Klunk

Hi Rick , You shouldn't need any sealant if using a standard gasket. However, some people put some around the water outlet part of the gasket as a double measure (1mm bead both sides of gasket before fitting). After the old sealant has been removed, if there is any pitting/corrosion between the water outlet and the nearest cylinder inlet then it would be probably wise to use a very small amount. Just make sure the mating surface are clean and oil free before applying the sealant. If the staining is on the paintwork underneath the filters, it's possible that this is just due to fuel "stand off" (fuel/air being forced back through the carbs) which occurs at a certain RPM on any DCOE set up. You can "tune" it's position in the rev range by using different camshafts/cam timing but you can't eliminate it. It's possible that your "stand off" occurs when you are at a common speed, e.g. 60mph, hence you have a high degree of stand off. How much brown liquid is in the air filter casing and on the filter?. Is there brown liquid in the air hole above the left trumpet (as you look at front of the carb? Of course, there could just be a leak from the carb gaskets/unions etc. I would put it all back together and see what's happening with the fuel pump running on its own and then with the engine running. If these checks are clear then I'd be back with fuel "stand off". If you take the filters off and raise the revs slowly you should be able to see at what rpm it occurs. HTH, Regards, Giles Edited by - Klunk on 9 Feb 2011 17:17:08

Hi BOSS , Yes please - could you blatmail me your number so we can sort out the details. Regards, Giles

Loosen off/remove the clutch cable and make sure you can move the clutch release arm back disengaging the CRB from the clutch cover plate "fingers". If it can't be disengaged then I think Guy is right. If it's free to disengage then I suspect it's a bedding issue or a problem with the clutch. HTH, Regards, Giles

Hi , It should be obvious when you have the cam cover off. I seem to remember,from my Corsa days the tensioner is somewhere near the crank pully. If it's a plastic tensioning wheel, I would change it as a matter of course. Quite often they come in the cambelt kit anyway. Check the water pump for play while your at it. HTH, Regards, Giles

Oh bu@@er! ☹️sorry to hear that. As it was running (albeit badly) hopefully there's no major piston/valve damage. Should get a good idea of how much damage there is by lining up the timing marks - hopefully not more than a tooth or so. All the best, Giles

Just had a look at these faults in my Autodata software used by mechanics. P1381 - Camshaft position (CMP) actuator - timing over advanced. Check - Wiring, Timing belt, CMP actuator Not got a P1518 but P1516 looks like it might be the same. P1516 - Intake manifold air control solenoid bank 1 - input error Check - Wiring, Inlet manifold air control solenoid, ECM (engine control module) P1132 - Heated Oxygen Sensor (HO2S) - not switching fuel trim (FT) - rich mixture Check - Intake/fuel system, injectors, HO2S, MAF (mass air flow) sensor, ECT (engine coolant temperature) sensor After checking for loose wiring/connectors, I would still check the CMP actuator first as the incorrect valve timing will alter the air/fuel mixture and hence give a false oxygen sensor reading. It's unlikely to be the timing belt unless you over revved it on downshift and the belt jumped a tooth. After that I would check the inlet manifold air control solenoid as this controls the variable intake tract. This too will alter the air/fuel ratio. Hope that's of some use Regards, Giles Edited by - Klunk on 30 Dec 2010 21:21:11

Hi Dignity , The variable cam timing on the ST170 is altered by oil flowing into the inlet pulley mechanism which changes the cam timing. I believe the oil flow is controlled by a solenoid switched by the ECU. My money would be on the solenoid being faulty which should be a relatively easy fix. Do you have the specific fault code from the RAC guy? normally "P" then a series of numbers. Regards, Giles Edited by - Klunk on 30 Dec 2010 14:34:06

Hi Richard The indicator and hazard relays are separate. It does sound like you could have an earthing problem. Does the O/S indicator work okay? To check the earth can you run a temporary earth from the bulb to the battery. If it works like this then I would assume your earth is poor. Can you identify which relay is 'growling' Regards, Giles

Chris, Now you should have mail Giles

Chris YHM. Regards, Giles

Hi Chris, I would like to take the other rad please but I'd just like to make sure it's the model I'm thinking of. Could you send me your number and I'll give you a call. Regards, Giles Edited by - Klunk on 21 Nov 2010 11:20:56

Hey up Dave, not having second thoughts about the x/flow 🤔 😳 😬 Giles

Rob, Forgot to mention you will need a suitable liquid gasket to put between the cam box and the cylinder head. "Wellseal" is the one I used to use. As far as the wheels go, I have just done a search for "barnby" in Techtalk and there's quite a lot of info regarding wheel width and tyre size. Sadly I'm not in that league yet 😬 Regards, Giles

Hi Rob , You can buy a tool which depresses all the cam followers at once and allows you to take the cam out and hence not remove the head bolts. Last time I looked these were very expensive for a one off job but it's all relative when you consider the price of gaskets, head bolts & time. If you do remove the head bolts you must replace the head gasket. If you don't, the new stretch bolts will not torque correctly and you run the risk of a poor seal and , worse, shearing one off in the block. I've heard of people who've done it but it's not a risk I'd take. Once you've undone the headbolts it's very quick just to remove the head, clean up the surfaces and change the gasket. I realise your trying to avoid removing other parts but you could take the opportunity to re lap the valves etc. The choice is yours Regards, Giles Edited by - Klunk on 11 Nov 2010 09:45:42

Hi Slippers , I have a small denso alternator (from a daihatsu charade) and made a bracket out of 2" angle. It is mounted vertically on the front two bolt holes above the oil filter (although mine is a Silvertop, I think these two holes are in the same position) and holds both the alternator and the original tensioning arm on the same bracket. I made mine with an angle grider and so far it has done a couple of thousand miles with no ill affects. As you have acces to millers I'm sure you could do a more professional job in alloy. If you want more info/pictures, give me a shout. I would stick with the small denso alternator unless you really need more power. Regards, Giles

Rog, I'll have to vouch for Nick on this one as I know both the person and the car 😬 Regards, Giles

Nev, Has sent you a few photos. Regards, Giles

Nev, What age is your car? I have an '88 car and I have a hoop which is made of round bar and angled back so that it clears the low point on the casing. It was like this when it had a crossflow. I can take a picture tomorrow and send it to you if it's any use? On a previous car I had a hoop missing and spoke to Bruce about putting it back. He said that when they were developing the later chassis, they discovered it makes virtually no difference to the stiffness and the later chassis has smaller tubes around the gearbox/tunnel area. That said, cutting out the tube wouldn't be my first option! I would put a spacer between the gearbox mount and the chassis if it doesn't raise the gearlever position too much. Regards, Giles

Hi Nev , From memory, the top two which go into the block are M10 x 1.5 (std metric) and I think 45mm is the length I used. The other 4 which go into the bellhousing were the same thread on mine (only a bit shorter), but I guess it depends on the type and age of the bellhousing. Mine was the standard sierra boat anchor. Regards, Giles

Anybody ungraded their steering rack to widetrack and no longer need the standard track tie rods? Regards, Giles

Has the cable outer sleeve come out of the bracket under the carbs (assuming you have this)? This will keep your butterfly open enough for the engine to race up the revs when on idle but will appear okay when running. Regards, Giles

Hi Chris , If I were you, I would keep the engine unless you already have an alternative. There are many ways to lose bhp. For instance: Softer cams (more torque low down/less bhp high up the rev range) Standard head (poorer flow at higher revs) Swing the cam timing Restrict the air flow to the throttle bodies (sock filters are very good at this ) Rev limiter Retard ignition. If the bottom end is balanced then that's one of the bits worth keeping. I don't know the regs but there is more than one way to skin a cat for a lot less money than you would think. Regards, Giles Edited by - Klunk on 30 Jun 2010 21:26:11

Hi Simon , I have used the seal kit from Bearingkits with no problems. The pinion seal is the same as the Ford one. The caterham one is upside down in the photo and I've just checked an old one in the garage and it looks the same. The flange seals are slightly shallower than the Ford ones but I have had no issues. Just fabricated a tool with a step in it to set the depth of the seal. Do this before you remove the existing seal and the new seal is guaranteed to be in the right position. Have used Bearingkits several times and always had good service/advice - HTH. Regards, Giles

Trouble is, being blokes, we are programmed to go for the most complicated solution and often put the simplest solution last. Take navigation, how many blokes stop to ask someone for directions despite it being screamed at us by our significant others 😬 All the best, Giles

Looks like my last posting was too slow Glad your sorted. From bitter experience it's normally what you did last that's causes the problem 😬. Giles