SOUP - My new series about my Series 2

[Fridge]

No, not at all. It's just the usual suppliers don't sell the best tensioner unfortunately. 

The pin did hold in my original "cheap" tensioner, but when I upgraded it didn't. 🤔 But a 4mm drill bit worked fine.

You perhaps should consider replacing the two springs in the plunger also, if you haven't thought about doing that. Most folk don't, but these cars weren't meant to last 40+ years.

 

Edited September 23 by Fridge

[snowrx]

 

We always assume you have the service notes and parts list, but if not here's the diagram showing dimple vs mark.

Also if you wish to upgrade the belt later there is a "blue" belt available for the trapezoidal pullies made of newer materials. If you wish to upgrade from the nylon tensioner bushings to bronze, I think the Lotus vendors have them or they are standard enough to be found at an industrial supply.

 

[GTK]

Thanks a million Thomas. I realised today that I had missed the obvious on that diagram (I have the manual in hard copy) because I was preoccupied with with the "dimple" being the timing mark. 

Well I got the belt on and in the right spot far as I can tell. My engine is now as per that diagram save for my distributor pulley dimple is around 1 o'clock when the timing mark is as shown at 6 o'clock. Leaving the rotor arm at around 11 o'clock looking in from the rear of the engine. There's no interference cranking the engine over manually so seems good. Will know tomorrow.

I did end up using an unconventional method to get everything right and tight, you can bash me when you see all in the next video. 

[Fridge]

Personally, I would not get too hung up on the "dimples". As said above it's the timing marks which are more important, used in relation to the diagram in the WSM.

I know it is confusing. Try doing it lying on the engine in the car! If the distributor rotor arm is at about 11 o'clock that's where I remember it being on cylinder #1.

Take plenty of reference photos now of the timing marks from the front of the engine, and the rear for when you do it next time when it's in the car.

Getting the distributor pulley timing correct sometimes takes a couple of attempts as stated in Bill Galbraith's video. I managed without thinking on my second attempt. What luck!

To answer your previous question about locking up your engine, this is easier in the car as you can jam a screwdriver into the flywheel through the timing mark inspection slot of the bell housing. Something to bear in mind next time... 😐

Edited September 24 by Fridge

[GTK]

I mention the dimple only to point out that it's different on my pulley than in the manual, and to Bill G's engine. In fact his is the same as in the manual, while mine is not. But as said I have now lined up the timing mark, not the dimple. This is what threw me yesterday despite having watched Bill's video, and every other 907 video on YT, and having consulted and re-consulted the manual over and over prior to posting here. Should have just trusted TLF in the first place

It may be coincidence but my dimple is in the same position as the rotor arm when the timing mark is at 6 o'clock 🤷🏻‍♂️ Who knows... who cares 😂

[Fridge]

Dimples, simples. They are confusing. It sounds like you've got the timing right.

[peteyg]

I use tippex to mark the various sprocket positions once setup so it's easy to see where they go next time especially, as the guys said, when changing the belt with engine in the car. 

Pete

[Fridge]

Yes, I renewed these too when replacing the belt a second time. Every little helps, as the supermarket says. 😁

[910Esprit]

Mines got Tipex all over the place!  TDC, static & dynamic marks on the flywheel.  Also I've got 30degrees BTDC on the camwheels for frequency tensioning  

[snowrx]

Cams to crank are critical, aux pully to belt less so. You'll know it's wrong if you don't have room to swing the distributor though the range to set the timing. Some have gotten frustrated working under the carbs and just rotated plug wires around the cap to get it working!

I pitched the whole thing almost immediately, no disrespect to Lotus, but sparky bits under an old, possibly leaky carb gave me the chills.

[GTK]

Makes sense. I didn't have any Tipp-ex but it would have disappeared soon enough because I haven't fully revamped the engine yet. Did use a small Sharpie mark just to have a starting point on the belt I could count back to while trying to get it right

[GTK]

For any of us here with a stripped car and tortured by the long road ahead... here's me trying to get my engine running. Just for the craic (really not for the craic at all)

 

 

[Bibs]

This is all that i could see...

[GTK]

except I didn't have the fire extinguisher monkey

(pretty sure that's Hyde from That 70's Show with the Texaco milk churn)

[snowrx]

Doesn't look like .003 to .008" end float to me, unfortunately the half moon thrust washers are under the #5 main cap, so  might as well leave it until you're ready to replace the mains, which you probably aren't going to do upstairs at Delta. I'm with you, run the motor in a bit and then maybe a leak down or compression test to see how the piston/rings/valves are, and plan for the motor work later. These engines don't seem to last as long as you'd like, but as a serial 910 rebuilder, they're not that bad to work on.

[kkv444v]

Great stuff, George! It's lovely to hear a 900 engine bark for the first time. Well, and every time after that, too.

Also, well done on your nice history of the 900 series. It is so depressing whenever someone trots out the Vauxhall thing, I am forever telling people otherwise (including today, as it happens).

[GTK]

Compression test at the very least. Somone mentioned having machined the crank to take a full round thrust washer. Sounds intriguing. I also read somewhere else a case where the thrust washer had been spat out, which I could imagine might be the case here given the sheer amount of play.

[snowrx]

The thrust bearing I have on hand is marked 025 and is about 0.096" (~2.44mm) thick, to give you an idea what gap a missing one would give you. I don't remember how the sizing goes on these.