TC talking to me.

[Terry Horlick]

I was reading TC's Forever by Michael Sherrell yesterday and came upon the passage where he says the TC will tell you when something is about to go wrong if you will just listen. He mentioned how failures like broken sectors and broken Pitman arms can be preceded with a subtle warning. Last weekend my TC got stuck in 3rd gear. Durring the week I went through the shifting linkage and changed out the tranny oil. Went for a test drive today and all was well. On the way home BANG!!! The tranny made a loud noise and jammed up. It won't turn in any gear. Ominous klunk and jams while trying to turn. I had to load onto a trailer to make it the 1 block home. The problem is likely the tranny, but I can't rule out the clutch yet. I guess I will have to tear down and pull out the engine to figure this one out. If the tranny is toast I am thinking about installing a 5 speed- overdrive unit. Does anyone know what tranny fits in there and who makes the conversion kit? I hope to keep my original, but want to know my options. Everytime I think I have all the bugs worked out something new and drastic always seems to pop up! Does anyone out there have a reliable car? Terry TC2285

[DougPulver@aol.com]

Terry, Don't feel like you are alone - I have felt this way for some time. (My guess is that most of us do at some point or other.) Just know that with perseverance and the help of this group you will prevail. Doug Pulver TC 5850 (about to receive axle shims to hopefully improve steering enough to make it "acceptable" to me even though everyone else says it's "normal" to wander all over the road) San Diego, CA -----Original Message----- From: Terry Horlick thorlick@sbcglobal.net> To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 02:57:14 -0000 Subject: [mg-tabc] TC talking to me. Everytime I think I have all the bugs worked out something new and drastic always seems to pop up! Does anyone out there have a reliable car? Terry TC2285 Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Rick Waters]

Hey listers! How you define reliable? In 18 years of TC motoring, I've had to be towed home just once, when a previously-welded half shaft broke. I've had to call for help once, when a coil failed, but I was on my way within the hour. Sure, things will always pop up that need attention. Isn't that one of the reasons you bought a very old car??? Enjoy it for what it is, a vintage car. -Rick, TC 7881 DougPulver@aol.com wrote: Terry, Don't feel like you are alone - I have felt this way for some time. (My guess is that most of us do at some point or other.) Just know that with perseverance and the help of this group you will prevail. Doug Pulver TC 5850 (about to receive axle shims to hopefully improve steering enough to make it "acceptable" to me even though everyone else says it's "normal" to wander all over the road) San Diego, CA -----Original Message----- From: Terry Horlick To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com Sent: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 02:57:14 -0000 Subject: [mg-tabc] TC talking to me. Everytime I think I have all the bugs worked out something new and drastic always seems to pop up! Does anyone out there have a reliable car? Terry TC2285 Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links -Rick Waters __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Peter Roberts]

Doug, It ain't "normal" to wander all over the road. The shims will help. All of Buell's restoration to the Front End followed carefully with give you a sweet steering TC. _Peter

----- Original Message ----- From: DougPulver@aol.com> To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 4:47 PM Subject: Re: [mg-tabc] TC talking to me. > Terry, > > Don't feel like you are alone - I have felt this way for some time. (My > guess is that most of us do at some point or other.) > > Just know that with perseverance and the help of this group you will > prevail. > > Doug Pulver > TC 5850 (about to receive axle shims to hopefully improve steering enough > to make it "acceptable" to me even though everyone else says it's "normal" > to wander all over the road) > San Diego, CA > > -----Original Message----- > From: Terry Horlick thorlick@sbcglobal.net> > To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 02:57:14 -0000 > Subject: [mg-tabc] TC talking to me. > > > > Everytime I think I have all the bugs worked out something new and > drastic always seems to pop up! Does anyone out there have a > reliable car? > > Terry TC2285 > > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > >

[Larry & Marilyn]

Hi Doug I missed something. What axle shims are you are you talking about? Larry TC 4703

[DougPulver@aol.com]

Larry, It's the "optional castor shim", Moss part number 261-190. Depending on which way you install it, my guess is that you get more or less of whatever it is you get from installing this. The Moss illustration shows the thin end forward. I know it sounds stupid to say that, but I've now had advice from people that range from install it thick end forward, thin end forward and don't install it at all. I'll let you know what course works the best. (Initial plan is to reconsult with the Buell article in our Tech notes.) Doug Pulver TC 5850 -----Original Message----- From: Larry & Marilyn 48mgtc@shasta.com> To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com; DougPulver@aol.com Sent: Mon, 1 Aug 2005 14:58:56 -0700 Subject: Re: [mg-tabc] TC talking to me. Hi Doug I missed something. What axle shims are you are you talking about? Larry TC 4703 Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Larry & Marilyn]

Hi Again Doug I went and looked at my shims. They are installed thin end forward, which I think reduces castor and consequently reduces the centering force. I think I have read that this was a factory production change to reduce the force (torque) required to steer. My TC does not wander. The steering was pretty well screwed up, but it would drive straight down the road if you did not mind three inches of slop at the steering wheel. Maybe you need to check the caster, camber and toe in. And I know you have done a lot of work on your TC so I suppose you have good king pins and bearings. Good Luck Larry TC4703

[fnitz]

Thin end forward gives less caster and therefore more of a tendency to wander but also gives lighter steering. Thin end to the rear gives more caster and has just the opposite effect. However, there is a lot more to front end geometry than caster shims. See the Buell article for a really good idea how a TC should be set up. I have followed his advice to the letter and am very pleased with my steering with the shims installed thin end forward which is how the factory originally installed them. Fred TC1353 -----Original Message----- From: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com [mailto:mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of DougPulver@aol.com Sent: Monday, August 01, 2005 3:19 PM To: 48mgtc@shasta.com; mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [mg-tabc] TC talking to me. Larry, It's the "optional castor shim", Moss part number 261-190. Depending on which way you install it, my guess is that you get more or less of whatever it is you get from installing this. The Moss illustration shows the thin end forward. I know it sounds stupid to say that, but I've now had advice from people that range from install it thick end forward, thin end forward and don't install it at all. I'll let you know what course works the best. (Initial plan is to reconsult with the Buell article in our Tech notes.) Doug Pulver TC 5850 -----Original Message----- From: Larry & Marilyn 48mgtc@shasta.com> To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com; DougPulver@aol.com Sent: Mon, 1 Aug 2005 14:58:56 -0700 Subject: Re: [mg-tabc] TC talking to me. Hi Doug I missed something. What axle shims are you are you talking about? Larry TC 4703 Yahoo! Groups Links [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Links

[Rick Hall]

Having been responsible for TC7091 since 1966 I can say with some certainty that the castor shims were a mid-run factory change as an economical means to take out some of the castor angle built into the front axle casting/forging to reduce the sterering effort without seriously reducing directional stability. My car came to me without the shims and I later upgraded to them ((thin end forward) and found that the steering was indeed lighter and there was little or no loss of stability (given what there was to begin with). Rick Hall NY/USA

>From: "Larry & Marilyn" 48mgtc@shasta.com> >To: mg-tabc@yahoogroups.com>,DougPulver@aol.com> >Subject: Re: [mg-tabc] TC talking to me. >Date: Mon, 1 Aug 2005 15:38:40 -0700 > >Hi Again Doug > >I went and looked at my shims. They are installed thin end forward, which >I >think reduces castor and consequently reduces the centering force. I think >I have read that this was a factory production change to reduce the force >(torque) required to steer. > >My TC does not wander. The steering was pretty well screwed up, but it >would drive straight down the road if you did not mind three inches of slop >at the steering wheel. > >Maybe you need to check the caster, camber and toe in. And I know you have >done a lot of work on your TC so I suppose you have good king pins and >bearings. > >Good Luck >Larry >TC4703 > > > > > >Yahoo! Groups Links > > > > > >

[Joe Gates]

Having swopped the faithful BC for a Datsun Box a whuile back, and later replaced the linkages with ball joints, and finally fitted a VW steering damper (I hear the slightest of screams from some quarters - but cannot decide if they are in delight or disgust!), I reversed the castor shims to give me as much forward castor/resistence as possible. As a result it is as light as any power-steered vehicle I have driven without loosing that sense of control, but I put this down to the 4.5 inch tread on the tyres!. BTW, I now feel safe approaching 75mph whenever the inclination gets to me. Joe