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Lightening Strikes Twice & Murhpys Law


Isaac Hunt

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So our little MGZR has found iteslef unexpectedly pushed into front line service meaning that there are some maintenance jobs that really should be done.

I've not got the balls for a full on cambelt roulette like some of you guys, so given they were replaced in 2013 and 63,000 miles ago, the boundaries are being pushed for a K series.

i order up the parts and the tensioner that arrives is in a re-sealed box, inside of which is a broken tensioner, looks as though someone has snapped it by the Allen key adjuster, so that has to go back, we weren't doing cambelt this weekend then.

i'll stick the alt belt and pas belt on because a good mechanic friend of Mike once told be, if they let go, they can take he cambelt with them if the get tangled.

many moons ago, I noticed that the lower alt adjuster 'bolt and spacer' had disappeared and berated myself for obvs having left it loose.   So I made up a spacer from a piece of copper pipe and replaced the bot as a temporary measure.  Made a mental note to get a spacer next time I was down the scrappies.

I did indeed source a spacer and put it somewhere safe.  I checked the 'temporary' lower mount and as all was well, left it alone.

lo and behold, came to the alternator yesterday and the temporary lower mount has 'gone'.  Lightening strikes twice.  I can't recall ever swopping the copper pipe for the proper spacer, so spend well over an hour trying to find the replacement from the scrappy.  Obviously some where safe is very safe, Murphy's law, found all my other stuff, but not the spacer.  

Fabricate another and remind myself what a real faff it is to adjust the alternator.  Looking at the adjuster bracket and comparing it to memory of earlier Rover 400's tells me there must be something missing.

a look at the parts diagram on Rimming Brothers, just shows and adjuster bolt seeming fitted to thin air.  Mmmmm, lets have another google.

Turns out, the lower bolt and spacer going missing due to either snapping or coming looses is a common problem.  So maybe it wasn't me leaving it loose after all.

the race guys use a nice rose jointed effort to replace the stock adjuster which that basically label as a 'pile of shite',

I think I can work out what is missing from the standard adjuster in addition to the lower spacer.   Rather than a 40 mile round. trip down to the local yard with no guarantees of finding the bits needed, the rose jointed replacement looks like it wins the day.

what should have been a simple job and all of that.

 

 

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