Classic car technician Jon has once again been investigating the running issues facing our 1977 Triumph Spitfire. After his initial investigations and subsequent work with
Classic car technician Jon has continued his investigations into the running issues that our 1977 Triumph Spitfire has been experiencing. He bled the brakes of
Our 1977 Triumph Spitfire came into the workshop for the team to investigate some running issues it was experiencing. Classic car technician Jon has begun
There’s nothing quite like an eye-catching classic car arriving at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Our 1977 Triumph Spitfire certainly fits the bill to be
Classic car technician Jon has once again been investigating the running issues facing our 1977 Triumph Spitfire. After his initial investigations and subsequent work with the brake fluid being used in the car, he has had to continue his work to find the cause of the running issues being experienced.
Jon stripped the carbs so he could thoroughly inspect them. He found dirt in both float bowls so these were blown out before Jon cleaned them out ready for reassembly.
The fuel lines were also blown out and the filter was removed and cleaned too. Jon found a small leak at the gearbox end of the fuel line so he fitted new seals to rectify the issue.
After this was all done, Jon balanced the carbs and rechecked and adjusted the ignition timing. Although Jon was keen to take our 1977 Triumph Spitfire out for a test drive to ensure everything was moving in the right direction, unfortunately, the weather was not suitable on his first attempt.
During his investigations, Jon bypassed the ballast resistor in the wiring loom by running the power wire directly to the coil. Doing this got the car running perfectly. Jon found an ignition-fed live wire which he traced back to the rear of the fuse box where he soldered the wire from fuse number 1 to the coil-positive terminal.
Jon tested everything and all was working as expected. The last thing to do was to tidy up the wiring and to refit the components.
Now that Jon has been spending some time with our Spitfire, it looks to be making good progress and will soon be back with its owner and on the road again.
Classic car technician Jon has continued his investigations into the running issues that our 1977 Triumph Spitfire has been experiencing.
He bled the brakes of the car and noticed that two different types of brake fluid had been used.
Triumph Spitfire brake fluid is usually DOT5. However, when bleeding the brakes, both DOT5 and DOT4 were found.
In very simple terms, brake fluid is responsible for moving the pressure from the brake lever to the brake pads. Brake fluid should lubricate the callipers, help prevent corrosion, and have a high boiling point. There are 4 different types of Brake fluid – DOT3, DOT4, DOT5, and DOT5.1
Each type of brake fluid has a different boiling point. If brake fluid boils, it forms air bubbles which increases how much it can be compressed resulting in poorer performance of your braking system.
DOT3 and DOT4 are the most common types of brake fluids used.
DOT4 brake fluid is glycol ether-based. It has a higher boiling point which is more stable than that of DOT3 brake fluid.
DOT5 is a silicon-based brake fluid and can withstand higher temperatures than DOT3 and DOT4.
As a general rule, it is usually a good idea to change the brake fluid in your car every two years. Obviously, this will depend on the amount of mileage you do but two years is a good timeframe to keep in mind. Brake fluid absorbs water over time so the longer you leave it between changes, the poorer your braking system will operate.
It’s worth noting that DOT3 and DOT4 brake fluid shouldn’t be mixed with DOT5. Doing so could result in brake failure. DOT5 is a silicone-based brake fluid so is not compatible with the glycol-based DOT3 and DOT4 fluids.
When Jon bled the brakes of our Triumph Spitfire, it was clear that both DOT4 and DOT5 had been used. In the photo below, you can see that the DOT5 brake fluid has risen to the top while the DOT4 fluid fell to the bottom of the container.
Now the brake fluid issue has been resolved, investigations continue into this classic car’s running issues.
Our 1977 Triumph Spitfire came into the workshop for the team to investigate some running issues it was experiencing. Classic car technician Jon has begun looking into these issues and already found and rectified some of them.
The first thing Jon did was to charge the flat battery. He then removed and regapped the spark plugs. While doing this he found that the gap on 2 of the spark plugs was closed completely which could be a cause of some of the running issues.
Jon went on to remove and check the carb too.
The video below shows Jon making sure the static timing is aligned and that the rotary arm is pointing to cylinder 1 as it should. The video also shows the advance moving in the distributor when the vacuum is applied.
There’s nothing quite like an eye-catching classic car arriving at the Bridge Classic Cars workshop. Our 1977 Triumph Spitfire certainly fits the bill to be an attention-grabbing vehicle.
Not only does it stand out in its yellow colour, but it’s also a beautiful-looking classic car.
It has come in for our classic car technicians to investigate some running issues so hopefully, it won’t be too long before it is back out on the road where it belongs.
