Tips and tricks from Triumph websites

I browsed around some triumph websites and found these tips.
Many of them apply to the 914 so maybe they'll help us too.

Finding a small exhaust leak can really be a pain. One trick is to pour a little automatic transmission fluid into the carb throat while the car is running. The mass of smoke will result seeping out of any hole in the system.
As a plus, it cleans out the carbon too and I've been told by a mechanic that it lubricates the valves.
-Bill Miller

An easy way to reach those tight spots where only the screw will fit. Cut a section of vacuum hose, and slip it over the tip of the screwdriver. Push the head of the screw into the hose and that's it.
-Scott

When running pressurized lines throughout the car (oil pressure gauge, air shocks, etc.), slip a small section (or two) of silicon aquarium tubing on first. Slide the tubing to areas on the line where it comes in contact with other objects. This will prevent holes being rubbed into the line.
-Howard Baugues

Tip for cleaning discolored aluminum brightwork
OK, you're restoring your British sports car and now you're up against scratched and discolored aluminum brightwork. You would like to buff it out to bring out the luster but there's a hard anodized coating that will have to be removed before any polishing or buffing can take place. The first time I tried to rectify this I used emery cloth, but it was dusty, time consuming and somewhat frustrating. I'll never do it that way again! Here's a neat, clean and fast way to overcome the problem:
1. Trot down to your neighborhood grocery store and pick up a can of Easy-Off Oven Cleaner and a pair of rubber household gloves.
2. Spray the oven cleaner liberally over the anodizing and let it sit for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Rinse with water and wipe the part clean. Voila! Pure uncoated aluminum. Re-anodize if you wish but I prefer mine uncoated and polished.
WARNING!-Remove the part from the car prior to applying the cleaner. This stuff can ruin paint and upholstery!
-Chicagoland MG Club

A good way to help stop loosing brake fluid when disconnecting lines is to place a large sheet of plastic between the master cylinder and its cap. This will create a partial vacuum and helps stop fluid from leaking out.
-name withheld by request

Problem: Overspray from UV protectant (Armorall) not just getting on the tires but getting on car's paint
Solution: Office supply stores sell a thin squeeze bottle with a sponge top commonly used for moistening stamps and envelopes. It is called the Sterling Master Moistener.
-George Blumb of Noblesville, IN (USA)

To maintain the best electrical connection at joints, such as a wire plug and socket union, clean the plug and socket thoroughly (emory paper, fiberglass eraser, and tuner spray washdown), then fill the socket with some silicone grease and just plug it in. The grease will prevent corrosion from re-occurring at that connection.
-Jeff Burns

Thought I would pass on a tip from the Volvo list. Someone posted that McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com) had a sound dampening product that was the same as Dynomat for 20% of the cost of Dynomat. I ordered a couple sheets and can confirm that it is EXACTLY the same product as Dynomat, just without Dynomat logos printed on it. Cost is ~$12/sheet versus ~$80 sheet for Dynomat. On the McMaster website, search for acoustical insulation, it is the high temperature mastic on the first page.


"Troubleshooting Electrical Shorts / Drains" You're coming out of the grocery store with a gallon of fudge ripple mocha ice cream and deposit it into the seat next to you. It's a warm night out and ice cream will really hit the spot when you get home. You insert your key into the ignition, turn the key and... ...nothing. You've got no juice left in the battery at all and you know it should be fine- you just charged it earlier after the last time you got stranded. You might as well go get a spoon because you're going to be eating that ice cream alone in your car waiting for a jumpstart. Sound familiar? It shouldn't, but unfortunately to all to many of us, it has the ring of truth to it. Automobiles are a myriad of wires, ground paths, and power sources, all waiting to fail at the most in opportune time. A simple power drain may not seem like much, but given a few days, it can really sap your resources and leave you stranded. Luckily diagnosing and tracking down these eletrical gremlins is fairly easy and doesn't require any expensive tools. Just patience and a 12 volt test light will do you fine. A short or drain on your system occurs when you complete a circuit from the negative battery terminal to the postive one. That's right, electricity flows backwards of the way you'd think- it goes from negative to positive meaning on most cars, the power goes from the battery to your chassis or engine block, and then through the ground wire to your device, through that device, and back through the circuit past the fuses and into the battery's positive terminal. It's for this reason that keeping a good ground on your vehicle is so important. It's also why a device such as a cigarette lighter that doesn't seem to be causing any problems can partially internally short due to corrosion and cause a sneak path or drain on the system by providing the electrons with a way to get from negative to positive. It doesn't take much. A high resistance load will drain very slowly, even weeks at a time. A low resistance load, such as a direct short will be spectacular with sparks, fire, and expensive repairs later. Let's track down those Lucas gremlins, shall we? First start off by disconnecting the negative battery terminal from the battery and hooking up a standard test light between the terminal and the cable. I used a test lead to help connect my light to the terminal since the probe end is meant for poking into insulation, not for maintaining a connection for any length of time. Now turn off every possible thing you can think of in the car. All switches, lights, and even the memory power feed for a stereo you have that keeps the clock/memory set. You need to make sure there is no viable reason the battery should be feeding power to anything at all. Now look at the light. Well now, it's lit and that means we have something eating up that power we are trying to keep. We need to isolate the circuit that is causing the problem. Go to the fuse box and disconnect the fuses. Chances are the light will go off with one of the fuses when they are disconnected. That fuse and circuit will contain the short or drain on it. Reconnect and then start going down the line and disconnect wiring harnesses until the light goes out again. Keep doing this until you find the item that is causing the problem and you'll be set. If the light does not go out when you disconnect the fuses, then the short is someplace in the primary electrical system. Disconnect the voltage regulator first. This is a common problem area. Then the altenator/generator, followed by starter and ignition coil. Everything else on the car is protected by the fuses. If the light is STILL on, then you've got a dead short someplace in the battery cables to the chassis or elsewhere- but then you would have known that since that sort of short would have been the fiery type and fairly easy to spot.Using these methods will work reliably to find those shorts that are constant no matter how small they are. If you have an intermittent one, then try hooking a 12V buzzer in place of the light and start wiggling the wiring harness in the engine compartment, under the dash, and anyplace else the wires pass through an area of congestion. You might find the spot that way.

Dan Vegaman

BTW - I haven't tried these tricks for myself so UAYOR

[philinjax]

ShawnO,

Just as a matter of interest, electrical current flow is considered to be from positive to negative. It is referred to as "conventional currrent". Electron flow in an electrical circuit flows from negative to positive. Electons actually are matter, that's how electroplating works, it deposits material on the positive anode (the work piece) from the negative anode. So, if electrons are flowing from negative to positive, then conventional current flow consists of "holes", the omission of electrons, flowing in the opposite direction. The point is, current flow is from positive to negative and electron flow is the opposite.

From a practical point of view, none of this means anything, we all know how to connect battery cables. I just member this from my days in school, so long ago that maybe today, the therory has changed.

Phil