JUST ACQUIRED TR7 5SP

[GRANTDCLARK]

THIS 1980 TR7 WAS STORED 10 YEARS AGO WITH 7 GALLONS OF FUEL ONBOARD.
I HAVE DRAINED THE FUEL TANK AND ADDED NEW FUEL,STILL DOES NOT FIRE.
I ALSO SPRAYED QUICK START INTO THE CARB'S, ENGIN FIRES UNTILL FLUID IS BURNED (2 OR 3 SECONDS).KEEPING IN MIND I AM NEW TO TR7'S OR ANY OTHER MAJOR RESTORE AS FAR AS THAT GOES, WOULD ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS AS TO MY NEXT STEP. THIS IS TRULY A BEAUTIFUL CAR AND I AM EXCITED ABOUT RESTOREING IT. ALSO I AM IN NEED OF A REPAIR MANUAL IF ANYONE KNOWS WHERE I MIGHT FIND ONE. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME
TO READ THIS. ANY AND ALL SUGGESTIONS WILL BE APPRECIATED.
GRANT 2-29-08

[TR7Aaron]

First, make sure the new gas is getting to the carbs, With the engine off, remove the air cleaner and look down the throat while moving the throttle linkage. You should see and smell some gas squirting. If not, your fuel filter may be clogged (it's a good idea to change it anyway since it's been so long) the fuel line might be clogged and/or collapsed, or the fuel pump may not be pumping.
Have a fire extinguisher handy in case something goes wrong.
Good luck.
Aaron

Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.

[esl1885]

You really need to learn a little more about TR7's before you give
too much more advice about them.

You can't look down the carb of a TR7, they are side draft carbs. Also,
they have no accelerator pumps, so you will never see gas squirting in one.

Sam

[Hasbeen]

Grant, check all rubber hoses at the tank, pump, & carbys. You may
have a split hose, after this time. You should replace all of them,
soon.

Does your car have an inline fuel filter installed? A little
after market one may be back at the tank, but more likely just
before the fuel pump. If it does, change it, for a new one. If not,
install one, & expect to change it regularly, as your sure to have
some residue in the tank, after this time, which you'll want to
catch.

Now, then try to start the car again. Some petrol should appear in
the filter, although it is unlikely to fill completely, [& doesn't
have to to supply fuel]. If it doesn't, you have a failed pump,
[perhaps a sticky valve] or a fuel line blockage.

If you have fuel in the filter, & still no start, take the supply
hose off one carb, just after trying. A very small amount of petrol
should squirt out, as you undo the hose clamp, or as you pull the
hose off. This is from residual fuel line pressure.

If it doen't you have a pump, or fuel line problem, between the
pump, & the carbs. If it does, & still no start, you have a carby
cleaning/overhaul job. It could be as simple as sticking needle
valves in the float chambers, but carbys get "gummed up" with
evaporated petrol residue, & internal rubber components dry out, &
crack, with a long time sitting, it could be any of these.

Have fun.

Hasbeen

[Workshop Help]

Kind souls, resurrecting the mechanically dead that have lain dormant for years on end can be a vexing task. As we lack any information as to your skill level, resources, or facilities and little more about the car itself, perhaps a start with the rudimentarys is best.

The internal combustion engine requires three elements to function. It needs a combustible air/fuel mixture delivered to the area behind the intake valve. It needs a powerful spark delivered at the correct time. It needs sufficient compression when the crankshaft is spun. Then the engine will function. These are the basics.

You have a project, a big project. This is a 28 year old car being brought back to life after 10 years of dormancy. The old adage of the restoration game goes, 'Fix the Brakes First!' Before you 'go', make sure you can 'stop'. Please. This means tearing apart the brake master and slave cylinders and calipers, rebuilding them with new, certainly, pads and, probaly, shoes. Use a DOT 4 brake fluid.

Next, tear apart and rebuild the clutch master and slave cylinders using the DOT 4 brake fluid.

Change your oil & filter along with the air filter element and replace the hot air hose from the exhaust manifold to the air cleaner box.

Leaving the carburetors on the engine, drop the float bowls and clean out the sediment. Verify the float settings are about 3/4". Remove and expect to replace the rubber diaphragms that control the slide movement in the top of the carburetors.

Replace the spark plugs with Champion N12Y and new spark plug wires. Expect to replace the distribtor cap and rotor. Install a new fan belt.

Perform a compression test. Perform an alternator and battery test.

Inspect and replace the deteriorated rubber hoses all around the car. Be it known behind the plate in the trunk next to the gas filler cap are two rubber hoses that can rot and affect the engine vacuum.

Dismantle and clean the corrosion from all the light bulbs and connectors inside and outside the car.

Clean and vacuum the cabin area and trunk of dirt and debris. You may keep any lost coins.

Wash, claybar, and wax the exterior paint.

What's left? Oh yes, getting it started. Buy and install a new fuel pump and fuel filter.

Now the the engine should start and run. There is yet more to do, your project is far from done.

Drain and flush out the gearbox oil and as much of the metal swarf as you can. A pencil magnet is a good tool to use. Install 1.6 U.S. quarts of automatic transmission fluid or MTF fluid. Please do not use an 80 or 90 wt gearbox oil.

Drain and flush the rear end oil. Grease the front wheel bearings. Grease the steering rack. Expect to replace the rotted steering rack boots. Expect to replace the rotted strut boots. Expect to replace the U-joint on the drive shaft. Expect to find the boots on the tie rod ends rotted and likewise the ball joint boots. Expect to find the starter wire connectors are corroded and need cleaning.

This, kind soul, should keep you out of mischief for a couple of weekends. Kindly report back on your progress, we'll be waiting with a coffee pot and a warm peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream.

Mildred Hargis

[jclay (RIP 2018)]

Hey! If you just want to get it started to see what you have got, use the old Model T ford fuel system. Gravity Feed! (a supply system making use of gravity to maintain the flow of material)

Get a funnel and some fuel hose. Connect the hose to the outlet of the funnel and the tag end of the hose to the carb fuel lines. Pour in some fuel while some one else holds the funnel over the top of the car. Check that no fuel is leaking out of the carbs.

Fill the funnel about 1/2 way. Try to start the car.

Now, as for a manual, you can download one here:[url="http://homepage.mac.com/WebObjects/FileSharing.woa/33/wo/1DgGPP8K2VzoqaLa.1/0.2.1.2.26.31.97.0.35.0.1.1.1?user=jclaythompson&fpath=Triumph_Articals&templatefn=FileSharing4.html"]TR7man.PDF[/url]

Have fun, drive fast & safe, be kewl,

jclay

[Wedgie Kway]

Try fresh fuel from a separate can. I thought my tank was feeding clean fuel (drained it etc.) only to find that there was actually a lot of water in the fuel. This is a well-known problem with TR7's that have sat around for a while - it gets in around the filler cap. Had me foxed for ages, then clean fuel from a separate container and bingo!

1981 TR7 FHC 16V
1970 Spitfire Mk3


http://gobflame.blogspot.com

[striker308]

Mildred,

Your advice "Drain and flush out the gearbox oil and as much of the metal swarf as you can. A pencil magnet is a good tool to use. Install 1.6 U.S. quarts of automatic transmission fluid or MTF fluid. Please do not use an 80 or 90 wt gearbox oil."

Why shouldn't you use 80/90wt gearbox oil. Isn't that what was originally used? Sorry for the dumb question.

Thanks,

Karl
1976 TR7
1982 VW Scirocco

[Odd]

Yes, that's what they (BL Ltd) <u>originally</u> specified for the LT77 - and it made a lot of gearboxes unserviceable...
Within a short time they (JRT Inc) issued a paper stating that the LT77 should be filled with ATF instead of hypoid oil.
This was a quick-fix as there were no suitable MTF oils at that time. Nowadays the consensus is to use either Pennzoil
MTF or GM Synchromesh Transmission Fluid - they are both the same. And they make the gearbox work as originally
intended <u>without</u> chewing up the oil pump gears and making 2:nd gear shifts hard or impossible when cold.
Something 80 or 90 wt hypoid oil will give for certain! The GM part no. for Manual Transmission Fluid is 12345349.
ATF's do not contain the special synchromesh fricton modifiers. ATF was specified primarily for correcting the cold
weather shifting problems. To use ATF now when there are proper MTF's to be had is bordering to stupid since
they don't have the wear control of modern MTF.

[FI Spyder]

Too much totesterone on this link.
Get a factory manual available from Amazon, much better than Haynes. Jclay's pdf manual will give you an idea what it looks like but is a 1978 manual and will not have things like your wiring diagram and any changes since then as your's is a '80. Good interm solution.

Nice to get it fired up to see how it runs but as suggested overhaul clutch and brake hydraulics. Mine was stored for seven years but ran fine. (hot dry desert climate of Sacramento). Brakes and clutch worked fine but crud in master and slave cylinders and they needed to be overhauled. Everything rubber had to be replaced (heat, polution?) Flush out cooling system well as this is crucial to a cool running engine. Electrical connections are not sealed and some will be corroded so plan on systematically cleaning and dielectric grease them to prevent them from recorroding. This will get rid of all sorts of electrical gremlins people experience sonner or later, from time to time.

ATF fluid in gearbox with yearly changes will help get rid of some metal swarf but one wonders if modern synthetics as suggested will get prevent much of this. I've got synthetic in mine and a friend said his mechanic changed from synth to ATF and it didn't shift as smooth when cold.

These cars are great fun whether you're motoring with the club to the next car show or going on that long distance vacation or just getting the groceries. (Although some members complained of the spritely pace set by the Jags to the Portland all British car meet last year the only TR7 in the group said he had no problem keeping up.)[8D]

Enjoy.





TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra

[Workshop Help]

No offense is taken from the 'stupid' remark from our friend from Sweden. It is suspected he is as nervous as the rest of us are over the cost of gasoline these fine days. With fuel now right at 10 times what it should cost based on memories of the late 1960's, irritation growing into anger is quite understandable. It is remarkable how very thin our veneer of civilization can be.

To dwell momentarily in the negative vein, as anyone pondered when the body politic will consider a large reduction in the number of cars and trucks allowed to be built? For every car rolling off a production line, based on about say, 20 miles per gallon over say, a 100,000 mile vehicle life, it uses about 5,000 gallons of gasoline. Multiplied by however millions of cars are sold each year in the U.S. means to me that we are drowning in an oversupply of vehicles midst a growing drought of fuel to run them on. Am I the only one starting to think like this? Is the Law of Supply & Demand going to be our downfall with too many cars and too little gasoline draining away the diminishing value of all the nations money?

This theory began when a national used car lot, I believe called AutoNation, ran a TV commercial showing a massive flood of cars over running the highways and streets like a nightmarish horde of ants consuming all in it's path. I then began to notice how many used car lots were around and how they're over filled with cars for sale. Even the auto auctions lots have vehicles overflowing. Folks, do we have too many cars out there for the amount of gasoline to run them on?

What bothers me is not my simple needs, but rather the current and future needs of Caleb and Abner and their kids and all of you out there and your kids. All of us have been converted by our societies to absolutely need the car as a tool. We live far from the job, the stores, and the professional services like Doctors. No longer do we dwell in small towns within walking or horse and buggy distance of commerce. Now, that need to move around is being curtailed by both the political insanities and the well going dry from a herd of cars that grows larger each day.

I do worry about this and all of you. I know I shouldn't, but I do.

Mildred Hargis

[Launie]

Mildred, in my opinion you have hit the "bolt on the head" with your last paragraph. The root of all this overabundance of vehicles, and associated costs in all sorts of ways (not merely gas) is the design of our cities. Gone are the communities where most of one's needed facilities/services were within walking distance. My mom did not have a car when I was a kid; but she could walk to the grocer, laundry, bakery, pharmacy, etc.

As one example, big box malls that are miles from home might have some small-picture economic advantages, but the larger picture is disastrous. Similarly, and thankfully, I work at home, but I have always strived to avoid long commutes to work (when I worked in an office downtown). Plus, I have better things to do with my time than spend it all driving for errands and commuting (like working on an old car and driving a bit for pleasure).[:D]

Launie
'76 TR7 FHC (not running)
'86 Renault Alliance (daily driver)
'77 Chev Silverado (grunt work)

[Odd]

Mildred, and Friends,
my expression "bordering to stupid" wasn't intended to be derogatory in any way - it was just a statement that
now that vastly superior lubricants [from the outset designed for Manual Transmissions with internal oil circulation
pumps and modern synchromesh materials] can be sourced in just about any garage or auto accessory shop
why should anyone pour Automatic Transmission Fluid into it? From a friendly tribologist I've been told that ATF
[the modern versions included] don't have the synchro wear control additives of the modern MTFluids.

We've all got so much money invested in our totally rebuilt or [as in my case] brand new LT77/R380 gearboxes
that using an inferior lubricant seems to me like an easily avoidable waste of invested money!

Sorry, if anyone felt hurt. It wasn't intended...

[FI Spyder]

OK we're all cool.[8D]

Not too many cars because we (as car enthusiasts) forget that most people drive their cars with as little maintenance as possible (result of todays labour and parts costs of modern day running a business) until they are prematurely worn out. They are used as commodity items. Use'm and throw 'm away. Easier for most people to take the hit on depreciation than keep them for the long term. People in the lower tax brakets will take these cars and proceed to run them into the ground were they land in the local recycling centre.

No thought of the carbon footprint of manufacturung a new vehicle (even with the latest green manufacturing plant in the centre of a city in Germany considered) with all the attention given to the last few miles per gallon that is squeezed out of a tank of gas getting the attention. There's lots of gas(oil) out there it's question of how much can they charge for it in the market place.

Some facts from Gulf War I.
Canada No.1 importer of oil to US.

Alberta Oil Sands reserve (alone) is six times larger than Saudi total reserves.

While a squeeze on the pipeline (like a refinery fire etc. can put a strain on delivery system) from ground to gas tank there is lots of oil. It's not infinite but you get a lot of political milage being a chicken little these days. So don't worry except for the thickness of your pocket book.




TR7 Spider - 1978 Spifire - 1976 Spitfire - 1988 Tercel 4X4 - Kali on Integra - 1991 Integra