Citrojim's Pixo, Saxo and Cycling Tales

[CitroJim]

I've received the new gut-lines for the clocks along with a bottle of clock oil. Litre for litre it's more expensive than LT71141 but luckily the clocks only use drops of it very occasionally

Restringing them with the new catgut is a job for another time. It'll be good to finally loose the bright blue strimmer line currently in use and replace it with something both more in keeping with 200 years old clocks and something entirely natural. That should then see the clocks good for the next 25 years at least.

Good service from the only supplier I could find in the UK. Ordered Monday and turned up today catgut is expensive. Well over £30 for the amount needed. And to think I could have supplied my own donor cat too

[RichardW]

You think that's expensive, I bought a litre of CH inhibitor the other week - it says non-toxic, non harmful to environment, which begs the question as to what's in it?? Unobtanium obviously, since it cost £22 a litre Mind you, that's Homebase for you, same is only£14 from Screwfix - but when you need it.....

[citronut]

The first one sank but tasted ace (ask PavlosV6) and this one has sunk a bit but nothing like as much as the first one. I think I know what to do for the third time so it doesn't sink at all.

did you forget to put in the new anti sink valve Jim

[Hell Razor5543]

Good service from the only supplier I could find in the UK. Ordered Monday and turned up today catgut is expensive. Well over £30 for the amount needed. And to think I could have supplied my own donor cat too

I doubt even this comment would drive Fluffball out. She likes you too much (well, in a cat sort of way!).

[myglaren]

You guys should watch QI more often - it's sheep/goat guts mainly, never actually been the gut of cat.

[CitroJim]

I doubt even this comment would drive Fluffball out. She likes you too much (well, in a cat sort of way!).

I think you’re right James The only known thing that makes her scarper rapidly and hide is a certain King Charles Spaniel called Crumpet!

You guys should watch QI more often - it's sheep/goat guts mainly, never actually been the gut of cat.

Indeed. the etymology of 'catgut' is likely to be from 'cattle gut' from which it's also made or there is a legend that the work of the string makers was once so shrouded in mystery that they perpetrated a myth it was made from cats to deter people from being to inquisitive into what they did and more importantly, how they did it!

It must have been a horrible job.

did you forget to put in the new anti sink valve Jim

No but i forgot the added special ingredient Malcolm - a nice dash of LHM...

[CitroJim]

I pulled an ML5 gearbox apart last evening I only intended to clean it ready for stripping but got carried away whist listening to Any Questions? and before I knew it I was looking at a pile of bits

The ML5 is a true thing of engineering beauty; the gearbox equivalent of the ES9 engine. I can see why they give little trouble as they're built of granite and over-engineered.

They come apart very easily - a bit like an MA 'box. The essential difference there is the ML5 is not made of soft cheese and was designed with rather more thought.

There is a good reason why I stripped this 'box. It may be revealed in due course...

[citroenxm]

Ml5 jim.. is that the big bugger hydraulic clutch'd box?

If so tough yes. Ive got one here with 286k on it.. and it still had no crunchs on it and if I remember correctly no wininng either..

[CitroJim]

Ml5 jim.. is that the big bugger hydraulic clutch'd box?

That's it Paul, the one fitted to the Activa, 110 HDi, 2.1TD Xantia and the ES9 V6... This one's actually from a Pug 406 V6...

As a bonus I now know exactly what is involved in the job of swapping the fifth gear pinions that some have suggest swapping from an HDi to an Activa to give it a longer top gear..

It's easy enough apart from the three synchro detent balls and springs that like to try and make bids for freedom...

[KP]

SO a job that could be without removing the box then Jim just by taking the end cover plate off?

Was the reason it got totally stripped cos you just like to take things apart

[myglaren]

I think Jim likes the bit that defeats the rest of us - putting it back together so it still works

[CitroJim]

Technically Will, you could swap the whole gearset and diff over without removing the 'box from the car...

Not that I'd like to though...

Was the reason it got totally stripped cos you just like to take things apart

Yes, I do like that aspect but there was a reason which is not for me to say at this precise moment. Maybe another member of Team WFA can elaborate...

I think Jim likes the bit that defeats the rest of us - putting it back together so it still works

I can do that as well

[citronut]

I think Jim likes the bit that defeats the rest of us - putting it back together so it still works

I can do that as well

and for my next trick
blind folded, both hands tied behind his back and in the dark, with a full moon

[CitroJim]

I'm not that good Malcolm, blindfold possibly but I do need my hands....

I was thinking of doing a photo-strip of the ML5 but as they're so reliable it's likely a waste of time. If anyone wants one though, shout...

Today, as it was such a gorgeous day, we gave Robyn's little 207 a badly needed service. The oil had been in there for nearly 20,000 miles and it was in an awful state. The plugs were so worn the gaps could have accommodated a double-decker bus but apart from that it was not too bad. These 20,000 mile services seem far too distant to me.

Robyn had a few instances of the engine cutting out on approach to roundabouts and so on. We had the Lexia (Pug Planet) onto it and re-initialised the engine ECU to recalibrate the auto-adaptives which mainly sets up the correct idle and overrun fuel cut-off. I'm hoping that fixed it as Robyn finds it a little scary at times and tomorrow she's off to Oxford for a University interview at Brooks. She's looking to do a nursing degree.

I've decided, after yet another drive of it yesterday, to keep the XM..

[Hell Razor5543]

Now why is that not a surprise? What you need is a good barn to keep the fleet dry, with space enough for a well equipped maintenance workshop.