JohnD

Get out your multimeter Look for a voltage that goes 12V (approx) to zero at the coil when the CBs open. OR Fit up a plug on the engine where you can see the spark gap, Wire loop around it on a metal bit. Put the King Lead (Coil to dizzy) on it and fit a lead from the coil direct to the battery, and a nother to the earth Make and break the battery lead, and see if your lash-up plug has a spark. If not, coil bust. JOhn

Tan brown electrode - correct mixture! I retract my retraction! JOhn

More pad surface? Shureiy stone mishtake, Kevin, laws of friction 'n all that? More PRESSURE, yes. John

"Matt black plugs"! I withdraw my previous!!! Too rich. Should be tan brown on the electrodes. You're right to go back step by step if it won't start now, AND you have checked the timingn, and lead distribution. John

Diagram, not diaphragm. The valve as a whole is usually mounted flat side up, with the lower connection, aka 'outlet', going to the manifold. John

Like Pete, this sounds more ignition than fuel. Tell us about the ignition system. John

Is it the right way around? The diagram in the PDF link from Pete will show you the correct orientation. JOhn

It's up the road from me, so I took SofS along for a little shakedown before CLM. Lovely day on the Costa de Morecambe Bay, numbers of Triumphs, some pics below (I didn't include the TRs) but only Ford and Morris clubs in attendance. Bought me a little map roamer, with a wheel to measure distances. Went into the ring with SofS, and the presnter seemd to spend most of the allotted time chatting to me about it, while the concourse judges went round, but we didn't get a prize. SofS is a bit of a rat car! Lots of people, came to have a look at it, too, and were from all over the North West, so come along next year, weather permitting. John

It's a great moment, Brian, when you first hear you handiwork running! There is a procedure to best start the run-in too. I hope you have cam lube on the cams. Once you get it started, run it for twenty minutes, varying the revs around 2-3K, to prevent harmonics limiting lubrication. Then when you have it on the road, find somewhere quiet where you can drive oddly! Foot hard down in a high gear, almost but not quite at 'bogging' point. Then foot off throttle, coast down, in gear, using engine braking. The idea is to make the piston rings work really hard, wearing against the bores, then using engine vacuum to lift oil up onto the rings so as not to glaze them. Good luck! John

Sorry, Doug, Looking more closely the four post connection is the "Dashboard switch" Shows how easily I am outfaced by electrics! John

Thanks, Doug and mrantell, That paper from Dan Masters refers to a wiper motor with only four connections, which would confuse the hell out of me. And your suggested GT6 wiring has a similar effect, MR! Above is the suggested wiring from Steve. I'm happier t give that a go, but now I have several fall backs! THnaks John

"Chugging"? Was this to describe the noise or the ride? Was it 'pogoing', leaping forward, then almost stalling or just making a funny noise? It's difficult to describe the latter. Have you looked at this website's front page for "Area Directory", where and when the local groups meet? There are several in the South East, so pick one, ring the Area Organiser to confirm the venue and get along. It'll be nice and warm and "chugging" when you get there! But hearing/seeing the patient helps the diagnosis! John

According to vitessesteve's account (which you should read) and other online descriptions of self-parking wipers. It's not a relay but a position switch inside the motor. One of the extra leads feeds 12V to b ring the wipers back to position when the dash switch is turned off, and then the internal switch turns it off. Steve's (and others') reason for using a relay is obscure (to me, anyway) but he pronises success! John

Dismantling? Dismantling what? There are five wires to the connector, and three wires out of it that go into the motor, but I'm not inclined to take that apart Old plastic tends to fracture! vitessesteve's site is a good explanation of the way the wiper parks, but it seems that to add the two-speed to a car that wasn't wired for it, you need an extra relay. See his site. John

vitessesteve's method is to use a relay to back up, or replace the internal; park switch. Comments? John

Google is my friend! See, from the excellent vitessesteve: http://vitessesteve.co.uk/LucasStuff/Triumph-2-speed-wiper-wiring ! I'm off to try it out. John

All, My Vitesse was originally fitted with single speed wipers. Like many Triumph items at the time it had a live feed, and the switch was on the earth wire. But in the past it was fitted with a two speed wiper motor, I suppose from a GT6 Mk2, and wired with a switched live feed and a fixed earth. Originally, the loom had a five way connector that plugged into a socket on the motor. But I've had to use spade connectors plugged onto two of the five connectors in the socket on the motor. This provides a single speed of the wipers, I don't know if it is slow or fast! And it won't self park. I'd like two speeds. Has anyone done this? I've sketched the part of the GT6 circuit diagram to show the connections of the two speed switch and the wiper motor. How does it work? Is it a matter of supplying 12V to one or the other of the terminals (2 or 3) of the socket, or something else? I presume that the direct 12V supply to the motor is to keep it going until it parks. JOhn

Andrew, The collapsing joint indeed limits up/down wheel movement if correctly adjusted. But my horn sounding on corners was down to the boss touching the column shroud, the covers all the wiring to the light/trafficator levers. A rubber disc, just larger than the boss/shroud diameter has cured that. I just wonder if worn column bushes are allowing more side-to-side movement than there should be, but it's sorted for now! John

You need a good lengthed pry bar, a "burglar's friend" crow bar, or even a length of pipe. Few screwdrivers will be long enough, and anyway that's misusing your tools! And maybe some pieces of wood. Use it to lever on the suspension, with a wood pad to protect the body. There will always be some movement at a bushed joint, but excessive movement isn't difficult to diagnose. John

Done this myself with success, but there are limits. If you can feel the scratch with your fingernail, it will probably not polish out successfully. http://www.frost.co.uk/full-windscreen-scratch-repair-kit.html John

Pete, To time the cam shaft, you need to know where No.1 cylinder TDC is on the firing stroke. (at the start of the power stroke) Any cylinder that is at TDC will be either on the firing stroke, or else at the end of the four stroke cycle (start of inlet), just about to start another cycle. In that second case, both valves will be slightly open, but on the firing stroke they will be closed. It's as simple as that. If both valves on No.1 are 'loose' - the rocker to valve stem clearance is still present - then it's on the firing stroke. Does that help? John

Jimmy, From your three most recent posts, I'm guessing you are reassembling a car someone else took apart! The short "gauge fixings" (no, I don't know the right name) are correct for the smaller gauges, so search around your many boxes of bits and you will probably find the matching long one. If you really, really can't, try a phone call to Canley's, who are pretty helpful. John

Sorted, I think. I returned today to look at the problem, and now the horn sounds as soon as the ignition goes on. Tried a rubber disc, to insulate between the wheel boss and thre switch shroud. No effect. I have a Mountney wheel, with a horn button in the middle. Can't remember when or why, but I had modified it by adding a contact disc to the back of the button assembly, I think because the horn top spring contact didn't reach the boss, and then a piece of spring steel to contact the column nut. Again, can't remember why! But eventually worked out that of course the b******y steel spring shorts the circuit all the b*****y time, so the horn was doing the same. Removed the spring steel contact and normal service is resumed! The wheel boss was touching the shroud, causing intermittent sounding which the rubber disc sorts out, and my ill-advised spring steel jobbie was making it sound all the time. Test drive needed, but it's been sleeting rain. Tomorrow. Thanks for advice! John

All, I'm sure that this problem has been discussed here, but I cannot find it. So has anyone any advice, please? Classicliffe mentioned in one thread that if the steering wheel hub contacts the shroud that surrounds the column, that could earth the circuit and sound them, but I cannot reproduce this by purposely putting a jumper lead across them. Nor does turning the wheel when stationary sound the horns. Any other ideas, tests etc, that could help me find the fault? I take out the "HORN TOP SPRING CONNECTOR" Pt No.142534 to disable the horns as otherwise it's so embarassing, but as we are off to Le Mans soon, I'd like to have them in use. Thanks, John

If its moving then it ain't clamping. And if it ain't clamping then the faces of the two parts are too high, so that when the U-bolts are tight, the pressure is on the faces, not the rack tube. As the faces are NOT supposed to meet, it's not a precision job, and you can remove some metal from the faces with a hacksaw. Neaten it up with a file, make sure that the two parts meet more or less level, and refit. Clamped in rubber/polybush/silicone, the rack WILL move about, a bit. In metal it will not. JOhn PS If you are worried about clamping on a "film of paint", a strip of sandpaper is your friend, but grease it on fitting (Yes, grease it - we're talking interference fit here.)