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

[daviemck2006]

Well done on the MOT pass Jim. Hope you are not too long getting it registered and then you can get a run in it before the hard work is here.

[Zelandeth]

Will be over there tomorrow myself with the Caddy getting it's first test with me. Just given it a quick clean, will be doing lighting checks etc shortly as if I miss something daft like that I'll feel a right idiot!

Can't believe I've already had it 10 and a bit months and done nearly 9K miles...which given I don't commute seems quite the achievement! Admittedly about 2K of that was combined between just two longer trips to Aberdeenshire and Glasgow...

[CitroJim]

Will be over there tomorrow myself with the Caddy getting it's first test with me.

Call round and see me Zel, it'll be great to see you I'll be home and working on Bluebell...

Not a huge amount done today due to other more important things needing doing... I've started prep work ready to replace the water pump, cambelt and its increasingly noisy tensioner...

First job was to drain the coolant... It was still looking a bit rusty and nasty even after the flushing a few weeks ago. I've flushed again until all ran clear...

Whilst I'm doing the cambelt I'll be popping the rocker box cover off to check/set the valve clearances and also replace its cracked gasket...

It's also leaking a little on the clutch side and making a mess under the ignition coil...

Oil leaks have no place in my world and get fixed...

To be continued tomorrow...

[CitroJim]

A very good day of work on Bluebell today...

First up, a very simple job... Check the carb accelerator pump is working. A job I forgot to do when I gave the carb a check a few weeks ago...

It is Next, off with the rocker box cover to replace its gasket and check the valve clearances... All nice and clean in there - albeit a bit oily...

The underside of the rocker box and top side of the baffle plate were quite mucky with horrible old sludge so some time was spent giving it a thorough clean...

That's better

Then a check of the valve clearances... For such a small engine it has some epically over-engineered rockers... Can't ever imagine them ever giving problems...

All were found to be good...

New gasket fitted and rocker box cover back on...

Then cambelt, tensioner and water pump...

The water pump was found to be in quite good condition but the tensioner was bad - no play but biblically noisy...

New cambelt on and tension set using the SEEM gauge...

And then a check of the plugs and their gaps... All correct...

That's the first time I've used my feeler gauges in a while! Twice in the same day...

Then refilled with coolant and the system bled... Heater is roasting hot on full and I'm happy to see the cooling fan works properly...

Which is more than can be said for the heater blower... It only works on top speed so I need to check its resistor pack...

Always something to do on these old cars...

The engine sounds a lot, lot sweeter with a nice new and quiet cambelt tensioner

The day was made by having Zel's great company during a large part of the work...

[MattBLancs]

From one engine internals cleaning bloke to another - good work there!

That water pump definitely looking tired, likely a good preemptive replacement on that front

[MattBLancs]

Does the old belt look to be running a little more off the pulley than the witness mark suggest it has run previously?

Was 'ere at one stage

Matt

[CitroJim]

Does the old belt look to be running a little more off the pulley than the witness mark suggest it has run previously?

Yes, it was Matt. It was right over to one side of the crank sprocket guide flanges after I temporarily replaced it a few weeks ago and stayed there and never centred itself... This time I was careful to get the belt in the middle of the crank sprocket...

The water pump was better than it looked... The one out of my Saxo looked much worse but yes, definitely up for replacement. Not keen to do it again any time soon!

[MattBLancs]

I think, within reason (I e. Don't try belt only quarter of the way on the pulleys) that belt position is driven by one pulley in the system - normally crankshaft. Having a hard edge in both sides, hence all others running in a position following this guide. Belt running off slightly could be a sign of something pulling the belt out of line after the crank pulley - e.g. taken to extremes to aid the illustration: if water pump or an idler is imagined to be either bent, misaligned, etc then it'll affect belt position of following pulleys.

Or put it another way, a reason to be happy it's now on new belt, pulleys, pump

[CitroJim]

I'll be checking again before the car fully enters service Matt but having said that, I could find no significant play in the tensioner and water pump bearings although the tensioner was very noisy and rough so under pressure it may have been introducing just enough play to pull the belt off line...

I'll advise when rechecked... At least I have photos of when it was when first installed

[CitroJim]

Stickers applied today...

And last but not least...

Off to see my granddaughter this afternoon and give her mum her birthday presents... It's a milestone for Robyn... She's 30 tomorrow

[CitroJim]

I walked into our local running shop this morning to collect my MK Winter Half Marathon bib...

I walked out with a nice new pair of trail running shoes... Going to need them more and more now with winter approaching...

The 15% discount on offer as a perk of entering the Half Marathon helped...

The elasticated 'Lock Laces' are a complete game-changer. I use them as they assist greatly in a speedy change of shoes during a duathlon transition. They also ensure you never suffer a loose lace when running. They've become one of life's little essentials...

These new shoes also have lovely big loops on the heel end to assist in rapid fitting... Before I started running I always wondered what those loops were for on trainers! I thought they were just for decoration...

Then I called into Halfrauds for some brake fluid, antifreeze and a couple of litres of Comma 75W/80 gearbox oil (currently on offer) for Bluebell and saved a fiver by joining the Halfrauds Car Club...

I can save a fiver again by registering a different car under a different email address and a different mobile phone number...

Having a 'Burner Phone' does indeed have its advantages... Cashier told me I could join up as many times as I wanted as long as all the above are different!

[CitroJim]

This morning I enjoyed a great race around one of our lakes this morning... It felt good and I passed a lot of my fellow competitors as the race progressed... Unusual for me...

At the end of the race I was astonished to find I'd come in second

I think it's my very first ever podium finish I treated myself to a new winter running hat to celebrate!

This is me, very happy

One of my fellow runners asked my why I'm called CitroJim... I told her

Then I went for a fast 10 mile TT training ride on my bike...

[mickthemaverick]

Excellent, well done Jim, obviously the new shoes are equipped with atomic springs!!

[CitroJim]

Excellent, well done Jim, obviously the new shoes are equipped with atomic springs!!

Thanks Mick I can give those new shoes no credit... I was wearing a pair of my well run-in road shoes today! The run was all on tarmac...

[mickthemaverick]

I can give those new shoes no credit... I was wearing a pair of my well run-in road shoes today! The run was all on tarmac...

In that case a runner up podium in old shoes, we await the debut of the new ones with baited breath!