on google about charging systems I went to the shed and put a jumper wire across the D and F terminals on the regulator but left the rest connected as they should be, this put the gene into full charge and bypassed the regulator. The engine loaded up as soon as I connected the jumper wire and the multimeter on the battery started to rise and a check of the ammeter on the dash saw it well up in the plus side. So that ment the generator was fine, it was a regulator problem.
The cutout side was set too low it took about three turns to get it right. Having it too low made it close when the engine started but then they seemed to bounce, I adjusted them to close at 12.5 volts. On checking the regulator points I could see a blue spark between the points so it was regulating. I put a piece of paper between the cutout points which isolates the battery from the generator, which makes the regulator think the battery is full and the regulator siows the power going to the field windings in the generator but holds the voltage at its adjusted setting, ment to be set at 16 volts. Mine was set at 13 so it was adjusted up and it all worked fine. Dash light was off, battery voltage rising and amp meter well up the positive side. Headlights on and still in the positive side just, at 1000rpm so all happy.
Now just the door seals to get and fit. At pinion seal leak, a couple of clamps and the proper 1600 air cleaner hose to organise, but I'll run the later air cleaner for now.

Cheers Steve

Interesting re the regulator Steve. I never knew you could adjust them. I have never had any flat battery issues with my 86" but my ammeter has never moved much at all. I should read up on your tests to see if I can get it to move, to see if the gauge is stuffed or a charging issue?
Cheers Chris.

Hi Steve,
Were did you get your side rear vision mirror from, I am sick of buying them & when they arrive they are plastic & you can not adjust them. I have not been able to find any in Brisbane or Australia either. The other problem I have with the plastic ones is if you bump then the back brakes out. I have found some 5" ones in the US but the freight is a killer.
Wayne