CitroJim's AX, C3 Picasso, Cycling and Running Tales

[MattBLancs]

Glad to hear you are improving Just m, and good work on the camera fixes

[CitroJim]

Glad to hear you are improving Just m, and good work on the camera fixes

Thanks Matt

This is a recent one that came from one of my fixed cameras:

The very lovely girl is Sian, my younger daughter

The bloke is me....

[MattBLancs]

Just m

ahhh, good old auto correct!

[CitroJim]

My diagnostic laptop now has a new battery Despite the new battery being from the land of minging vases and my doubts given it cost less than £15 including postage, I find it will run the laptop for around five hours...

I call that a result

[MattBLancs]

Ah that's good news.
I must look up some more RAM for my ToughBook, I meant the do that when it's 3 month warranty ran out... About 3 years ago!

[CitroJim]

More RAM can make a massive difference Matt, as can an SSD hard disk. If you're still running a mechanical hard disk, you'll find the difference astounding...

[CitroJim]

After a few very rough days recently, late yesterday, possibly because I spent some very high quality time with those I love like no other, I've finally started to recover a little...

With little 'un on my shoulders, she's repeating what her auntie Sian used to do when she was that age... Both are/were never keen to walk and much prefer/preferred shoulder rides

Cool hats!!!

It's been ages since I've been near the cars barring a couple of short errands in Strawberry. Bluebell especially has been idle for weeks... And didn't she ever let me know her displeasure

After the usual checks, she was very reluctant to start and when she did she was running extremely lumpily and would not idle at all. Running very, very rich. So rich the choke had no effect at all... So rich in fact she set off the garage fire alarm!!!

I had a an inkling it was flooding and this was confirmed when I found the carb exterior and all over the inlet manifold wet with petrol...

Thinking back, the last time I drove Bluebell she did not seem entirely happy although I could not quite work out why except she seemed to be running slightly rich and needed surprisingly little choke for a cold start.

I had the carb all in bits and paid particular attention to the float and needle valve. I noticed yet more sediment in the float chamber bowl.

The float was OK and attention passed to the needle valve...

Needle Valve

It seemed a bit sticky so I popped it out of the carb lid and gave it a good clean. There I found there was debris in the passage from the petrol pipe union to the valve. Some of this had evidently dislodged and jammed the valve open. A good clean was given and the valve function was tested and proved by pulling a vacuum against it...

That worked and would hold a good vacuum for ages...

I also checked the integrity of the Enrichment Device diaphragm under the little triangular housing on the right side of the carb... It was good.

The Enrichment Device is only present on the AX11 carb. The AX10 has a very similar carb although it lacks this bit. It seems none the worse for it. I'm of the understanding the Enrichment Device functions as a variable progression jet on the AX11 whereas the AX10 has just a small drilling - as most fixed-jet carbs do.

The root cause of all the trouble was self-inflicted and due to my negligence. Bluebell's fuel tank was badly contaminated with rusty sediment (despite it being an all-plastic tank) when I first got her and there's still enough of it in the tank to quite rapidly clog fuel filters. The sediment originates from what was once a rusty fuel filler orifice - a common AX problem. In the time I had her she's got through a lot of those cheap in-line disposable filters. Latterly though the situation has been improving and I'd neglected to check/replace the filter in a timely manner.

My bad. It was in a terrible state and had ruptured enough to send debris up to the carb and foul the needle valve.

Manky Fuel Filter

I popped in the last one I had in stock and all is good...

Bluebell is running absolutely beautifully again and subjectively, better than she ever has; a short drive in her today was a real pleasure.

I have a new stock of filters on order

I did once look at using a washable re-usable filter but of all the examples I looked at did not offer sufficiently fine filtration to catch the sediment effectively and the perfectly adequate disposables from Amazon are 6 a tenner so...

I do always carry a spare in the car and enough tools just in case I need to replace it in an emergency...

It's been good to play cars today - it's been a while...

[mickthemaverick]

Interesting view of the fuel filter replacement needs. On my Reliant I used to run two inline filters in series. The feed side always got darker first but I used the carb side as a measure. As soon as that one showed a discolouring I replaced that one with a new one and moved it to the feed position, disposing of the old feed side one. That way I was highly unlikely to get any garbage through to the carb. IIRC I changed them roughly 2-3 times a year.

[CitroJim]

Two in series is a good plan Mick... When my new stock arrives I'll look to implement that

[mickthemaverick]

If you do Jim, remember to ensure that the double restriction still gives you an adequate supply to the carb or you may experience fuel starvation issues under heavy throttle conditions, not that that is likely with you on the pedal, but just worth checking that the pump is up to the job.

[CitroJim]

If you do Jim, remember to ensure that the double restriction still gives you an adequate supply to the carb or you may experience fuel starvation issues under heavy throttle conditions, not that that is likely with you on the pedal, but just worth checking that the pump is up to the job.

Yes, I was contemplating exactly that Mick whist making tea I can easily do a test without cutting any pipes by temporarily replacing my one-way valve with a second filter...

And then again, as it's a rarely-used car and as long as I remember always to swap the filter as soon as it discolours...

I've taken a reference photo to show me the colour of a new filter. That should help

[myglaren]

I've taken a reference photo to show me the colour of a new filter. That should help

Not if you have used monochrome film!

[CitroJim]

I've taken a reference photo to show me the colour of a new filter. That should help

Not if you have used monochrome film!

Ahh...

Good point well made Steve

[myglaren]

[CitroJim]

My stash of fuel filters have arrived, along with a big tube of assorted cableties - an essential when running old Citroens and I was running short of those too...

Bluebell continues to be happy...

Just for accountancy purposes, the colour of my new fuel filter - in colour this time

A good day today, I've been out drinking tea and eating cake with a very close friend, annoying motorists on my bike and then went for a run. A nice two-thirds of a duathlon

Early this morning I did a bit of post-processing on a film I developed a few days ago. This is one of Strawberry when I went to recce a woodland hike route for my eldest's Girl Guide Rainbows Unit... I'll be a guide when they do it - that's a guide, not a Guide, just in case there was any confusion