100 mile trip, a few niggles - your opinion please/ Options

[thieuster]

After two more or less shorter runs last week and Monday evening, I took the car out for a longer trip. I started at 5:30AM and went for a 100 mile round trip to the north and back home again. Great trip! And the speed makes the car very quiet! (contradictio? no!) The noise of the engine is 'pulled' away from the cabin by the air flowing over the car. Something I'd never experienced before, driving British classics with a lumpy straight engine in front of your knees!

Overall, the car runs beautifully. Two small niggles though. (Well, what else can you expect from a car that's been stored for 17 yrs?).

First, when revving the car, it pulls great. But at the steady coast of 2200 rpm, the car tends to 'shake' a little, as if it's running a little too lean. Throttle Position Sensor or... simply a little too lean? What can I expect.

Second, the indicator relay. I was under the impression that it was located at the back of the fuse box, under the dash. But I couldn't find it there. So I turned on the ignition and used the column stalk to trace the sound of the relay... There it was, way up behind the dash, close to the back of the gauges. I couldn't reach it from the 'footwell position'. So, I'm wondering: would it be easier to remove the gauge cluster from the dash?

Funny thing is, when I pull the hazard switch, the light inside the switch blinks and 'clicks', however, there's nothing to see on the dash: no green lights. I was under the impression that both (hazard and indicator) are linked! Or has that to do with the fact that my car is a Euro Spec car?

What's your opnion / experience with the matters mentioned above?

Menno

[era vulgaris]

Are you saying that your rpm for extended cruising is 2200? That's a good way to cook the heads. You really need to be in the 3K range to keep the cooling fan spinning fast enough to cool the engine, and preferably over 3500 rpm if you're in 5th gear. I tend not to shift into 5th until I can maintain rpm speeds closer to 4K. If you're used to driving water-cooled cars, you need to drive air-cooled cars at a higher rpm.

[malcolm2]

Are you saying that your rpm for extended cruising is 2200? That's a good way to cook the heads. You really need to be in the 3K range to keep the cooling fan spinning fast enough to cool the engine, and preferably over 3500 rpm if you're in 5th gear. I tend not to shift into 5th until I can maintain rpm speeds closer to 4K. If you're used to driving water-cooled cars, you need to drive air-cooled cars at a higher rpm.

MORE ON THE RPM DISCUSSION

I started a thread a couple years back. Got some good info, similar to what has been said.

MY THREAD

I might also add: I remember that my car shuttered a bit at certain speeds. Tires can do that. Kind of a harmonic thing. I could feel the shutter and it would stay shuttering 'til I changed speed. Got new tires and it all went away. I needed new tires. But maybe yours is a re-balance thing, if you don't need new ones.