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engine swap issues

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Salyers890

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OK guys, you may remember i put a rebuilt 1275 where my 1500 was. let me know if you can help me out here -
a few issues

1. The rebuilt engine seems to be tight, in other words the starter cranks it only once, then i hvae to let off power, then it'll do it again. the whole drivetrain is assembled and i put it in fourth and used the wheel to turn the motor over and it's a little tough. i did prime the oil pump but i'm afraid that unless it pumps fast enough, i won't get any oil to where it needs to be, any ideas?

2. coil is on the pedal box, would i be better off relocating it closer to the distributor, or using a donor coil wire that's long enough (easier rout).

3. I wanted to do the bosch or delco alternator conversion, but went on a goose chase for it yesterday to no avail. anyone have exact specs on the unit/s i'm looking for? and would a one wire conversion be better, or should i maintain the original plug?

4. thermostat housing is painted, as is the head. should i take it down to bare metal or can i gasket over the painted surface for the thermostat housing (heater valve same question).

5. i'm a little confused where things go, i've got boxes of parts - anyone got pictures of their 1275 engine bay?


I know this is a loaded post, but once again i'm a bit overwhelmed

thanks,

mike
 
Be careful with that new engine.

I am no expert on these matters, but I would take the spark plugs out and squirt some oil into each cylinder, then try turning the engine by hand. With no compression, it should turn without too much resistance.

I would not try to start the engine until everything was checked out. In my own experience, I let my car sit for eight years. After all the proper fluid changes and squirting oil into each cylinder, I started it up. NO OIL PRESSURE. The oil pump must have lost prime. Squirted several ounces of oil under pressure into the oil sending unit on the block. Started the motor and had good oil pressure.

Do you have one of the manuals for the Midget? There should be diagrams of the engine compartment. I may have a few photos I can send you. New to this forum, so not sure how to contact you via e-mail. You can reach me at jchapman@terminix.com.

Good luck.
 
I put oil in each plug hole, along with the banjo bolt hole for the pump, the engine does turn, but it's difficult. I will put some more oil down the piston chambers tomorrow to let it soak, but in the meantime, since the starter won't crank it fast enough to start, would push-starting be an option? that's one way to really crank that engine, although i don't like the sounds of having to push-start a new engine. i have the haynes manual, but i think looking at a few 'real pictures' would give me a better point of reference.

I'm busy until thursday so i won't have any time to work on it until then, but i'm hoping to have the whole thing put back together thursday - maybe on the road if these few issues are addressed. more suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated.

thanks in advance,
Mike
 
Hi,
if the starter is not turning it over fast enough, is it possible the starter is going bad? Maybe a weak battery?
mine seemed to turn over sluggish at first till i cleaned and rechecked all electrical connection on the solenoid and starter and grounds.

paint on gasket surfaces is not recommended.

alternator upgrades are fairly ez to find on the web, this is for a spit but the idea is the same https://www.davisengineering.net/spitaltupgrade.html


got my finger crossed for you


mark
 
Just one, if the front nut on the crank has been over tightened it will put a lot of stress on all the rods causing what seems to be a tight engine when in fact if it does start it won't be for long. I know it's difficult to torque, not many have that big of a socket laying around the house. If all else fails before you try to start it again, try and loosen the nut a turn or so and see what happens. Easy enough to tighten it back up. Wayne
 
stupid me - bad connection to starter causing problem - fixed that and the engine went "run run run run run" i stopped there until i can get the cooling sys and fuel sys in check any comments on my other issues?
 
Just a couple of tidbits, Mike. The coil should be on the right side filler panel inboard of the wheel arch.
You can gasket over the painted surfaces with no problem. I know a lot of old timers who used paint as a gasket sealer.
If I can get my hands on a digital camera, I'll take pictures of the engine bay on either the '72, or the '74. Whichever one is easiest. I'll try to borrow one, and if I can, I'll post them, or send them to you as an attachment.
If you can get your hands on a copy of Terry Horlers' book, "The Original Sprite and Midget", there are many detailed pix of engine bays.
Jeff
 
does the coil NEED to be there is the real question - after plenty of busted knuckles and burnt soldering fingers, a long coil wire is looking pretty good right now - can i keep the coil on my pedal box and use the long wire?
 
Mike, there's no reason you can't mount the coil anywhere you want to. The original Bugeye mounted it on top of the generator. I would check the resistance of the long coil wire, though, and try to get one that reads as low as possible.
I've seen the coils on race cars mounted in the cockpit, with a bulkhead connector through the firewall.
Jeff
 
ok great - thanks for the help guys - most of my snags are taken care of, just have to paint radiator shroud and pedal box and bolt them in, splice in a fuel filter, plug the pump in and connect the battery. . .woo hoo. sorr for the tyraid of questions - i've been having a tough time with this major transplant here. i'll promise to not be a needy bastard after this is done. lol
 
argh, long day today but i got everything in and connected. i just have to put a few hose clamps on the heater box and bleed the brake/clutch. then put some gas in and cross my fingers. i have a question though -

is the spill tank necessary? i'm going to construct a toolbox/storage container to go where the smog system used to and this area would be beneficial to use, not to mention the cap for mine is busted. If i just put the overflow hose down towards the ground it would drain out the same right? or does the spill tank recover that coolant into the system somehow?
 
Mike, if you are running the cross flow radiator, and are referring to the metal expansion tank, yes, it is necessary, and coolant is recovered to the system. A proper cap is required with this.
But, if you are talking about the plastic overflow jug, as I assume you are, that is merely vented to the atmosphere, you can ditch it, and just run the overflow hose down so it drains on the ground. The only disadvantage to this is that you will lose any coolant that may escape.
Remember that those underbonnet tool boxes are rattletraps, and may drive you nuts!
Jeff
 
just a comment on the alternator conversion! I installed a Nissan P/U truck alt. in 1990 when I converted from pos. ground to neg. single wire connector w/ internal regulator and have never had a problem with it since. The conversion required only a simple modification to the rear mounting bracket (some minor welding) and some filing and bending of the cooloing vanes on the front of the alternator for clearance purposes. Hope this helps!
 
Mike, it originally went to the PCV valve. If you don't have the PCV, you can either run it to a catch can of some sort, or plumb it into the intake manifold. It can get messy if you just leave it open.
Jeff
 
alright cool - i'll temporarily put the heater hose on there until i can drive it to the store to get the oil hose, lol. . . could be a while. I'm all set in terms of installation, but i do have a few more issues that i'm dealing with. I can't get'er started. I am getting decent spark, fuel pump works, but i don't know if fuel is getting through the carbs. i have never done carb work and wouldn't know where to get started. i did shoot some starting fluid in there and the car started right up, but i think that was due to a compression ignition (aka 'deiseling' is what i like to call it). i looked down the plug holes to determine top dead center because my stupid self put the radiator in before putting the engine at TDC and i'm too lazy to drain the system and take it out. once at what i believed was TDC, i turned the distributor so that the rotor was hitting plug #1. i was getting some backfiring, but nothing resembling an engine that wanted to start. the backfiring and the dieseling makes me believe that some gas is getting into the cylinders, and confirming that there's sparks going on in there, but where do i go from here to get the car started. once engine is started, i can tune the carbs and set the timing 'by ear' to get it at least running decently enough to put in storage, my main objective. any suggestions on where i should start (pun intended) in terms of getting my engine started?

some info - throttle and choke cable not installed yet.
how does teh throttle cable sleeve remain stationary at the pedal end? if there's a bracket i don't have it, where can i get it?

sheesh, bigger project than i anticipated.
thanks,
Mike
 
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