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I had a little problem ...

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NickMorgan

NickMorgan

Jedi Knight
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On my way to Ireland last week the TR3 started to run a little rough. Having serviced it about a week before, I had only run about 30 miles before I set off. The car started to missfire a little but after about another 30 miles I had to stop at the side of the motorway and I changed the condenser and rotor arm back to the old ones. Unfortunately this didn't help so I limped on to the services where, thinking of Dale, I took out the front and rear spark plugs to see if the carburettors were behaving. See the picture below: No 4 plug is on the bottom and although it doesn't show too clearly in the pictures the centre electrode is about 2mm shorter than it should be. I was certain that I checked the gaps when I fitted the plugs.
IMG_0004.jpg

As I didn't have any spare plugs with me, I bent the top electrode down as far as I dared and we continued and bought some new plugs in Ireland the next morning.
 
That's weird...manufacturing defect I suppose... Do you think it happened after installation? Who makes those plugs?? Name on the side doesn't ring a bell. Are they a big name in your parts or were you being Scottish frugal?? :devilgrin:
 
Aren't you concerned what became of that piece of electrode? I would be more concerned about that than whether a $1.99 Unipart spark plug was defective. :shocked:

.
 
I'll bet it didn't "go" anywhere, into the engine, that is. I'm thinking that it was too short and ended up moving back inside the plug ceramic, where it has bottomed out.
 
Brosky said:
I'll bet it didn't "go" anywhere, into the engine, that is. I'm thinking that it was too short and ended up moving back inside the plug ceramic, where it has bottomed out.
Click to expand...
Would be interesting to see if the electrode can be pulled back into the correct orientation with a pair of needlenose pliers.
 
NickMorgan said:
As I didn't have any spare plugs with me,
I bent the top electrode down as far as I dared and we continued
and bought some new plugs in Ireland the next morning.
Click to expand...

<span style="color: #000099">No spare plugs, Nick??

Are you losing your sense in your old age?
I used to carry two complete sets of plugs.
Now I carry only two plugs.

And a pile of rotors, points and condensers.

d :savewave:</span>
 
I tend to keep a spare coil, plugs, wires, rotor, cap, condensor, points, and fuel pump. All things I've replaced on the side of the road.
 
You guys are so right. Well most of you. Yes it is a Unipart plug, but no it wasn't $1.99. They were $4.60 each and were supplied from a very well respected TR specialist in the UK.

Unipart were the parts supplier for British Leyland, so not sure what to make of that!! I would normally fit NGK plugs by choice.

Graham, I tried the needle nosed pliers and sure enough I could pull the electrode back up to give the the correct gap! Does that mean that there is now a gap inside the ceramic?

I was sure that I had checked the gap on each plug before I fitted them, so I am pleased that I wasn't mistaken about that.

Dale, I discussed (over a few pints) with a good friend what spares I should take and he said to me "You won't need to take any spark plugs, when do they ever go wrong?" So I took his advice. I also ordered a water pump, head gasket set and a fan belt, but they arrived the day after I had set off to Ireland!

I did take points, condenser, rotor arm, distributor cap, HT leads, a UJ, various nuts and bolts and bulbs and some oil and brake fluid.
 
Ah! I'm glad you posted the parts you ordered.

I am in the process of rebuilding the emergency repair
kit in the trunk. I completely forgot to put my
spare water pump with my other parts.

Thanks for the reminder.

d


trunkParts.jpg
 
The plug broke. see if you can get the place of purchase to replace it.

Some resistor plugs(the R, like in BP6E(R)) used to use an airgap in the center electrode. I thought they have since changed that design. It was better than 35 years ago when I learned about plug design at a Champion school learning to run a dynamometer..I was under the impression that they were going to use a resistor element in the center electrode. Maybe not???

The reason they were going to go to the element insert was so that the center electrode would not fall loose, like what happened to your plug.
 
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