I have been working on the old girl again tonight. After an initial problem she has been running ok. My question is, could a faulty battery / generator case this problem? The reson I ask is two fold. Firstly, the battery has unexpectedly gone flat a few times in the last month (i thought there may have been a current drain from the heater as I left the fan on once turning the ignition off). The generator idiot light does not glow so I assume the generator should be ok.
Secondly about 10 to 15 years ago I had an old XB Falcon in which the alternator failed on a trip. The car ran perfectly drawing on the power of the battery for spark generation. However, as it got dark I had to use the lights which began to flatten the battery at a faster rate. As the battery got flatter the car began to lose power similar to what I am experiencing now.
So could the battery be the source of my problems? I hope someone maybe able to help.

Thanks again
Rod

Finally got around and changed the speedo gear. The original gear was a 23 tooth gear and I have replaced it with a 22 tooth gear.

From what I have ascertained this gear has adjusted the speed to within one or two km/h for the 3.55 using another car as a guide. Tried to use the speed detectors out on the highway but for some reason it would not register. I tried numerous times; possible the ute is not a large enough object to detect.

Following on from Ken I assume that the new 22 tooth gear is from a FX / FJ. So for anyone who wants to agjust the speed with a 3.55 diff the 22 tooth is awfully close. Hope its of interest.

Rod

I have a leaking rear extention housing oil seal which I am sure many of you have or currently experiencing. I am annoyed as its only a few months old.

With the advent of the new oil seals the thickness of many seals has been reduced compared to the older ones with metal casing. When I put the last oil seal in I was tempted to put two in back to back as there seemed enough space for both.

Has anyone attemped this and / or is it possible? I am considering it to stop the leak once and for all.

Rod

Hewat,
I assume that the engine is running fine and not missing which would indicate a cracked head or blown head gasket. Have a look at the appearance of the oil. Is it a creamy color which would suggest oil in the water.

The most probably cause I think would be that you are losing water out the overflow of the radiator. I have found two cause for this. Firstly a faulty cap. Secondly, when was the last time you back flushed the radiator or had it professionally cleaned. There is a fair chance there is a number of blocked cores which will cause you to lose coolant through the overflow.

Hope this may help


Rod

Tony my guess is that they are standard 138 if they came out of a FB/EK block. If they were oversized they would have 10, 20, 30, 40 or 60 stamped on top of the piston to indicate how many thou oversized they are.
To double check and to be on the safe side you need to measure the size of the piston and / or measure the diameter of the bore.
Hope this helps.

Rod

Harko, I think you are a little harsh on Ken here. I believe by reading the posts that he wasn't making this assumption about yourself. If you look at the post directly preceding his EJ Dave poses this question about his rebuild.

Please be careful. We can ill afford to put such brillant and knowledgable people off side to this site. Kens contribution has been extraordinary and I would hate to see him get the shits up and not contribute.

Anyway enough from me. All the best to you all and may Ken and many others continue to contribute to an excellent forum.

Rod

Many Thanks for your reply David.
I have two speedo gears that have different number of teeth.The first one has 23 teeth and has Holden and the part number 7409427. This is interesting as the number in the parts catalogue is 7495945. The second one has 22 teeth and the only markings are GMH and 15. The gears are not colored. I am unsure of the number of teeth in the gearbox at the moment.
These gears are from the crash box which I initially assumed was standard FE / FC vintage. Why is there a difference between the number of teeth? Were Vans and Station Wagons different or did later model boxes have differnt number teeth.
I hope this offers a basis for further discussions.
Thanks once again.

Rod

I've heard from a number of sources (including mechanics) in the last 12 months that a way to get away from the lead replacement crap is to place 2 lead fishing sinkers in the fuel tank. Apparently they roll around and slowly release lead into ULP. Thought it was interesting. Have others heard of the same yarn. Don't know what the noise would be like of them rolling around.

Rod

Just replaced original diff with a 3.55 ratio. I am quite plesed with the performance other than a whine in top gear at about 30-40 miles / hour. Looks like I will need to take it out and replace bearings (thought???). Anyway the question is, is there any replacement speedo gears that I can put in the old crash box to change the speedo reading back to the right speed? I know you can change the tension on the rear cluster of the speedo, but I don't want to do this if speedo gears can be purchased. If I had to change the tension of the spring at the rear of the speedo to bring it back to the right speed, does this also change the odometer back to the correct reading??

Many thanks to a great informative site. Keep up the good work.

Rod

Many Thanks Tony and Ken. I now feel a lot happier doing the modification today. I suppose my only hesitation was that the hole was put there for a reason. Everything that has been said is quite clear. The beauty of this response is that no one has recommended not to do it.

Once again fella's many thanks. Its amazing what I have learnt from this site from experts. Keep up the good work.


Rod

I was lucky enough approximately two years ago to by repo kick panels from a swap meet which did have the grainy appearance Ken is talking about. The same gentleman was also selling repo gloveboxes made of the same material. Maybe this fella is still doing it.

Rod

It may be the coolant. I spoke with a mechanic friend only last week about coolant. He was replacing coolant in a late model Ford. He said that Ford had problems with their original coolant (red in color). After a period of time the coolant would seep out of the rubber hoses and gave a read appearance to the surface. They have since change to a different coolant.

Also in regards to head retensioning. I have just finish a reco of a grey. It was suggested to me to retighten after 300 miles and then again at 1000 miles. Maybe you might want to clarify this as well.

Hope this helps

Rod

Many thanks fella's for your quick reply. However, I am not to sure if I am game to block up the bleed hole in order to gain more lubrication. I have just spent considerable time and money doing up the grey, and by blocking up the hole I don't want to put strain on something else. Has anyone else blocked up the bleed hole and if so what do you think? Have you had any problems by doing it? The guru's RET and Ken what do you think by all this?

Many thanks once again in anticipation.


Rod

Currently in final stages of completing a rebuild of a trusty "grey". I am after the direction /positioning of the rocker gear connector. Eventhough I can not find reference in the original manual, a gregory's manual states that the metered hole should be directed to the rear of the engine. What does it mean by the metered hole? On the connector there is a large hole and a small hole. I am assuming the small hole is the metered hole. Any suggestions? Assuming this is the case I assume by having the larger hole facing forward more oil is directed in this direction to overcome gravity due to the slight incline of the engine, while gravity provides oil to the rear of the rocker gear. Can anyone out there confirm these assumptions.

Many thanks in anticipation.


Rod

Has anyone got hints on tuning twin carbys for a grey. Any help would be of assistance,

Thanks in anticipation.

Rod

Just received a set of rings to put in my grey (138). On close examination the top ring has no beval, while the second has but on the outside.
Is this common for replacement rings? The originals I understand from the manual, have a beval on both compression rings but on the inner surface. I am doing the right thing putting these in the old guy???

Any help would be much appreciated.

Rod

Hi everyone. Has anyone got fitting instructions or thoughts on where you place a brake booster on a FE/FC. I have access to one and don't want to drill or cut any unnecessary holes. I would like to put it in the position where it was intended to go.
Thanks in anticipation.

Rod

From time to time I see this term used. What is the advantage of a lightened fly wheel? and does anyone know how much and where the excessive weight needs to be taken off with a lathe.

Rod

From time to time I see the expression 138 red motor. Excuse my ignorance but I thought the red started with the 149. Can anyone tell me what the differences are between the 138 grey and red motors other than the stated obvious - color. Just curious on the differences if there are any.

Rod

Tony

Thanks for the reply. It making more sense now. He had his 202 out and was showing me. He said to hold the end of one of the leads while turning the magneto (I'm not that stupid). He indicated that it would put out up to 60000 volts.
You are looking for a grey magneto? The guy I spoke about would be willing to sell (I think) but he is unsure how much its worth. He paid over $1000 for one thats goes in his 202.

Rod