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Wedge Hmmmm...Engine problems with free TR7..

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YankeeTR

YankeeTR

Luke Skywalker
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Sorry to make ANOTHER post about my free TR7 but here's what I've got going now...

I did a little clean-up today on the exterior and charged up a battery just to see if I could get the old slant four to fire...

I pulled the plugs and found a damaged tip on the #3 spark plug...never a good thing! Then I attempted to crank the engine...nope, it wouldn't budge. So my friend Sean and I kinda rocked it back and forth in 5th gear...BINGO! It broke loose.

Now it would crank...so I got out my trusty compression tester. Bad news..NO compression on #3...then it seized up again!

I pulled the valve cover and found the #3 intake valve cam follower is WAY down in its bore...probably a dropped valve.

So tomorrow (Monday) I'll pull the head...stay tuned... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nopity.gif

Rick
 
have fun with the head. i have one i've been after for over a year unsuccessfully.
 
[ QUOTE ]
have fun with the head. i have one i've been after for over a year unsuccessfully.

[/ QUOTE ]
Are you saying you can't FIND one or you haven't been able to fix it?
 
I took a cold chisel and a 5lb sledge hammer to one and it NEVER even thought about moving. That might be why it's free. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I took a cold chisel and a 5lb sledge hammer to one and it NEVER even thought about moving. That might be why it's free. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]
They require hammers to be weighed in kilos....US hammers don't work...
 
haven't been able to separate the head from the block. tried the rope trick, soaking studs in kroil, chaining the block down and using a come along on the head, stud pullers on the studs (studs are still there, stud puller broken),all to no avail -- so far. too bad it's a fi head and i had big plans at one time.
 
Have you been able to separate the head at all? I used to pry the heads up on Truimph Stags enough to be able to saw through the studs and remove the head. When the head was off you could punch the studs out of the head one at a time and use vise grips to remove the stubs from the block. I had the head surface heli-arced to fill the pits, milled the block mating surface flat, and a valve job done. Then I brazed the pits/holes in the top of the block and draw filed the head mating and reassembled the engine. Phil
 
When these cars were new I could have a head off in eighteen minutes and the dealership did a few a week. (warranty)But after a few years and a few overheats the studs seize in the head. In extreme cases I welded nuts to the studs to get them out. FWIW , I never broke a stud off in the head/block. Take care of that fuelie head. A FI TR7 could run with a TR8 when new. It will rev to a quick 6500 RPM when the carbureted car peaked at 4800. I unloaded and prepped nearly a hundred of these cars when they were new. A brand new TR7/8 was a real joy to drive.

Alan T
 
The trick to removing the studs is to double nut them. Take two of the nuts and tighten them together as much as possible. Then take a deep drive socket over both of them and then loosen. They always stick to the aluminum head and not the block. When I have one that is really stuck, I start with some WD40 or similar around the studs. Tap the studs to set up a vibration and carry some of it into the hole. Sometimes applying the old heat wrench to the stud a few times will help. I use my plumber's torch, so I have an unfair advantage. If all of this fails, it's time for a new plan. I had one snap just below the threads last week. First one ever. I gave the head to Woody at The Wedge Shop. So if you need one... his number is 508-880-5448
 
Okay...I spent most of this BEAUTIFUL 50 degree day here in Cheeseland TRYING to disassemble the engine on the infamous TR7.

EVERYTHING is apart (almost!), the head is loose but I can't get the camshaft out of the head!

The stud on the front of the camshaft won't clear the timing gear to allow me to slide the camshaft out. I THINK the threaded stud is a machined part of cam itself...maybe not. This IS a FI engine...the Haynes manual makes no mention of this stud and the picture shows a threaded hole for a bolt/stud to attach the cam to the sprocket.

ANY IDEAS?

IMAG0341.jpg
 
The threaded part and the sprocket come off. They are pressed in. You need to install a bolt onto the end, and attach it to that bracket in front of the sprocket. The bracket is there to hold the sprocket in place while the head is off. If you don't keep the sprocket in the same spot, the chain tensioner will push out and you will have to remove the timing cover to reset it. Make sure you have the timing at TDC before you take the head off.
 
That makes sense. I've already screwed up the timing TDC thing...I didn't understand the instructions in the Haynes manual...I don't think ANYBODY could.

However, I have everything marked so it SHOULD /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif go back together OK...provided that valve hasn't busted anything important....although SOMETHING on # 3 cylinder keeps pushing the cylinder up when the engine cranks...hmmmmm.
 
Hey Rick, just curious...how's compression on the other three cylinders?

Tom
 
Ladies and Gentlemen...Presenting the long lost boat anchor from the honorable HMS Hood... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/england.gif
IMAG0348.jpg

IMAG0349.jpg


Actually, I'm taking the head to my engine guy tomorrow. I'll have him check it for cracks and put it on his list for a valve job and a couple of new valves...the exhaust on #3 is bent, too!

The cylinder looks remarkably good...only a few LITTLE scratches that can't be picked up with a fingernail..a good candidate for a hone job.

Whatdaya think?

Oh Yeah...it DID have fairly good compression on the other cylinders but I didn't put a gauge on 'em.
 
Hmmm...that might explain the low compression. BTW, did you ever find the valve?
 
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Hmmm...that might explain the low compression. BTW, did you ever find the valve?

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3/4's of it.... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif
IMAG0351.jpg
 
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