116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

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dmgress
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116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by dmgress »

After 180,000 miles my Mark 1 needs an engine rebuild. It was starting to run hot and was becoming very difficult to start and although it still seemed to pull well when running it had low compression on at least one cylinder. In addition there have been ignition problems for a while which is perhaps not surprising given the various tweaks to the wiring over the past 47 years. I have virtually full history on the car which shows no major engine work and the engineer working on it believes it has never been apart.
Below are pictures taken at Appleyards with the engine out. The engine requires a new crankshaft and two connecting rods as a result of wear from the crankshaft moving about (the car is a manual) in addition to all the usual machining, bearings, etc. Several piston rings were also broken.
While in Appleyards I have had the engine bay tidied up and a new wiring loom fitted and I will eventually have a new wiper motor, uprated alternator and re-cored radiator installed.
Engine bay 3
Engine bay 3
jensen at appleyards feb 2016 003.JPG (212.65 KiB) Viewed 7331 times
Engine bay 2
Engine bay 2
jensen at appleyards feb 2016 002.JPG (166.77 KiB) Viewed 7331 times
Engine bay 1
Engine bay 1
jensen at appleyards feb 2016 001.JPG (185.58 KiB) Viewed 7331 times
Hopefully all that should be enough to get us to Turin and back in June. Thereafter she will be going in for a bit of bodywork as there a bubbles on the wings, on a wheel arch and on the tailgate and the sills have a slightly corroded quality to them...

Also attached is a picture of the car in one piece in the car park of the Amsterdam Hilton a couple of years ago. This was the hotel where John Lennon and Yoko Ono had their honeymoon "bed-in for peace" in 1969 - same year as VYA was made.
Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam 2013 014.jpg (191.04 KiB) Viewed 7331 times
Finally, and for amusement only, pictures of the mouse house toilet behind the dash taken last year. The little fellah had spent the winter of 2014/5 peeing on my radio and consequently it wouldn't work. The car was also very smelly...
Mouse toilet
Mouse toilet
jaguar and jensen mouse 2015 007.JPG (194.92 KiB) Viewed 7331 times
Last edited by dmgress on Tue Mar 08, 2016 7:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
1969 Mk1 manual Interceptor
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Grant
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by Grant »

Hi , was this Mike Williams old car please? ... If so I did speak to you maybe a couple of years ago trying to get you to sell it to me :lol: ... but for the life of me I cannot remember your name ... so sorry for that :oops:
With my kind regards
Grant :wink:
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dmgress
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by dmgress »

Hi Grant
Yes, Mike passed some messages!
Thanks for your interest.
Regards
Mark
1969 Mk1 manual Interceptor
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Grant
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by Grant »

Hello Mark :wink:
And have you still been enjoying changing Gear Mark? ... Obviously not right at the moment while the engine's being rebuilt, but previously?, still enjoying it are you Mark? :wink:
With my kind regards
Grant :P
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Joerg
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by Joerg »

You should join my club:

:-) Joerg
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I own some of the odd Jensen 8)
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Grant
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by Grant »

Joerg wrote:You should join my club:

:-) Joerg
Count me in Joerg please ..... Can I be at the top of the list but obviuosly just under you!!! :lol: :lol:
Grant :wink:
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Joerg
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by Joerg »

Just go to the curbshop to become a member.

http://thecurbshop.com/collections/tmgps" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Joerg
I own some of the odd Jensen 8)
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garyc
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by garyc »

Hello guys
In engine bay picture 1 there are what looks like 3 brake fluid pots
I've only got 2 on my mk1
What's the 3rd one for ?
Thanks
Gary
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Grant
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by Grant »

garyc wrote:Hello guys
In engine bay picture 1 there are what looks like 3 brake fluid pots
I've only got 2 on my mk1
What's the 3rd one for ?
Thanks
Gary
It's for the clutch Gary as they are Manual Gearbox interceptors :wink:
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by garyc »

You know I was thinking perhaps its something to do with it being manual should have realised that it was the clutch fluid :D
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by Denis »

Remember this car on the 2012 International! Nice to here you!
Love classic cars!
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dmgress
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by dmgress »

Rebuilt engine back at Appleyards... looks great, lovely stainless bolts and brass coreplugs, uprated alternator and new petrol pump fitted. I realise the rocker covers should be silver but apparently the engineer paints everything black... and after some discussion we all (Andy, Kevin, Elaine, me) thought they looked pretty cool in black, and I guess it can be seen as a sort of signature thing!
Apparently the engineer thought this was the worst engine Andy had taken him which is an achievement of sorts I guess! And since the engine was probably made in 1968 (the car was registered April 1969), has done 180,000 miles with only routine servicing and was pulling like a train until last year I can't complain!
http://www.joc.org.uk/phpBB2/download/f ... ew&id=8987" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
jensen engine April 2016 006.JPG
jensen engine April 2016 006.JPG (152.99 KiB) Viewed 6845 times
jensen engine April 2016 005.JPG
jensen engine April 2016 005.JPG (172.97 KiB) Viewed 6845 times
jensen engine April 2016 004.JPG
jensen engine April 2016 004.JPG (167.33 KiB) Viewed 6845 times
The original crankshaft looks like it might have been machined rather enthusiastically in the past... first pic shows machining with normal enthusiasm (in the middle of the shaft) and the second pic shows the results of the extra enthusiasm shown towards the flywheel end... since there is no evidence of any previous engine work there was speculation that this had been done in the factory? Still, as noted above, it seems to have survived for 180,000 miles!?
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crankshaft April 2016 002.JPG
crankshaft April 2016 002.JPG (117.88 KiB) Viewed 6845 times
crankshaft April 2016 001.JPG
crankshaft April 2016 001.JPG (137.96 KiB) Viewed 6845 times
1969 Mk1 manual Interceptor
MikeWilliams
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by MikeWilliams »

With all that wear "several broken rings" etc what a testament to Chrysler design.

The car looks great Mark and pleased to see it is still used and maintained properly. If only all Interceptors were treated like that.

Mike
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(former owner of 116/3328 and P66)
Still own 1938 Jensen HL1 drophead
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dmgress
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by dmgress »

Hi Mike
Thanks! We love the car and hope that the work on the engine (and body - we have it booked in for some restoration in July) will last us at least another 13 years and so bring us up to your 27 years of ownership! The restoration work that Cropredy did for you over 30 years ago has lasted really well considering the mileage and the fact that we have left it outside and used it in all weathers.
I have been looking at the old service records and can see that following complaints about transmission noise at about 19000 miles, and some correspondence between the first owner (Mr Weedy) and Jensen, a new flywheel and clutch were fitted by a firm in Bristol in November 1970 (all for £451) and I wonder if that was when the crankshaft was also attacked since there is no mention of the engine being removed from the car. At the time Mr Weedy was saying that he had been driving fast cars since acquiring a "J type MG" in 1932 and that he had never had "a load of trouble like this in the whole life of a car, regardless of price, let alone in a £5000 car only 18 months old!" Although Mr Weedy points out the car was out of warranty he thought Jensen should have something to say on the matter and it seemed that they agreed to consider a contribution to the cost of the repair if the original flywheel was returned to them. It looks like Mr Weedy sold the car shortly after as it changed owners in 1971 and it is not clear how the matter was resolved.
Given that the car then carried on for another 160,000 miles I wonder if Mr Weedy was a bit hasty!
In fact, on re-reading the history, I have been reminded that the car had a speedo swap at 10,000 miles so it has probably done over 190,000 miles without any other major engine work, not 180,000 as I first thought!
Regards
Mark
1969 Mk1 manual Interceptor
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dmgress
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Re: 116/3328 VYA engine rebuild

Post by dmgress »

Engine re-fitted and back on the road with full MoT! So far I have done 450 miles in "run-in mode" (i.e. keeping revs below 3000 and being gentle with the throttle) - but what a transformation it is like driving a normal car and quite relaxing!
Power difference is marked as is the willingness to start - what a wonderful thing engine compression is - though no doubt the new carburettor and wiring loom are doing their bit! It accelerates well through all gears even when used very gently so it will be interesting to see how it performs when fully run-in and unleashed!
With the new radiator it is now running at normal temperature and last week coped brilliantly with a 1 hour rush-hour crawl through Nottingham in the rain without going over 200F and, more importantly, without making me anxious that overheating was imminent. In addition the new 90 amp alternator meant it also stayed slightly on the 'C' side of neutral on the ammeter throughout - even with the lights, wipers, engine fans, interior fan and radio on and again without making me anxious about discharging the battery and without having to keep the engine revs up and thereby increasing the risk of overheating. A new wiper motor means I can use the wipers without them running out of steam and getting stuck half way across the screen - amazing!
It also looks very smart!
april may 2016 028.JPG
april may 2016 028.JPG (173.64 KiB) Viewed 6514 times
In addition to all this Kevin at Appleyards performed some emergency repairs to the bonnet hinges which had started to come adrift with the all the excitement. Picture is with bonnet off being repaired.
As is probably obvious I am really pleased with all this and would thoroughly recommend Andy and Kevin at Appleyards - they have been very patient, have done some great work to a tight timetable and are very generous with their (interesting) tea!
1969 Mk1 manual Interceptor
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