Six Cylinders Motoring Notes

[Six-cylinder]

Milton Keynes Classic Car Club had a record turn out today with 46 cars. A good variety from a Wolsey 4/44 to a Audi R8.

Our 156 got a bath prior to going and has lost its green growths around the window edges where it has been standing outside for the winter.

[Six-cylinder]

Our MG Metro has been a non starter most of the winter, it turned slow with even a boost pack on it and showed no signs of firing. A longer term problem is that it is weeping oil from the head gasket and is booked in next week to fix it. Without paying for a lorry I needed to get our MOTed, taxed and insured car started to drive it 20 miles.

I charged the battery at home overnight, scrape cleaned the battery posts added a jump pack and it spun over with enthusiasm and coughed a couple of times. Third time it started and ran smoothly so I decided to take it home. 2 miles down the road it was left for home or right for a drive out before getting home. It is a legal car running fine so why not right, but a few miles later it developed a misfire and I limped home. 

[grogee]

1 hour ago, Six-cylinder said:

Our MG Metro has been a non starter most of the winter, it turned slow with even a boost pack on it and showed no signs of firing. A longer term problem is that it is weeping oil from the head gasket and is booked in next week to fix it. Without paying for a lorry I needed to get our MOTed, taxed and insured car started to drive it 20 miles.

I charged the battery at home overnight, scrape cleaned the battery posts added a jump pack and it spun over with enthusiasm and coughed a couple of times. Third time it started and ran smoothly so I decided to take it home. 2 miles down the road it was left for home or right for a drive out before getting home. It is a legal car running fine so why not right, but a few miles later it developed a misfire and I limped home. 

Is she packing points or electronimagic ignition?

[Six-cylinder]

12 minutes ago, grogee said:

Is she packing points or electronimagic ignition?

Points, I have a distrust of electronic ignition.

[grogee]

5 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

Points, I have a distrust of electronic ignition.

Quite right too, it'll never catch on.

If it's sat around the points might be a bit crusty. Wow it's been ages since I saw points.

[wesacosa]

On 1/29/2023 at 5:57 PM, Six-cylinder said:

Change of flavour today and I went all Italian.

Lancia Gamma Club Lunch produced 7 Gammas including ours.

 

 

I live not too far from that gold one nearest the camera. very nice car. 

[Six-cylinder]

1 minute ago, wesacosa said:

I live not too far from that gold one nearest the camera. very nice car. 

I believe he also has a coupe.

[wesacosa]

Just now, Six-cylinder said:

I believe he also has a coupe.

yeah he has a lovely metallic blue Coupe.   He had a Thema turbo too until recently, was tempted to buy it off him when he sold it late last year

[Dick Cheeseburger]

2 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Our MG Metro has been a non starter most of the winter, it turned slow with even a boost pack on it and showed no signs of firing. A longer term problem is that it is weeping oil from the head gasket and is booked in next week to fix it. Without paying for a lorry I needed to get our MOTed, taxed and insured car started to drive it 20 miles.

I charged the battery at home overnight, scrape cleaned the battery posts added a jump pack and it spun over with enthusiasm and coughed a couple of times. Third time it started and ran smoothly so I decided to take it home. 2 miles down the road it was left for home or right for a drive out before getting home. It is a legal car running fine so why not right, but a few miles later it developed a misfire and I limped home. 

Still looks hawt even when it's not moving.

[Six-cylinder]

13 minutes ago, grogee said:

Quite right too, it'll never catch on.

If it's sat around the points might be a bit crusty. Wow it's been ages since I saw points.

Back in the 1980s I sold Sparkrite electronic ignitions and we had a failure rate of 2.5%. I understand points, I can test and if I carry the parts can easily fit new ignition components. The electronic boxes are a mystery to me.

Why does my green Range Rover not fire its injectors!

[Zelandeth]

Have to wonder if we might be seeing condenser issues there.  Though I'm sure we tested that by substitution... admittedly with modern condenser quality that doesn't necessarily mean much.

Points were removed, cleaned and gapped when I was last hunting the miss.  I'd forgotten what a pain to get to they are on a Metro!

[hairnet]

18 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

 

Why does my green Range Rover not fire its injectors!

because BL

 

[hairnet]

2 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

 The electronic boxes are a mystery to me.

 

late mini elec might work?

 

[somewhatfoolish]

On 1/30/2023 at 7:33 AM, High Jetter said:

Thinking about it, An Array of Gammas works just as well and makes more sense.

An Iota of Gammas. 🤣

[ruffgeezer]

4 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Our MG Metro has been a non starter most of the winter, it turned slow with even a boost pack on it and showed no signs of firing. A longer term problem is that it is weeping oil from the head gasket and is booked in next week to fix it. Without paying for a lorry I needed to get our MOTed, taxed and insured car started to drive it 20 miles.

I charged the battery at home overnight, scrape cleaned the battery posts added a jump pack and it spun over with enthusiasm and coughed a couple of times. Third time it started and ran smoothly so I decided to take it home. 2 miles down the road it was left for home or right for a drive out before getting home. It is a legal car running fine so why not right, but a few miles later it developed a misfire and I limped home. 

I've a friend who is looking for one for his partner, should you ever want to move it on, please drop me a pm.

[Snake Charmer]

On 05/02/2023 at 13:53, Six-cylinder said:

Milton Keynes Classic Car Club had a record turn out today with 46 cars. A good variety from a Wolsey 4/44 to a Audi R8.

Our 156 got a bath prior to going and has lost its green growths around the window edges where it has been standing outside for the winter.

I was taken to Bletchley Park today and saw a super clean N reg BMW 3 series Touring on the way back, I wonder if it was there?

[stuboy]

looking lovely

[Six-cylinder]

25 minutes ago, Snake Charmer said:

I was taken to Bletchley Park today and saw a super clean N reg BMW 3 series Touring on the way back, I wonder if it was there?

There is an E36 Touring that sometimes come to Milton Keynes meetings but it was not there that day. 

[Snake Charmer]

15 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

There is an E36 Touring that sometimes come to Milton Keynes meetings but it was not there that day. 

Henna red I think with M3 wheels, M Sport black interior. Parked up in Grove Lock pub car park Leighton Buzzard. 

How did you get on with that wee diesel heater Chris? 

[Six-cylinder]

34 minutes ago, ruffgeezer said:

I've a friend who is looking for one for his partner, should you ever want to move it on, please drop me a pm.

The MG Metro MK1 is Mrs6C choice and I don't think she is planning to part with it.

I got a Metro craving but did not fancy explaining to Mrs6C how I had spent a small fortune on a 1275cc Metro so bought myself an unloved 114 SLi  5 door 7 years ago. I was enjoying my 114i with 75 bhp engine and 5 speed gearbox with no desire to change it. I got a bunch of Metro brochures including a MK1 MG and Mrs6C looked at it and said I want one of those so I explained how expensive they were, but I was told to find her one!

[Six-cylinder]

13 minutes ago, Snake Charmer said:

Henna red I think with M3 wheels, M Sport black interior. Parked up in Grove Lock pub car park Leighton Buzzard. 

How did you get on with that wee diesel heater Chris? 

The one I am thinking of is black.

I still have not fires up the heater because when we needed it I was short of help and had to concentrate on the main job of reassembling the Saab engine.

[High Jetter]

3 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

The MG Metro MK1 is Mrs6C choice and I don't think she is planning to part with it.

Good choice, IMHO. Basically simples, with some clever tweaks. Red seat belts FTW?

[hairnet]

On 2/19/2023 at 5:33 PM, Six-cylinder said:

 

Why does my green Range Rover not fire its injectors!

we wuz in mossley today and visited someone who happened have a classic shape RR parked outside his workshop and i asked him about yours

if its a 3.5 itll be to do possibly with the air flow meter.......

he said unlike most cars when you put ign on and the fuel pump starts then it looks for air

these things do it the other way round - so if it cant tell about air pressure/flow/vacuum then fuel wont happen

he said if its a 3.9 then itll likely be a control box = whole heap of mare

hope that helps

just buy a land cruiser

 

[Six-cylinder]

7 minutes ago, hairnet said:

we wuz in mossley today and visited someone who happened have a classic shape RR parked outside his workshop and i asked him about yours

if its a 3.5 itll be to do possibly with the air flow meter.......

he said unlike most cars when you put ign on and the fuel pump starts then it looks for air

these things do it the other way round - so if it cant tell about air pressure/flow/vacuum then fuel wont happen

he said if its a 3.9 then itll likely be a control box = whole heap of mare

hope that helps

just buy a land cruiser

 

It is a 3.5 EFi, running gear from a 1988 car.

Land Cruiser are such agricultural lumps compared to a Range Rover.

[Six-cylinder]

I had a look at the Metro this morning, cleaned the points and regaped them.  The engine fired quickly and I took it for a 10 mile drive with no misfire. I then tried to restart it on the drive and the starter turned slowly and it would not catch. This was the original problem I was having when it was in storage.

I have put it on charge and will see what the morning brings.

[Zelandeth]

5 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

I had a look at the Metro this morning, cleaned the points and regaped them.  The engine fired quickly and I took it for a 10 mile drive with no misfire. I then tried to restart it on the drive and the starter turned slowly and it would not catch. This was the original problem I was having when it was in storage.

I have put it on charge and will see what the morning brings.

What's the gap setting you're using?  Just slightly puzzled it didn't seem to change anything when I did that, and wondering if the gap I set it to (from one of the Crypton data books that came with the engine analyser) was wrong.

[hairnet]

id told him it was a f reg so thats about right (no idea where i thought that up from lol)

land cruisers are actually trucks with smaller bodies so the agri comment is valid

 

 

[Six-cylinder]

2 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

What's the gap setting you're using?  Just slightly puzzled it didn't seem to change anything when I did that, and wondering if the gap I set it to (from one of the Crypton data books that came with the engine analyser) was wrong.

15 thousands of an inch

[chaseracer]

On 19/02/2023 at 17:33, Six-cylinder said:

Back in the 1980s I sold Sparkrite electronic ignitions and we had a failure rate of 2.5%. I understand points, I can test and if I carry the parts can easily fit new ignition components. The electronic boxes are a mystery to me.

They've moved on a bit* in the past four decades, Chris!  The Dyane's 602 motor has had 123-Ignition for as long as I can remember, and the 720 has mappable 123-+.  Never a problem.

Might be worth a go on the Metro.

[Six-cylinder]

10 minutes ago, chaseracer said:

They've moved on a bit* in the past four decades, Chris!  The Dyane's 602 motor has had 123-Ignition for as long as I can remember, and the 720 has mappable 123-+.  Never a problem.

Might be worth a go on the Metro.

Our Citroen DS has a 123 that it came with 14 years ago, but I still worry one day we will have no spark and that will be  a tow truck.