Elmas Xantia V6 and Musical Stuff

[Zelandeth]

Yep, it's the diesel one I'm meaning. Didn't realise they were direct injection though - thinking about it though it does explain why the dash is devoid of a glow plug light! My preferred van of the era was the Merc 308D though, just prefer how they drive. Once you learn your way around the gearbox anyway as that was a little on the vague side. ...that might have just been mine though given it had 500K plus on the clock! 517K as I remember but the odometer broke several years before I got it.

[elma]

I got an oscilloscope on red today. The front and rear electro valves both read the same. 3.6 volt square wave, but a poor wave decreasing to 3.2v across the peak. No reaction to opening doors or anything else, just the same thing. I wasn't able to try it on green to see a healthy signal. A good read of the hydractive manual and a lexia next I guess. I may try the brain from green and see if there's a difference first. I still wonder if the mystery brown 2 pin connector is related, it looks like it has been plugged in previously. Greens lhm is vile as well, dirty orangey colour.

The wave was like the top left one in this picture, but at the bottom it was flat as you would expect.

Regarding ice cream vans some good points have come up. The clapped out nature of most of them is because of the ice cream machines. The modern ones don't make such good ice cream so they get avoided. The van we look after is fitted with a carpigiani clock face machine. Its a 50 year old unit from Italy which is very desirable. We don't know what type of van it originally was fitted to, but it was shorter hence the welded prop shaft we replaced.
The second issue is cost, the new vans start at 50k which gets a fairly poor setup. They will either be fitted with a newer, less decent machine driven off the same bolt on PTO system (and same noise). Or, on a posh one, a generator will drive the compressor. In the old days the cost was still ridiculous compared to a normal van but the lack of licensing and restrictions meant it worked. The ones with a machine hold value though, you won't get even the oldest nastiest one for under 10k. The hard scoop ones are worth no more than the van they were made from.
We've been asked if we can fit the equipment from the transit into a more modern solid van. We can of course, the problem is finding a suitable body otherwise we get into the same silly costs. Engine wise this ones a petrol, not sure how big. It just sounds like a diesel because of all the crude agricultural extras running off of it.
Its new shaft arrived this afternoon and will be fitted tomorrow so I'll grab more pics.
If you're interested in the compressor or the drive the best place to look is here http://www.icecreamvanspares.co.uk/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
They've got pics of all the individual bits.

[elma]

I'm guessing now that this transit is a direct drive diesel with direct injection and no glow plug light. It has one of these which Explains why it sounds like a diesel.



Heres the workings of it's compressor.

The first pic is the casing around the shaft we replaced last time.
That is connected directly, with that rubber doughnut, to the bottom shaft in picture 2. (we replaced that this time)
Which in turn drives the compressor.

Regarding Xantias
I tried switching the hydractive ecus between the 2 cars. It didn't fix the red car which just remained in hard as normal. I didn't have access to an oscilloscope at the time so just changed the brains back around. The estate has an extra plug attached to the back of the edu bracket.

I'm sure it's meant to be there, but I'd like to know what it is. The red one doesn't have it, but there are a lot of differences.

[Zelandeth]

Looks like that compressor is a tiny little Prestcold unit, worked on their big brothers, but looks like a scLed down version of the same thing.

[elma]

Not a lot to report today. Red ran out of diesel, a man in a Mercedes got very angry and did his best to run me over. He a poor driver though cos he missed by miles. Green ran out of electricity, still on drive now so everybody stayed calm. Had first ice cream from the ice cream van, very good. Bought a cheap skateboard to rob bearings for latest invention, turns out there's a second 608 size bearing fitted to cheap skateboards thats a totally different size to a normal 608 bearing.
I drove a normal car briefly today, understand now why everyone else seems to drive on the wrong side of the road most of the time. Finally got taken out for a blast in a supercharged, turbo technics, Elise. Really awesome cornering car but doesn't accelerate anything like I expected. In fact I'd call it tame compared to my friends mk1 golf. A bit of a disappointment really as I expected it to be quite scary.
Elma is investing in a dash cam. Getting very fed up of people trying to kill me at the minute. A clio hit me already this week in the wing mirror thankfully, a transit undertook me and then sideswiped me at halfway past in traffic, a boy in an Astra with his mates decided to try and run me off the road whilst taunting me and the list goes on. All since the weather warmed up. I wonder if I can get one that turns off when I'm the one driving badly.

[Zelandeth]

Seems to be a week for it this week with other drivers being idiots. Dashcams are something I'm seriously considering too, especially for the Skoda which seems to attract idiocy for than the other cars.

Only supercharged motor (unless you count the 2-stroke Detroit diesel commercial vehicles...) I've been in was a friend's Monaro VXR8, and that was anything but tame! Actually very well behaved if you were gentle, but once you asked for some power it was downright savage. Nothing that big and heavy should be able to accelerate like that, it just doesn't seem physically possible. It's also downright addictive, though the soundtrack probably helps there too.

[Hell Razor5543]

After a BMW went head on into my Mums' Volvo last year I get her (and myself) a dash-cam for Christmas. This is the one I got (not sure if it was from this supplier). They are small enough to be hidden from your view by the rear view mirror;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Built-in- ... 1c44b55991" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[citronut]

elma
does your ice cream van look like the one in this add, also shows Jims lawn mower

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[elma]

That camera looks spot on. Iirc there's a few versions so I'll get looking. Tough decision camera or lexia or jacking beam for clutch first. I have my eye out for something like this as well http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Motorhome-Cam ... 1c536a748d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Although probably only a 4 cylinder.

I really liked the supercharger noise on the Elise. It lacked induction roar though. I'm told it has 200bhp and does 0-60 in 3.5s. The golf has around 300hp, weighs the sameish, roars like a lion and eats Elise's in a straight line. If I have a good year I'd really like to build a hot hatch or rally cross car, metro turbos still have a hold over me and its been so long since I had a fast car. The Elise owner wants to put a Honda type r engine in, supercharge it and add sequential gears. I would too, should be proper scary then.

As for the ice cream van she does get about and has many lawnmower friends. Hopefully she's out today, I fancy a free ice cream. I've actually grown quite fond of the old beast, amazing as I have a severe and life threatening allergy to all fords except mk1 transits.

[Xantianut]

It's an odd thing this but I also have an allergy to the Blue Oval.

In my case, the exception is the Mk3 Cortina. Yes, it was a rust bucket but then weren't all cars back then? Oh, and it introduced lard to the Cortina but those Coke bottle curves?

For British tin, it's a Rootesmobile for me. I'm glad I haven't inherited my father's love for one particular kind of car so he bought one every time. What was it? A junk heap!!!!!

[elma]

I can understand the liking for Cortina, mk1/2 Escort etc but thankfully I am to young to have ever enjoyed them, been in my parents ones or seen them rallied. I think it would have been a different story if I were older with growing up 10 mins from the Dagenham factory as well. By the time I was old enough to recognise cars Ford were onto xr2/3 type of stuff that just didn't appeal. Then in my early 20s I had a Mk4 Escort, I drove it about 250miles and have refused to set foot in, work on or own Fords ever since (with the exception of really cool ones like Ice cream vans). My other allergy is Vauxhall, with the exception of the Lotus Carlton, I have never worked on cars designed so well and yet assembled from such rubbish. I don't know why they are fitted with steering wheels either as they steer themselves.

I'm getting a bit fed up in general now regarding red. As well as being victimised by other road users she was walked all over by stupid drunks last night. I don't think they've damaged it, but thats not the point. I actually walked out of my friends house and caught them at it. I went mental and they all ran off wonkily but I really wonder if I'd be better off with a car I don't care about rather than one I call a hobby. This is my 2nd red car and the last had problems as well, my other Xantias were Green, Green and Gold. They all were treated with more respect by other people. It'll be interesting to get on the road in Green and see if the colour is a factor.

All that aside I've made it to the end of this week with enough money spare to buy a Lexia, Camera or Engine/Gearbox beam. I'm probably going to postphone the camera but I can't decide what makes the most sense to get now, probably the Lexia as it makes an improvement to both cars and Dads 308. I could really do with getting Green uncaged though, I don't like a perfectly good car being sat like this.

It's probably worth mentioning now that Red is likely to be sold in a couple of months. Ideally I'd have the estate for a work maul and let the dog in but keep red as my nice car. Chances of that are a bit low though so I'd like to drive green and take red off the road for a proper restoration job. Thats not going to happen either though as running one car costs enough. Final option would be to keep her off the road and use as a spare parts bin, I just won't do that it's too good a car to die at 111k. So if anyones hankering for a red mk1 1.9td vsx with cream Leather it'll probably be looking for a home around July. It'll have to be a good home though where she'll live a longer, happier life than if she stayed here with me.

I'm off now to Llandudno to get drunk and walk home over other peoples cars, seems to be the thing to do here.

[citronut]

cant you hire an engine/box beam, maybe the likes of

http://www.philstoolhire.co.uk/contact.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

if they are localish to you,

although the cost to buy one might work out cheaper

[elma]

Its not worth hiring up here, I'd spend the same in diesel collecting and returning stuff as just buying my own. We did ask the local place about an engine crane but he was over 100 for a weekend and I'd rather buy than pay that. Good idea though, in the civilised world that would have worked.

[les]

Hello Elam spotted a red N plate in Craig y don near my mothers house would it be yours.

[elma]

Thats me, you'll see the estate there as well.
Are you the silver sx sinker in Rhos Fynach carpark a couple of days ago?
Keep seeing that car around, looks loved.