Hi All,
I’d like to thank everyone for their insights on my previous posts. I was hoping to go to the well again and get some clarity on a question that has been bugging me for a few years now.
When I inherited my 1970 SII car, I discovered that the EX/EM Air Cleaner had been swapped out for the traditional “can” Air Cleaner and the hot air duct was removed. (I still have the air duct.) The replacement air cleaner cannot be hooked up to the breather housing and the EX/EM air cleaner vacuum connection on the inlet manifold was left open.
The car seems to perform alright, but I don’t understand the system well enough to know if these disconnects are affecting the car’s performance (or health).
So, I’m not sure what the best course of action is.
Should I try to source a replacement for the EX/EM Air Cleaner? (These are no longer manufactured. So, I’d have to find a used one somewhere.)
Should I cap off the vacuum connection on the inlet manifold?(Downgrading the breather housing has too many repercussions for the fuel system. So, I’m not touching that.)
Any open vacuum lines must be plugged; you can run the crank case ventilation to the plate that is common to the two carburetors i.e. the back plate in the air cleaner; this air cleaner set up works fine, and only really impinges performance of the engine above 5000 RPM. How often do you go there?
Okay. I attached a piece of irrigation drip line with a Ball Bearing in it to block the vacuum line. I’m not sure how heat-tolerant drip line is, but if it melts, I’ll upgrade to something better.
I usually keep it under 2000. (I try to put a couple miles on it weekly to keep things lubricated.). So, it sounds like leaving the crankcase ventilation elbow on the air cleaner backing plate disconnected won’t be a problem.
I’m not sure how to tap into the crankcase ventilation without disconnecting the carburetors and these other emissions control devices.
You already have that in place, so no changes required. The crankcase breather is mounted on the front of the engine. In your 1970 model, the oil fumes from the breather are combined with the fuel fumes from the gas tank breather and piped to the two carbs to be used along with the fuel/air mixture. Your photo shows that pipe is still in place (it forks in two behind the carbs) so all should be well. The open pipe on the back of the air cleaner plenum should probably be blocked off to stop unfiltered air bypassing the air filter.
“I try to put a couple miles on it weekly to keep things lubricated.”
You really need to run it long and hard enough to get the oil fully hot and boil off any accumulated moisture (condensation and combustion by product). That would take more like 20-50 miles at a time at least. Running weekly “couple of miles” trips may be doing more harm than good.
A couple of other tips you probably already know: Don’t hold the clutch down when you start it and don’t hold the clutch in when stopped-put in neutral till the light changes. Why? The Brits felt that 1/2 of a thrust washer/bearing was enough unlike American engines and anything that wears on the thrust washer will shorten it’s life and eventually it will spin out-not good. Forgive me If I’m preaching to the choir.
Cheers,
LLynn
I never spend any time with revs that low. These engines (my opinion) seem to like being flogged and anyway that’s how I roll.
Everyone has to find their own way of enjoying the car but know that it isn’t a Faberge egg, it’s a powerful motor with an enviable history of performance and endurance.
Hi Tom, I also have a late Series 2, it is a 71 with the 4.2 and it came with the 2 Stranglebergs and the Hoover Vacuum Cleaner air filter.
I have owned the car (or it has owned me) for 37 years, so understandably several improvements have been made. It is a driver, not a concourse applicant, therefore any additions made by me are in keeping with the focus on reliability and performance.
As we are discussing air cleaners, after installing triple SU’s (donated by Rover 2000 TC’s) 25 years ago and not being impressed by aftermarket cleaners, I imagineered the design you see in the photos and commissioned a local stainless fab shop to make it for me… It uses several layers of furnace filter material that are easily replaceable and has given yeoman service for the last 20 years problem free.
Like you, I retained the manifold heat shield and modified it slightly to plug the cross over hole, I also had my brake bottle shield clad in stainless as the asbestos original was getting tired. The forward heat shield was my idea to stop the Hitachi 65 amp Alternator for sucking hot air in and cooking the diodes, which killed the original Lucas unit. Hope this helps, best regards, Brian / Mytype.
Well done, Brian!
It’s a very clean implementation.
Did you remove the evaporative emission control components (i.e. Carbon Storage Canister) and revert to a pre-1970 configuration ?
Different topic:
I noticed that you ran the radiator expansion tank hose along the top of the engine frame. I’ve seen this elsewhere, but when I tried it, it interfered with closing the bonnet.
Full Disclosure: My bonnet was probably replaced after an accident (circa 1971) prior to my mother’s purchase in 1972. So, it may be a little “wonky.”
Now, where can I find a length of garden hose and an old pinball… 
