• Welcome to the new SAOCA website. Already a member? Simply click Log In/Sign Up up and to the right and use your same username and password from the old site. If you've forgotten your password, please send an email to membership@sunbeamalpine.org for assistance.

    If you're new here, click Log In/Sign Up and enter your information. We'll approve your account as quickly as possible, typically in about 24 hours. If it takes longer, you were probably caught in our spam/scam filter.

    Enjoy.

New owner, wondering if anyone else is in Utah

dan

dan

Donation Time
Hey there! Happy to be here. I bought an Series II Alpine so I could learn how to maintain and restore vintage vehicles, and I am beginning to recognize the importance of building a network! Wondering if anyone here is from Utah, U.S., or an adjacent state? Would love to meet you, as well as anyone else!

I find myself stuck (no surprise) with a possibly flooded engine/carburetor, I THINK because I forgot to reconnect a hose connecting the valve cover to the carburetor filters when I tried to start the car. However, I really dont know what the problem is. I charged the battery, cleaned the spark plugs, and made sure all my hoses were reconnected properly.

What are some good beginner-level resources for me to learn this particular car?

Anyway, good to meet you all!

Cheers!
Dan
 
Last edited:
husky drvr

husky drvr

Platinum Level Sponsor
Welcome Dan,

Glad to have you on the forum.

Congratulations on your Alpine acquisition.

Here is a link to the S II Alpine owner's manual. There is also a link to the Work Shop Manual (WSM 124) in the Home page links as well.

http://sunbeamalpine.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Sunbeam_Alpine_SII_Owners_Handbook.pdf

Try to tell us a bit more about your car,its history, and your abilities. More info will help supply better insight to how help you.

As a starter, the vent hose you described leaving loose is not likely your problem. Also, a S II wouldn't have that hose unless something's been changed.

If the engine was running, Basics > Fuel, Air, and Spark are required to run - all supplied in correct quantities and timing.

If you have spark, did you get the plug wires back on the correct plugs? (the timing)

Did you pull a plug back out to check for it being soaked with fuel?

Hope this helps, if not, then more info will allow some of the experts here to help you.
 
dan

dan

Donation Time
@husky drvr ,

Hallelujah! I am very grateful to see your response, since I'm quite stuck (complete beginner here, but with a strong determination to learn). Thank you.

So my car is a Series II (as previously mentioned) and was acquired by me several weeks ago. Apparently, the lady I bought it from recently purchased it from someone else. The history is blurry there. Looking the car over, quite a bit of work has been done on it, including some modest customizations under the hood (such as a new fuel regulator). I am, at this time, uncertain of what components are stock and what are not.

The car was running very well when I bought it but needed a new valve cover gasket, which I replaced. I thought I'd need to replace the head gasket to stop the oil leak, but I don't believe I do, however, I did pull the wires off all the spark plugs before realizing this (thankfully they were labeled with their numbers). I quickly replaced them as 1-4-3-2, front of car to back. The wire lengths attest to this being the correct order, although I've tried other orderings. I also forgot to reconnect the hose I previously mentioned when trying to start the car. After having that reconnected, I noticed a strong smell of gasoline and some "backfire-like" sounds as I turned the engine over. I pulled out the spark plugs and inspected them, noticing some drops of liquid but I'm unsure if they were fuel. I briefly blowtorched them to be sure and allowed the spark plug sockets to "air out" for a few hours, then replaced and reconnected the spark plugs. Nothing changed when I attempted to turn the engine over again.

Thanks in advance to anyone sharing their knowledge and ideas!
 
Last edited:
dan

dan

Donation Time
So I pulled the spark plug at position 1 out and turned the engine to confirm that a spark is occurring. The spark plug boot at position 3 has some rust/residue and does not 'click' into place when connected to the spark plug. Could this be my problem?

Also, here are pictures of under the hood from either side of the car. Perhaps someone will see something out of place that I did not see. All I know about the engine (other than high-level functions of each major component) is that it's a 4-cylinder 1.6L. I am happy to provide additional images if someone requests them.

Engine-compartment-2

Engine-compartment-2

  • dan
Engine-compartment-1

Engine-compartment-1

  • dan
  • 3
 
Last edited:
husky drvr

husky drvr

Platinum Level Sponsor
Dan,

I notice two things about your engine pics immediately. First is I'm almost certain your engine is not a 1.6 but a 1725( series V engine). Check the serial number on the machined flat on the block at the top, front corner of the oil filter base, if it starts with B395 it's a 1725. Second is your plug wires might be labeled by number but they are definitely on the incorrect distributor terminals to match the cylinder firing order of 1>3>4>2. Your wires are connected as if your firing order is 1>2>3>4. That's presuming that #1 wire is on the correct terminal which is a maybe.

It's time for some more experience building.
 
Last edited:
dan

dan

Donation Time
That was it. The numbers were for the POSITION front to back, not labels for what ORDER in the cycle each wire represented. I am embarrassed but grateful! Thank you!
 
husky drvr

husky drvr

Platinum Level Sponsor
Your welcome.

Is it running now? Or do we need to get everything redone to work?

No need to worry about most mistakes. Some can be more costly than others, but everyone who does this stuff has stories about their own goofs that can be humorous in hindsight.
 
Last edited:
dan

dan

Donation Time
husky drvr said:
Your welcome.

Is it running now? Or do we need to get everything redone to work?

No need to worry about most mistakes. Some can be more costly than others, but everyone who does this stuff has stories about their own goofs that can be humorous in hindsight.
Click to expand...

Yes, we're running beautifully.
 
rixter

rixter

Gold Level Sponsor
Dan,

You definitely have a mix there of Alpine series components, but that is not all that unusual. 100% originality isn't required to have a car you can enjoy and be safe in. Understanding what you have and what route the car may have taken to get to the point you are now can be important in helping you work on the car. Then you can decide how much you'll retain and how much you'll want to resort back to original over time. So for example we can see that from the heater valve and hydraulics.. and what appears to be a generator as opposed to an alternator, that the base of the car is earlier series. But the carbs, air filters, flame trap, oil filler neck and radiator are all from later series. The engine series number will verify what motor is in there. The scuttle/firewall/strut braces (from firewall to inner wheel well) are missing. People sell these on eBay. often. They prevent twist in the body. The coil is mounted to the right one on later series Alpines.

Welcome to the forum and to Alpine ownership. There is a wealth of knowledge and helpful owners here. Don't feel any questions are dumb questions. After 10 years of owning an Alpine I can say that I'm learning something new about them continuously.

Rick
 
  • Like
Reactions: dan
Toyanvil

Toyanvil

Gold Level Sponsor
Congratulations, would love to see pictures of the outside. I also have a series 2 and have had it 44 years. I may have a set of the firewall bars you can have, I will have to look. I am not sure they will fit with a 1725 motor, I think the air filters are in the way and I don't think your body will twist without them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dan
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top