The Quick/Small/(Stupid?) Question Thread.

[Linda]

And here we insert the pitch for the 12 volt blanket! Available from JC Whitney, Amazon etc. Love it, and your passenger will too.
Just in time for the holidays!

Linda

[Pjackb]

Lol Linda she won't get in if it's under 70
My last convertibles had wind stops, heated seats and steering wheel (not classics obviously) and I've driven them many times top down for short stints 20 degree weather freezing but huge small in my face

[Pjackb]

Are the side mouldings on roadsters clipped or fixed with adhesive?

[Nissanman]

On early cars the stainless trim has a threaded post which slides into the moulding and goes through holes in the body.
A spring washer and nut is applied on the inside of the panels
I assume later models are the same.

[pebbles]

Are the side mouldings on roadsters clipped or fixed with adhesive?

On early cars the stainless trim has a threaded post which slides into the moulding and goes through holes in the body.
A spring washer and nut is applied on the inside of the panels
I assume later models are the same.

OEM yes.
There is an alternative trim for cars that have had the holes filled, or have non OEM side trim installed.

http://www.311s.org/pmwiki-311/pmwiki.p ... mAlternate

[Pjackb]

Are the side mouldings on roadsters clipped or fixed with adhesive?

On early cars the stainless trim has a threaded post which slides into the moulding and goes through holes in the body.
A spring washer and nut is applied on the inside of the panels
I assume later models are the same.

OEM yes.
There is an alternative trim for cars that have had the holes filled, or have non OEM side trim installed.

http://www.311s.org/pmwiki-311/pmwiki.p ... mAlternate

Thank you

[AidanDawn2000]

Hi friends,

I am having a bit of a debate with my dad on ignition advance and was wondering if I could get a few outside opinions.
Basically I've been sticking the the factory idle advance numbers but he thinks you should just add as much as you can without it pinging for max performance.
I may have slightly lower compression than stock due to extra thic HG. (May have over compensated for cut head)

Thanks!

[Nissanman]

I tend to agree with your father.
There are a lot of variables that the factory could never foresee e.g. the changing of fuel octane and composition.
I dial in as much advance as the engine is happy with until detonation/pinging/run on is noticed, then I back it off slightly.
P.S. Here in Oz we haven't had lead in our fuel for decades and I usually use 98 RON in my SP310.

[mikepal]

I replaced my inner rear axle seals earlier in the summer when I replaced the axle bearings. I am seeing some minor fluid seepage on the brake drum backing plate. Any ideas on what would cause this?

Thanks in advance!

[cktrap]

Wheel cylinder? Hopefully not the seal.

[Gregs672000]

Hi friends,

I am having a bit of a debate with my dad on ignition advance and was wondering if I could get a few outside opinions.
Basically I've been sticking the the factory idle advance numbers but he thinks you should just add as much as you can without it pinging for max performance.
I may have slightly lower compression than stock due to extra thic HG. (May have over compensated for cut head)

Thanks!

This is my understanding: Ignition advance is required as the engine RPMs increase in order to allow enough time for the fuel to completely burn. So, you want the spark to occur such that the fuel fires off early enough to be completely burned but not so soon that the explosion is actually pushing the piston downward when the crank is pushing it up. The ignition or spark actually occurs as the piston is rising (number of degrees "advanced" ahead of Top Dead Center or max piston height in the bore). Every engine varies to some degree as to the optimal time for that to occur. Actual HP numbers can vary some based on how close you are to optimal. Pinging is a sound you can hear if the fuel is not firing off in a nice progressive manner, where the "fuel charge" or the "fog" of air/fuel is not burning progressively away from the spark plug but is instead exploding in several areas in the charge, or if the ignition is firing the fuel a bit too early, or the air/fuel ratio is to lean (and lighting off early or scattered because of the lean condition). Detonation is a completely different animal, where the fuel is exploding WITHOUT a spark event. The engine will most certainly be fighting itself and can quickly blow up when detonating.

Fuel octane is a measure of the fuels ability to resist exploding... it is NOT a measure of the energy or quality of the fuel (in fact, high octane fuel is LESS explosive and has less energy than lower octane fuel, so if your engine does not need it it is a waste of money and produces less power). The reason a high compression or forced induction engine needs higher octane fuel is because the more you compress something the more likely it is to explode when you don't want it to (i.e. piston coming up), so you use fuel that does not light off as easily so YOU can control when it explodes (spark event).

Studies have shown that pushing the advance is only helpful to a certain degree and there is no way to know without being on a dyno if it helps or hurts. Advancing the timing can increase cylinder and spark plug temps, which can cause the fuel to light off even earlier as temps increase (and can be influenced by hotter outside air temps, and one of the reasons why people run "cold air" boxes). Personally, if it pings it is too advanced for me, but I am very sensitive about my engine because of the high compression. You can use the "advance until it pings and then back off" if you desire, but I personally would not leave it where it pings. If you are on the ragged edge of that, I am not convinced you will gain any additional power and I would need to see that it does on a dyno for me to be convinced. Air/Fuel ratios contribute to that as well, as a richer mix is less likely to explode because it is cooler and slightly more "wet", and a light fog of fuel explodes much more easily than a puddle of fuel. So, under hard acceleration, I want my A/F ratios to be in the 12.5 to 1 or so to hold off ping or detonation, and regular, light demand driving ratios to be in the 14s-15s for good fuel economy and a reduction in emissions.

The stock timing advance and curve were set up for the engine as it existed with the compression ratio it had and the fuels available. If your compression is lower you don't have to worry much about detonation. I don't know if you will gain much by advancing the timing over stock, but I suppose it is possible if this improves the full burning of the fuel. However, you can go to far and advance it to where the piston fights the explosion, and you will certainly lose power under that condition.

Clear as mud, right?

[AidanDawn2000]

Thanks Greg and Nissanman.

I have played around with the timing and found even a 5 or 6 degree adjustment has a noticeable impact on performance. Spark going off before the piston is on its way down does seem kinda sketchy though so i'll keep it close to factory for now

[mikepal]

Wheel cylinder? Hopefully not the seal.

I've verified that it's not the wheel cylinders. The seepage is coming directly from the space between the axle housing and the brake backing plate.

[Mainer311]

Wheel cylinder? Hopefully not the seal.

I've verified that it's not the wheel cylinders. The seepage is coming directly from the space between the axle housing and the brake backing plate.

So, where the shims typically reside. Either your seal went bad already, or some of the liquid from the grease has separated and is seeping through that joint.

[mikepal]

Wheel cylinder? Hopefully not the seal.

I've verified that it's not the wheel cylinders. The seepage is coming directly from the space between the axle housing and the brake backing plate.

So, where the shims typically reside. Either your seal went bad already, or some of the liquid from the grease has separated and is seeping through that joint.

Guess I'll have to take it all apart and find out.