Roger

According to the supplier they have these wonderful characteristics: The latest design of needle valves, Grose-Jets, with their modern technology don't stick open like the old needle and valve units. Two ball bearings replace the original pointed tipped device and as they constantly rotate are not prone to wearing out , becoming blocked or sticking.

I appreciate if you could elaborate on this. Any links? What did they complain about?

Thanks Johny, I'm well aware of those dreaded rubber slivers and other particles that can cause flooding. At work we have clean rooms according to ISO class 7, I can assure that they are as clean as they can get inside. They are spotless inside, and I don't find any slivers or particles either when taking them apart. That's why I suspect that either the jets are leaking or the floats are leaking.

Flooding Strombergs must be one of the most common topic on this and other Triumph forums. I have lost count of how many times it has happened to myself despite doing everything "by the book". I know Strombergs can be very reliable and efficient carbs once assembled and adjusted properly. Getting there is the challenge... It seems like the moon and the stars has to align, and the wind must blow in the right direction when you assemble them. If not they will flood. I must have poor feng shui in my garage, they are flooding again. These jets are sold as an upgrade. Looks good to me. Has anyone here tried them?

I did ask Chris Witor. He did not reply, but this forum never fails to deliver. Thanks

Got this from CW. Can't find and "this side up" and each side looks different. Any suggestions?

Some engine porn for you here. My local engine builder found that the head was warped quite a lot. Not anymore. New valves etc. It was not as expensive as I though, well worth the money imo. Might be driving out and about on Monday with a bit of luck... I also found that the washer under the nuts was not the thicker hardened ones. The head came off almost too easy...

Thanks @Pete Lewis Very useful information! Only for Mk II models, so I had to check the numers on the cylinder head from my Mk II PI engine and it seems like it has the original CH stamped 218225. I also have a very rusty and seized 2000 Mk II engine from a Saloon. One day I will have a Mk II engine in my Vitesse and get rid of those pivot clamps for inlet/exhaust, I don't like them. This engine was supposed to be a "quick fix, use as is". I never learn... I have ordered parts from CW. It took a while for him to figure out PP and which carrier to use for The Aaland Island, but parts are on the way now. Just a few weeks of transport, the usual customs bureaucracy ordeal and then I put it together again. Plenty of time to clean the surfaces.

My cylinder head from early 1966 Vitesse HC engine seems to be identical with the one I have on the MB engine I have from a 2000 Mk I. Just out of interest: Are the stamped numbers serial numbers unique for each item, or some kind of batch number? (515440 from blue HC engine & 514271 from black MB engine)

I will of course have to order a new head gasket, valves, bolst & nuts etc. I know there is plenty of information about head gaskets on forums, but the ones that people used to recommend seems to have been discontinued or the supplier have new owners / management with detrimental impact on quality. Is this a good choice? https://www.chriswitor.com/proddetail.php?prod=207102AF

Boat trip cancelled due to rain. Lots of it. No cracks found so far (thank God) but only a quick check done. Will clean and remove valves and look closer.

Thanks, good explanation. No, there was a pool of oil near no 6, but it is difficult to see on the film. I actually had to turn off the engine because oil started to flow from the pool down on the clutch and I was worried that it would reach the clutch. I will remove head next week, now out with my boat for some mindfulness and contemplating time...

Yes, cant see anything suspisious. I will take the head of next week. I need a break from this car, I will play with my boat in the weekend instead, going out to one of the smaller islands and breath... There are more than 6500 islands in our archipelago so I can easily find one where I can be alone for a while. IMG_7099.mp4

Yes, I think that will be the next move... I wish this was mine 🙂 From fb

Not sure what you mean with this comment. I assume something could be wrong with the valves, but it is a mystery for me how valves could be stuck, worn or burned and I still have very good results on my compression tests, also on a warm engine.

I'm sure your right Pete but this comes and goes, so I just want to look at all possible causes before removing the cylinder head. The oil on the valve could also (at least some of it) come from the carbs, I filled them up, a bit more than needed.

Now it spits out fuel again. Right in my face while filming 🙄 IMG_7098.mp4

Same here. The Huco is ticking for a few seconds when starting from cold. It does not have to work a lot after it conked, just one or two "ticking". Good idea to look in to the carbs. I had a Volvo 240 with strombergs with similar symptoms and it was a hole in the diaphragm. I did check for holes when cleaning the carbs, but maybe they leak some other way, I don't know

It does (barely) start again (most of the times I try) but it runs really rough and dies again.

Yes, it is mounted according to picture. I know the pressure regulator is a bit overkill since the huco only deliver low pressure, but it makes the flow more even (at least thats how it looks when I fill the bottle). Regarding heat, I could also mention that our wonderful scandinavian climate helps a lot in that case. It is 18 degrees C outdoors, about 65 F I think. This island is a lot cooler than Rhodes.

No, that seems to have been cured (valve not closing properly then maybe). This is how it sounds just before it dies. It runs for 10minutes, won't rev, looses power and finally dies. This drives me nuts. IMG_7096.mp4

No, I actually have a Huco pump. I replaced all hoses and after that I disconnected the hose to the carbs and pumped out almost one liter of petrol just to make sure I removed any rubber slivers that might be in the pipes. It did not take long for the pump to fill the bottle, it looks to me like the flow is ok. No vacuum in the tank, I'm sure air can enter the tank.

Backfiring is gone now, see post above.

Thanks for all your comments, it helps a lot to get feedback. As mentioned above, it seems unlikely that the engine would stop completely if only one cylinder is the problem. It should continue to run on five cylinders. Or even four. Your comments made me think of fuel starvation, I have to check that again. The backfiring is gone! The valve clearence was under spec on some valves, so maybe they did not close properly when warm, but I fixed that by increasing the clearance.

Definitely not anti freeze since I have 100% water in the cooling system for now. It looked and smelled like engine oil. No misfiring or smoke from exhaust. I have had the carbs apart so many times now that I can clean them, and assemble them blindfolded in ten minutes... I also suspected those rubber slivers (i have changed all hoses) so I have flushed the pipes and hoses with clean petrol. If it where carbs then I guess it would run roughly also as cold not only a problem when warm? But it runs ok as long as it is cold.