Author Topic: Howdy and balance tube question  (Read 1454 times)

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Offline twinkie the kid

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Howdy and balance tube question
« on: Sunday,July 07, 2013, 06:49:28 PM »
Hey, guys.  I have been lurking here for a while.  I have a 73 TCS, that I bought in rough shape. 
I rebuilt the engine and discovered the car wouldn't stop. 
I rebuilt the brakes and master cylinder and discovered the car overheated. 
I had a new radiator built, and discovered the alternator wouldn't charge the battery. 
I got the alternator rebuilt. 
I made a carbon fiber dash, door cards, and console.  Got a new crashpad and put in new carpets.  Got new tires. Replaced a few suspension bushings that had had it then I decided to live with the other minor issues for a while.  I recently moved and have a lot more space to work and decided to refine some things. 

I have decided to look at the ignition and fuel systems since I feel like things aren't running as well as they could (although hard to say since I have never seen another Europa much less ridden in another.)  I have an array of symptoms that had me looking at the carbs this evening.  The PO had removed those tubes that run over the top to the exhaust and added a plate to blank off that outlet on the riser between the carbs and the head.  I have looked at that thing before and always thought that a lot of power most be lost there as the intake charge runs through that maze.  I have seen some pictures of Stromberg setups that look like they pass straight through, with a single tube connecting the the two.  Does anyone have more info on where this can be gotten or how they made one, and whether it was worth the trouble?

Also, have many of you all replaced the guts of your dizzy with a Pertronix?  Was it worthwhile?  I feel like I have weak ignition, but we'll see once I have the mixture sorted.

Thanks!
-Chris

Offline Roger

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Re: Howdy and balance tube question
« Reply #1 on: Sunday,July 07, 2013, 08:50:30 PM »
Hi Chris,
The first thing to understand is that the charge doesn't go through a maze when the crossover pipes are removed. There are two sets of butterfly throttles, but usually when the crossovers are removed,they are too. If you remove a carb you'll see the passage isn't very obstructed at all.
Having said that, there are European inlets that are simpler than the Federal and can sometimes be obtained, I got mine from England where it was originally fitted to an Elan. There's not a lot of improvement,  but it is neater.
I am a great fan of Pertronix!

Offline EuropaTC

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Re: Howdy and balance tube question
« Reply #2 on: Sunday,July 07, 2013, 10:31:59 PM »
Hi Chris, and  :Welcome:

I can't help on the Stromberg question (UK/Dellortos) but I did fit a Pertronix ingnition system to the Elan, which is essentially the same as the TC Europa. I've also bought one for the Europa but not fitted it yet.

A couple of "heads up" on the deal.

Firstly, if your OEM points/condenser system is fresh and adjusted properly, the cars are good starters and don't normally have any problem in revving smoothly.  If you think you've got a poor system then personally I'd make sure that's performing as well as possible before changing it. Things like new plugs/leads/rotor arm & coil won't cost the earth and are very simple replacements. Even if they make no improvement, you'll still have the benefit of new parts to go with your electronic ignition.

Secondly there have been mixed views as to how well the modern electronic ignition works with the olde-worlde rev counters in our cars. Some folks fit Pertronix, etc and have no issues. Some rev counters seem to work fine at first and then become inaccurate and others just don't work smoothly at all. There are plenty of fixes around, including some systems that are supposed to work out of the box. It's been discussed in some depth on Lotuselan.net so you might want to take a peek there,  (ok, that's Elans, but the ignition is basically the same)

On my Elan I fitted new internals to the rev counter which solves the problem and over last winter I converted a spare instrument for the Europa as well.  The Elan, with Mk1 Pertronix ignitor, works fine, starts well, revs smoothly and I think is more stable at tick-over.  So why haven't I done the Europa ? well, the car starts when I turn the key, so it's not at the top of the list yet.....   

Brian

Offline Roger

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Re: Howdy and balance tube question
« Reply #3 on: Thursday,July 11, 2013, 06:53:16 AM »
I have just noticed there's someone in the UK  on the Lotus Elan forum http://www.lotuselan.net/ with the bits you want.

Offline YellowS4DHC

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Re: Howdy and balance tube question
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday,August 06, 2013, 06:33:21 PM »
Chris,
Pertronix systems are very convenient and trouble free - provided you have no interference with your tach; I might add that the std Lucas rev limiting rotor will not work with the pertronix unit due to physical interference.  If you feel the need for a rev limiter, you should stick with points.

I have a Pertronxi in my S4, but keep points in my TC since it is intended for autocrossing.

BTW, after 15+ yrs of use, the plastic cased stator in my S4 failed (case came apart and the magnets flew out);  I emailed Pertronix asking about a replacement and they sent me one free of charge.  The unit in my 71 Land Rover is still working and it's over 20 yrs old.

regards
Rick

Offline Roger

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Re: Howdy and balance tube question
« Reply #5 on: Wednesday,August 07, 2013, 12:04:55 AM »
The originator of this thread made one post and vanished. Didn't want help?