Ever had one of those days

[NeilR]

All outstanding bit for my carbs rebuild (I had most in stock) arrived today, so I thought I would do the overhaul.
Everything went well apart from having fettle the 'aftermarket butterflies' a bit.

Put them back on with suggested settings & it started up. So warmed it up to normal temp and tried to balance
them, that didn't seem to go too well, lumpy as hell & very reluctant to tick over, checked mixtures & LH was a bit lean.

Unable to make the LH carb go rich (confirmed with Colourtune). Took them off & could find nothing wrong with Jet height
or needle position (as rich as it would go). Back on & still same issue, so off again & checked float height - nothing wrong there,
hadn't changed float valves as they are Viton Tipped & only a few years old with never any sign of flooding.

Put them back on & same issue, too lean on LH, lumpy as hell & reluctant to tickover. This time had a strange whistling noise.
Then I noticed what was laying against the screen on the wipers - what a PLONKER, the engine breather pipes !!!!!!!.

No problem now, piston lift method & colourtune show mixtures bang on.

Must be an age thing, I wouldn't have done that a few years ago !!. Wasted at least an hour & a half on that.

Neil.

[Ceejay 72]

We've all done something like that Neil!
My latest was checking timing with strobe on No.2 plug. Couldn't get a reading at all, then after a few minutes realised I was on the second plug back on the left bank - too used to 4 cylinders, I suppose!

Chris

[MandM]

what you have to do in "Everything went well apart from having fettle the 'aftermarket butterflies' a bit."

[richardthestag]

non Zenith rebuild kit, maybe issues with float valves or float height causing one carb to flood

have you put the throttle butterfly discs in the right way around? one edge should be chamfered

[richardthestag]

ah then reads to the end of your post. well done.

[NeilR]

Over 50 years working on cars, I think I know how to rebuild a couple of simple carbs.

It's just putting all the bits back on the car I had trouble with.

Neil.

[jakesmig]

Back in the early '70's I did a superb job of replacing the head gasket on my mini, decoking the chambers & piston tops, adjusting the tappets to perfection, all done in just under an hour.
Clearing up the work bench before topping up water etc I found the new gasket......

[Ian F]

It’s when you find the left over wheel nut you have to worry. Now did I Re-tighten that wheel?

[AndyG]

Or once you’ve had your BW35 reconditioned you put it back in with new torque converter and find the drive plate still on the bench !!!!

Not one of my best days........

[Phil S]

or you put your tr5 box back in,along with all the interior and find the clutch release fork pinch bolt and locking wire still in the socket set lid

[NeilR]

It's not just me then, thank goodness for that.

Neil.

[Niallcat]

Rebuilt the engine and gearbox on a mk 2 mini, all done and on start up an oil leak, the crank main oil seal was still in the packet 😡 you really learn from those moments as an apprentice

[SteveD]

I used a ratchet spanner to undo a bolt on the power steering pump and then couldn't get the spanner off as it hit the pulley and I couldn't retighten the bolt as the ratchet was not reversible (only by turning the spanner over). I also couldn't undo the pulley nut. Had to saw the bolt off - I won't do that again!

[Alacrity]

When your are an engine rebuilder for a living as a 20 yr old & you are really in the swing of things with a Perkins 6 cyl diesel & its flying together like a dream, the guts in it, sump on in record time. Come in next morning & all the tappets & camshaft are on the bench behind me.