Todays fun little nugget is oil. Sync'd and cleaned the carbs yesterday. Did a valve adjustment this morning and cleaned the ignition switch with electrical cleaner thinking all good, now I can finally just relax and drive my car for a bit.

HA! HA! HA! Oh, that's rich! Whew. Ahhhh, my side is killin me! Stop it! Stop it!

I just walked by the back of my car and I see oil on the parking lot running in a nice tidy curve that happens to match the shape of the left rear side of my car. Well, wouldn't ya know it there's oil all over the F'ing place in the driver side wheel well, I'm asuming from the blown seal on the oil filter.
Ironically after reading the thread about pressure relief covers I emailed Pat at CB to ask him what he thought about installing one. He said he doesn't like them and recommended a billet filter they sell with a stronger o-ring. I trust his judgement but this is the second gasket I've blown out on the filter (not the billet one, I haven't gone that route....yet) and please keep in mind the engine only went in in September so I haven't really driven it much. Anyone else have issues with this? Solutions?
If any of you are getting annoyed reading my daily issues trust me when I tell you it pales in comparison to how annoyed I am posting them. It's getting to the point where this isn't fun anymore. It's no fun driving a car you don't trust to go farther than 10 miles from home for fear you won't make it back.

Are you sure you aren't over filling oil? Can you trust your dipstick?

WIX filters one of the best for higher psi.
Also little known to most, you can use a VW Rabbit diesel filter that is near bullet proof. ~Alan

Great minds...aww youz know :)

Yeah, I agree with Alan on both. Sure, you can run a billet filter, but at what cost?? Sounds like Pat is trying to sell more CB stuff....

I've never heard of anyone detonating a WIX filter, and the Brits are all running Rabbit Diesel filters with no problems, either.

Besides, it's too warm up there right now to expect the oil to be thick enough to detonate a filter. What I think happened is that maybe the filter O-ring was a little dry when installed and it bunched a little when tightened, causing a weak spot that eventually blew out. It happens sometime.

Go get one of these: Wix 51515R, Napa(made by Wix) 1515R. These filters are for racing applications, have superior filter material and are supposed to withstand burst pressure of up to 400PSI.

Hopefully, you're beginning to get to the end of your endless improvements and can just let it settle out and drive it more. You've changed a LOT of stuff, so you should expect some things to have bugs to fix until you get them out, let it all stabilize and stop changing things.

Hang in there......it'll get better.

gn

Mike,
I trust my dipstick with my life! ; )

Many thanks. I'll pick up a few Wix filters tomorrow. The billet one from CB is reuseable and it does look pretty bad-ass, but for $90 I'll have to blow out a couple Wix filters before I give in. I don't think Pat is trying to sell me something for just the sake of selling something, he knows his $hit and that filter would more than likely solve the problem. I figure if the Wix holds up than I'm good, if not, it's time to open the wallet AGAIN.

While I'm here - My car seems to be running a little rough. It's has been since I got it back together but I just figured it was carbs and valves. However after doing those things it's still a little rough. It idles fine. It's only when I'm on the gas that it feels rough. I can feel it in the wheel, everywhere. It's not horrible, but it is noticeable. While I was under there today I took a quick look at the trans mounts and they looked fine. What would cause you to feel moderate to excessive vibration under load?

Again, many thanks. Between the wiring issues with the lights & gauges, the top flying off and chipping my deck lid and having to buy a new top, the ignition mystery, and now the oil filter, I'm not sure how many more little surprises I can take before I just park it and cover it up. Or I could just go the Gerd route and order a new coupe.

That last comment just will not do, please print a retraction!

Mickey, you are a tinkerer, face it.

You may(probably?) have to order the Wix filters, and make sure you get the "R". I think they were 10-12 bucks the last time I got some. Larry J over at spyderclub recommends them also, and he has done lots of work on his own and other's cars for hire.

BTW, FRAM=JUNK.

I am a fan of the Berg pressure relief pump cover, especially with a remote cooler.

Mickey,

What weight oil are you using?

Mickey-

Jaycee makes a remote filter housing with three ports: in, out, and bypass. Bypass is connected by a line back to the sump. If the pressure in the housing exceeds 65 psig, the bypass opens and relives the excess pressure back to the sump.

I've got one. It's slick. You want one.

I run Wix oil filters as well. One can never be too safe.

Ditto the props to Wix.

Mickey: things to consider on roughness under load: Mixture off (Rich/lean)? Carbs synch'd? Plugs OK?

Post Edit: Check your plug caps (boots) to make sure they are all seated entirely on the plug (they "click" when seated). Maybe one is falling off. It'll idle OK, but would have high speed breakdown.

OK, If it's rough under load, then the first two things I would look at (in order) would be (1.) re-sync your carbs at 3K rpm (you might have to then re-set your idle) - use a synchro tool.

(2.) If that doesn't cure it, then maybe you have a partial clog in one of the jets (Mains, most likely) but this is a distant second.

(3.) If those are clear, then the third thing I'd look at (OK, so I said two, but I thought of something else) would be spark plugs and associated stuff (points, rotor, wires). If you have some miles/years on them, then trash the whole bunch and put in new. If you have electronic ignition (Pertronics or equivalent) then that is probably not the culprit - they either work or they don't. If it has points, then change them and set the dwell to 47 degrees.

gn

BTW: Years ago, I blew an oil filter seal when running the dunes at the Cape Cod National Seashore (the same place where they filmed the beach sequence in Steve McQueen's version of "The Thomas Crown Affair" in his Deserter Dune Buggy). Fortunately, it happened right after I stopped and it blew oil all over a three foot area of sand. Unfortunately, I had a park ranger with me (off duty) who had a major cow over it. I ended up digging up all of the contaminated sand, putting it in a couple of trash bags and carting it away (in a Dune buggy! There is no room in a dune buggy!!!). Then, the problem was; Where the hell do you dispose of it? Turns out that the ranger took me to the local Coast Guard station at Race Point where they had a Marine Hazardous Waste dumping station and they took everything, sand and all....

gn2

The last time I cleaned and adjusted the carbs resulted in the best running since the car was new. The main difference was that we cleaned out the tiny little ports in the side of the carb throats. I believe that they are called something like "progression ports", and they are ripe to get clogged because they are very small and easy to miss. We used a small piece of wire to clean out plugs in them. Don't know if that's your problem, but since our latest success I'll always check them when I have such issues.

Thanks Lane. I got a Wix "R" filter today and I'll put it on tomorrow. While I'm at it I'll check the plugs and wires. I cleaned the carbs pretty well (main jets too) so if the roughness persists I'll look into the progression port thing. I also got the parts for the shifter freshing up (bushing, coupler, etc...) and I'll probably do that over the weekend.

Oh, sorry Danny, I retract my last statement until further notice. ; )

Mickey:

Just so Lane doesn't feel that he's the only one to ever get this warning; Once you get done messing with stuff on the car this coming weekend, call a truce on further work until after Carlisle. Then drive it for a few days to make sure everything is settled before you head out to the show (BTW - you coming or not? Haven't received your info sheet).

That way, whatever needs attention you'll see well before you need to leave for the show and can fix it at home, rather than on the side of I70 somewhere.

gn

Listen to Gordon! Make this weekend the last "fix it" period unless something else breaks. Even then, ask yourself "Do I really need to mess with this before Carlisle?" I'm even debating whether or not to do the relatively harmless stuff suggested to me to try and silence my brake squeal. Other than that, all I have to do is detail the car. Given what happened last year with the water in the carbs from washing the car, I plan to do that this Saturday, giving me 10 days to clean up any problems I may create for myself.

What!? Stop doing things to my car!? That's just crazy talk and I won't have it!!!!

Honesty, I'd really like nothnig more than to stop working on my car and start driving it. It's just that IT doesn't seem to share the same idea.

I put the new filter on it today, went to start it, and...........nothing. I almost just shut the door and walked away but since I disconnected the battery the other day to remove the ignition switch I figured I'd better check to make sure the connection was good, it wasn't and it fired right up afterward.

I may even skip the shifter coupler/bushing thing and just get the top on then just leave it at that. Oh, I am going to get it in for an alignment, but after that I promise, no more work until Carlisle. Except for maybe................. ; )

LANE!

Do NOT wash your car!!!!!!

;>)

Remember what I was saying about my car not being on the same page as me? Well, it's seems it just likes sitting around with a cover on it more than it likes being driven.
I put the new filter on it this morning, warmed it up, no oil drips, all good. Not so much. I drove it to my buddies garage to put my old dead pedal back on and I see oil dripping out the back side again. It wasn't the filter seal. It was one of the valve cover bolt o-rings and of course, I don't have anymore of those. So, I have to wait until tuesday to get them from CB.
That's OK though, it'll give me time to do the shifter fresh up and get the top on and I got a Wix filter on it now to boot. With any luck I'll be able to drive it by the time Carlisle comes around.

And yes, I'm planning on being there saturday morning and leaving late in the afternoon. What time in the afternoon is still up in the air because my 6 yr old daughters school has a Father/Daughter dance that night but she's not sure if she wants to go or not.

Mick:

Thanks for the Carlisle info.

I also have the two-bolt, CB-style, cast aluminum valve covers and I haven't used CB o-rings since the first ones bit the dust, coinciding with my first valve adjustment.

What I did was go out and buy some 5/16" gas line hose and simply cut off "O-rings" about 1/4"-3/8" thick and use those. Remove the old O-ring and discard, then slide your new one (from the gas line stock) onto the bolt and re-assemble. The washer on the bolt head compresses the gas line hose and it becomes a very effective valve cover o-ring, for a few pennies each and no shipping.

I use a pair of razor cutters (they look like pliers, with an anvil jaw opposite a razor blade - from Sears) to get the cut straight, but you can do the same with a utility knife if you take your time.

You could be golden by tomorrow night.

gn

Gordon, you're the FRICKIN BEST!!!!! I'll do some up tomorrow.