martinb

To close this thread off...... Carbs have been given a thorough clean and adjustment and at the same time fitted electronic ignition.  The combination of these has resolved the cutting out issue - but not entirely sure which of these was the original underlying culprit. Thanks all for your input.

Have now removed the carbs after a few (short) runs of the engine - each time it spluttered to a stop. Disconnecting the fuel hoses from the carb chambers there was sufficient pressure of fuel to the carbs that the fuelled spurted out as the hose disconnected - so it does look like fuel flow to the carbs is ok. Removing the carbs there was a small puff of exhaust that came out of each manifold inlet when I released the bolts attaching the carbs to the manifold.  Normal? Also, the inlets on the manifold felt damp with fuel. Tomorrow I'll strip down and clean the carbs, assuming there are no other obvious things that come to mind from the above update.

Thanks for the tips so far. My fuel pump appears to be slightly different.  There is no screw on the top, but 6 screws attaching the top half to the lower half.  Have removed the screws and examined inside but no obvious filter in there. Another thing I have done is remove the air filter to gain access to the carbs.  If I put my finger in the hole where the air filter would have been and gently try to lift the silver piston inside, there is about 1 or 2mm upward movement in the front one before encountering any resistance.  However in the rear (bulkhead) one there is significantly more free movement, maybe 5mm or more.  Is this a problem?

Without wanting to sound a bit ignorant (!) - where would I find the fuel pump filter?

Yes, checked the carbs immediately after it cut out.  I think it's unlikely it's bad fuel - it was from the local Shell station.  The fuel hoses were disconnected to remove/refit the manifold, so will double check for runner slivers. No offence taken!  It crossed my mind too (especially as my other car is a diesel), but it smells like petrol and the receipt from the fuel station definitely says unleaded.

Out for a short run in my Spit 1500 after not taking the car out for a few months. No problem starting the car.  A couple of miles to the petrol station, ran smoothly, no issues.  A couple of miles later engine started "choking", intermittently at first then more frequently until eventually impossible to drive. Became particularly bad when putting load on the engine, such as accelerating up hill. Eventually had to get a tow home from RAC - fortunately wasn't far from home - as the engine wouldn't run for more than a minute or two. Now trying to find the cause - any helps and tips? Car will start and idle, and be happy for a few seconds or minutes before eventually cutting out.  Can also keep engine running at high revs for extended periods (minutes), but again, will eventually splutter and cough and cut out. Fuel supply seems ok, chambers of carbs have plenty of fuel. Inlet manifold has recently been refurbed, so has been removed and put back on (and not done any mileage since it was done).  May or may not be relevant? Any relevance to the fact it started happening after refuelling (or just a coincidence)? Planning on removing cleaning carbs as next step, but any further advice?  

9110 wrote:Anybody know what happens if you put the clutch plate in the wrong way round? Just a thought. Cheers, Dave. Good question, although I am sure that's not my problem.  The Haynes manual emphasised the need to put it the right way round, so I was very careful about that when reassembling.

Some more investigation over the weekend, with the following results..... The retaining ring in the master cylinder had popped out - so the push rod was effectively returning too far back in the cylinder.  Fixing this seemed to solve the issue with the "hard" stop on the pedal, and once the fluid was topped up and bled again this provided a clutch that felt good.  However, still unable to engage a gear. Took the starter motor off and could see that the clutch arm was moving ok when the pedal was depressed.  With my hand squeezed in through the gap where the starter motor should be and someone else pressing the clutch pedal, I could feel the release bearing was pressing against the clutch with the pedal part way down, and when pressed fully down the spines in the centre of the clutch cover were depressing a few millimetres - which I believe is what I should expect? I've made sure the slave cylinder is pushed as far forward as it can go, made sure the push rod is located correctly in the slave cylinder  and checked the clutch arm pivot pin is sound (did this when the gearbox was out of the car). Now with the clutch pedal fully depressed it feels as the gear is only just engaged - so I've made progress, but still can't quite get it fully working. I haven't checked the thrust washers, and, being honest, not sure how to do this.  Where should the thrust washers be located and where would I likely find them if they have dropped off?  (There was no evidence of any "homeless" bits when the gearbox was removed)

The clutch pedal on my Spit 1500 won't go fully to the floor and won't allow me to engage a gear.  When it goes as far as it will go it's a very "hard" stop.  Releasing the bleed valve on the slave cylinder allows the clutch pedal to go all the way to the floor - so it doesn't look like there is anything wrong with either the pedal or master cylinder. Any suggestion what the problem may be? (Had the gearbox out a couple of weeks ago as the clutch plate was stuck.  Hopefully I haven't reassembled anything incorrectly)

No world cup football to watch on the TV last night, so thought I'd give it another go.  Went back to the start, made sure the clutch was aligned properly, jacked up the engine so it looked in alignment with the gearbox slid the gearbox into place, and, as if by magic, it all just went together first time!  No drama, minimal wiggling around. It's all so easy when it works! All that remains is to tighten up all the bolts on the bell housing and reconnect the prop shaft. Thanks again for the hints and tips.

Thanks for all the tips.  It'll be trying again at the weekend.

cliftyhanger wrote:Hmm, must have been stubborn... Anyway, aligning everything is essential. It is very easy to end up with the back of the engine too low making it impossible to get the box back in. (assuming engine still in car) I use a length of steel tube (old jack handle, about an inch diameter) and use that to adjust the height of the box. Keep at it wit regular breaks. Eventually it will just fall into place and you will be wondering why it didn't before. Just don't try to find out..... The engine is still in the car.  I think alignment is my problem.  As I can't push the gearbox forward sufficiently, the prop shaft is preventing the rear of the gear box dropping into a fully horizontal position, so it's on a tilt with the rear higher than the front.  Is it safe to jack the engine (under the sump) to lift the engine to align with the gearbox?  (At the moment the engine is supported by a number of planks of wood stacked on top of each other under the sump).

cliftyhanger wrote:How did you centralise the clutch plate? If by eye you may have issues, I make it easy by using an old input shaft...... Also, a helpful tip is to put a pair of long studs in the top holes of the engine /backplate, that helps guide it into the correct position, but you need to get it all in line or it just will not go. Somebody twiddling the output flange (with a gear engaged) helps too, as it gets the splines to line up. And a bit late now, but stuck clutches can usually be sorted without gearbox removal.... I used a clutch alignment tool to centralise the clutch plate. I tried all the tips I could find on these forums to sort the stuck clutch but didn't have any success.

Successfully removed the gearbox from my Spit 1500 to deal with stuck clutch.  Clutch is now fixed, but struggling to get the gearbox back in.  Have spent most of the day wiggling and jiggling, getting bruised and scratched but cannot get the gearbox back in for love nor money. I can get to the point where there is a gap of an inch or two between the bell housing and the engine, but try as I might I cannot get the two to come together. Anyone have any tips?

1979 Spitfire 1500 w/overdrive has a seized clutch which I've been unable to release with all the various methods described on the forums, so it's time to remove the gearbox to get to the clutch. I am following the excellent instructions here supplemented by the Haynes manual Sorry , link no longer available but my Spit is obviously a different model. The instructions say to remove the gear selector unit (as does the Haynes manual).  The pics in the Haynes manual are clearly of a different gearbox than mine. The pic here shows a gearbox like mine with the gear selector unit still in place http://www.jigsawracingservices.co.uk/gearbox%20od%2001.jpg So, my question is.....with my make/model of gearbox does the gearbox selector need to be removed or can it be left in place when removing the gearbox?