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My ears are still ringing...

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Flummoxed

Senior Member
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Has anyone ever had a cannon put next to their ear and fired? No exaggeration, that is what it was like when I started the 73 TR6 today. I literally jumped out of the car and ran, thinking the **** thing was going up in flames. Long story short: Haven't had the car long, did a distributor cap, wires, coil, points, spark plug, etc. change. I copied the exact order of the spark plug wires when changing them. Well, I should not have trusted the previous owner, as the firing order was wrong. I have driven the car maybe 30 miles with the wrong **** firing order, but it was never obvious. Now that it is corrected, it runs beautifully. But, I can't help but think that damage must have been done to the motor when it was run out of sequence (who knows how long the prev. owner had it like that). Does anyone have an opinion on that? Thanks.
 
If the car is running correctly, I don't think you did any damage to the engine. If damage had been done, you would notice it immediately. Good luck and enjoy the car, I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Thanks for the response, Blue. I had my car cover hanging about six inches from the tail pipe when this happened. It blew a hole clean through the car cover. I still feel shell shocked. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif
 
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif Sorry but I can't stop laughing!! I do hope you are alright.
The car should be fine. But think of the other guy who sold it because he couldn't figure out what was wrong! Now that is really funny. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
From...uh...personal experience, I can safely say that reversing a couple of plug wires usually will NOT cause any lasting harm. Having somehow done this on a MkIII GT6 years ago, I was concerned by the noises when it was running; it sounded for all the world like a rod bearing was really loose. But once the offending wires were returned to their proper plugs, it sounded fine again and went on for...well...probably to this day. (The friend I sold it to still has it, and I don't think he ever touched the engine.)
 
I like this place.....It makes me laugh /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/lol.gif

Couple of years ago I was cruising along on a really nice day at about 3K RPMs when all of a sudden.....

Pop- <font color="red">BANG!</font>.........(Ear ringing loud /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif)

I watched the oil pressure needle go to zero after the engine stalled (no locked engine)

Found out the dizzy was ejected after the aluminum ridge around it broke (DM-2)

Made a roadside repair and drove to the track.

My point......Don't worry about damage.
You have a pretty hearty little engine in the TR-6. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
...Found out the dizzy was ejected after the aluminum ridge around it broke (DM-2)

Made a roadside repair and drove to the track....

[/ QUOTE ]Wow, one of the better ones I've heard.

Most GT6s had rather, uh, economically made plastic accelerator linkage ends. OK, really CHEAP and CRUMMY ends. I had to temporarily sacrifice sounds from the radio when one let go and the only thing I had available "roadside" to tie it all back together temporarily was the wire to a speaker. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif
 
My first car was a '69 MGB. The muffler under the passenger side was very rusty, with some large holes in the casing. If I wound it up near the redline in 2nd, when I shifted some raw gas would out the exhaust. When it hit that muffler it would ignite with a loud boom. I still remember the look on an old couples faces when I shifter as I passed them one night. The explosion reflected nicely off their shiny car and illuminated their faces through the window. The reaction Flummoxed described fits the look on their faces. It's funny because those old fogies were probably about the same age I am now.
 
Believe me, my wife is still letting me know how funny it is. I ran in the house like a scared school girl. Lol, okay that's a little embarrassing, but unfortunately true. Tom, I had the same thoughts on the previous owner. This guy was prob. driving the TR6 on 4 cylinders for who knows how long, thinking, man I better dump this dog. Anyway, I still wince a little when starting it up. I swear, I thought someone had car bombed me. Frightening.
 
When I was little my uncle had one of those rampside Corvair pickups. He would go down the street, turn the ignition off, then back on again and POW! it let loose a backfire.

He would see an unsuspecting victim walking down the sidewalk and as we came up on them.....POW! Oh, the reactions were priceless.

Yes, I know that was not a good thing to do, but as a kid it was hilarious.
 
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