Air cleaner not horizontal

[Jose]

Alan the announcement is at the top of the page.

[awiedie]

Well, it was not at the top of my page but I finally found it by going to the Forum Index and clicking on General Discussion. I agree with Cass's comments.

[awiedie]

Just reviewing some old topics and discovered that somehow we went from tilting air cleaners to a pixel controversy with no resolution (no pun intended) to the problem of why some air cleaners are not horizontal. There has to be a logical explanation. Any new info there?

[cass3958]

I have just had the top of my engine off (see other topics) and tried to solve this.

I measured the angles of the engine compared with the top of the wings and there was about a 2 degree difference so negligible. This could just be the way they have welded the wings on certainly not a fault in the engine mounts. The air box was at about 5 degrees.

I checked and found a 2mm washer under my bracket on both head bolts. I removed the washers so the bracket was on the head with the washer on top. Did not make a blind bit of difference. I tried to reduce the height of the bracket with what is commonly known in the UK as a Birmingham screwdriver or persuader. (A hammer to our Western cousens) but to no avail because of the design of the thing there is no give. I looked at the airbox fixings and again there is nothing that can be done to lower where the air box fixings are.

Without cutting the bracket it two and taking a section out before welding it back together I am at a loss to see how I can get the thing level. We are talking about dropping the high side by about 10mm or 3/8 of an inch.

[Orlando St.R]

I have had my engine made vertical now, by lifting it off the mounting brackets and setting down again in a vertical position. There are slots on the mounts, so there is a small amount of adjustment available. It has slightly improved the angle of the air filter, but not entirely corrected it. Which was to be expected, because my air cleaner was always more tilted than the engine.

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I measured my mounting bracket and Alan kindly measured his. See post above. They are of similar dimensions.

So, I, too, am at a loss on this.

Two other thoughts occur, which may be avenues to investigate:
1. The height of the aluminium air intake.
2. Just possibly, the thickness of the carb to inlet manifold spacers C7461. I used the phenolic ones from SNGB which are 6mm thick, I think about 2 or 3mm thicker than the original spec.

Obviously, any dimensional inaccuracy at the air intake (right hand) end of the air cleaner is magnified at the cantilevered left hand end of it.

Perhaps in the end the quickest resolution is to take a slice out of the mounting bracket, as you suggest, Rob!

[awiedie]

Orlando,

I don't think the carb spacers have anything to do with it. Either the aluminum air horn is too low or the bracket is too high. Cutting the bracket is the only feasible alternative IMHO. Just make sure there is room under the air cleaner canister to clear the top of the cam covers.

Alan

[Glyn Ruck]

Orlando ~ would you mind showing me exactly where you were able to achieve this adjustment? Is it mainly where the engine mounts bolt to the engine block brackets (at centre bolt in red on diagram)?

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[cass3958]

I think that is what Orlando is suggesting as I remember there being a slot in that bracket which is about an inch long. It is more so the thread of the bolt can go in at an angle as you lower the engine down on to it but as Orland has stated as it is a slot if you release both nuts then jack the engine up on one side then re tighten, the nut on one side will be at the top of the slot and on the other side at the bottom of the slot and you should be able to get the engine parallel. My engine has a 2 degree off parallel angle which I might be able to correct using this method.

[Orlando St.R]

Orlando ~ would you mind showing me exactly where you were able to achieve this adjustment? Is it mainly where the engine mounts bolt to the engine block brackets (at centre bolt in red on diagram)?

Yes, exactly that. As Rob says, part nos 71/72 on the diagram have slotted holes, so there is a degree of adjustment possible there. On my car, on one side, the mounting bolt was right at the top of that slot, whilst on the other side, the bolt was right at the bottom. Now they are both more or less in the middle. I did try the 'jacking the engine up' route but couldn't get it to budge without applying too scary an amount of force on the sump. So I had the garage doing the service remove the bonnet and lift the engine slightly.