Workshop Q&A Helpdesk
Steve Rothwell answers more of your technical questions, ranging from Ford gear trouble to a sluggish Austin Gipsy.
Our helpful Q&A hotline may be able to solve your classic-related problems, so email us at classics.ed@kelsey.co.uk and we’ll do our best to help.
FORD CORTINA GEAR TROUBLE
Q I have a 1964 Ford Cortina Mk1 1200, and I am having problems with gear selection. The gearbox itself is not making any noises, and after checking the oil I do not believe that the problem is related to the gears or bearings. The problem I have is that sometimes the gear lever jams and I cannot select any gears. Also, when labouring up a slight incline, the gear lever will vibrate and shake about far more than it used to. This is especially noticeable in third gear, but occurs slightly in all positions. Is there an easy remedy that you can suggest? Ray Birtley A There is a quick check you can carry out which will, I suspect, show you where the wear is that is causing the problem. First, place the gear lever in neutral and remove the top gaiter to access the gearbox. Next, remove the gear lever retaining cup and lift out the gear lever. If you now look into the gearbox and examine the ends of the selector forks, you may see wear which is allowing the gear lever to rattle about. When this wear is bad, the lever can slip between the forks, resulting in the loss of gears.
The selector forks are, though, very hard steel and the gear lever is made of a softer material, so the wear is often confined to the base of the gear lever. If this is the case, then the worn area of the gear lever can be built up using weld, or if a suitable replacement can be found then this should remedy the problem. If the wear is extensive within the selector forks, it will I am afraid be a gearbox rebuild that is required, but I suspect that attention to the gear lever itself will certainly help the situation.
HILLMAN AVENGER TAPPET ADJUSTMENT
Q I have a 1974 Hillman Avenger 1500 and I have recently tried adjusting the tappets, but although the engine is quieter, I am not sure it is as good as it could be. I have used the rule of nine when making the adjustment, but now have been told that this is not the way to do it on this engine. I find this slightly confusing, as I thought the rule of nine applied to all four- cylinder engines. Also, could you confirm the settings I have used of 0.20- 0.40mm are correct? Ian Ellis
A The adjustments to the valve clearances are indeed made slightly differently on the 1500 Avenger engine, and the method used is slightly easier because it involves less turning of the engine. With number one cylinder on the compression stroke at TDC, the valves of number four cylinder should be adjusted. Consequently with number three cylinder on the compression stroke and at TDC, the valve clearances on number two cylinder should be adjusted. The cylinders four and two are then in turn put at TDC to adjust the valves on cylinders one and three.
The settings I have for the Avenger (still in old money) are 0.008in-0.016in, which should convert to the metric settings you have of 0.20-0.40mm.
AUSTIN GIPSY PERFORMANCE
Q I hope you can help. My son bought me a subscription to your mag, so here goes with a first question. I have an old 1964 SWB Austin Gipsy in the garage (roadworthy) with a 2.2 BMC petrol engine. As much as I love this old truck, its performance is lacking for today’s driving with a top speed of 45mph.
Is there an easy mod you can do to slightly improve this? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to go 100mph, just to feel a bit safer in traffic. Years ago you could skim the head and put different carbs etc on cars to increase performance, but it is not so easy today. A. J. Wilson A The specifications I have give the top speed of the Gipsy at around 65mph, and with your vehicle only reaching 45mph the problems may be due to wear in the engine. You mention that one of the options in earlier years was to have the head skimmed, and this is really still true today. Many engineering shops can skim a cylinder head, and this work would normally be carried out in conjunction with a general head overhaul – basically checking valve guides and re-cutting the valve seats.
A quick compression test before removing the head would be of great help in pinpointing any problem areas. If any of the cylinders are low on compression, then running a few drops of oil into the combustion chamber and repeating the compression test will tell you quite a lot – if the compression rises considerably, then your problem is likely to be down to bore wear as the oil is temporarily helping the piston rings to seal. However, if the oil makes little or no difference, then the problem is more likely to be related to the head, such as a leaking head gasket or worn valve seats. From the data I have, the engine should have a compression ratio of 6.8:1, and so you should see a reading of around 100psi from all four cylinders. If one or more of them is down on compression, then by restoring this you should also be able to restore the original power output of the engine and hence the speed achievable.
Another option aside from the head itself may be to overhaul the Zenith carburettor. The parts for this are still available from Burlen.
So to summarise, unfortunately there is not one easy mod, but a few things are possible that may help to restore some of the original performance to your vehicle.
FORD XR2 SUMP GASKET TROUBLE
Q I have a 1987 Ford XR2 with the 1.6 CVH engine fitted. As these vehicles did suffer with oil strainer blockage, I have got into the habit of dropping the sump and properly cleaning the oil strainer at every third oil change. Due to the mileage I cover, I do only change the oil every 12 months. When carrying out this task in the past I have encountered problems ensuring the gasket is properly positioned, and as I do wish to remove the sump at regular intervals, I am loathe to use a sealing agent to glue the gasket into position. Do you have any tips on making this task easier? Gordon Plummer
A The original gaskets for the 1.6 CVH were very awkward, being in four pieces and needing to be fitted together. Thankfully the later version now available is a one piece gasket and this is much easier to handle. Even so, the long way is the easiest way and this is to remove the starter motor and the end plate, and to also slacken off and lift the alternator out of the way. These small actions make the sump much easier to fit in place without having to attempt any awkward manoeuvres when offering it up. Then I would use a single strand of wire taken from a multistrand section. This fine wire can be used like cotton to thread through the holes of the gasket and the sump, holding it into place. The very fine wire will not affect the seal of the gasket, and unlike glue it will not need a great deal of attention when you next remove the sump.
MGB KINGPIN QUESTION
Q I have a 1965 MGB and I am about to tackle the job of replacing the king pins. I have found a local garage who can press the bushes into the stub axles and ream them out for me, but I was unsure if there is anything else I should consider before tackling the job? Stewart Davies
A The kingpin replacement is a job which is quite easily carried out, the exception being the point you have covered in that the bushes need to be pressed in and reamed out to correctly accommodate the new kingpins. The basic steps of the job are as follows:
First, jack up the front of the vehicle and support it on axle stands, then remove the front wheels. Then remove the brake calipers and support them to one side, ensuring that the flexible brake hoses are not left under stress.
Next, remove the hub centre caps to expose the hub nut and, after removing the locking pin, remove the hub nut, then slide the hub assembly off the shaft. When doing this, ensure that the bearings are all contained, and also that the rear spacer does not fall to the ground and get lost. Place the hub and disc assembly safely to one side. You can now remove the brake dust shield and then disconnect the steering arm.
Now support the lower wishbone on a jack to take the pressure of the spring, and then undo the top trunnion bolt. Once the top trunnion is removed, the jack can be slowly lowered to release the pressure on the spring. Once the pressure is released, the lower trunnion can be removed.
The removed assembly can then be taken along to the garage where you have arranged for the fitting of the new kingpins and bushes. Do remember that when refitting everything to your car, you will need to shim the top trunnion to adjust out any free play. You should also ensure that the new kingpins are well greased.
MORRIS MINOR FUEL TROUBLE
Q I have a problem with my Morris Minor which is not only concerning, but rather baffling. I recently removed my distributor to give it a good clean, and petrol dripped from the vacuum advance/ retard mechanism. This was a significant drop of fuel, and I am concerned that the fuel will damage the advance/retard diaphragm. The vacuum pipe from the carburettor is correctly positioned and has not been altered or adjusted. Also, as the pipe is subject to a vacuum, I cannot see how the fuel would enter the pipe as anything which did come close to the pipe would surely be drawn out by the vacuum. Is there anything I could do to prevent this from occurring? John Ballantyre
A The petrol will, as you suspect, not be good for the diaphragm and its presence there can also cause a small explosion in the distributor – I have seen this happen when the petrol vapour seeps into the distributor and is ignited by a small spark from the contact points.
The petrol finds its way into the tube and down into the advance/ retard mechanism when the engine is first stopped after a short run – petrol will condense in the carburettor, and the vapour turns back into liquid which can gather around the vacuum tube. The vacuum remaining in the advance/retard system then draws the fuel down into the distributor. This is something which is more likely to occur on vehicles which are commonly only used for short runs. Some systems, including the Rover Montego, fitted a small plastic box in the vacuum pipe to prevent this from occurring, and it is possible that if you can find one and fit it into the system, this may help. Alternatively, extending the vacuum pipe and routing it to rise above the carburettor before going down to attach to the distributor may also prevent this from occurring.