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

[myglaren]

Only three 16" ers.

[MattBLancs]

Only three 16" ers.

Seems to be an unusual size that, if tweaked to 205-60 R15, that site has 15 results:
https://www.oponeo.co.uk/tyre-finder/s= ... 205-60-r15

Oops, 205-60 r16 obviously I meant
https://www.oponeo.co.uk/tyre-finder/s= ... 205-60-r16
88 results

[Gibbo2286]

Going back to when I was trading I bought a few complete sets of wheels and tyres from a Welsh firm that sold alloys to the new car dealers when the customers wanted to upgrade, got the steel wheels and tyres, as new, they had to dispose of for a knock down price.

[MattBLancs]

Just for entertainment purposes, here's a 308 SW on 208 15" alloys

Courtesy of Facebook marketplace

[CitroJim]

Phew! It's been a busy weekend and Monday, fully occupied with parkrun and TT racing activities. Saturday saw me timekeeping at parkrun freezing cold due to having previously ran another parkrun course to check it and therefore inadequately dressed; I had Reynold's in my fingers, full-on hay-fever and was bitten to death by blood-sucking mozzies When timekeeping a big parkrun there's no time for personal discomforts - happily, despite loosing several units of blood to the mozzies and turning blue in the cold, I survived and did a perfect job. Saturday morning was amazingly cold

Sunday saw me Run Directing at a very busy and well-attended Junior parkrun and that was much better. Huge fun and fairly warm And then, off to look at a friend's Nissan SquashedQui with a suspect poorly battery...

The rest of the weekend was spent preparing for last evening's TT race and tying up the loose ends from the two parkrun events...

It was our biggest ever club TT event

Here's one of our riders in full flight

Maddy Long-Legs...

After tying up the TT race loose ends, I can now get back to automotive play for the rest of the week...

Until Saturday, Sunday and Monday that is, when it'll be a repeat of the above all over again!

I did manage to take Bluebell out for a really quite lovely drive on Sunday... She's such fun

[NewcastleFalcon]

I did manage to take Bluebell out for a really quite lovely drive on Sunday... She's such fun

More pics of the pleasure drives please Jim, staged brochure shots, scenic locations, industrial heritage, bridges, churches that type of thing providing the backdrop

Neil

[CitroJim]

I did manage to take Bluebell out for a really quite lovely drive on Sunday... She's such fun

More pics of the pleasure drives please Jim, staged brochure shots, scenic locations, industrial heritage, bridges, churches that type of thing providing the backdrop

Neil

Will do Neil, it's all looking very scenic around these parts currently

[NewcastleFalcon]

I did manage to take Bluebell out for a really quite lovely drive on Sunday... She's such fun

More pics of the pleasure drives please Jim, staged brochure shots, scenic locations, industrial heritage, bridges, churches that type of thing providing the backdrop

Neil

Will do Neil, it's all looking very scenic around these parts currently

Cheers Jim, I was just coming up with an example I was thinking about. It was a promotional picture of a Volvo under the Ribblehead Viaduct. Stuffed Volvo Ribblehead Viaduct into the search engine and this came up....tongue in cheek Jim not really wanting to see a pic of your little blue car on a recovery vehicle!

Neil

[CitroJim]

Nor me Neil!

[RichardW]

How did you get that breather pipe off the air box, Jim?

PSA seem to have developed some magic pipe that no one can release - I couldn't get it off when I did our Picasso last, and looking at Blue HDi air filter changes on youtube shows that most are broken - and as I recall, even the main dealer broke the one on David Hallworth's car! I've seen a suggestion that pressing it in first then squeezing the clips helps, but sure I tried that, I also seem to think twisting it first may help.

[NewcastleFalcon]

Jim with your journalist hat on you may find some interest in a very decent resource of full original brochures for the Citroen models you cover which I posted here. Used an AX original brochure from the Netherlands as an illustration yes not all of them are in English but I like the pics! and there is even one for the short-lived AX Electrique.

Link
viewtopic.php?p=800459#p800459

Neil

[CitroJim]

How did you get that breather pipe off the air box, Jim?

I'd say easily Richard but not quite, I squeezed the clips, fiddled a bit and it popped off... Or at least, mine did! It was not straightforward. I may have needed the assistance of a little screwdriver too... Can't exactly remember now...

I'll revisit the subject in a bit and advise...

Jim with your journalist hat on you may find some interest in a very decent resource of full original brochures for the Citroen models you cover which I posted here. Used an AX original brochure from the Netherlands as an illustration yes not all of them are in English but I like the pics! and there is even one for the short-lived AX Electrique.

Thanks Neil, I'll have a good look at that

My Covid scare turned out negative but I do have yet another dose of the lurgy... It's been almost constant for a couple of months or more now with a bout of 'flu chucked in for good measure

Granddaughter and her family have been the same. I guess our little Autumn is the guilty party and me spending lots of time around large numbers of children may not help much!

[CitroJim]

That connector is definitely fiddly and there's a knack to it Richard!

It took me about 20 minutes today...

This is what the end of the airbox spigot looks like:

And this is the collet within the connector:

The technique is to initially push the connector towards the airbox. Then, whilst holding the connector as far forward as you can, pull the collet assembly back as far as it will go by its ears, squeeze the two ears together really hard and keeping them squeezed as hard as you can, pull forward and the connector will release and come off the spigot... It may take two or three attempts. It's made difficult because the collet is loose inside the connector and that's why it's needs to be pulled back whist squeezing its ears... If you don't, the ring on the spigot prevents the collect jaws expanding enough to pass over them...

Whoever designed that was a genius/idiot/psychopath/joker/sadist* 100% more complex than it needed to be...

* Select your favoured choice...

[MattBLancs]

Wow, take the fiddly fuel pipe connector and make it thoroughly worse!

Wondering if I could swap in a fuel pipe connector in its place, or is it the pipe spigot that is normally broken in this connection?

[CitroJim]

Wow, take the fiddly fuel pipe connector and make it thoroughly worse!

Wondering if I could swap in a fuel pipe connector in its place, or is it the pipe spigot that is normally broken in this connection?

Agreed Matt!

I'd say the spigot is likely to be most at risk of breakage from harsh attempts to separate it, closely followed by the poor, hapless mechanic's state of mind...

There are times when you can try and try multiple times and then for no good reason it then just decides to release with ease. It's frustrating!