Question-------------------------
Jim,
Thanks for the previous advice- I wish I could have worked on it as fast as you answered my questions!
As for the exhaust leak near the CC I found what appeared to formaly be an exhaust sensor that was loose (The PO did change the automatic choke to a manual). I say formally because there is only the plug of the sensor.
An additional question is: what could cause a significant decrease in clutch fluid without leaving a large stain on the floor? Is this a sign of a slave or master rebuild? I filled the resevoir back up but I think I pumped some air into the system before realizing the fluid was so low (the clutch wasn't working). It works now but is not operating normally: which leads me to the final question- do I have to bleed the system from the slave- which means taking off the inside cover?
Thanks again for your help.
John
Followup To
Question -
Jim,
I have a 1978 Spitfire which I purchased this spring and until now have had a great summer with it. The questions are:
1. I initially started to hear what I thought was a small exhaust leak-appearing to come from near the manifold. After a short time it became somewhat louder and I noticed a bolt missing from the exhaust flange below the converter tail piece where it meets with the long exhaust pipe (a Monza system installed by the previous owner). I installed a new bolt and tightened the flange with the donut ring between. How tight should this be considering the expansion etc.? Unfortunately I'm still hearing the original blow-by sound which I can't seem to pinpoint.
2. I noticed the hose from the charcol canister was off of the carborator. I pushed it back on and immediately the engine sputtered so I removed it again. I know there are restrictors in the hoses but I'm not sure if it is that or the canister- help.
3. Lastly, when I start the car there are drops of oil tainted moisture coming from the exhaust (it does stop after awhile). Could this be related to the emissions issues? The EGR?
Thank you,
John
Maine
Answer -
John,
1) You still have the original Catalytic converter installed?
Couple of thoughts. What's the condition of the overall system? Could the cat have rusted and be leaking? Did you check manifold-head connection to see if it's leaking there?
2) Carbon Canister. It sounds like a PO removed the hose for some reason, then retuned the carb to accomodate the the extra airflow through that fitting.
Have checked the fuel/air mixture? You can get a good idea by taking the car to a nice back country road with a straight stretch. Get moving nicely then turn off the ignition and coast to a stop. Let the engine cool down a bit and remove the sparkplugs (CAREFULLY! the engine will be quite warm!) and check how they look. With the old leaded gas you used to see a light tan deposit build up with generally "clean" looking insulator. If you have dry black, mixture too rich. Oily black, burning oil, rich. Heavy deposits can indicate burning oil but mixture normal or lean.
3) Oil tainted moisture? Oily, or sooty? If oily, it could be that you're leaking oil past the valve stems into the combustion chamber with the engine off, then pushing that mess into the exhaust on start up.
If sooty (black/carbon) then it's more like the mixture is set too rich.
Cheers,
Jim
AnswerJohn,
If you've lost a large amount of clutch fluid, the only places it could really leak are from slave (fluid directly on the floor from the clutch hose end or fluid into the bell housing from the push rod end) or from the master cylinder. When fluid leaks from the clutch master it normally winds up in the carpet in the footwell. This leads to the paint blistering off the floor pan and the usual Spitfire floor rust.
As to bleeding the clutch, you can usually get pretty good results just by propping the clutch pedal to the floor (all the way down) with a piece of 2x4. Wedge the 2x4 between the clutch pedal and the box section under the front of the drivers seat, and leave the pedal down for several days. Check/top up the fluid every day or two.
If the fluid level drops again you've got a problem with either the slave or master.. and if one fails the other's not usually too far behind.
Cheers,
Jim
