Smooth Runnings II

Ever since the new condenser, the Midget has been running fantastic. After an evening run down to Center Valley on Friday, I was even more discouraged by the jerky throttle pedal action. Although the engine was running great, I wasn't able to fully enjoy its performance. So that Friday night, I attempted to fix it. I was almost positive it was caused by the hard-to-move butterfly disc on the front carb. This was the one that broke apart (see Watching My Carbs) and was thereafter fixed by the local shop. So I took it apart and replaced the throttle shaft (the rod that holds and pivots the butterfly disc) with a shaft off one of my old carbs. After the transplant, it moved so much more easily. Below is a shot of the piece I replaced.

Unfortunately, this didn't fix the problem. I counted it as a success though. Because at least I didn't make anything worse through the process.

Since it's easy enough to do, the next morning I decided to replace the throttle cable. It looked like the wire itself was replaced by the shop, but upon closer examination, the outer sheath looked like the original. So I picked up another set from the bike shop. I swapped it in, took it for a drive, and all was better! I only wish I had done the sensible thing and tried the easy fix first.

Smooth Runnings

I spent quite a bit of time in the garage this week.

On Tuesday, the ignition coil arrived for the Midget. I spent the day removing the old one and putting in the new one. Unfortunately, there was no improvement in the car's running. Another shiny bit for the engine bay though!

The next day I stopped by the local garage and picked up a new condenser. The condenser (or capacitor) is located inside the distributor. I was determined not to remove the distributor in fear of messing up the timing and point gaps. It was really tricky, but after moving aside the heater hose and while using my handy dental mirror (that I bought when I thought I lost those carburetor bits in the engine), I was able to get the old one out and the new one in. My next tool purchase should be a magnetic screwdriver as that would've been very helpful. When I was finished, I turned the key, the car started right up, and it ran wonderfully. I took it for a short spin with no problems. I just hope it stays this way.

After the spin, I went about replacing the throttle cable on the Mini. My crappy job of taping the two brass caps on the bike cable (from last  month) was starting to give out. The inner cable was getting caught up on something, and the pedal wasn't always fully returning after depression. So I installed the cable I received from Moss. Consistent with other recent purchases from them, it didn't work well at all. After greasing it up a bit, I was able to safely drive the car. But it wasn't smooth during slow, gradual acceleration. It just wasn't right.

The next day (today), I headed back to the bike shop. It turns out they do have similar caps there. So for six bucks, I returned home with a cable, sheath, and two caps. I installed it, and it worked great. I can't believe how unbelievably smooth it is. However, the cable is much thinner than the other one. I don't know if that will be a problem or not.

So both vehicles are back up and running. Looking at the forecast, it seems like the Midget will be seeing more action these days. 58 degrees today to 86 degrees this weekend. What happened to spring?

Up and Down

The Midget's down again. Don't ask. I'll fill you in once the problem is remedied.

The Mini is great though. When I ordered the ignition coil for the Midget, I threw a new shifter knob and throttle cable into the shopping cart for the Mini. I like the knob. It's bigger.

At the grocery store today, I parked next to a MINI. Stellar parking job, eh? On my way out, I saw its owner looking in at my car with a big smile. I approached him with a "nice car" and we chatted briefly. He seemed a little taken aback by the whole situation, but he seemed like a nice guy. I guess it is possible that people who perform horrid parking jobs can actually be nice. But then why do they park so poorly?

But I don't know. I feel like the Mini is the overachieving, lovable older brother; and the Midget is the little brother who just can't seem to catch a break. Everybody's giving the Mini thumbs up and high fives at school. He's in great shape with his awesome new paint job, shiny chrome, and super cool racing stripes. And the Midget is just trying to keep up. He seeks similar approval of his classmates, but he's currently plagued with a broken electrical system while his face is breaking out in rust spots. For every step ahead, something happens to move him two steps back.

But don't worry Midget, I love you. If not as much as the Mini, at least reasonably so.

Back to the Midget

My luck with the Midget has been hit or miss lately. Mostly miss. But first, I just want to document everything that was done to the Midget in the beginning of February by the local British car shop. They:

• installed a new water pump.

• replaced the points and condenser.

• readjusted the throttle linkage, carb balance and float.

• performed a valve job and surfaced the head.

• replaced other minor hoses/parts and generally cleaned things up.

The engine bay does look significantly better. And the valve job specifically makes the car run exponentially better. That is, after some other problems were remedied.

I. For Starters

Soon after I got the Midget back from the shop, I ran into some backfiring issues one morning going to work. And thereafter, I couldn't even get it to start. So to fix the latter, I pulled the starter (which involves pulling the distributor) and had an outfit in Sellersville rebuild it. They did a great job. Painted it up all nice like too. So I put it back in the car. Although there are only two bolts holding it on, I had to get the car up on ramps to access the one bolt from underneath.

It worked well when I fired it up. I was even able to take it for a ride and the car ran great. However, as soon as I shut it down, I couldn't get it started again. I discovered the battery was shot. So I replaced that as well. Though it didn't fix the poor running.

Below is a shot of the newly rebuilt and installed starter.

II. Free of Charge

Unfortunately, after that last bop around the block, I still couldn't get the car started easily. It wasn't the starter (the engine was trying to turn over) and it wasn't the battery (I was continuing to jump the car anyway). On occasion, I got it to start, but it would run so rough that it shut down. I called up the local shop and the owner suggested swapping in a new rotor. He loaned me one from his shop and I swapped it in. Nothing doing.

So then I decided to take it back into the shop. I had to flatbed it there (I LOVE AAA) and I hung around the guys as they were working on it for 20 minutes or so. After no success, I went home. I don't think they wanted me there anyway. Later that day, they called me up to let me know it was finished. Apparently the condenser had gone bad. Since they actually replaced that during the Midget's prior stay, they didn't charge me for the recent work completed, and they apologized for the inconvenience. Yet another example of a new part from Moss not working properly.

Below is a shot of my car being towed to the shop.

III. To the Victor Belong the Coil

So all of that happened on the Friday before Easter. And that night, I drove it down to Quakertown (with the top down!) where I spent the weekend. Unfortunately, on my way to Greg's house one night, the car ran very poorly. But very sporadically, unlike before. It would run like a dream for several minutes or longer, then it would just give up. Sometimes it hung on long enough to "fix itself" before shutting down, but a couple times it did shut down. I'm now pretty good at finding places to pull over on a whim.

Some reason I was convinced it was fuel-related. A, because much of the electrical stuff had just been gone over (new condenser, points, plugs, rotor), and B, because I noticed the inline fuel filter was unnaturally full after this incident. It's old and I thought it just wasn't letting gas properly through anymore. I replaced the filter and enjoyed no improvement.

Anyway, short story long, my uncle suggested letting the car run and as soon as it began to crap out, shoot the carbs with some starter fluid. If the idle recovers, the problem is fuel starvation. If nothing happens, it's something else (probably electrical). My Dad and I did as he said. Once it began to run rough, Dad shot it with the cleaner. Nothing happened.

So it must be electrical. My Dad and I think it's the ignition coil (which boosts the voltage from the battery). From the looks of it, the coil on the car is probably the original. While brainstorming, I was messing with the connectors, pulling them on and off. We decided to let it idle again, and hit the coil with a screwdriver once it began to act up again. (Which sounds ridiculous as I write this, but was worth trying.) So we started it up, and waited and waited and waited. And it never pooped out like it did before. Somehow, at least at the moment, the problem has been solved. Maybe it was just me pulling one of the connectors on and off breaking loose a piece of dirt. Who knows. I was able to drive it back up to Bethlehem with no problems.

I do need to start keeping some extra parts in my garage. Things like hoses, clamps, throttle cables, screws, nuts and bolts. I think I might order a new ignition coil (along with some of these parts) and keep it in the trunk of the Midget. That way I'll have it if the car craps out again.

Two Cars in Every Pot

So as of today, I now have two running LBCs. I honestly can't remember if this has yet happened since I got the Mini. One of them has always been out of commission. If it did happen, it was only for 24 hours or so. So tomorrow morning I'll actually get to DECIDE which car to take to work!