• Hi Guest!
    If you enjoy and benefit from your participation at British Car Forum, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this banner)
Tips
Tips

What is it? Counter under hood

Share this page

H

hottvr

Jedi Warrior
Offline
I posted about this a while ago, but don't remember getting a definitive answer. The writing on it says % Life Used and Smith's Industries. It is inline with the speedometer cable. How can a counter tell how much life is left in the engine? Wouldn't it depend on how well you maintain your engine?
See attachment
Rick
 

Attachments

  • 219551-PDR_0045.JPG
    219551-PDR_0045.JPG
    83.1 KB · Views: 102
it was to remind you of service intervals, most of them went bad and have been removed
 
I'm guessing it is only counting the miles based on some pre-determined normal life expectancy. Say some magic number 100K+ before the owner can expect to rebuild the engine. But interestingly enough my B doesnā€™t have one, perhaps it was removed by a PO.

Anyway itā€™s intended use is probably no different than the modern computer in cars that monitor the hours on an engine (not just miles). That when serviced is simply reset either manually or in some cases using an OBDII code reader.

In fact my wifeā€™s GMC is so high tech it actually emails me to tell me when something is ready to be serviced and sends me a monthly service report as well. Kind of neat - but I swear Iā€™ll put 230grains of FMJ hardball in the CPU if it ever says ā€œIā€™m sorry Dave, I canā€™t let you do thatā€.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
Thanks for the input. There is no reset switch on it for service intervals and it doesn't register miles traveled just a percentage of life left in the engine I guess.
Rick
 
Yup monitoring the miles alone isn't really that good of a way to track an engines life. Actual hours would be a better way to do this. But back then a simple mechanical setup like that probably seemed like the best way to do it without getting too complicated & costly ($$$).

Kind of reminds me of those old ā€œPerformance Metersā€ located in the center of the dashboard of a lot of late sixties Mopars. My 67 Barracuda had one that was nothing more than a fancy faced vacuum gauge with a hose attached to the intake manifold. Nothing more than eye candy & totally useless doohickey thingamabob to anyone remotely knowledgeable about engines. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
That is a 'service interval counter' (SIC).It senses nothing but miles. At 25000/30000 miles (it's been so long I cannot remember) it turned on a light on the dash or console. MGB's have an 'EGR' light . Other LBC's something else. Anywho , that is what that light that you have not seen illuminated is for. It is hard-wired into the wiring harness which is why you will find most of them cut. At the dealer , we reset it with a paper clip. You will see a paper clip size hole on the side of the SIC. All it is telling you is that it is time to check the emissions system.

Alan T
 
I *believe* that it was found only on the 1976 models...*maybe* the 1975 as well (but I don't think so)
 
ya... my 76 has one. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
Thanks for the info. I'll look for the paperclip sized hole. My EGR light does come on when I start up the car.
Rick
 
75 & 76 (ok 74.5 too) the first of the Rubber bumpers, with their raised ride height, no swaybars & the strict emissions equipped the truely dark years... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

When you think about it - it kind of makes sense theyā€™d adapt a worthless gismo like that. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif
 
oh, and what a grand piece of techonology it is... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
and 30 years from now it will make the 75 and 76's worth exactly .0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000273 peso's more valuable than later year b's with out it
 
My 74.5 GT did not have one of these boxes...manufactured in December.
 
My 76 TR6 has one, just noticed it today actually....It reads 000....so I guess my engine must be brand new /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
jackq counter under the hood MG 10
H What is it? Counter under hood MG 27
PAUL161 T-Series Odd spark plug encounter! MG 10
Joe_Healey AHSTC Encounter 2017 Austin Healey 0
T TR2/3/3A TR-4 Tail shaft counter weight Triumph 4
M Rev Counter Grommet Spridgets 7
J TR4/4A Transmission counter shaft end float. Triumph 3
Roger Lotus Elan S3 - Rev Counter [Tachometer] needed Lotus 4
rjc157 Encounter 2013 Austin Healey 5
P Speedo turns clockwise or counter clockwise? Spridgets 2
Xte Rev counter rebuilding ... Austin Healey 2
6 2012 AHSTC Encounter Spridgets 0
J My first mini encounter!~ Spridgets 4
M Remove Interval Counter MG 9
D Milleage counter incorrect reading MG 3
TR6oldtimer TR6 TR6 vacuum retard, counter intuitive to me Triumph 20
N BJ8 rev counter showing double rev. Austin Healey 13
S BJ8 Speedo & Revcounter Austin Healey 8
RynoBoy74tr6 Speedo, Odometer,Trip counter problems.... Triumph 6
S Mk 2 Midget rev counter Spridgets 4
MadRiver TR5/TR250 TR-250 encounter at Adamstown, MD show [Lilypons] Triumph 12
S TR2/3/3A tr3 trip counter Triumph 2
bugimike An interesting encounter! Other Cars 3
MadRiver MGB Surprise MGB Encounter MG 2
I TR6 TR6 trip counter cable removal Triumph 4
healeyboz Rev counter problems Spridgets 18
W rev counter Austin Healey 1
curtis Escort Twin Cam Rev Counter Other British Cars 13
MadRiver A cool encounter Triumph 1
H Encounter 2006 Photos Austin Healey 7
Musicman Service Interval Counter Triumph 0
H Geoff Healey @ Encounter 1979 - 8trac tape Austin Healey 9
pbraun AHSTC Encounter - Anyone else going? Austin Healey 14
M Rev Counter MG 2
Overdrive45 Trim Under Convertible Cap Austin Healey 11
Gatheringtree TR2/3/3A Faltering at high RPM and under load demand Triumph 34
K TR2/3/3A TR3 front air vents mounted under the grill...seen on race cars for better air flow to radiator. Triumph 1
DrEntropy Show this to anyone under 40... Restoration & Tools 9
M MGC New book: MGCs Down Under MG 0
R Ground wires under dash Spridgets 5
J TR2/3/3A Wooden piece under scuttle with dash Triumph 6
J TR2/3/3A Pads under new floor Triumph 7
charleyf TR2/3/3A Under dash fuse Triumph 7
F TR2/3/3A Rust under flanges Triumph 7
B Under bonnet fuel Austin Healey 15
D MGB Stopping rust under patch panels MG 1
T Coroplast Signs under Wheels Austin Healey 0
S Meaning of the ā€˜dotsā€™ under the temperature scale? Austin Healey 3
Zitch For Sale OE Under Dash Speaker refinished new speaker installed Triumph Classifieds 0
C Under boot and under bonnet paint? Austin Healey 7

Similar threads

Back
Top