Hard to find black plug lead wire to fit concours cars.
I went with dark grey copper core leads which I made up myself from a length purchased from a wholesale provider.

New plug leads in MK2 2.4 modified with HD6 carbies

 

I replaced the pressure relief spring and the oil pressure is good now. It's got a Pertronix distributor and I just installed the correct coil for this distributor and it is running great.

The engine has 130 miles on it, I'm going for a 500 mile break-in period. I just got back from a 30 mile run.

 

ya, the blue wires will probably be the last thing jag owners will notice about that one! good job.

 

I'm currently running straight distilled water as coolant and it's time to add antifreeze. What is the best type of antifreeze for an early 3.4?

 

Since you are starting from a clean engine, type doesn't really matter. The original type is now equivalent to Pentofrost NF. That's a concentrate you dilute.
Datasheet: https://crpautomotive.com/wp-content...tofrost-NF.pdf

 

Engine oil capacity. The manual shows 15 1/2 pints (9.3 quarts) or 7 1/2 Liters (7.92 quarts), which is it? I used 9.3 quarts during engine break-in. With the engine off the oil level is at the top of the dipstick Full marker.
Do you check the oil with the engine off or running? It has a vertical type oil filter, it drains some oil when the engine is off.

 

The manual I have says the total capacity is 13 pints, or 7.5L, and the refill capacity is 11 pints, or 6.25L. Note that the pints refer to UK pints, and the UK system is different from the US system. The number of ounces in a pint/quart are different, and the size of the ounce is also different between UK and US measure. Thus, I prefer metric measure, as there is only one liter!

Oil is checked with the engine off, and leave it for about 10 min to allow all the oil to drain back to the sump.

 

interesting that you bring this up, as i recently, for the first time after a major rebuild, changed the oil and filter. for some reason, even though i had done some research to determine how much oil to purchase, i was under the impression that the oil capacity was about five U.S. quarts, which IME was reasonable (error #1). and in order to compound the problem, as usual, i forgot to check the level with the dipstick (error #2) ...

a subsequent stop at the gas station, a day or two later, revealed no oil on the dipstick (redemption #1)!! fortunately, i monitor the oil pressure gauge while driving (redemption #2) and hadn't noticed any particular decrease in oil pressure, but i immediately threw in a quart (U.S.) and checked again, and another quart, and another!

when i got home i quickly looked up the capacity and found that after the oil change i had refilled with only a bit over half of what was required. *headsmack*

i figure i dodged a bullet.

 

My manual has 15 1/2 US Pints, that concerts to 9.3 US quarts.
If I put 9.3 quarts in with a new filter and the dipstick shows max full, is it overfilled?
The rear main leaks a lot, is it possible it's slightly overfilled?

 

with two U.S. pints in a U.S quart 9.3 U.S. quarts is equal to 18.6 U.S pints. not 15.5. so you might have overfilled...but i suppose you've got to factor in the filter capacity too.

so if we assume 15.5 pints (U.S.) is the capacity without a filter then half of that number (7.75) is capacity in U.S quarts.

when all was said and done on my 67 3.4l engine i got a full reading with a new filter on the dipstick with about 8.5 U.S quarts. which is within reason, i think.

 

My mistake, the manual list Imperial, US and Liters, plus it list for Refill and Total. I had converted all items and just copied the wrong amount.
Here's a photo of my dipstick, it has a weld bead added in the full zone. Is this factory or did someone just add it?

 

i don't have that bead. ...hmmm....but can't recall seeing that "3.4l" on mine either, i'll have to check. i do remember that what with the fresh oil change and the newly rebuilt motor that i also had a lot of trouble seeing the oil on the stick!

 

I also missed that the converter had US Liquid Pint and Pint (Imperial), it makes quite a difference. Pint was not specified as Imperial and I had used it without realizing that. Whoops!

 

I don't know if this dipstick is correct for the block I have, and there's no part number on it.

 

Manual Reference:
Does "Refill" capacity refer to changing the oil and filter?
Does "Total" capacity refer to a new engine or fresh rebuild?

The invoice for oil was for 8 quarts, not 9, and there was a 1/4 of quart still in one one bottle. I must have converted the pints correctly the first time.
I dropped the oil level to where the weld is. Maybe this will relieve some of the rear main leak.

 

My 3.4 S Type with an original dipstick has three marks on it reading 3.4, 3.8 and 4.2 then above that the hatch markings. When I fill the oil it comes up the dipstick and covers the 3.4 mark.
According to the blue service book the oil capacities are 12 Pints Imperial or 14.5 pints US or 6.75 Litres. I go with litres in the UK as everything is sold in Litres but we still drink Pints of beer and Milk. Stupid systems.

 

You need the right dipstick for the block.
The oil capacity depends on the sump that's fitted.

 

An OAT or a HOAT Longlife coolant. Google, saves me writing a thesis.

 

probably the only dipstick i've ever seen that needs an instruction sheet.

looking at the stick, i would have assumed that the maximum and minimum fill levels corresponded to the upper and lower extent of the hashmarks and the numbers below it were informing the user that the stick was appropriate for use with the 3.4l, 3.8l and 4.2l engines.

 

Possibly but I am not too fussed about the level as long as I can see the oil on the dipstick I know I have enough oil. I am lucky I don't have any oil leaks on the engine and as it has been rebuilt it does not burn any oil so once filled I rarely touch it between services.