New 7 owner in S'consin

[rdhunt1]

sheesh, been years since i have posted!!  Time flies.  This winter the head on the 7 came off again.   I started to notice a significant amount of oil in the catch can even after short drives. Catch can is from a baffled breather in the valve cover.  Did a compression test and it wasn't conclusive. 210,195,200,205 psi.   Did a leakdown, and that surely was. Had 65% and 85% on the front two cylinders.  Rear two, only about 15% to 20%.  Pulled the head, pulled the front piston and the top ring fell off in two pieces.  Same with the second piston.   3 and 4 were still ok but had extreme ring endgap.  top was .027" and second was .034".  Bores were thankfully still excellent. New .090" over 1300 hepolites ordered.  Set the ring gap as recommended...to .014"top and .017" second.  Also CC'd the bowl once reinstalled in the bore.   Measured a very repeatable 40.2cc.   Having had good luck with the previous AJUSA headgasket, i got another.  Measured 1.36mm before compression and my used was less than 1mm after being removed so I guessed that compressed target was 1mm, thus resulting in a 10.4 static compression ratio.  Quick ball hone cleanup to pull the glaze and reassembled.  Performance difference is significant. Should have measured the piston volume of the old before I removed them. Hard to believe that only ring gap and leakdown were soooo detrimental.  Leakdown after about 1000 miles is between 10 and 12% on all cylinders, about as low as my gauge can measure. 

 

what else....Alternator finally gave up.  I think it was iamscotticus that said he is running an early ford fiesta.   If it was, thanks for that!  Now I am too. Easy to get and only $100 bucks. And, to protect it I wrapped the header.

 

most interesting improvement....  earlier this year I tapped and plugged the choke (enrichment circuit) holes in the carbs.  rebalanced the carbs, reset the idle mixture. not much difference.  I noticed I was still getting drool from the choke lever cover.  I made some brass blanks to replace the starter jets (yes, i know you can buy a kit!!)  I installed them and noticed something very interesting.  Plugs immediately started coloring identical.  forward most bores on each carb have always colored a bit darker. AND,  I have always had an odd stumble just off idle that I have attributed to incorrect accelerator pump settings.  It has almost completely gone away! wonderful drivability improvement! rebalanced the carbs and idle mixture just to make sure and they were not far off.  Now I am going to make the plunger blanks that come in the kit to see if anything else happens. 

 

I am now severely tire limited as it will light em pretty much at will in first and second with no clutch. Older Toyo all seasons that need to get replaced with cute stuff. Also breaking loose in corners in third...which is usually WAY too fast for me to want the back coming around!! Also really need to build the T9 in the basement, I need that overdrive!

 

Began learning how to polish.  UGH, its just filthy, and so far... impossible to make perfect. But better than it was. 

 

 

[IamScotticus]

Very clean. Isn't that extinguisher irritating being under your arm? Is the crash bar coming back?

Could you try zip-tie the choke levers down to rule any movement and LUK if any improvement?

Wheredid you get the Hepolites and HGasket from?

Edited July 17 by IamScotticus

[rdhunt1]

Heh heh, that extinguisher!    Doesn't bother my arm at all, but I swear, the extinguisher actively reaches out and grabs the right shoulder belt every. single. TIME!   it is never NOT caught up in it somehow, and the risk of just yanking it free...i know full well one day i'm gunna set it off!   At least its pointed away from my head!

 

Crash bar...Nah.  I like it all low profile.   If something bad enough happens that I need it...then I guess it's my time.

 

Both the hepolites and headgasket came from Burtons.   

 

IF... this diagram of the choke circuit is correct then the plungers should be rendered non-op by both the dummy starter jets (that are just solid brass with identical dims to the real jets) and the outlet holes plugged by allen set screws. At the same time, how do the dummy jets make such a significant diff when the outlets are plugged solid.  Doesn't make sense to me, but the diff is night and day. 

 

[SENC]

17 hours ago, rdhunt1 said:

how do the dummy jets make such a significant diff when the outlets are plugged solid.  Doesn't make sense to me, but the diff is night and day. 

It suggests that your original setup, in at least one carb, was leaking - a very common complaint, thus the kit - and you've stopped that leak and improved performance.  An alternative to the kit frequently used is to "lock" the choke mechanism, easily done with a small piece of coat hanger sized wire with a 90° bend inserted into the choke lever on the carb and the other end locked into the choke cable clamp on the carb.  This method assumes the internal bits all fit seat properly and just ensured they remain closed, and is what I've done on mine.  Unless you're in, and using the car, in really cold climates, the cold start mechanism is rarely needed.  Two quick accel pedal pumps then a slow, halfway depress and hold while starting are all I've ever needed for the engine to catch.