Rocker shaft cotter pins.

Many years ago in the sixties, when I was using my Carbodies drophead as the everyday car, I noticed that the tappets were getting noisier and noisier. This was despite the fact that the clearances were correct. I subsequently discovered that the cotter pins which locate the rocker shaft were all loose. The problem was solved by tightening up the nuts on the end of the cotter pins. I have just been checking the car out prior to our holiday in France in June and, much to my surprise, found that all the cotter pin nuts were again loose and one was almost completely off. Again, I had thought that the engine sounded rather noisy and decided to check. It is over 150,000 miles since this last happened to me, but is something worth checking if your tappets seem noisier than usual. Anyone else ever experienced this?  David Jobson-Scott. Posted by DavidMJS 23/05/2012 16:49:03

Hello David,  Thank you for sharing that useful piece of information.    I also have a Carbodies DHC but I haven't owned it for quite as long as yourself; it arrived here in France in Dec 2010.  Since then my son and I have been sorting out various bits of engine maintenance and generally getting to know her.  We had a superb trip to Sauternes at the end of February with amazing weather allowing three days of top-down faultless motoring and pleasant afternoons sipping cold Sauternes in the Chateau garden.  Since then, however, I don't think it's stopped raining!  But coming back on topic, I need to attend to my tappets in the near future so will inspect the cotter pins at this time.  I have been somewhat tardy here due to spending lots of time on my TR4a engine/gearbox mounts and carburation issues.  Have a great trip to France. Perhaps I will be fortunate in seeing another 14 in June?  Tony Osborne Posted by TonyO 24/05/2012 08:36:36

Hello Tony and welcome to TA14 Carbodies motoring: fantastic cars for continental touring. For the first time ever, we will not be covering huge distances on our travels in June. Our last marathon was to Southern Spain in 2009. This time we are basing ourselves in Josselin in Brittany. It will be just after the Fourgeres Rally. Hope that we have some good weather! If you are interested in what a TA14 will do, see our holidays <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.jobson-scott.com/pages/main_13.htm">http://www.jobson-scott.com/pages/main_13.htm</a><!-- m -->   Perhaps we will see you in France?  Best Wishes,  David. Posted by DavidMJS 24/05/2012 17:35:38

David,  That is a very impressive record of adventurous journeys!  I am both envious and humbled.  I have suggested a trip into the Pyrenees to my wife and son but neither are particularly thrilled by the prospect.  My wife has recollections of extended climbs and precipitous falls in a Morirs Minor when she was a child.  My son thinks that Alvira's brakes aren't up to the task and will overheat - more likely, he would prefer a trip across the Alps in our TR4a.  Alvira will have a utility trip of about 70km tomorrow when I go to collect our son from lycée, high on the remparts of Angouleme.  It's interesting that she always receives many admiring looks and comments whilst our 45 year-old TR4 slips through relatively unobserved, albeit considerably faster, being less than a tonne and putting down around 135 hp.  I hope that you have a fabulous trip to Brittany and fingers crossed for good weather.  It would certainly be good to meet but we  will not be able to get to Fourgeres this year as my son has Baccalaureate exams in June necessitating regular transport to Angouleme.  But maybe next year?  Best regards,  Tony Posted by TonyO 24/05/2012 20:14:44