Citrojim's Ka, Saxo and Bike Tales

[CitroJim]

Well at least it's not an old Saab then. You know if that's not leaking oil it's because there's none left...

Bit like a British motorbike then

Sally is a nice looking little car. While she is not yet right (and will never be in showroom condition) it will not be long before you have her 'just right', Jim.

Absolutely spot-on James... Slowly she'll be worked on doing a bit here and there until she is, as you say, just right

I did do a little more on her today...

Meet Sally the Saxovan complete with cargo

SaxoVan.jpg

The back seats are out and a layer of foam and a topping of a cheap windscreen protector sheet from Lidl has made a tolerable cargo bay whilst I get the ply-lining sorted out. Sally will do her first proper duty as bike transporter when we ride the Wiggle Hawker Hurricane sportive on Saturday

Robyn came over to see me and we got this picture of most of the family together, the French contingent at least! Sian's Pixo is missing...

FamilyTogether.jpg

After a nice lunch up in town I gave Robyn's C1 a check-over and was delighted to note that at three and a half years old the whole car is still like brand-new... C1s, on that basis, appear good, hard-wearing little cars and I reckon it'll enjoy a long life...

I'll have it in for it's 'just before winter really sets in' service very soon... Along with Sian's Pixo... Her Pixo is lasting well too

Robyn's C1 suffered a bit of mindless vandalism at the weekend Her rear wiper arm got ripped off and broken. Luckily they are readily available on eBay, complete with blade, for just a shade under £6... They must get vandalised a lot as whilst I was buying one a message came up to say how many had sold that hour

No Activa work today - I'm awaiting spares...

[Zelandeth]

Well the Saab engine does share heritage with Triumph after all...

I've never lost the whole rear wiper arm on the 107, but I think I'm now on the fourth cover for the retaining nut after they've vanished without trace at random intervals.

[CitroJim]

I've never lost the whole rear wiper arm on the 107, but I think I'm now on the fourth cover for the retaining nut after they've vanished without trace at random intervals.

Got one you can have here Zel, Robyn's survived the vandalism!!!

[Zelandeth]

Always useful to have a spare it seems!

[chinkostu]

What the?!? Is that a TU engine that isn't leaking oil from either the rocker cover or head gasket at the front left corner?

I had a 1.1 that did both

Never saw the need in a relay mod for the saxo lights, they're not amazing but definately better than the xm/xant.

One thing to ask jim is wether the PAS pump is noisy? Every saxo/106 i've come across has been overly loud but worked perfectly...

[Stickyfinger]

Nothing is noisy, it is a smooth little thing. Even better with new oil in it

[CitroJim]

Never saw the need in a relay mod for the saxo lights, they're not amazing but definately better than the xm/xant.

Lights are very good in my view

One thing to ask jim is wether the PAS pump is noisy? Every saxo/106 i've come across has been overly loud but worked perfectly...

No, as Alasdair says, it's very quiet in every respect. I only hear a little noise from the PAS pump on full lock and that's a similar noise to an engine-driven PAS pump on full-lock... It's not intrusive and hardly noticeable

[CitroJim]

No Activa work today as I did not quite feel up to heavy spannering this afternoon after a heavy morning at work fighting recalcitrant IT

I did have a little play with the Saxo wireless. I successfully removed it with the help of this fine forum

An initial inspection showed nothing obviously wrong. I did find that it works for a few moments from stone-cold and then takes off into slow oscillation (what we in the trade used to call 'motor-boating' back in the day).

I noticed that the power amplifier IC was running very, very hot and if I put my finger on the circuit-board pins in the vicinity the motor-boating would stop and normal operation would resume for a few moments as the IC got hotter and hotter...

I diagnose a duff power amplifier IC... They are cheaply available on eBay and one will be on order shortly...

The wireless itself is a good one and is a re-badged Grundig.

It's well-made too Definitely worth repairing.

Saxowireless.jpg

In other news, the CV boot arrived for the Activa this afternoon.. It arrived in this utterly massive box

Could they have used a bigger one?

excesspacking.jpg

[Stickyfinger]

Buy a puppy......puppies like to play in boxes. Maybe a Great Dane to match the size of the box.

[Hell Razor5543]

I remember once getting a UPS sent out to me (for a work related call). The UPS in question was about the size of an average shoe box (although, with a lead/acid battery it weighed a damn site more), but was in a box more suited for a 19" CRT monitor. That was not the main problem; that was reserved for the singular lack of packaging (about as much as in your box, Jim), which meant the UPS had a lot of territory it could travel in. That was interesting to pick up a box that suggested it had something heavy in it, but then have the contents go on a galloping Gertie around the box when you lifted it up at an angle!

[CitroJim]

Buy a puppy......puppies like to play in boxes. Maybe a Great Dane to match the size of the box.

Not bloody likely! As much as I love dogs there's no way I'm going to have one, at least until I retire and move out to the country Then I think a Springer Spaniel may join the family

That was interesting to pick up a box that suggested it had something heavy in it, but then have the contents go on a galloping Gertie around the box when you lifted it up at an angle!

A bit like trying to pick up and carry a spinning gyroscope!

[Zelandeth]

My father used to work in air freight handling up on Shetland in the early 80s. He recounted to me one day having had a particularly horrible morning taking out his frustration by kicking a box towards the side of the load bay in a somewhat more empassioned manner than usual. This box was probably about the size of two normal household bricks stacked on top of each other.

It turned out to contain an industrial (i.e. oil trade) drill bit. Suffice to say, it didn't budge in the slightest when kicked as it weighed somewhere north of 30kg. Apparently there were quite a few people in the Scottish Express International freight shed who came up with some quite inventive names for that particular package through that day before it was finally wrestled onto a helicopter out to whichever oil platform it was destined for...

[CitroJim]

He must have had some good boots on to kick that package around Zel! Else that very tough feet

As an ongoing part of her conversion into a van, I've just ordered in a roll of dark tinting film for Sally's side and rear windows so that the contents within will not be so easy to see...

It'll make her look a bit different...

[CitroJim]

It's been a lovely afternoon here today but sadly I'm unwell at the moment and have been unable to take any advantage to carry on with the Activa work

The good thing is that all parts have now arrived for the Activa now so once I and the weather is good again we can crack on

The packing for the wheel bearing was as opposite as could possibly be compared to the CV boot - a Jiffy Bag just large enough to contain it

I was delighted to find a full service manual for Sally's wireless on the Internet today and that enabled me to more or less confirm it is the power amplifier IC that's at fault after checking most of the passive components around it...

I drove Sally to work this morning and was delighted to find that she has adjustable dipped beam aim via a rotary control on the dash and that it still works Rather useful in a van

She's not quite as poverty-spec as I first thought, having key-operated central locking, electric windows and beam adjusters... Luxury!

[bxzx16v]

Jim I may have a Citroen badged Blaupunkt radio/CD out of my old dispatch if you require it . It wouldn't look out of place either as the dispatch was very nineties too . Let me know and I'll see if I can lay my hands on it .

Mark