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

[CitroJim]

That's amazingly good progress already Zel

Things are looking very promising on many fronts. The engine turning over nicely is a big bonus....

[Zelandeth]

If the weather co-operates tomorrow I'll inevitably have a shot at seeing if I can get it started.

...Once I figure out how the heck you do that with a Dynastart...There are more wires involved than with your average starter motor!

You'll need to drop by this week if you're in the area and have a nosey.

[xantia_v6]

I assume that the engine has a dynomotor which acts as both starter and dynamo. If running the engine without all the wiring in place and correctly functioning battery and regulator you must disconnect the dynamo shunt field winding (and preferably short it to ground), or you may find that the winding quickly overheats and burns out.

I may have some service data on the dynomotor and charging system, if you can tell me what sort it is. I have the service manual for the SIBA system used with the earlier Villiers engine, but don't know what is fitted to yours (SIBA or Bosch). I should also have service info on the Bosch system, but can't find it at present.

[bobins]

The sight of that restoration project provokes this reaction from me:

"Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way…
....Born to be wild"

[CitroJim]

You'll need to drop by this week if you're in the area and have a nosey.

That will be great Zel Likely Tuesday or Thursday if that's OK...

[Zelandeth]

You'll need to drop by this week if you're in the area and have a nosey.

That will be great Zel Likely Tuesday or Thursday if that's OK...

Should be great Jim. Just drop me a text a couple of hours before so I don't wind up being on the other side of Linford Wood with the dog or something daft like that!

Big question: will the engine be running by then?

[CitroJim]

Yes, knowing you the engine will be running by then

[Michel]

The sight of that restoration project provokes this reaction from me:

"Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way…
....Born to be mild"

I have corrected your post

[Zelandeth]

Well at least the weather co-operated for a while today. Before it started with the rain/hail anyway.

Mission for the day was to attack the car with the pressure washer to shift at least some of the ingrained grime.

This was the starting point...

So out came the rotary jet attachment which is usually reserved for getting gunk off paving (or clearcoat off Dante Red Citroens). I usually avoid taking this anywhere near cars because it had a tendency to remove paintwork in addition to dirt.

Seems to be helping!

Engine bay cleaned up pretty nicely (air cleaner was tied up in a plastic bag while the cleaning went on). Sadly I apparently didn't take a photo *after* I clipped the top cooling shroud back on. I do however still need to go in there with something to remove all the nuts that the blasted mice have stowed in there!

Here's the logo that you wouldn't usually expect to see on something like this!

This evening I'm going to have a look at the wiring diagrams and see if I can make sense of the wiring to the Dynastart to ascertain what is and isn't connected. It *looks* like the wiring between it and both the regulator and the solenoid is undisturbed, so it shouldn't be *too* complicated. Fingers crossed.

Have had a closer look at the floor as well. Better news than I expected. The floor isn't actually attached to the chassis in any way other than what appears to be rivets along the outer edges...It's utterly non-structural, and just sits on top of the chassis for the most part. That should make repair a heck of a lot easier than I'd originally thought.

[Zelandeth]

Here we go...this is my weapon for tomorrow when I do battle with the wiring tomorrow...

Have highlighted everything I think I'll need to get the car running.

Yes...I consider the oil pressure light to be essential to running. Shouldn't be too hard to sort out the chopped loom when armed with this diagram. Have attached by annotated and the original.

...and I thought the Skoda had a simple wiring diagram!

[van ordinaire]

I think everyone should have one of hose dizzy caps - as a converstion piece! Never seen a twin-pot with conventional ignition, being used to 2CV's & the like.

As for replacing the wiper, I do find myself being sidetracked by doing something really trivial, completely irrelevant & of little real use in the midst of major &/or difficult jobs; it's a form of escapism, the mechanical equivalent of light relief.

Of course we're all fascinated, it's the vicarious excitement & feeling of success, without any of the effort - or grief! Much as I love this sort of project, it's not for me, 'cos I CAN'T STAND non-starters!!!

[CitroJim]

The last wiring diagram as simple as that I saw was for an Austin 7...

I wonder what's inside the voltage control box? I hope it's there... In any event I cannot imagine any electronics in it and would think it's an old-school one with coils and contacts so if not good it should be easily fixable...

Agree about the oil light Zel!

I reckon that when I see it tomorrow or Thursday it'll be running...

[xantia_v6]

The dynastart control boxes are a bit special and fiddly to adjust, the Bosch version more so than the Siba. I have not done either for 40 years,

[Zelandeth]

From memory of the diagram I saw of one it contains a conventional mechanical voltage regulator and a potential relay. That had the job of switching the windings from "start" to "charge" mode when the voltage across the dynamo side of things got above roughly 12V.

That's a simplified explanation to some extent, but gets the just across. I've got a couple of spares in one of the boxes of bits.

[CitroJim]

From memory of the diagram I saw of one it contains a conventional mechanical voltage regulator and a potential relay.

A relay that's not quite a relay but has the potential to become one

I've got a couple of spares in one of the boxes of bits.

That's good I'd think a replacement might be hard to source if you needed one...