1982 Eclat Riviera restoration......

[Tocus]

Not yet Don, just wait, i will come with pictures, but the car is not yet at my place, its still some where inside belguim.

[Benco]

So, starting the work on the engine. Removed the bonnet, interesting to find a electrical cable that I can only assume is for the under bonnet light? (But can't find any light fitting/ switch). Freed up the twin carb mechanism, pulled the air inlet to access the cam belt (now have replacement), pulled assorted hoses and found a pretty empty cooling system, will replace afterwards.....more to come!

[Don.Hasi]

The under bonnet light is a combined thing with the switch in the light and should be in middle of the top when opened.

If you mean another cable please tell us the picture you mean exactly. And it would help very much, if you put the link in your signature, so we don't have to scroll over several sides

I would guess it is also a good idea, that you flush the cooling system to get rid of any sustains of the former cooling fluid. What does the cooling tank look like inside?

[Benco]

Hi, flushed out the cooling system today, some very interesting brown sludge in the rad and lovely white powder deposits around the thermostat (see pictures), a few tired hoses split on me so more more to do there and the expansion tank is off as it was full of crud (was there originally some metal baffle in there?), I've got it soaking in some cleaner overnight. Redex down in each cylinder, about 10ml in each one, tomorrow will start to turn the engine by hand!

Thanks for the feedback on the under bonnet light, there's a wire, just no light fitting.

Links to photos:

https://www.dropbox....7cJMkq_00a?dl=0

(Tried to put the URL in my signature but it won't let me - probably need to upgrade my account - so will put it at the bottom of each post)

[Dunc]

You need the cooling system drained down to replace the timing belt anyway.

 

I'd also say it was a decent each way bet that your water pump seal will have welded itself to the pumps impellor during the past nine years and that when you fill they system up with water, you'll see a trickle running out of the bleed hole on the water pump. You might be lucky, but I'd check first before wasting antifreeze on it. Don't leave water in it overnight if its outside in the frost though, as you might find core plugs get pushed out if it freezes or worse still cracks in the metal..

 

You can try flushing it out with water (and maybe bicarbinate of soda), but I would just flush it out until you are confident that it can hold water, then put some antifreeze in it.

[Don.Hasi]

Sorry for the misguiding with view of the signature. perhaps taken it in the first post on this thread would help also. The link in your last post doesn't work. Also new pictures are not present at all?

There was no baffle in my tank.

More or less every hose should be on your list, with an overhaulin set for the water pump as well. But I guess, you have already a long list? Next week I am back in the near of my car to help you more with pictures of it if you might find them usefull.

In case of the front hose to the radiator... This couldn't be the last invention to flush everytime with fluid all around myself only to Tighten the belt or something similar. There should be a kind of valve... Has someone ever thought about it?

[Benco]

Hi, we'll engine turns nicely by hand after having the redex in the cylinders overnight. Old oil filter off after taking the air box and air trumpets off (what a pain the number 4 and 2 cylinder to nuts are to get off compared to the others).

The instructions for changing the cam belt are to line up TDC and dots on cam sprockets etc, then to mark the exact position of the rotor so that it's all properly aligned - but what a painful place to put the distributor! Do you normally take the whole carbs/ manifold off to get to it?

It was suggested to prime the oil pump, I've looked up old threads and it's for the esprit engine, are these the same basic engines? I presume it's to put a drill on the auxiliary sprocket and to in it until oil starts to flow out (through say the oil filter connection?).

Thanks all for help so far!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xl2fujmtq6z2h9i/AAAUl3mB2Rp9jGL7cJMkq_00a?dl=0

[pbharcourt]

I mark the old belt with tipex spots and corresponding spots on the cam pulleys, crank pulley, and oil pump pulley before i remove anything, then when the belt is off I mark the new belt using the old one as a guide.

When you fit the new belt just make sure the dots all line up and you will know for sure it is correct even if something has moved by accident.

[Benco]

Great idea, thanks!

[Benco]

Timing belt changed, and skinned knuckles on the way (took a lot of time and clamps to get the adjuster to move in and getting a 4 mm pin in the locking mechanism didn't work at all!). New oil in, new filter on.

Before slackening the adjuster and taking the belt off, I measured the belt deflection (don't have a tension gauge), between the inlet cam sprocket and the auxiliary sprocket. The deflection was about 5/8ths inch. When I slackened off the adjuster it didn't change much, making me think that there wasn't much tension on the belt at all.

Can someone tell me what kind of deflection I should be seeing on a new belt?

Have turned the engine over by hand a number of times (reassuringly no clash of metal!), will have a go using the starter tomorrow, if I take the oil pressure tap off pipe off I presume I should see oil coming out from there?

[CharlieCroker]

Where did you source your timing belt from?

[Benco]

Ebay, QH BELT (QTB122)

[CharlieCroker]

Ebay, QH BELT (QTB122)

Blimey that is cheap, what's the quality like, any photos?

[Benco]

Quality looks good, will post photos tomorrow....

[Dunc]

Its a quinton hazel belt, so quality should be excellent.

 

The engine in your riviera is the same as the engine in the Lotus esprit. Its a Lotus 912.

 

I just set it to what I would expect a timing belt to feel like - not very scientific I'm afraid, but I don't have a boroughs gauge either, so just do the usual "twist test" and set it by eye/hand. Never had an issue (touches wood).

 

and yes...the 'strib is a bitch to get to. You don't really need to take the carbs and box off to get at (I dont usually), but it is easier to see and get at when they are off. An added bonus of having electrical items there is that if the needle valve for the bowls in the dellortos sticks, you have a good chance of getting eclat flambe'...

 

Before you fire it up, Get a flat scredriver and take the top of both carbs off, and bat the needle valve on the floats in an out a few times to make sure they are happy and moving. My car that had sat for 9 years had a sticky needle and flooded. This job takes you all of 5 minutes and can prevent a fire - well worth doing IMHO.

[Benco]

Thanks Dunc, will check those out tomorrow

[Don.Hasi]

It seems to me that you have a different ignition module on your right inner wheel arche. Do you have a detailed picture of it ?

[Benco]

This is the ignition module on the offside inner arch. Is this a replacement module from the 'luminition' original? Anyone have a picture of where all of those wires link into the electrical loom?

[Dunc]

Yes, - thats non standard.

 

I think the lumenition would have originally mounted on the holes in the arch just behind it?

[Benco]

Been a day of success and frustration!

All reassembled, belt tightened, guards on, water in (hoses on and off as I did some of this in the wrong order), battery in....turned the key and apart from a few relays clicking.....nothing. Then bypassed the ignition switch to see if the solenoid was jammed....and action! (No fuel connected yet).

It turned over slowly and after a few more revolutions was turning over like any other engine. I took the tops off of the carbs to check the float action (one was horribly out of spec) but nice and clean in the bowls. So rigged up a new fuel line from a can and started the car.

To start with it was horribly smoky, out of the exhaust and crankcase breather....which I admit made me worry that the rings were completely gone, bores worn.....however after a number of more turns it all started to clear up.....so presume the rings were just stuck and freed themselves up.

So that's the success, apart from trying to siphon petrol (disgusting, still have the taste in my mouth) I do have a problem I'd appreciate some thoughts on.

The only time the engine runs (cylinders fire) is when it's being turned over by the starter. If lucky I can rev it a little but as soon as the ignition is switched back to position 2, it stops straight away....no spluttering, no slow death...it's straight away. To my mind it's like the signal from the ignition system is cut. If I disconnect the coil from the ignition system it doesn't catch at all (so there is something being driven by the that system). Any ideas welcome.

[Don.Hasi]

Mh... Doesn't look the easy way... So, it seems to me, that it is elecetric related.

Does the PO said whether the engine was running fine before ? Of course he has said everything, but it could be an indicator. At the end something went wrong otherwise he hasn't changed to the different Lucas system. If we know the engine has run after that, we could concentrate on a failure of a simple item. Otherwise we must consider all, incl that the Lucas system wasn't installed properly and/or the previous fault wasn't cured with the change

[Benco]

Yes, back to basics I think. I've already messaged the PO asking if there was an immobiliser or similar fitted or any other issues. I think I will trace out the wiring as it is different to the luminition based schematic, I'm also going de rust all of the earthing points to make sure that we're getting a good path to ground. Tonight though it's constructing a better and safer temporary fuel supply (been out all day so no engine fun for me!)

Thanks for the feedback

Cheers

Terry

[Wilf]

I had an old landrover with the opposite syndrome, it would only fire with the key in run rather than start. Incorrect wiring at the ignition switch. It would start as soon as you gave up!

[pbharcourt]

I have just had this very problem when i changed the starter motor.

The starter motor should have the main positive feed bolted on, a red and white spade connector wire to activate the solenoid and a yellow and white wire that will go to the positive on the coil.

If the yellow wire is not connected it will run while the solenoid is activated but cut out when the key is returned to position one.

As it was explained to me the coil is 6v and run from the yellow wire but is given 12v from the solenoid wire to assist in a bigger spark to start the engine.

[markgenesis]

Paul is right in that the coil should get 12V during cranking via the feed wire from the starter solenoid but this should then switch to a feed from the ignition switch after starting (starter motor has stopped), this feed is through a red "Ballast resistor" wire in the wiring loom which drops the voltage down to around 8.5V  so sounds like you have a problem with the feed through the Ballast wire.

 

I suspected a fault with the Ballast wire in my car (coil was running hot) so installed a couple of ceramic Ballast resistors with a feed wire straight from the ignition switch car has been fine since.