dandan62

One just came on the robin hood kitcars Facebook group. I'm not saying it's any good though! It's at least correctly registered as far as I can see.

Hi. My old pinto didn't have an existing outlet from the filler and there is no oil being breathed from it so I'm only venting the crankcase to a catch tank. If you do this don't forget to remove the existing one way valve from the old crankcase breather. I know many people vent their filler too though.

Welcome to our club. If it's any help I have the original build manual to get you started. Quite a few mods will be needed to pass the iva but there will be people on here who have done the same so it is all possible. Lots of luck. full build manual.pdf

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I'm sure somebody much more expert than me will be along soon but a fully charged battery should read a bit more than 12.5 v I think. I know that if it reads 12v it's at the end of its life probably. Personally I would make sure both your terminals are clean and tight. Check the earth connections are clean and tight on chassis and engine. Then give the battery a full charge and see how you go. Good luck. 

Solved! I thought I had cleaned all the jets. I missed the secondary idle jet. A good clean and all is good! Thanks everyone for the ideas. 

Misfire is back! So having cured itself its back again. Same as before as in running very rough and won't idle. To recap, all ignition parts replaced. Cleaned main jets, air correction jets, idle jet. Checked floats and needle valve. 

Had recently had head off to valve lap and replace oil seals. Car ran very well after that. 

Had just filled up with fuel. Usual BP garage, usual fuel. 

Timing is good. Tried what I did before and twisted the dizzy. No backfire this time. 

Any ideas? 

Just pulled this pic off Google. I think it shows the correct way round of doors. There are a few pics of doors at jaunty angles so obviously a few people have had issues too. 

Part of the long story I missed out was I swapped out all ignition components from my store. It is strange that a tiny turn of the dizzy caused the backfire. The timing was returned to the marked spot at 9 degs. Maybe it was coincidence. Thanks for your input. 

Cutting a long story short.  I had the cylinder head off to replace stem seals and lap.  All back together and the car ran like a dream.  No more smoke and smooth running.  Did about 20 miles.  Filled up with fuel and she began to run rough.   Good on throttle with occational mis but no idle at all and lots of popping on the overrun.    Suspected fuel issue.  Cleaned jets,checked float etc. Still no idle.  Although timing had been checked I decided to give the dizzy a little turn while it was running and I was holding the throttle open.  Huge backfire through the carb ( a reminder to everybody to always keep your face away from the top of an open carb!!)  Hey presto..problem solved.  I would love to know what anybody thinks it was.  Could it have been a sticky valve after my work on them?  Just glad it is all fine now.

Hi. I can clear up one issue I think. 1987 refers to when the donor car was first registered not the Exmo you have. I believe this is normal practice. I don't have an Exmo so I can't help with anything else. Hope you get it sorted and have fun. 

Just my humble opinion but would the supercharged one come under your scary quick reference in your opening intro? It would definitely be fun but I can imagine it being a bit wearing on a road trip and possibly tricky in the wet? Maybe I'm sounding old

I second that advice. You could spend half your budget and get a really well sorted 2b or a Zero and keep the rest of the budget for upgrades down the line on custom bits for comfort or unexpected costs which there are likely to be. 

As a footnote my S7 cost £2.5k 6 years ago. £1k spent on bits and pieces and lots of time fettling. That's the bit I enjoy! Not a racer but a comfy runabout. Did 200 miles in a day last week with no aches and pains. Good seats should be top of your list it sounds. And a good driving position although to a certain extent that can be adjusted. Good luck. 

Welcome. How convinced are you that it is actually overheating and not just a mismatched sensor and gauge? Just a thought.... 

That's a very useful tip for any future issues. Many thanks. 

Sorted, I think! A whiff of smoke is always a good clue. Spotted a tiny whiff on the latest test when it went. Coming through the gear lever gaitor. Took it apart to find a wire had rubbed through. Still puzzled though. The wire comes from a plug on the gearbox just under the lever. I presume it must be the reverse switch? It explained why the fuse only blows on a run. Changing gear moved the wire. However! What is the connection between that circuit and the indicators? 

Thanks. Blows using either side so definitely somewhere common to both circuits. Have checked back of fuse box. Also as soon as it blows I have tried hazards which work fine as they are on a separate fuse. Tried driving with hazards on and they don't blow. Tricky one! 

My indicators are regularly blowing its fuse. Sitting on the drive with engine off they work happily. I've tried leaving each side on for 30 mins with no problem. While sitting there I have gone round every connection and wire in the loom pulling, twisting, jiggling in case it is a short only provoked while on the move. Nothing. A short drive with a few uses of the indicators and it blows. Fitted new front indicators a while ago and they have worked fine for a few months. Checked all new connections. No sign of any shorts. Even unplugged them leaving just wing repeaters and rears working. Still blowing. Even changed relay. Tried higher rated fuse. 20amp instead of 10amp. Tested amps drawn at fuse. Max 4amps.

Logic says it must be a short. Any others ideas? 

Hi. Welcome to the club. I have the original S7 full build manual. Nor sure if it fully covers the S3a but it makes interesting reading and may help to identify the parts. I hope it attaches OK . If not I'll send to your email. 

full_build_manual.pdf

Thanks chaps. I think I have all the very useful info to mull over now. 

I think I'll get rid of it and put a simple valve in. At least if I set the valve completely open and I still get weak rear brakes I'll know its a rear brake issue. I may just be expecting too much from the Sierra drums. To be honest the car stops well but I would prefer not to lock up the front so easily. Or maybe they just all do that in a light car. 

That's useful info. From memory the pipe from the servo enters at the lower end. The rear pipe from higher end. It's mounted at about 45degs on the engine bay firewall, so side to side if that makes sense. Being an inertia type it sounds like it should be front to back? 

Yes it's at an angle. They don't seem expensive so I may just go for it. Good thought though. 

Hi. I have a standard Sierra brake setup on my S7. Disks front, drums back. It has always bothered me that it seems too easy to lock up the fronts when braking hard. The system has the old standard proportion valve between front and back. It has just passed its mot but he always mentions that the rears are borderline pass even though everything has been replaced with new drums, shoes and cylinders. Would fitting an adjustable proportion valve be sensible? Any disadvantages? 

David 

On mine which is Sierra based furthest away is full beam. Maybe yours needs a wire swap somewhere? 

Just replaced mine on my S7. It is mounted behind the steering wheel top right on bulkhead. Quite well hidden!