jgra1 blog

Tell us your ongoing tales and experiences with your French car here. Post pictures of your car here as well.
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CitroJim
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Unread post by CitroJim »

jgra1 wrote: anyway, it passed an MOT :D :D the emissions test suggested it was very lean, yet I think it smells rich?
Excellent news John :D 8)

Well, the emissions test pretty much bears out what your gas tester suggested was the case.

I had the "rich smell" with my old 205GTi. I could make it run as weak as a weak thing but still it smelt rich :? I'm of the belief that you're smelling NOx rather than HC. It never fails to amaze me how much non-cat engines now smell (even when in good tune) after so many years of catted exhausts being totally odourless.

The one (and only) good thing to have come about as a result of legislation requiring the fitting of these obnoxious devices to petrol engines.



Did you get the emissions print-out from the machine? It'll make interesting reading :)
Jim

Runner, cyclist, duathlete, Citroen AX fan and the CCC Citroenian 'From A to Z' Columnist...
jgra1
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Unread post by jgra1 »

ahem...

Jim I took a pic of the emissions test, will post later :) , will see the comparison to my tester too..

going back to the satellite issue, I have been studying :D

The van has a PC onboard
I can buy a motorised unit for dish steering (this uses signals in the form DiSEqC 1.2)

SKY+ disable this feature in their boxes :shock:

so, there is going to be a way of receiving satellite signals through the PC, (Pci card) and also moving the dish about possible from PC as well using DiSEqC - I think :)
jgra1
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Unread post by jgra1 »

Have found out a bit more, and all I mentioned above is only suitable for a fixed installation, like a house....


Will go back to a tripod and mount the dish like that, for the rare occasion I would be camping and want tv :)
MikeT
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Unread post by MikeT »

Hi John, too many projects on the go, I'm the same, always tinkering with something trying to improve it.

On the subject of the EGR sticking open, that's not the one you recently blocked is it? I did the same to mine and am concerned if there's a problem waiting to happen.

As for VFR**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]'s they eat batteries and regulators as you know. After changing a few on mine I got the impression there's more to it - perhaps a loom problem - but the bike came off road before I could diagnose/fix it. I have heard a few mechanics say only OEM regulators will work properly but I didn't rise to the challenge so couldn't say.

For the satellite dish, a motorised system could work if you had a quick way of adjusting the vertical to get it plumb straight (ie a spirit level) and directional adjustment to get it pointing where it was last pointing (perhaps a compass ring around the vertical pole?). IME, it wouldn't take long before you get fed up with signal finder and just go by experience/educated guesswork. It's child's play then to use the tuners built-in signal meter to get the fine adjustment right.
jgra1
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Unread post by jgra1 »

hi Mike :D
yep loads on as always, I still believe that one day I will be free :)

re: sky, getting good with the onscreen strength meters :) Think I will make a simple dish holder than i can put on the roof, and set up manual when on site.. it will be fine :)

re: egr , no dont panic, once they are disconnected then that's an end of it :)
This problem was on a friend's 306 with the egr connected and malfunctioning . On my xantia I didnt block it (I blocked the pipe stubs), I threw the EGR a long way :twisted:

VFR**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]... one thing, if its overcharging a bit, leaving the headlights on all day/night will cut that down. I been reluctant to ride with them on during daylight because of the discharging problem :evil: will post some numbers tomorrow :)

J
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DickieG
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Unread post by DickieG »

jgra1 wrote:anyway, it passed an MOT :D :D the emissions test suggested it was very lean, yet I think it smells rich?
Hydrocarbons (unburnt fuel) increase dramatically if the mixture is either too rich or too weak.
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jgra1
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Unread post by jgra1 »

thanks Dickie... yep the result of the test is certainly high HC ....
jgra1
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Unread post by jgra1 »

not much to report from me...
I am fairly well into the camper van roof rebuild.. hope it wil be finished this weekend..

the VFR**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff] is still being a bit odd with battery voltages.. a spare regulator cause the volts to go from 13-18 over the first 5000 Revs :shock:
having the lights on full time may bring the voltage back down to something useful.. but the battery seems to discharge when I ride the bike ? it starts after a week or two unused, ride it a few miles and it wont re start..

The xantia is behaving well..

I had a daft idea :twisted: I have a spare V4 VFR**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff] engine(about 110HP@12000 - 60lb-ft @8500), complete, and dont really need to keep it doing nothing... why can I not make it into an inboard boat engine? it has 6 gears, although I have never heard of a boat using them...engine revs to 12000 .... any thoughts on this crazy plan :D
someone stop me before I start looking at boats on ebay later !
Last edited by jgra1 on 12 May 2009, 13:30, edited 1 time in total.
davetherave
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Unread post by davetherave »

God help the water ways...., jet boat would be cool though!
(95) XM Silver 2.1td Exclusive.
(87) Cx 2.5 DTR T1 undergoing major cosmetic surgery.
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jgra1
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Unread post by jgra1 »

davetherave
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Unread post by davetherave »

well thats a shame, all you would need is a massive pump!
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jgra1
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Unread post by jgra1 »

I do know someone with some jet boat experience though Dave...

back to prop.... how to get reverse gear ...
MikeT
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Unread post by MikeT »

My VFR**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff] went the same way. Have you checked out the Stator side of the circuit?. It and it's wiring is subjected to very high temperatures all of it's working life, leaving it all very brittle.

Seems there's a lot of interest in fitting motorcycle engines to micro cars -
and a go-kart would be rapid with that engine.
jgra1
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Unread post by jgra1 »

:lol: a go-kart would be rapid with that engine.

yep
:D


Will check my VFR**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff] a bit more soon Mike... its on the list but silly projects keep getting in the way :)
jgra1
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Unread post by jgra1 »

well.. I brought an old boat.. it was cheap! £125, and came with two beach-shop oars, an old engine stuck in Forward, a boat cover, a road trailer which was mainly good save some saltwater erosion and a bent axle)

I am :D and this hopefully will provide some fun over the summer :)

seats and wheel , remote control cables, paint, thottle and gear control, and muchmore needed asap :)

start at the end of page...

http://old-speedboat.blogspot.com/