[T2] running repairs

[Robert Mann]

    My recent 900-mi trip to my primary school 125th anniversary, within it
the severalth reunion of my uniquely cohesive Class of '53, was blessed
with good weather throughout and cyl head temps within Jake Raby's 'safe'
range.  23.5mpg is getting expensive these days, but the savings on acco
compensated  ...
   On the way out, 2nd morning, 20 mi S of Tokoroa, my rear vision was
suddenly blanked out by dense oil fog such as I have seen on a couple
previous occasions.  (Books on naval warfare call this 'smoke screen'; it
is not smoke but oil fog created by pouring oil onto hot metal.)
   I was able to pull off Hwy 1 satisfactorily amidst of pine forest.  It
was a beautiful morning and the riroriro (grey warbler – my favourite bird)
was singing the same dialect as in my home district.  I was able to
ascertain the problem within a minute: the brass T that I had inserted just
outside the low-oilP sender to take the PVC pipe forward to the oil
pressure gauge had, after years, busted off.  Thus sump oil was being
pumped from the high-pressure side of the oil pump at 2–3 atm so as to
douse the whole plurry engine compartment with black oil which is draining
out onto the road.  I survey this brass nut with a hole through which the
oil-gauge pipe had been.  I realise I can block off the hole in that brass
nut with aluminium not much thicker than foil – sardine tin aluminium which
I happen to have in my toolbox.  I cut a disc of this metal with scissors;
I don't bother to draw a circle, just free-hand a disc.  Then I make
another one slightly bigger and put that snug up to it just inside the
brass nut with two little brass olives which have a sharp rim like a midget
crater on the moon.  When I screw the brass nut on with the aluminium discs
just outside the olives the sharp rim of the top olive presses up into the
aluminium.  The shallow Al-floored well in the top of the nut fills with
about a microlitre in the ensuing 600 mi.  I have no reading of oil
pressure but apart from that the problem is fixed.  I carry enough spare
oil so that I can refill the sump.
       That was the easy mishap of my trip.  I make bold to feel my
response was in the spirit of Munro.
       OK OK I admit I should have done originally as I will now do  -
slap in copper tubing from that brass T-junction, for at least a few cm
before joining onto the PVC 4mm.


Robt Mann
Stanmore Bay 0932
New Zealand
'73 1600dp Devon camper