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Subject: vacuum advance, windscreen washer button, brake servo

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After working with carbs and ignition I stumbled accross the vacuum side, with three questions:

the vacuum advance of the ignition was not attached, from what I heard it was never used on the DB3ltr, is this correct?

the manual says the metallic button with the arrow in the image is the windscreen washer button. How did this work? on the back it is connected with a rubber hose to the carburettor manifold hence has vacuum, a second hose is attached to the same strange button/switch. My car has a standard electrical windscreen washer system so the mentioned system seems out of order. How did it work?

vacuum brake servo: who has experience with it, mine seems to be stuck after 3 years out of use. I checked sucking from the inlet manifold side and I think it has no leak. Bang on the servo cylinder carefully to free it?

Thumbnails of attached images:

Subject: Re: vacuum advance, windscreen washer button, brake servo

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Hi Peter,
In the absence of any other replies, the only help I can offer is that the windscreen wash system was likely to have been made by Trico. Their washer systems appear to have been popular fitments in the 1950s. My 1951 Riley had such a system at one time...like yours abandoned in later life, only mine was replaced by a rubber push-bulb affair & plastic bag type reservoir...which I recognised as being from a Fiat 500! At least your alteration sounds more up-market! The Trico reservoir was a large round glass jar (like a huge jam jar) containing the pick-up & a copper unit which presumably converted the vacuum into pressure to expel the water. Sorry I haven't a clue as to how the system worked. I have seen them on ebay so if you want to revert the system, it shouldn't be too difficult. You might still have the retaining bracket for the jar, perhaps bolted on the inner wing in the under bonnet area.

Laurence

Subject: Re: vacuum advance, windscreen washer button, brake servo

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Dear Laurence,
this is cool! I still have the Trico glas jar but the vacuum suction mechanism is missing and they installed an electrical pump instead. With your input I searched the internet and found this nice description http://www.mgcars.org.uk/mgccz/technic/windscreen_washers.pdf. The complete system with jar can be bought from Holden http://www.holden.co.uk/displayproduct.asp?pCode=040.000 or ebay, nothing cheap available at the moment
Peter

Subject: Re: vacuum advance, windscreen washer button, brake servo

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Hi Peter,
You're welcome, & thanks for the links. Now I know how the system works!

Laurence