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Here are some technical shots under the bonnet, for those so inclined...

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Last edited Tuesday, January 21, 2014

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Oil filter and oil cooler adapter plate area

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Showing the oil cooler sandwich plate setup, and fuel pump. That's the top of a Koni shock absorber, 2 clicks from full soft all around.

The filter shown is a Fram PH8A filter using the filter adapter from 1147 engine. See this website http://people.msoe.edu/~yoderw/oilfilterstudy/oilfilterstudy.html for information about oil filters. I just looked through my Fram PH8A inventory and noticed that 4 had an anti-drainback flap inside and 2 did not. The one I just took off didn't either, don't know what the one on there now has. What's the deal here? Frankly, I don’t think it makes a difference if the engine is off for a few hours or days.  The oil drains out anyway when the filter is in the orientation it is in the Spitfire!

Looks like Fram is making a poor product now, according to the above webside comparisons. I'll probably go to Mobil 1 filters (I can’t find these anymore now in 2005), M1-301 for the PH8A equivalent (or I could use the M1-204 (equivalent to the PH16 Fram some people also use on Spitfires) I use on the Jeep to simplify inventory), when my stock is depleted. I am already using Mobil 1 oil and filters on my Jeep Grand Cherokee.  Note 2010: I am now using Baldwin oil filters I buy online by the case of 12. Baldwin number B34 which I use on my Jeep also.

After seeing the email at bottom of page, I'm switching filter brands TODAY. I'll probably stick to regular 10-40 oil however since oil consumption/leakage is about a quart every 400 miles. I also change oil quite often, about every 500 miles, since I'm lucky to get 1000 miles driving in a summer. This year (1999) should easily see over 2000 miles, however, with the trip to Maine for the VTR convention (250 miles away) and all the rallies there!

I don't understand the purpose of anti drain back valves in the oil filters, in the long run at least. If you re-start the engine in a few minutes or hours, I believe the oil filter may retain some of the oil that was in it at shutdown, but I don't think it stays there all that much longer. From my experience with this car, the oil seeps down into the engine in a matter of hours or days by going into the block, thru the oil gallery and into the crank and then to the block. I've noticed that if I change the oil soon after a drive, I get a lot of oil out of the filter upon removal. If I wait a day and change when the engine is cooled down, there's little or nothing in there.

The oil cooler lines come off the sandwich plate at 90 degrees. The copper colored item around the lines is a hard copper alloy to protect the hoses from rubbing through on the motor mount flange on the front suspension tower. I've also added some tire tape and a piece of hacksaw blade in that area as the copper was worn about half way through.

The fuel pump is shelf item at Western Auto. It is the low-pressure unit, Purolator PRO #42S Universal electric fuel pump, 1.5-4PSI, 30 gallons per hour, carburetor applications. Copper tubing fuel line runs below the radiator support frame and is inside tygon tubing for insulation.

Sandwich plate showing the adapter that screws it to the threaded oil filter adapter on the block in position. Oil cooler bypass spring ball-valve (which came apart) has been replaced by 1/4x20 bolt (see nut ~2:00 on sandwich plate) and nut after it came apart. I figure the oil cooler won't plug up anyway…

Sandwich plate. Adapter that screws it to the threaded oil filter adapter on the block is removed.

Trying to show the piece of hacksaw blade on the bottom of the oil cooler hose/copper where it rubs against the suspension tower. The horizontal line in the mirror is the blade…

Showing the oil filter adapter. Available from the Roadster Factory in two different thread configurations depending on which oil filter you want to use.

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Notes concerning the Fuel Pump location.

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I’ve been told that these fuel pumps are supposed to be located near the tank and low in the body and that they are designed to push not suck the gasoline.  Please note that this installation is slightly below or close to the level of the bottom of the tank and doesn’t need to suction the gas as gravity takes care of that.  I didn’t want to cut the gas lines in the trunk and mount the pump there or under the floor of the car where it’s hard to get at when it fails.  I also didn’t want to hear the noise of the pump mounted to the tin body.  The fact that it’s been in this location for over 20 years with no location related problems (the first one failed in its late teens as an internal seal started to leak and the gas was siphoning out during winter storage).  Anyway, I plan to leave it where it is.  It was easy to replace and install the shutoff in this location.

Some information from a SU pump rebuilder’s website:

“Pusher” vs. “Puller” fuel pumps

Pusher and/or puller fuel pumps is a misnomer. Pusher or puller more accurately describes where the pump is mounted. A pump mounted in the engine compartment is being used as a puller pump in that it is pulling fuel from the tank, into the engine compartment. Conversely a pump mounted near the fuel tank is being used as a pusher pump because it pushing the fuel forward to the engine compartment and the carburetors. Any SU fuel pump (or any other brand of pump), regardless of whether is low pressure or high pressure, will generate 4 to 10 inHg of vacuum or more, sufficient to lift fuel 6 to 12 feet or higher. The low pressure SU fuel pumps, which are intended to be mounted in the engine compartment (and thus have been called “puller” pumps) actually generate less vacuum than the later, high pressure (“pusher”) pumps. Fletcher Millmore (a frequent contributor to the Bulletin Boards and Forums), states it very well when he says, “No pump will ever pull fuel as well as it will push it – that’s physics, not pump design.” All pumps will be slowed down by having to pull the fuel very far up, even within the rated inlet head for the pump.

http://www.homepages.donobi.net/sufuelpumps/sufuelpumparticles.html

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Tip

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Fuel capacity tip for all you late model Spitfire owners: Install a early pre-smog gas tank from a MkI or MkII or MkIII (maybe early MkIV) with the vented gas cap. It holds a full 10 gallons versus the 9 in yours. Reason being the filler pipe extends into the tank an inch or so in the late cars leaving an air pocket at the top of the tank of about 1-gallon capacity for venting to the charcoal canister.

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Email about Fram Filters from Triumph list

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Subj: Fram Oil Filters on the '6
Date: 7/22/99 2:05:52 AM Eastern Daylight Time
From:          garrison@dsl-only.net (The Garrisons)
Sender:       owner-triumphs@autox.team.net
Reply-to:    garrison@dsl-only.net (The Garrisons)
To:    triumphs@autox.team.net
CC:   rknize@interaccess.com
So I've used Fram filters for years. Many years. Swore by 'em. Would use nothing else.

Recently visited the web site of the guy who did the oil filter survey when it was a topic on this list (http://minimopar.simplenet.com/oilfilterstudy.html). Mr. Knize did not like Fram oil filters. A bit discouraging, since his study seemed pretty reasonable and straightforward.

Last week I did an oil change on the '6. Pulled off the Fram oil filter and... its guts were sucked up against the face. Probably not good. Had this happened to me before? Would I have noticed? Or was I just paying attention because of Mr. Knize's study? Who knows.

So now the question is: Who's air filter do I switch to???

  • GeneG -

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