The sun is on your back, the budgie is on its perch and `lady Madonna` issues from the 2 watt car radio. Yes, its a great July Saturday morning in 1969, you pop the bonnet on your parents drive and BMC`s green cast iron motor gleams back.
The long reach sparkplugs slip out easily in their copper greased, cast iron threads and yes, there it is again, down the plughole in a shaft of light, easily picked out by your 17 year old eyes....
*Mowog On Your Pistons* ( cue the theme music for lipstick on your coller)
Of course, at the time you never would believe that the reliability of an iron block and head would be lost, that technology would improve reliability. (Or that you would never tighten a sparkplug down again with such confidence.)
So from an engineering point of view, what went wrong with engine design? Here we are decades into the future and I can go out and buy a well known small car, *currently in production*, that is well known for popping its headgasket. (Not the obvious candidate and with an alloy head on an iron block.)
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>>you would never tighten a sparkplug down again with such confidence.)
It's a sunny afternoon in Autumn 2006 and you agree to service your sister's recently acquired 1998 Ford Ka, complete with its reliable all-iron 1960's designed engine. You've been going about half an hour and there's clean oil in the sump, a new oil filter and air filter installed, and everything is going swimmingly. The rocker cover is off and you're waiting for the engine to cool a bit more before you break out the feeler gauges to check the tappets.
Supping a coffee and soaking up the Autumn sunshine, you decide to check the plug gaps. You marvel at how accessible the plugs are on these old engines. You ease the cap off number 1 plug, attach the socket and extension, and apply the torque progressively with a short ratchet to avoid overdoing things. At about half effort, there's a sickening crunch and everything from the plug hex upwards comes away in the socket, leaving everything below the hex resolutely corroded into the head. You curse. And swear. A lot.
A whole day of careful drilling and plus gas yields an eventual good result, and you gingerly install the new plug. You breathe a sigh of relief as it takes the recommended torque and stays put. You fire the engine, and it runs sweetly. You look at the other three plugs wondering what to do, and then find yourself unable to believe you could be capable of such a ridiculous and suicidal notion as to even consider attempting the others. You close the bonnet and proclaim the job finished.
Plugs buried down between the cams on a Zetec? Childs play compared to this! :-)
Cheers
DP.
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In 1969 your BMC or BL car would have mechanical points which needed adjusting every 3,000 miles....
I should point out to anyone who passed their driving test less than 20 years ago that "points" were an archaic method of timing the ignition on a petrol engine - unchanged for 60 years. The current passing through the points caused a deposit on one face and erosion on the other leading to changing timing.
Almost everything has improved in engineering design since then.. I don't know which car oilrag is referring to .. so cannot comment. except to add the cyclinder head in 1969 was generally removed for decarbonising and regrinding of valves every 50k miles (if lucky .. many were much less).
I can remember the so called "joys " of driving cars made in that era and can assure anyone who did not that modern cars are superior in every way.
madf
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My first requirement for breakdown assistance was due to lack of lubrication on the points. Car spluttered for a few miles on the M6, managed to get to a junction and pulled off. Benefit of simplicity was within an hour the car was fixed and we were back on our way.
Misfiring to such an extent now would result in instant meltdown, flashing lights everywhere and a long trip home in the back of a recovery truck!
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Misfiring to such an extent now would result in instant meltdown, flashing lights everywhere and a long trip home in the back of a recovery truck!
It *might* do, but more likely the ECU would sense something going wrong and would put the car into a 'get you home' mode, so that you wouldn't be stuck at the side of the road.
I don't what the stats are for breakdowns, but even with the massive increases in traffic, you really don't see anything like the numbers of cars broken down that you used to.
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My first car in the early 1970's was a secondhand Singer Chamois (up market Hillman Imp) and my Father told me to get to know my car inside and out.
The joys of an inline engine the wrong way round (rear engine driving rear wheels) with plenty of space each side of the engine and a cover that also gave good access above. Removed the head for a decoke and re-shimmed the valves (a pain as some you could swap, others meant a trip to the main dealer to buy new ones), removed the sump and fitted new piston rings to cut down burning oil. Fitted a new clutch and geabox as both were knackered, quite easy as you propped the engine up, removed the rear support bar and then pushed the car away.
The only problem I had with the points was after fitting a new set. After driving 30 miles the engine kept racing away, after chatting to my Father by phone (remember no mobiles, you had to find a phone box!) he could not solve it so came and towed me home. It transpired I had not tightened the new points hard enough and they had slipped.
The other thing I missed was removing the rotor from the distributor, best anti-theft device you could have.
I must say modern cars are certainly more reliable and better designed in all areas than in those days.
--
Roger
I read frequently, but only post when I have something useful to say.
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I wonder if this well know small car is from the PSA stable & has VVT ;-)
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What's wrong with points?
They were always failing on the bubble car.
Two-stroke engine, no reverse gear, dynastart. You started the engine backwards through a second set of points.
Guess how it always got me home?
Interesting, explaining to a cynical 'old bill'.
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The other issue with BL engines of that vintage was variable build quality, and being reassured by the dealer that 200 miles to the pint was quite normal for a new car, and that it would improve when run in, then that you were out of warrantee.
They weren't amused when you traded them back in, then mentioned afterwards about the oil consumption..
The "A" series ran so dirty the only time I read MOWOG on a piston was after a decoke, and that was with a "slate grey" exhaust.
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What's wrong with points?
Nothing at all, love 'em. You know the car will go gradually out of tune, but remain usable for say 5,000 miles. Then you simply chuck away the old ones, install new ones and set them with a cigarette paper, a strobe light and a dwell meter - much better way to set the points gap than a feeler gauge - and gap or replace the plugs, and you knew the thing would run the way it was supposed to for another 5,000 miles or so. Once you had learned the ways of a particular engine or type of engine the whole thing was a doddle and very cheap.
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