Q&A with K&N
Welcome to the Problem Page, kindly supplied by Keith Martin & Nigel Cronk of K & N Classic Cars. Now at last you’ve got the chance to find the answer to that problem that has been driving you mad with your E-type. Don’t hold back, get asking! Email questions to james@e-typeclub.com or post to James Page via the Club office. Where Keith and Nigel are unable to find a solution themselves, they promise to contact specialists in the trade for their opinion and hopefully find the answer to your problem. We can also have an open forum on some of the topics, as you can be sure that someone out there has come across the same problem – and found the answer!
Gear Change Gremlins
To start the ball rolling, we had an interesting problem recently on a Series I, 4.2 Roadster, where the owner was having problems with his gearbox. Starting off from cold, all was well and the gears all selected fairly smoothly, but once caught up in slow-moving traffic, temperatures started to rise and the gear selection became more difficult and very’ notchy’.
Inevitably he would get caught at the front of a queue at some traffic lights and, when they turned green, the gearlever would refuse to engage first gear, with the other gears very stiff.Something had to be done, as the car was no fun to drive: could we help? ‘Knowledgeable’ friends had pointed out that worn selectors in higher-mileage gearboxes could be the cause and thoughts turned to possible five-speed replacements such as the Getrag or Borg Warner T5. However, we were not totally convinced about the fault being inside the gearbox and, although the clutch had been replaced some 15,000 miles previously, it warranted a closer inspection.
Taking the engine and gearbox out of an E-type is not for the faint-hearted as it involves a lot of dismantling and some sturdy lifting gear. However, once out of the car and on the bench, the gearbox and clutch were removed for a closer inspection. The guilty party turned out to be the clutch after all – not particularly worn, but rusty on the splines, causing the clutch plate to stick slightly when getting hot in traffic. This was not noticeable in operating the clutch pedal but created enough drag to keep the gearbox input shaft turning and preventing smooth gear selection.
A new top-quality clutch kit was fitted, ‘sparingly’ lubricated with anti-seize grease on the splines. The result? The E-type is now once again a pleasure to drive with a smooth gearshift – hot or cold. It can be very easy to jump to the wrong conclusions when something goes wrong with the drive-train, so don’t assume the worst- go and seek advice from the specialists.
Starting Woes
“If I haven’t used my car for three weeks or more it is often difficult to start – the engine turns over but doesn’t fire. The battery is only 12 months old and has been tested OK. What can I do to improve starting? “This is quite a common problem with cars not in regular use -more so as the evenings draw in and temperatures drop. Assuming that the engine has been serviced and runs well, the problem can be a gradual drop in battery voltage over the weeks sitting in the garage. Even when everything is switched off, small amounts of current are taken to power the radio memory, clock or burglar alarm system if fitted. This small current draw of only a few milliamps per hour can soon add up when multiplied by 24 hours a day, seven days a week, resulting in a battery no longer at full charge. The solution? Fitting a battery isolation switch is one solution but is not very convenient as alarm systems don’t work and radios have to be reset each time the power is reconnected. The best solution is to fit a battery maintenance charger. These are designed to be left connected to the battery continuously whilst the car is in the garage. The charger monitors the battery condition and cuts the charging rate in and out as required, without overcharging the cells. The difference it makes is remarkable, with a fully-charged battery the engine spins over more readily without dropping the voltage fed to the ignition coil, which is necessary for a good spark and better starting. Highly recommended.
K&N E Q&A: Series I Not stopping & Series I Slow Revver (December 2006)
Series I not stopping…
Q My E-type, a Series 1, 3.8, doesn’t stop very well. I’ve heard that the early braking systems are not as good as later models, but my car’s brakes are poor to say the least! Also the rear brakes smell quite hot. Any ideas?
A We have come across this problem before. Although the car had been back to a local garage several times and had new pads fitted all round, calipers and discs checked and the brake fluid changed, the problem still persisted. The brake pedal was hard and the servo seemed to be working however the car still did not stop well.
The early braking system incorporates a vacuum bellows on the pedal box which operates the tandem brake master cylinders. First check that the pads are the correct type! If so, the trouble almost certainly lies in the upper master cylinder feeding the rear brake calipers.
With age, the operating piston can begin to stick in the bore and not quite fully return when the brake pedal is released. This traps a small amount of residual pressure in the system – enough to hold the rear brakes on slightly, hence the smell of hot brakes when on the road.
As the problem gets worse, the brake pedal feels harder but still travels downward as the effort transfers to the front cylinder, giving quite a good ‘feel’ to the pedal but with very poor braking.
To rectify matters, both master cylinders need to be either overhauled or replaced. The servo bellows then need to be checked to restore full braking efficiency.
Slow Revver
Q I have a Series 1 E-type and the tacho seems to be playing up. The needle lags behind when the engine is revved up, although it appears eventually to reach the correct reading on the dial. Do I need a new tacho generator?
A Since the instrument does eventually reach the correct rpm, the tacho generator is unlikely to be at fault. This would therefore suggest that the tacho possibly has a sticking needle. The cause of the sticking is probably just the needle shaft support bush, behind the dial face.
We have seen this problem on several different models using the same tacho. The finely balanced mechanism of the clocks and instruments can be easily upset, however – with extreme caution – a little light oil applied with the help of a syringe may cure the problem. Due to the delicate nature of the instruments, it may be wiser to send the tacho to a specialist instrument repairer for a full clean and service.
Petrol Tank Puzzle SII, SI Electrical Check (March 2007)
Petrol Tank Problem
Q As part of my rebuild, explains Chris Rooke, I’m asking for help refitting the petrol tank and associated breathing system. Mine being a Series II car there is rather a strange and complex fuel breather arrangement involving a separate small tank (what it does I’ve absolutely no idea!) and numerous pipes going to the petrol tank and to the outside of the car. But what goes where? Needless to say there is no information in the manuals about this as the exploded diagrams only cover Series I cars.”
A The small breather tank was added to the Series II during 1972 to prevent petrol vapours escaping from the fuel tank and causing air pollution. Vapours are collected from three points in the fuel tank into the breather tank, from which the outlet pipe runs forward to the engine, where it is drawn into the crankcase emission control system and burnt.
Changes were also made to the fuel tank so that, when filled, there always remained some reserve capacity to allow the fuel to expand when the car was parked in hot weather, without displacing fuel from the tank onto the road.
From the picture of the fuel and breather tanks you can see the three vent pipes running from the fuel tank to the breather tank, the fourth pipe, which is the outlet from the breather tank runs forward through a grommet hole in the rear bulkhead just in front of the petrol tank and is then piped forward to connect into the crankcase breather control system on the engine. No other breather pipes were fitted to the tank or filler pipe.
The other two pictures show the new tank filler pipe and drain fittings from the earlier tank arrangement where a single large vent pipe runs from the rear of the tank up to the filler neck. There is no provision for this larger vent pipe on the later tanks and the angled pipe stub on the filler neck should be sealed off. The remaining vertical pipe stub is for the water drain pipe for the tank filler recess under the petrol flap and should be connected to a single stub in the rear wing.
Then there was light!
Q We were preparing a Series 1 for an MoT test recently and the electrical check showed that the headlamp main beam warning lamp in the speedo was not working and would have failed the test.
A Just change the bulb and we would be ready..? – But no! After detaching the trim panel and removing the bulb holder, both the bulb and the earth connection checked out OK, but the warning jewel in the speedo face remained unlit.
The speedo was removed, a fiddly job at the best of times, and the instrument stripped out of its casing for a closer inspection. The culprit turned out to be the rubber lamp shield which confines the light to the back of the jewel. It had completely degraded over the years and heat from the bulb had turned it to a sticky black blob of rubber that had totally blocked off the light source to the jewel! A new rubber shield was fitted and the light was visible once more.