jgra1 blog

[addo]

What happens on tour, stays on tour.

Having said that, "location" pics are a must... I liked Brugge when there, although it was many years back.

[myglaren]

Someone - Malcolm I think - fitted a grease nipple between the bearings and injected loads of grease into the tube to prevent the void filling with water and corroding the bearings and as a source of grease for the bearings in case they were a bit short.

[jgra1]

on the drop link Steve?

well what a day..didn't sleep, then my friend forgot her passport , this was established 2 mins into the journey and mean't a tight-lipped 1 hour detour!and then a mad thrash at 90 + to Folkstone for the train.. we made the tunnel at 11:20, an hour after our appointed time.. I hoped they would put us in the next train but no.. 13:20 grrr .. we made the wine stop, 200kg's.. all in the boot with the shelf still down.. and then onto Belgium for a few kilos of tobacco.. and then made Bruge for a well earned dark beer and the quickest of visits..
back to a supermarket in Calais for cheese and chocolate and more wine.. and a very pleasant journey home with empty roads... 330 miles in all, xant was a gem! thankgod!

[addo]

Good work. Is a passport the only ID they accept for the train?

BTW, awesome job on the 3 minute trailing arm bearing swap.

[KP]

For inter country trains I'm afraid so as I guess John was usin euro Chunnel

[jgra1]

well a big thanks to Chris 570 for a couple of spheres to help my back end will give him 5 in return that I have hanging about..
outside again with my angle poise, at least its warm and still and dry..

got the xant up in the air and got my special tool and applied a little bit of pressure and... snap! the holes for the threaded section (and maybe the threaded bar) were too big for the 25mm box ally.. grrr

also managed to get coupe's number plate lights working, I found the loose connector a long time after I started getting the rear bumper off... grrr

got a battery free last night, perfect working order, for the coupe, and fired her up.. after pulling the rack gaiters away (and getting soaked both sides from the 200 ml of fluid in each! ) didn't see any leaking after that, but the fluid level was too low in the reservoir for thr PS to wark, and I didn't have enough spare..
because time is soo tight, I will put the gaiters back on, wipe around a lot, and see how it is on MOT day.. the rack will have to wait... (I guess there will always be some fluid passing the seals, over time..?)

that is 3 hours of dark annoying work, not much to show for it really.. just two silly little bulbs...

[jgra1]

referring to rear sphere removal on monday night : 'little bit of pressure and... snap! a weakspot caused by the holes in the ally box tube'

went off to timber yard near me, and brought some 8mm threaded rod (previous was 10mm) and re-drilled the ally bar (now a bit shorter)
result = a broken bar again

I removed the 8mm thread 'loop' and....

...instead I modified my favourite lever, an ally tube, bent and dented and abused, but much stronger .. (it's one of my two main big levers, the other os a bike stanchion)

Perfect was annoyed at how easily the spheres undid after all that only a relatively small amount of pressure needed... the leverage was about a meter though

The OS sphere lost more fluid, including a jet of the stuff! for a few seconds.. the NS was a trickle really ?

Anyway.. long stort short, Chris570's 25 bar spheres have transformed the rear of the car, and that has made the front more compliant somehow... or at least, the whole car feels better..

big thanks to Chris!

So am thinking about regassing the fronts... does anyone here do it?

[Chris570]

I'm glad to hear they improved things

the o/s one sounds like it's ruptured, so its now an ornament

[jgra1]

perfect for your mantlepeice?

[Chris570]

I'm sure i could make use of it

[KP]

Just do what i did with the duff ones,
Have a big empty box and tip your scrap into it

The spheres weigh a good bit so certainly help make up the wieght come weigh in day Though would be much better if they were copper!! lol

[CitroJim]

perfect for your mantlepeice?

I have one on my desk at work...

Some think it's a grenade and for some some I'm happy for them to believe it...

[jgra1]

well.. got the coupe wheels off after banging sockets onto the locking nuts.
I have been working lunchtimes and evenings trying to get her ready for MOT tomorrow (last time she was legal was 8 months ago or more)
Rear pads out, one pin stuck fast.. but a heat gun(electric) made a better job than the random flamethrower I normally use.., and also a big hammer.
4 discs well rusty, so a drill and attachment on those..

rack gaiters back on, didn't see any fluid leaking, but I couldn't really hold at at any lock and look at same time, (was dark)
I have spoken to a couple of friends in the force, and they didn't bat an eyelid about me moting it here, and driving it back into storage - in Somerset..

if anyone has other opinions about this, do not tell me!
She is sorned, but I have taken a days insurance.. (30 quid!)
I really hope she passes though, as there wont be a retest..
main final problem is the airbag light still flashing.. I have never investigated it, but have about an hour tomorrow.. battery is disconnected, and I will undo every plug I can.. not even sure it will clear itself if i manage to fix it..

anyway, wish me luck.. xant is following me, and i dont think i have taken two cars so far at the same time!
is the airbag a definite fail now? i guess it is...

john

[electronmirror]

John,

There does seem to be a wide variation of opinion about airbag warning light being an MOT fail item.

That airbag light on my Xantia has been playing up for a while now, continuously illuminated not flashing. It seems to do this for 3 or 4 months and then behaves itself for just as long. Haven't got around to spraying the connectors or soldering them up yet.

The car went through MOT last week with the side airbag warning light on and it didn't even get an advisory note. Maybe next year it will be a failure as some on the forum have suggested.

Ted

[addo]

How'd you get on with the airbag light vs MOT Man showdown?