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

[CitroJim]

Now all we need is for Citroen to start making these;

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No James, not Citroen.... Anything that flies needs to be reliable and trustworthy...

It would be reliable and trustworthy. You would be able to rely on an engine failing, and trust that it would let you down when you needed it the most!

Yes, you're right! In that respect it is reliable and trustworthy!

[KP]

Ahh that cambelt I got for you Jim will finally get used

Congrats on a very very and fulfilling weekend Jim, I know you like then like that as long as you rest up afterwards enough as we don't want you going back like you've done before

[CitroJim]

Ahh that cambelt I got for you Jim will finally get used

Yes, finally!

Congrats on a very very and fulfilling weekend Jim, I know you like then like that as long as you rest up afterwards enough as we don't want you going back like you've done before

Thanks Will

Nope, no fear of that. I know my limits these days and all the exercise, keeping very fit and the diet of only home-cooked food really seems to have done the trick. Looking after myself takes a bit of time but it does seem to pay off.

I'm really scared now to change any of my exercise and diet regime in case it has a negative effect.

Not having any stress to worry about also helps Some stress was relieved yesterday when we found a genuine problem on Steve's car...

[KP]

Stress relief is THE best form of excercise IMO Jim!

Some physical stuff does help with lifting the heavier items in PSA's catalogue mind

[CitroJim]

Stress relief is THE best form of excercise IMO Jim!

That and laughter Will and I get plenty of that!

[CitroJim]

Just finished a cambelt/waterpump/driveshaft/coolant change on a C2 VTS with the 16V TU'ish engine.

Cambelts on those are a real doddle! I always thought the 8V XU engine such as the TCT were easy but the C2 engine is even easier! Even easier than the 8V TU as the 16V has an automatic tensioner

Enjoyed spannering the C2 today. A lovely little car to work on...

[Deanxm]

Sounds like just the right sort of therapy Jim!

D

[CitroJim]

Sounds like just the right sort of therapy Jim!

You're right Dean, a very enjoyable day all told and completed by the dinner I cooked for the girls. Home-made pizza (including the bases) and apple crumble and custard - again, all home made from scratch, including the custard.

After eating that lot we sat down and watched a very enjoyable episode of GBBO Martha's cute and I really want her to win.

The only thing that was not good was I injured my right hand when I was timing up the C2 engine to insert the locking pin but rotating it with a spanner on the crank bolt. It caught a compression and slammed the spanner and my hand holding it against the wishbone. I now have a very painful finger with a black fingernail

This weekend, if the weather is OK, I'll be doing the cambelt and HP pump on my V6. I'm now doing nothing else until that job and a full service on my Activa is done.

[CitroJim]

Good progress today..

the V6 is well in bits now. Inlet manifold off, HP pump off, alternator off (as it's saturated in LHM), cam covers off and locking pins in.

I'm happy to see the water pump looks OK and the tensioner is the later C5 type so the engine is just getting a belt. The tensioner and jockeys look and feel perfect.

Part two tomorrow. That'll start with a reseal of the HP pump and a clean of the mucky alternator and aircon compressor.

May not finish tomorrow as I have other things to do tomorrow morning. The car may not be mobile before Wednesday as I'm taking it all very leisurely. No need to rush it...

[KP]

Good work there Jim

[DHallworth]

I might of missed something, Jim. How come you've got the inlet manifold off?

I actually kind of enjoy doing the timing belt on the V6 in a perverse kinda way. It's very rewarding when it's all back together and working fine. In some ways though, it's an annoying job as you don't notice any improvement once it's done!

David.

[CitroJim]

I might of missed something, Jim. How come you've got the inlet manifold off?

To change the spark plugs David I also wanted to check the plug wells for oil and found them completely dry which is good.

I actually kind of enjoy doing the timing belt on the V6 in a perverse kinda way.

I know exactly what you mean. I'm really thoroughly enjoying it and that's another reason why I'm not rushing. I'm cleaning and refurbishing as I go along which is why the alternator is off - so that it can have a really good clean-up.

the alternator is a devil to remove - in V6 terms - the aircon compressor needs to be dropped out of the way first but that's not really difficult either...

Doing a V6 cambelt again shows what a fantastic design the ES9 engine is. In it's own way the V6 cambelt is as easy to do as the little C2 I did earlier in the week. To be honest I'd rather do a V6 than an XUD any day. More room and less profanity!

[KP]

Of you speak to Vince Jim he can give you tips on painting bits up before they go back on as he really wanted to do it to mine but it requires removal of some bits like the inlet manifold

[CitroJim]

I spent an awful lot of time cleaning things yesterday Will. The LHM weep from the pump had been going on a while and the resultant muck was unbelievable

All is now clean and lovely and the alternator is ready to be refitted. The HP pump is similarly clean and ready to be resealed before refitting.

The new cambelt is on. That was a fight! I find it's necessary to loosen to jockeys to get just enough play to fit it.

The new plugs are in and the inlet manifold is refitted with a nice new gasket.

So, just a case of doing the pump and refitting that and the alternator and the car will be back in business. That'll hopefully be done on Wednesday...

I got hold of a nice new Hoover vacuum cleaner at a great knock-down price on Saturday. It works a treat and sucks up much more muck than my old one did. Today I find it's been banned from sale as it's a 2100W model. It's now apparently illegal to sell any Hoover above 1600W. That really sucks

[Hell Razor5543]

It is now illegal to import or make a vacuum cleaner in the UK that is over 1600W. However, the shops are allowed to sell off their stock of them. in 2017 that power levels drops to 900W!