peteyg

Isn't the 74deg thermostat a bit low for Wiltshire? Have you tried the standard thermostat? Pete

Can't remember the spec off the top of my head but the inlet and exhaust clearances are different. I made the mistake of setting them all the same then had to take it all apart and redo it. D'oh!

Identical spec to my S2, at least when it was original. Interestingly they've done the same to your seats as mine which were leather on the build sheet but replaced with cloth at some point. Pete

I'm no expert but I didn't think there was ever a paper gasket for the cam carriers. The point of the thinly applied anaerobic sealant was to negate the affect of affecting shim size. Happy to be proved wrong. Pete

There's been sporadic talk about getting the S2 mirrors 3D printed but I haven't seen any results yet. You'd need to fit a modern motor. I've seen them fitted to 2 other cars: Aston Martin Vantage & Reliant Scimitar GTC which doesn't help much with volume sales...

Bought the old girl in October 1997 with 54,500 miles on the clock and look what just happened today... Big shout out to @Bibs and everyone on this forum who has helped contribute to my little milestone!

Always used V-Power in the S2. Run my old Land Rover and 2003 Alfa as well as garden equipment on E10 with no obvious detrimental effects, so far. I just drain the tanks/ run them dry on the garden stuff at the end of each season. Pete

You should be using the Carbtune to get the highest vacuum for each barrel by adjusting the idle mixture screws before balancing the carbs. If you've not done this you won't get a proper balance. 3.5 turns is a good starting point but each barrel can vary. Pete

Thanks chaps. It's a replacement rack from SJ bought years ago so not original. Don't know if that makes a difference to being able to adjust?

Hi guys, Is it possible to adjust the steering rack to remove the slop. I have quite a lot of play at the steering wheel. I've replaced the u/js which made no difference so must be the rack? Pete

I have gaps on my S2. More pronounced one one side than the other. Guess it was a 'handbuilt' thing.

I have the same setup as you on my S2, Si. She's always been happier running on the richer side and plugs are nice and clean. Pete

I reckon that should do it. Sadly not at Prescott thanks to work! Haven't been for ages so a bit gutted.

Hi Derek, Removing the mirror glass involves using a heat gun to soften the adhesive that sticks the mirror to the back plate which is attached to the motor then very gentle pry the glass off. It's very think and easily snapped but replacements available through SJ etc. Can't help with testing the mirror motors but I can send a pick of the connected wires. The motor doesn't work with a smooth movement but with clicks like a solenoid if that makes sense. The throttle cable runs behind that footrest but should foul it unless the cable is in the wrong place. Pete

I did check that and they are fine.

Yup. They clearly were not done up tight enough using TEs method which is why air was getting in and the O ring kept blowing out.

Well, put both cup washers back on and cranked the nuts tighter than spec and all seems to be well. Carbs balanced and running smoothly. Only had a quick test drive but none of the spitting and banging just a bit of exhaust pop on the overrun. Will have more time to test tomorrow. Pete

It had 2 cup washers previously but I was following a recent article by Tim Engel who seriously knows thes engines and his instructions for soft mounting recommends the setup you see in the photo. Pete

Really thought I'd found the root of the problem. Filling the holes seems to have cured the air leak but still banging and blowing out the O ring. Always the same barrel though all of them spit and pop but less violently. Any other ideas?

@jonwatI think you might be right. I spotted that as I was about to throw my toys out of the pram in frustration and thought surely the holes will be hindering a proper seal so decided best to sleep on it. There's no lead but a hardish brown substance that has sunk about 1-2mm on both barrels. Any idea what I could fill the holes with? Would rather avoid anything that will need filing. Pete

OK, what am I doing wrong? Heard an air leak on the front carb (nearest bulkhead) which I suspect is the cause of my slow dropping revs and lots of popping on overrun. Sounds a bit like when the choke is on. Have since replaced the spacer O rings twice and following Tim Engel's very detailed process of 'soft' mounting the carbs using Hylomar AF on the O rings to create an extra seal but the leak is still there. The only way I managed to remove the leak was to crank up the mounting bolts as tight as they would go therefor crushing the O rings and creating a rigid mount. I did this before following the soft mount procedure and the slow dropping revs persisted, especially when the engine was warm after being sat for a while. When soft mounted the front carb spits and bangs on the inner barrel and when revved, spits so hard and eventually blows out one of the O rings on the spacer. What could be causing this? Spray carb cleaner over the spacer and the engine picks up happily. All spacers replaced with new from SJ and O rings replaced from 2 different sources in case they were the problem. If I pull hard on the carb the seal improves and the engine runs better but the exhaust is still banging away though this could be down to the carbs not being tuned/balanced. Mounting faces of carb and manifold appear flat with no obvious scoring. Not sure what I'm missing. Some spitting from the rear carb but nowhere near as aggressive as the front. Help! Pete

@drdoom the butterfly closure issue is the same on both barrels so the spindle is straight. Something is preventing it from fully rotating. The bearings were replaced at the same time as the spindle.

Carbs off and it appears the one where I changed the spindle is not closing fully on its own. Only a small opening as can be seen in the photo of the same barrel and it can be fully closed with a gentle push. Could this be why the revs are dropping slowly? Any recommendations on how to make the butterflies close fully on their own?

Mine were very fiddly to fit. It's quite tight. I used a bolt the same diameter going in from the front to hold it all in place then knocked the footwell bolt through when all was lined up which taps out the alignment bolt. Having said that your bush looks much bigger than mine unless yours are the earlier lower links without the 'modification' which require a different bush? Pete

I used lots of washing up liquid to lube the ARB on my S2. The bushes wouldn't move without lubrication and I ended up tearing one of them using brute force.