jgra1 blog

[jgra1]

don't know Jim. .. I always thought an smf would be a good conversion ..but recently I wonder about it..
the clutch works .. I may leave it alone (but inspect it) and leave it for another time. . there looks plenty of room to drop the box in future.. and with everything coming apart now it will be easier later..
it all comes down to money really.. add in the welding it needs and it could cost a 1000 to make this van good.. I am a bit torn really..

the van had a reverse judder .. a common complaint due to high ratios.. I was hoping a bad driveshaft and rear mounting may have caused the judder ..plus an abused clutch .. but it could all be the other way around


going back to smf. . what 2.2 is smf and hydraulic clutch ? guessing early c5 ? 406.. if I can get a flywheel and the clutch kit it is tempting really. it's only a van at end of day.

[jgra1]

last night I got back into metalwork.. removing parts that are blocking other areas for repair.. nightmare really.. cant see any spot welds so am cutting 'in the dark' and not making much progress, just a lot of noise!

went back to engine work later.. removed alternator, PS pump, egr, and started to remove gearbox (but came up against the release shaft issue!)
the turbo came off and there is slight (about 1mm) of play.. turbo is at the moment an unknown brand! just has a plate on with JTS turbos or something.

the egr pipework is about 25mm, but completly (95%) blocked in what can only be described as crystalline carbon..

[CitroJim]

Does it have some bent bits on it then John?

EGR is a bit choked then!

[jgra1]

bent bits Jim ?

has many 'areas of interest' concerning tin worm..

will sort an egr pic later..

[CitroJim]

Rust? I'm shocked in such a young vehicle John..

[jgra1]

me too Jim. .. more so that I failed to notice when purchasing. ..

so far I think 8 areas .. I hope no more ..

I could just scrap it and go on holiday
but .. it could be a decent van at the end for touring ..

[CitroJim]

I could just scrap it and go on holiday

Where's the fun in that?

Just think of all the adventures you will have doing the conversion and then the great adventures you'll have as a result. Beats any holiday!

[jgra1]

hope image works..

what is it, what caused it, who did it, how is it done, how do i stop it, what would the consequences be - bearing in mind turbo, and oil from intercooler

[CitroJim]

Gosh! Looks like it's been running on coal dust!

[jgra1]

a good eve, in fact they all have been good sessions except last night.. I did some useful metal removal at both front arches, and gearbox is off and out of the way.. a fair number of parts have gone through the sink..

Holding out hope for a busy Saturday .. and some new metal as ultimately this job will hinder subframe and engine refit..

Tried one place for injector refurb, diesel bob.. a nice chap..but 88 per injector is too much for me.. also phoned the number on the turbo ID plate to see if they can refurb it, but they trade only.. tried another firm in Lancashire and waiting on that.
the turbo has SIMO on it, and a K in places but not kkk .. think its a refurbed item anyway, so the original must have been shot sometime.. goodness.. a lot of abuse for 11 years and 10K a year

[CitroJim]

Good progress on the metal bits and gearbox John

That's an outrageous price for the injectors

Vans can lead an extraordinarily hard life; they are driven with no mechanical sympathy at all as a rule - sadly...

It's why older vans are so rare; they've long since died from abuse and neglect...

Still, once all done, it'll have a much better life with you...

Have you looked into just getting another engine complete from a breakers? Might work out a little more economical perhaps?

[jgra1]

thanks Jim

what's your thinking on another engine ? I hadnt thought of that so far..

from what I can gather this one runs ok, starts fine and doesnt overeheat.. it just cuts out (like my old 2.0 did) under any load..
99% that is caused by two injectors..
otherwise I am just cleaning it and servicing it - which i would do with a breakers engine as well..
have you spotted something sinister so far - I just assumed most hdi's could get manky inside and out and a few new parts and a clean would help

[CitroJim]

No, sorry John, I had the belief early this morning the engine was in a lot worse state than it is... I thought you had it out so that you could do a full rebuild on it..

Sorry, now all clear! Yes, best to just get the injectors and turbo sorted out.

[jgra1]

this time last eeek she was running happily (at idle)

but you have got me thinking ....

shall I pull the head and de-carbonise..
or is that egr pipework just like all 2.2 114 k hdi's...

would be a good idea to look further in ..certainly pulling the sump

[CitroJim]

Yes, going by all that coke John, a bit of further investigation certainly wouldn't come amiss. better to do it now with the engine out rather than potentially later when its all back in...