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Just bought a Triumph GT6.... and I think I need a new head gasket :( (inc. pics!)


HeebieGeebie

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So good news and bad news.

First the good news, shes lives! Got the exhaust on after some manipulation and put everything back together including the freshly cleaned and reassembled carbs. It runs well and starts up straight away, previously it took a while to fire up, so that must be good news. I would like to get a professional to take a look though as i'm not 100% confident in my carb setup. I got them balanced as best i could using a flow meter. I also played around with the idle mixture screws until it idled nicely, but i did notice a bit of black smoke on a couple of occassions, i think it happened when i blipped the throttle. I think i'll also get a pro to check the timing.

Now for the bad news, took it out for a drive on this beautiful evening, met my friend at the pub and took him out in it... and of course it was at this point i had my first break down - in the worst place as well - on an uphill bend on a national speed limit fast country road. First priority was to move to safety, my friend stood on the corner and warned traffic of my presence, 3 very kind people stopped to help push me to a safe place. I wish i could get all their numbers to buy them beer. Turns out i simply blew a fuse, but what caused it to blow i don't know. Seemed to happen on hard acceleration up the hill. It was the top of the 3 fuses (17A continuous / 35A blow)  which services the fuel pump (hence breakdown, i ran out of fuel) and a few other things that i'm yet to determine. I think finding the cause of the blow is going to be a pain.

Anyway thats the latest update from me!


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8 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said:

its unusual for ignition and fuel pumps to have a on a fused circuit 

Pete, I have my Huco supply piggy backed off a green after my fuse box. So what you're saying is piggy back off the white switched live pre fuse box and install an in-line fuse? I have to say it makes sense to isolate the pump fuse. 

Iain 

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The GT6/Spitfire fuse box is not Triumph's greatest design. The upper and lower blades are not one piece as you might think, they only connect via the ends of the fuse.  Because they are not one piece they have little spring in them to grip the fuse, quite often only 3 of the 4 connect, causing all sorts of weird electrical faults, including sparks and blown fuses. 

Many of us have replaced the dodgy fuse box with a modern muli-blade fuse box. There are a number of very good threads on here detailing how it's done.

 

 

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@Pete Lewis sounds like a good idea. In that case my next project might be what you're suggesting @dougbgt6

@Stratton Jimmer thanks! I love the looks of these cars, it's amazing to have one after wanting one for years. Also, thanks for checking your fuses, for the time being hopefully i'll be alright with Halfords 35A glass fuses in that case

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there are differences with some of the glass fuses on sale  the std  is 17 load /35amp blow     there are too many on sale that are just 35 amp load  heck knows what they blow at 

and that can be after the harness has had a melt down    do be carefull    if its only marked 35  then thats it   Ka boom  rules apply 

these fuses often have a flat strip of fusible not the wire fusible 

Pete 

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2 hours ago, Iain T said:

Pete, I have my Huco supply piggy backed off a green after my fuse box. So what you're saying is piggy back off the white switched live pre fuse box and install an in-line fuse? I have to say it makes sense to isolate the pump fuse. 

Iain 

I would piggy-back off before the fuse box; reason being that even with a fuse in the pump circuit the original fuse is still bearing the load of both circuits. Better still to have a dedicated single circuit for the pump, from a good supply, with its' own fuse inserted along the line.

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22 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:

would piggy-back off before the fuse box

OK as its easy I'll change it around. The white cable is from the ignition switch so only live when switched on. The load of the Huco is very low. 

Iain 

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26 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said:

giggling gets abetter response  than Guggling

When I posted the bloomin auto spell 'corrected' to LP Huco pimp! I did edit it after posting..... 

Visions of Frank Zappa Hot Rats with Captain Beef heart....its in the songs words Willie the Pimp. 

So 3" nail it is then! 

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I would agree that the original fuse box is a bit basic and not very user friendly for adding additional electrical items. I have added a supplementary fuse box on the bulkhead which has a live feed off the starter solenoid. This box supplies various ancillary systems (headlamps, Huco fuel pump feed (but also relayed), electric fan/12V sockets and washers) 

Also a fuel inertia cut off switch on the bulkhead behind the battery, which gives some peace of mind in case of an accident. 

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On 04/08/2022 at 18:31, Badwolf said:

I'm ok for 350 amp...What rating for one of these?....

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Al little of subject, I have been to both Kennedy and Johnson space centre, well worth a visit. I was also lucky to witness the last shuttle launch from coco beach in Florida. The immense power of the rockets on the shuttle (same as Saturn 5 Apollo rockets) the noise involved, means that all observers have to be at least 3 miles from the launch site.

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  • 2 weeks later...

The source of my blown fuse was the overdrive wiring, but wasn't sure where abouts so i uncovered the gearbox and overdrive to understand how it's all connected. I have a J-Type overdrive and it's wired up in series without a relay. I've read this is ok due to low current draw of the J-Type solenoid. But one more reason to upgrade my fusebox. I think i've narrowed the problem down to the column switch. I decided i would disconnected the switched live from the column switch and see if the fuse still blew. As soon as i flicked the switch it blew, so now to try and figure out how to fix/replace it.

 

 

 

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That wiring is a little unconventional, and includes a "double bullet" with what looks like two different shades of green wire. Have you established the actual circuit it forms? The connection you've removed in that video is at the solenoid - the very last step in the run if I'm following the video right - so it's not surprising it still blew. All you've actually eliminated as a possibility is a short circuit solenoid, which is rare.

Did you have the gearlever in 3rd/4th when it blew the fuse? I assume yes, because it looks like the inhibitor is between the fuse and the column switch.

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Took me a while to figure out that wiring. Where's the relay gone, given it's a Mk2?? I think the answer is that it's been wired up in the manner of the late MK3 GT6 which used a simple series circuit rather than a relay (even if your colours arew non-standard). That would make sense of a 'double green' since the feed to the reverse light switch is piggybacked of the o.d. circuit.

Do let us know the outcome.

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