Dirk

Firstly, Hello to all on this forum! Dunno why but I have been posting a lot on the 80s forum but since my 1600 dl is in fact 1979 I think I should hang around here more often. Anyway, I'm having trouble getting the old girl to do much over 120k (75mph) on a flat straight. Not long ago I would have been able to cruize at that speed and if I put my foot down get up to 135k (83mph) Iv'e done a lot of work to the engine lately and probably farted around with the carb to much but generaly she is in fine shape. She starts first time on even the frostiest mornings which suggests to me that I can't be far away but I can't help feeling she has a lot more to give. Coments please on where to direct my attention and why. Or am I just asking too much from her Some details to help: Recently rebuilt engine. New ignition system (bar the dizzy) Timing at 8 degrees Hitachi Carb (cleaned and rebuilt to the best of my abilities) Recent compression test perfect Cheers Dirk PS I did get her up to 155k (96mph) yesterday but it was down hill and I got the feeling that the engine was actualy stopping the car from running away from it any further. PPS Naught to 100k (62mph) is fine at somewhere between 13.5 and 14 seconds so the power is there, I just can't find it at the top.

I've got that book! I think its great. Fills in most of the gaps from my Haynes manual. Not sure about all the Star Trek references though. The index is a funny read.

Good on ya mate! Now that the stat is back in you will find it warms up a lot quicker from cold. Heater will work better too. Probably not a bad idea to flush the system some time and top up with new coolant. Does she still rough rough first thing? Track down your manual when you can and start checking the obvious things. It doesn't cost any money to check if all systems are set correctly, just a little time. Enjoy!

BTW, if it is a head gasket issue you may well find that the coolant errupts from the radiator when the cap is off. But for heavens sake DON'T try this when the engine is hot!

Don't forget to 'Burp' the system once its all back together again or she will overheat for sure. Have you checked the condition of the engine oil yet?

Did you see the one on trademe in Aukland a few weeks ago? I was pretty keen but I think the wife would have divorced me. (which is a bad thing cos she's still hot and looks after me pretty good)

Cool!

OK. Then run the engine without the thermostat and see if the temp still goes up. At least you can eliminate a possibility, even if you do have to get a new one regardless.

I'm guessing the gasket failed due to abnormally high water pressure and temperature. Could be head gaskets. Check the engine oil. Does it look normal (thin and black) or is it creamy coffee? If it looks OK then I wonder if there is an air lock in the cooling system or is the therostatic valve stuffed? Top up the water and run the engine with the heating on full and the radiator cap off. This should 'burp' the system of any air. You may have to do this a couple of times if there is indeed air in the system. If the engine is still overheating then I would turn my direction to the thermostatic valve or the water pump. The thermostatic valve is under the water pipe fitting in the picture (the one thats leaking). Unbolt the fitting (when the engine is cold) and pull out the valve. Remember which way up it goes because it only works that way. I'm not sure what it will look like if it is broken but someone will be able to tell you.

Robert Jopson, Cromwell Auto Recyclers. A great source for gen1 parts. He is quite the subie fanatic and also a well knowen face at speedway tracks. Actually he used to own my car. I like him a lot and he has always been good to me (if a little kurt at times), but he does have a reputation for being a little difficult at times. I hear he was banned from racing last year because he verbaly abused a track marshal. He has a couple of spare twin carb engines too but is reluctant to part with them right now. Bummer.

I think I've sussed it! Spoke to a fella who has a few of these engines and he said: Yes they do have 'hotter' cams, bigger valves and higher compression. Gold star to those who suggested as much. He also went on to say that retro fitting a dual carb on a stock engine will only cause it to burn more fuel. Although it would appear that other people on this forum have had other experiences with this. More opinions on this welcome! Unfortunately this is about as much info as he was willing to give. I get the impression I gets tired of dishing out free advice all the time. Shame, because he could be a real asset to this forum. Cheers to all who passed comment.

Sorry can't help. But thanks for making me laugh. I suspect it could be the ball joint at the bottom of the shifter but I have no experience with you model. Access to mine is from the top.

No Tom, this is the last rebuild from 2 years ago. Still searching for a new one to have acrack at.

Cheers. Yes. Its Sprite Green.

Oops! Cheers Tom. Sorry Thomas. Altough I'm sure they continued the EA71 into the Eighties. ??

Did you actually read this before posting? You managed to contradict yourself in the same sentence. Also, can you explain to me why you think this is the wrong forum for my question?

In my experience the only perminent fix to this is to have the screen removed and re-installed. Prefereably with new rubbers. I find it strange that you are having toubles getting a pro to do this. A company like that wouldn't get my business.

sorry. So which one should I post in?

Its just a water mark after washing the block for the hundred time. Looks like I didn't wipe it down properly. I cleaned everything by hand.

Er Thanks? Not quite the definitive answers I was looking for though.:-\

There is a Brat in town the same colour. Even the canopy! Ill take a pic next time I see it.

For those of you who havn't seen the inside of a boxer engine I thought this would be a bit of fun. Its amazing how simple the engine really is when you get down to the working parts. But as I have learned, its the phenominal acuracy in the way they are put together that is the really hard part. I'm glad I did it though. Even if it is a half arsed job, I learned a lot and had a lot of fun. Can't wait to do the next one. Gutted I didn't take pics of the crank shaft and rods etc. I was so excited about putting it all back together I just forgot.

Does anyone have a deffinitive answer to how the twin carb ea71 differs from the single carb version? Is it just the manifold and carbs or are the heads and block different in some way? Cheers Dirk

My Windscreen leaks in both bottom corners and produces the same results. Been meaning to fix it for a while now.

Legend! Thanks man. So what would you do? Twin carb or late model?