Jonah

Evening all i run my Spitfire Mk3 on Evan’s waterless coolant, the temperature gauge indicates that the engine is running really hot, this coolant runs at circa 10 degrees higher than other coolants. would a different rated thermostat give a more realistic temperature indication? Thanks Julian

Cracking idea Iain!

They are called ‘AC9C non resistor spark plug’ I looked in the Accuspark website and they state it’s an equivalent to the N9Y…….as you say Pete buyer beware i I had an old set of standard plugs which fired up on first turn

Thanks Pete

Spark Plugs were the route of my problem, thanks everyone for your help i managed to get some Accuspark plugs that were supposed to be an equivalent to the N9Y plug…..but they didn’t work at all and made the engine very unhappy, got some N9Y’s today and all is good! the engine was also running a little rich i have one final question for you, I fitted a new rocker cover gasket but oil still seeps out….any suggestions? thanks Julian

Yes it does move giving more advance

Meant to say that there is a noticeable misfire/cough when I increase revs, timing using a strobe seems fine. ill put new plugs in tomorrow and as Pete suggested I’ll try some gentle tickling

Thanks Iain, I’m not sure if the carbs are set the same, I had assumed they were, but now….. I think I’ll spend the evening reading the Haynes manual on carbs

I used the lifting pins to raise the pistons right up there is a small amount of oil in the inner damper pot which resists when screwing the damper in, the manual says fill the dash pots to within 1/2 inch

both pistons do fall with clunk but with engine running when I lift one piston the revs drop but the other one makes no difference ill also try new plugs

I use 3 E5 with additive

At fast idle with the choke out it revs at 2,000, when warm with the choke in its circa 850 the jets appear to be free and the plugs don’t have an R in the suffix Over the last 18 months the car has moved very little, the last time fresh fuel was added was early 2023, is it possible the problem is due to fuel that has become stale? Would it be a good idea to add fresh fuel to the tank?

Thanks Pete, I’ll check tomorrow and will report back

Decided to take my Mk3 Spitfire for a run in the sunshine today, after a winter of much work, lighting problems, steering rack change……..and other fettling the car was difficult to start and had a noticeable misfire, I checked the plugs which were very black and sooty, after cleaning them the car started but as I tried drive off under load it coughed and spluttered. Could this be a mixture problem? i checked static and dynamic timing which seem fine thanks Julian

Thank you everyone for your encyclopaedic knowledge and insightful comments, thanks to you I now have working lights and horn one connection into the fuse holder was loose against a fuse which now tightened has given me light after changing the steering rack putting an earth strap between the drain plug and an engine mounting bolt has produced a welcome sound from the horn thank you once again

The chassis has been coated with epoxy so probably provides an awful earth connection I’ll try a strap from the grease nipple/bolt to another good earth point ill download the manual also and will report back

No there isn’t one there, I connected a lead between another earth point and a pinch bolt and it worked would the grease point be earthed through the rack U bolts?

Lights working fine now but horn not there’s no earth connection at the steering wheel via the rack, I put a temporary earth link to the coupling with the rack and we have a horn! I’ve just changed the steering rack and the car has a new style coupling without the earth strap, the horn worked with the previous rack and I can’t see where this different

Not my mum it’ll be me!!

The connections at the back of the fuse box where the wires connectseem suspect mum also going to check the earth through the steering column to the rack, seems to much of a coincidence when I’ve just changed the rack

The car has one of the new style couplings at the end of the column

Just changed the steering rack!

progress Took the fuse out, put it back and now the flash works…….but no horn! theres 12v at the relay on the purple wire from the fuse, now to check the steering column connections

Thanks Johny, that’s going to need a few coats of thinking about! the next point up the supply should only be the fuse connection itself , unless there’s some wiring mod done over the years

Testing the switch with a meter across brown/red to blue/red or to blue/white shows the switch working fine I’ve just noticed that the permanent 12v to the flash contact via the purple wire drops to zero when the flash is pulled