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CanberraBJ8
Jedi Trainee
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So after the ill-fated trip to Tasmania the Healey had an inspection from the guy who rebuilt the engine. Short story is that he couldnt find the reason for the breathed oil. But he placed a wide baffle under the breather pipe in the valve cover, and also restricted the oilway in the rear end of the rockers. I don't know which solved things, but there has been no issues since and I've done a couple of longer drives - to Sydney and back, which is 300 kms either way.
So the engine is running well (though will head in for a good tuning on a dyno when the current work is completed - more on that soon), and has done so through the whole above saga -which made turning back from Tassie all the more cruel...
It was probably as well though as the handling of the Healey has been rather dodgy since I've owned it. I thought is was just a matter of its rudimentary suspension set-up (compared to say my old TR6, not that they are super either...). However when my engine guy had the car after the oil problem, he commented on there being 'something not right with the back end of that car...' It is pretty frightening when it hit a bump mid corner - a real bounce and step sideways. Also t tends to let go badly in the wet when cornering. Even at low speed - say second gear around a T-junction at 2000 rpm. It would be 'nice' to think that it is just the enormous torque the engine now produces... but that is just a bit too optimistic...
So I've read up on this a little on various forums - mostly this one, and it seems that the likely culprit is the radius arm bushings. There really isn't much else to blame is there? New springs, near new tires, and the Healey doesnt have much else! I discovered that I had some new bushings in one of the boxes of Healey bits. I cant remember if I ordered them or if they came with the car. So I tried to change them over following the engine saga but couldnt move the bolts in the rear (axle) bushing. It seemed to be rusted into the bushing inner sleeve. So it looked like it would be a major job and I decided to leave it for the time - I had some other jobs planned for the rear axle coming up.
I'd bought a rear telescopic shock kit from AH Spares some time ago, but hadn't been able to fit it because the exhaust pipe was in the way for the left shock, and the fuel pump needed moving too! Seems like every simple 'just bolt on' job turns out to be more complicated doesn't it? :rolleye:
So about a couple of months ago I decided it was time! Out came the axle. I hadn't done this before, so I was a little unsure of what I would find - worried about being caught out with not having 'special tool no____!'or something. As it turned out there were a few hold ups - I had to make the tool to move the wheel bearing nuts - copied from the picture in the manual. Just welded up from scrap metal and water pipe. Worked like a charm. And I borrowed a slide hammer which I used with an old wheel spline welled to it to pull the hubs.
Then for the grim bit - the taking the axle to a british car mechanic (usually works on Jags) to have the diff looked at. It's been noisy since I bought the car, and I was aware that it hadn't been renewed when the car was restored. I was sort of hoping that the diff might be ruined so I'd have an excuse to install a 3.54 ratio. Sadly and happily this was confirmed and I bought one through Lemperts in the USA. Quite a good price compared with all the other sources -$640 delivered. The downside with living in Australia is the shipping costs for everything overseas... But the kicker was the fitting -$931.... But I now have a NEW 3.54 diff to play with :joyous:
Oh, and the radius arms? I had to use a sabre saw to cut the bolts off the radius arms inside the box sections on the axle. Thank god that the bolts in the front bushings were free so I could remove the axle. I wouldn't have liked trying to cut them in the car! Apparently they put up quite a fight when the guy who did the diff put them in the press to remove them!
So now the axle is back in the car (with oil in it!), fuel pump moved and looking much neater in its new position (its an aftermarket electric pump), Bump stops cut (as per Paddy Hopkirk's modification) to lessen the harshness of the BUMP (with the lower springs than I've mentioned previously, there isn't much travel before the axle hits the bump stops), and the new shocks on!
Still to do with the axle is bleeding the brakes, fitting the bumpstops (need longer splitpins than what I can get at the local hard wear) either split washers or nyloc nuts for the rear radius arm bolts, and a good look over to make sure I've got everything back together before driving!
But while all this was happening I decided to do a little trimming... more on that next.
So the engine is running well (though will head in for a good tuning on a dyno when the current work is completed - more on that soon), and has done so through the whole above saga -which made turning back from Tassie all the more cruel...
It was probably as well though as the handling of the Healey has been rather dodgy since I've owned it. I thought is was just a matter of its rudimentary suspension set-up (compared to say my old TR6, not that they are super either...). However when my engine guy had the car after the oil problem, he commented on there being 'something not right with the back end of that car...' It is pretty frightening when it hit a bump mid corner - a real bounce and step sideways. Also t tends to let go badly in the wet when cornering. Even at low speed - say second gear around a T-junction at 2000 rpm. It would be 'nice' to think that it is just the enormous torque the engine now produces... but that is just a bit too optimistic...
So I've read up on this a little on various forums - mostly this one, and it seems that the likely culprit is the radius arm bushings. There really isn't much else to blame is there? New springs, near new tires, and the Healey doesnt have much else! I discovered that I had some new bushings in one of the boxes of Healey bits. I cant remember if I ordered them or if they came with the car. So I tried to change them over following the engine saga but couldnt move the bolts in the rear (axle) bushing. It seemed to be rusted into the bushing inner sleeve. So it looked like it would be a major job and I decided to leave it for the time - I had some other jobs planned for the rear axle coming up.
I'd bought a rear telescopic shock kit from AH Spares some time ago, but hadn't been able to fit it because the exhaust pipe was in the way for the left shock, and the fuel pump needed moving too! Seems like every simple 'just bolt on' job turns out to be more complicated doesn't it? :rolleye:
So about a couple of months ago I decided it was time! Out came the axle. I hadn't done this before, so I was a little unsure of what I would find - worried about being caught out with not having 'special tool no____!'or something. As it turned out there were a few hold ups - I had to make the tool to move the wheel bearing nuts - copied from the picture in the manual. Just welded up from scrap metal and water pipe. Worked like a charm. And I borrowed a slide hammer which I used with an old wheel spline welled to it to pull the hubs.
Then for the grim bit - the taking the axle to a british car mechanic (usually works on Jags) to have the diff looked at. It's been noisy since I bought the car, and I was aware that it hadn't been renewed when the car was restored. I was sort of hoping that the diff might be ruined so I'd have an excuse to install a 3.54 ratio. Sadly and happily this was confirmed and I bought one through Lemperts in the USA. Quite a good price compared with all the other sources -$640 delivered. The downside with living in Australia is the shipping costs for everything overseas... But the kicker was the fitting -$931.... But I now have a NEW 3.54 diff to play with :joyous:
Oh, and the radius arms? I had to use a sabre saw to cut the bolts off the radius arms inside the box sections on the axle. Thank god that the bolts in the front bushings were free so I could remove the axle. I wouldn't have liked trying to cut them in the car! Apparently they put up quite a fight when the guy who did the diff put them in the press to remove them!
So now the axle is back in the car (with oil in it!), fuel pump moved and looking much neater in its new position (its an aftermarket electric pump), Bump stops cut (as per Paddy Hopkirk's modification) to lessen the harshness of the BUMP (with the lower springs than I've mentioned previously, there isn't much travel before the axle hits the bump stops), and the new shocks on!
Still to do with the axle is bleeding the brakes, fitting the bumpstops (need longer splitpins than what I can get at the local hard wear) either split washers or nyloc nuts for the rear radius arm bolts, and a good look over to make sure I've got everything back together before driving!
But while all this was happening I decided to do a little trimming... more on that next.