Zel's Fleet Blog - BX, Jag XJ-S, Sinclair C5, Mercedes 208D & 230TE, AC Model 70.

[Zelandeth]

Fourteen times as long? Probably not. I'm willing to pay a fair bit more though for the way longer shelf life (especially given the tendency for cells to leak before their best before date these days it seems), and have never get had one leak on me. Given that quite a lot of my stuff only gets used once every couple of years and I'm not the best at remembering to take stuff out, the extra peace of mind is worth a bit.

The desktop calculator I used to use at work (old Casio VFD based thing) generally needed a new pair of cells every 4-6 months when using whatever alkaline cells were in the stationary cupboard, however the pair of Energizer lithium cells in there are dated Dec 2011 and are still going...so that's got to say something.

[van ordinaire]

I do agree about shelf-life. The problem with buying a pack of 14 is you'd probably be hard pressed to use more than 1/2 of them immediately - & there's a real risk that by the time you want a couple more, they won't be any good (although I think it was those Kodaks that had a 3 yr guarantee). I don't doubt that Energizers are good, just struggling a bit with whether they represent value for money.

I thought I had the last working battery powered calculator in captivity (it's a Prinztronic SR99M, since you ask) which I doubt gets used more than a couple of times a year, but rarely fails. Couldn't resist dragging it out (amazingly, I can always find it), sure it's not been used this year but it works fine. However the, sadly undated, Chinese made, Hyundai AA's do look fairly new.

[myglaren]

Just had to buy new batteries for my remote - gave up the ghost last night.
Took the battery out as I had forgotten the type, replaced it and remote is working fine again. Probably not for long though.
Set of 5 (GP CR1620) £3.55

[Zelandeth]

Well I think I can confidently say that the Lada is now running rich, doing some poking around just now once it's up to operating temperature results in it gasping for air and smoking like a coal fire if you floor the throttle until the revs pick up - which was happening very slowly. Rev response was more like a normally aspirated diesel than a petrol.

My mind does keep coming back to one factor that has a bit of a question mark over it, and that's the timing. Both the spark and fuel injection are precisely timed from the CPS so as to ensure that the correct amount of both air and fuel are carried into the engine...and the precise timing of that was never really confirmed...Methinks I need to get that done properly.

I did a hot check of the coolant temperature sensor, and it showed a sensible value (which I now can't remember - it was definitely in the right ballpark though).

On the plus side - it doesn't matter where in the cycle things are, all it needs to know is where no 1 TDC is...On the negative side, the radiator probably needs to come out to really get at it...Also, I need to get the blasted spark plugs out, a task which I'd been pointedly ignoring for months as they are utterly stupidly tight. Well, it was bound to happen eventually. Time to get me a nice big plug socket I can use with my breaker bar I guess, they just prey that they come out rather than snap in the head.

Speaking of batteries - the one in the smoke detector in my bedroom decided to pick 4AM this morning to expire...thing's only been in place about six months. Not amused! Of course I couldn't find another PP3 to save my life, so I'll need to pick one up next time I'm out. At which point I'll probably find three...

EDIT:

Well first thing I decided I needed to do was find TDC and ascertain that it wasn't a million miles away from where it should be. This meant getting the spark plugs out - a task which had thus far proved impossible - having snapped one spark plug spanner and bent another in half. However once I'd grabbed a suitable socket, my ancient scruffy 1/2" driver bar was having none of it, and they were all out within a few minutes. No 2 didn't half give a terrifying crack when it came free though...

Sometimes the fancy little T-bar things just aren't up to the job, and you just need some old fashioned brute force!

The first thing I immediately found then was that the plugs (as I suspected from the 10mm body) weren't the right ones. They were some of those fancy 4-electrode ones, which I've found give great results in modern engines but have been at best patchy in more traditional ones. It was notable that due to the slim insulator that they weren't a very good fit in the HT leads either. The new plugs which had been sitting around for months were duly pressed into service.

One possibility that does sping to mind is that these might be more guilty than I'd thought. The first problems I had were during torrential rain. I almost wonder if water's got into the area under the HT lead boot and started tracking - there is quite a bit of carbon on the insulator of the plugs courtesy of the formerly leaky rocker cover oil seal. While this might not have been causing the plugs to stop working at all, it could have lead to a poor spark...and I know from prior experience that you need a stronger spark as the engine warms up and the mixture leans out...That's one I guess I'll never know the answer to. Anyhow, new plugs are in, they look better with the 14mm rather than 10mm body, and the insulators fit snugly into the HT lead boots.

My guesstimated TDC setting turned out to be correct +/- a couple of degrees - nowhere near enough that I'd expect it to have a significant effect on running - *assuming* that the TDC adjustment should indeed be relative to the mark on the timing cover rather than the CPS pickup itself, I'll need to do some reading to confirm that. Pretty easy to see though, as you can just shine a torch in through the spark plug hole for no 1 and can easily see the top of the piston.

While fiddling around on that side of the engine, I also applied a bit of protective grease to the ends of the additional grounding strap I applied last time I was working on the car (which I still also need to attack with a couple of cable ties to tidy it up).

I decided that couldn't be a bad thing A: Because I hadn't seen a dedicated earth strap for the engine to body, and additionally B: Because there's a lot more electrical kit hanging off the engine now (including several hundred watts of manifold heater) that never used to be there. I'm a great believer that in cars that there's no such thing as too good a ground connection.

Final check was a vacuum leak hunt. I found three possibilities...

1. Purge line from the charcoal canister missing hose clips - though in my defence, it never had any from the factory - though the original silicone hoses were a very snug fit so probably didn't need one.
2. Main PCV circuit hose could be moved on the hose barb at the throttle body end despite having a clip on.
3. Secondary PCV hose had never been tightened up where it connects to the air cleaner...Oops. Wouldn't *expect* that to do anything though as it's open to atmosphere inside the air cleaner...I should also by now know however not to apply logic to vacuum systems!

These were all quickly resolved. Even though I'd like to replace the clips on the charcoal canister purge line as they're seriously cheap and nasty ones...no idea where they came from! They however were the only ones the right size I could find...so they were used.

Starting up, throttle response was immediately way sharper. Proper "snap" from the exhaust if you booted it from idle, with a slight suggestion of very light grey smoke when it was just started (so running open loop) just as I'd expect. Then went out and spent ten miles driving around MK in a variety of manners, and the car behaved impeccably - even if after a week of driving the 107 the brakes do feel mildly terrifying! Parking back up, obviously now well up to temperature, and blipping the throttle resulted in a proper throttle response and zero smoke, and no obvious "rich running" smell like earlier.

Have I fixed it? No idea yet, I'll need to hop onto the A5 tomorrow and do a few "laps" up to Stoney Stratford and back and see if it behaves. However before lunch today it was patently obviously sick - after I'd changed the plugs and given the vaccum system the once over it wasn't obviously sick...so we'll see I guess...

[Zelandeth]

Nothing related to my cars today...because I was reminded that I'm off to the Goodwood Festival of Speed today.

Looking forward to it in general, though it does mean being up...well...now, and spending several hours in the back of this bloody Audi A4 Avant. We've been on the move for about five minutes and my back is already hurting...

[CitroJim]

Do enjoy the festival Zel

[Zelandeth]

Seeing someone absolutely hammering a Bugatti Type 36...or the Beast of Turin for that matter...up the hill never gets old!

28.5 litres, 4 cylinders, 300bhp. That thing never gets old...running lovely this year as well which is nice to see.

[CitroJim]

Excellent! And I guess lots of Castrol R aromas to accompany too

[Zelandeth]

Excellent! And I guess lots of Castrol R aromas to accompany too

Very much so!

Am I just mad in that I really fancy a shot - albeit rather more slowly - of manic, fire spitting pre-war metal like those?

Have driven a few cars from the 20s-30s, but nothing that manic!

[CitroJim]

I'm with you there Zel, I've had a hankering to do a bit of hill-climbing in something suitably old...

I see it as a very pure form of motor-sport...

And potentially a lot of fun...

[Zelandeth]

So we're now just in the queue to head out the car park. Pretty good day, though now quite tired!

As far as cars from that era go, I have honestly entertained the idea of one day picking up a Model-T. Have (successfully!) driven one, had a right old laugh doing it and went digging. Had expected them to be many tens of not hundreds of thousands of pounds, and was surprised to find that £10-15K seems to be realistic money for a reasonable looking one so long as you're not too fussy about which body you want. Maybe something for the more distant future! You'd of course be more than welcome to a go!

As for "stuff from Goodwood" I found myself strangely drawn to this particular car that was doing the rounds on the rally circuit...can't think why...

Lada 2105 VFTS Rally Car.

[CitroJim]

A near neighbour of mine had a Model-T Zel... Sadly, he no longer has it but all the time he did he used to really look after it and it was in absolute and utter concours condition... It was perfect and in fact in many ways too perfect.

It was in such fine fettle I often wondered if it was a reproduction one, rather than a genuine one. Never did find out for sure...

All I know is once a year he's strip it to the last nut and bolt, clean and polish every last bit and reassemble...

All it did was a few shows a year... Including Newport Pagnell carnival...

Sadly, his deteriorating health forced him to give it all up...

[Zelandeth]

If I owned one it would get used! No point in my mind of owning something like that if you don't share the experience.

Brass would have to be shiny and it would be "well kept" but nothing obsessive. If ever there was a car from that era that was designed to be used every day, it's the T.

Just forget everything you think you know about driving before getting behind the wheel!

[van ordinaire]

I met a Dutch couple at the Essen show a few years back who were going round the world in their Model T. Not all in one hit but one continent at a time. They'd taken year off to catch up with their grandchildren before the last leg, s it were, which, I think, was NZ, Oz, the Far East, then home overland from Beijing.

I'm sure they have a website, others may be more inclined to look for it.

On another note, 2 T's often turn up at the Torbay Steam Fair. The owners just drive in, park in the Classic/Collectors' Car Park, patiently talk to the gathering crowd & go off to enjoy the show.

"forget everything you think you know about driving before getting behind the wheel" - the garage I had one of my summer jobs had an old Chevy gun tractor for breakdown duties: pedals in a triangle, throttle in the middle, i.e. at the top, crash gearbox, LHD - quite an eye-opener @ about 18!

[Zelandeth]

Well both the Saab and Skoda are now on SORN. If time permits this week I'm hoping to give the Skoda a once over with a view to getting it a fresh MOT shortly (it runs out this month), and back on the road next month.

Motorserv were able to supply a head gasket set for the Saab for all of £40 plus pocket change, so I'll get that picked up shortly. Think I'll address that once the Skoda's been dealt with. Was quite surprised by that, had expected it to be more than double that to be honest. Plus side is that I don't need the cam cover gasket (which is £20 odd) as I've already got that in the garage waiting to go on.

Lada has still continued to behave thus far, so keeping fingers crossed that it may be sorted...On the same subject though I've found someone breaking a Niva pretty close by, so will be dropping by there and grabbing a bunch of injection system spares - plus side is that this car hasn't been sitting for a long time unlike my original donor, so hopefully will be able to source the proper fuel pump. That will allow me to get a far more elegant fuel supply solution set up than my current setup which I still consider to be a bit of a bodge. Plan is probably to grab pretty much the entire system (including the bits which I realised *after* stripping the donor in my case that I realised I needed), and put the whole lot into storage until either A: I need the spares, or B: I come across someone else who needs them - especially if they're doing a similar conversion. Things like the throttle body itself are now quite hard to come across, but generally rarely fail so aren't likely to really be needed unless someone's either been really unlucky, or is doing something crazy like I did.