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Thank you for your reaction – yes I have the steering wheel but the advance/retard lever is missing and the lower spoke has broken. I am not interested in anyone who takes 10 months to repair this; no matter how well the job is done. From the rest of your comment I deduce that my only option is to find out for myself or buy another – if I can find one. That is what I will do.
I will contact you after new year Colin – many thanks!
Hello Bob, yes that is exactly the one I am looking for (although I can’t see the advance/retard lever). Have you got one spare or am I allowed to pop round and remove this one from that car? 🙂
A hot topic indeed! By the “entire cooling system” I also meant the cylinder head of course. It should all be free of calcium and rust deposits. If there is a blockage in the cylinder head which the cooling fluid can’t reach you will indeed get overheating at that point which the temperature gauge will not show. However, that blockage can only be caused by the use of water with antifreeze. Even “soft” water contains calcium which will eventually form a deposit. Also the aluminium parts of your water pump will corrode when you use water. I therefor still recommend that after you have unblocked and cleaned it all, you use aluprotect coolant.The problems will not come back. By the way, the 2L not only has no electric fan – it has no fan at all!
Water with antifreeze often causes the forming of sludge which can block the radiator and especially hollow spaces of the water pump. Coolant, aluprotect or normal does not damage the paintwork of the car and it does not leave the water stains you mention (caused by calcium in the water – which apparently wasn’t so “soft” after all) when it dries up on the bonnet. If you have these, vinegar will remove them. To end all problems I would use coolant though! If you suspect that your engine overheats, your water temperature gauge will tell you so. The temperature will not only raise in the Cylinder head – it is pumped round and will raise in the entire cooling system. In that case a thorough decalification and de-rusting of the cooling system (all caused by the use of water) or a re-core are the solutions. A 2L engine (which does not have a fan) with a clean cooling system and coolant does not overheat – not even on a hot day in a traffic queue! I am pretty sure that the V12 engine shouldn’t either.
I had Firestone 525 x 21 (at 34 psi pressure) on my 2L before I changed the wheels to a smaller size (this is because mine is a 1933 2L with a T7 body; 19″ wheels are standard for this model and the car runs better as well) and now I have Blockley 500 x 19. I agree that they look good but they have a habit of going “square” when the car stands still for some time. Blockleys are also very expensive. On the whole I perferred the Firestones. Dunlop used to make tyres that look exactly like the Blockleys – does anyone know if these are still available?
And another thing – use “aluprotect” coolant instead of water; not only will it protect the cooling system (you’ll never again have to replace the radiator or aluminium waterpump parts) but it also has a much higher boiling point (up to 125 degrees therefore less chance of overheating), lower freezing point (minus 20 at least) and it hardly evaporates. It is expensive (compared to water anyway) but I only need to top up my radiator with about a pint per year, and then it is much cheaper than a radiator re-core!
Stupid questions perhaps but how do I start a new topic? Also I tried to answer an earlier posting from Adrian but I do not know how to do that. Is there perhaps a Forum manager who can explain this or am I being particularly thick?
I am still struggling with another problem and hope that anyone out there may have an answer. The downdraught SU carburetters on my 2L engine “spit back” quite a bit of petrol (in very tiny droplets)through the air inlets when the engine is running, especially when the car accelerates. This creates a highly explosive atmosphere under the bonnet and a nasty petrol smell. As I am currently rebuilding the engine I would like to solve that problem – only I haven’t a clue what causes it. The car ran very well in spite of this and the valve overlap was 15 degrees. Ideas anyone?
I am rebuilding the clutch of my 2L as well and have also decided to restore it but keep it original (albeit with improved springs and lining). If you know how to use the Lagonda 2L clutch and how to handle the gear lever there should be no trouble changing gear without unnecessary noises. However, I can recommend de-activating the “clutch-stop”. This is a highly sensitive Lagonda device which, in my experience, actually only complicates gear changing. I have tried to apply it for many months, using hundreds of different settings, but only after I disconnected it alltogether I could silently change gears. You just have to be slightly more relaxed in your movements.
I have now had a chance to look at the 2L Low Chassis Instruction Manual and the Magneto pictured is the Scintilla GN4. I am sorry for the confusion. As I said, Alan Fairbrother can provide one, either restored (recommended – Alan is very good) or unrestored.
The 2L Lagonda Owners Manual mentiones the name Scintilla and the picture clearly shows the type number on the housing – either MN4 or (more likely) GN4. I do not have my handbook (or even my car) here so I cannot 100% confirm the type but Alan Fairbrother will know. I bought two of these (restored) from him and they are exactly as pictured.
Come to think of it – it might actually be the Scintilla GN4 that is pictured in the Lagonda 2L Owners Manual and that Alan provided. I cannot check this at the moment. Doesn’t anyone out there have a Manual and check it?
It is the Scintilla MN4 as pictured in the Lagonda Owners Manual. Not only does it fit the 2L engine perfectly, it is also very practical in that the high tension leads go into two bakelite blocks that come off with one screw. Therefore one does not have to disconnect them which makes replacing the magneto a matter of only a few minutes. It does not matter which way you turn a magneto – it will always produce a spark, it just changes the advance/retard direction. But yes, in case of the Lagonda 2L engine it turns clockwise viewed from the near side of the car.
In case of doubt, mention my name (Hans Eekhoff) to Alan and he’ll know.The Scintilla is original as per the 2L owners manual, fits perfectly and is the most practical magneto with its removable high tension lead blocks. Again, Alan Fairbrother (tel. + 44 (0) 2380 846252) can supply one – either unrestored or restored with a modern condensor hidden inside. If you have one of these you don’t need a spare – mine has never failed.