Historical review;
I first saw this Minicomtesse in the Sales and Auctions section approx. one and a half years ago. Remember the silly picture of one doing a wheelie while supposedly towing a big car- yeah that was the one on EBay UK.
6 months later got it to L.A. to discover engine not working, and clutch exploded internally partially stripping crankshaft splines.
Now, approx. one year later
I hope to have finally conquered clutch issues with parts rounded up from US sources, and much detective work re orientation and shimming of parts. This was needed because I was not able to find enough good reference material, and both the parts that were shipped, and the clutch as it came were apparently assembled improperly.
My first attempted test ride brought heavy balking and stuttering and no forward propulsion. The engine idled well, but I was hoping that perhaps the extra loading of engaging the wheels and attempting to propel the car and myself was showing a lack of engine tune rather than a still bad clutch, and that that was what was causing the commotion without motion.
After another day struggling to get at the points (engine cover held on by slot head screws recessed into tunnels too narrow for impact hammer, and likely tightened by a Gorilla 20 years ago), I got the ignition spot on.
The points were in good shape, but gapped 9 thousandths too large and opening 2 m.m. too soon.
This time I cleared out a path through the microcar patch all the way to the road. It took off surprisingly well, but upon the dreaded shift into second gear a resonance started that if allowed to continue, felt like it would rip the front wheel and engine right out of the car! The equivalent phenomenal on 2 wheels is called a "tank slapper". But why only upon the up shift to second gear?
I know that some sort of destructive, amplitude summating resonance must be getting initiated here, but I don't know exactly why these apparently unrelated parts are conspiring to self destruct. Therefore, other than immediately backing off the accelerator pedal, which stops it immediately, I also do not know what to do about it to stop it from becoming activated in the first place. Sure I could and likely will put a steering damper on it to quell the chicanery, but why is it necessary for me to be dealing with this?
Anyone heard of this happening in other Comtesses or other single front wheel cars.
The steering seems to have very little play- only about 1/4 inch either side of center at the steering wheel.
I have seen a diagram with French titling previously that appears to be showing how to set the chain tension on the steering gear that has the engine sitting atop it. But with a total steering wheel play of at most 1/2 inch, could this really be what is at cause here?
