Zel's Fleet Blog - BX, Jag XJ-S, Sinclair C5, Mercedes 208D & 230TE, AC Model 70.

[van ordinaire]

Can you discard the shroud, just to test that theory. If you mark it 1st, if that is the problem you can simply trim/re-profile it before refitting.

[CitroJim]

No surprises for guessing that I never had a chance to look at it today. Flat out all day then had to waste the whole evening due to a social engagement.

I know the feeling I had the same yesterday bar the social engagement but domestic tasks fully filled my day... That and Parkrun admin!!!

Hope the coast soon clears and you can get it sorted Zel...

[Zelandeth]

Had a bit of a poke around earlier.

Indicator lights on the relays proved inconclusive. Guess is the dropouts are just too brief to be seen with incandescent lamps - but it only takes one dropped spark to be felt through the car.

I did however note that on further investigation that tapping the main system relay firmly with a screwdriver handle could trigger a single miss at idle. Hmm says me...

[Michel]

So went to move the Skoda earlier so I could mow that corner, and the clutch slave cylinder has failed. Was quite interesting as I was in reverse and with the choke on full at the time, so suddenly the car started accelerating backwards beyond my control.

Great...another thing for the list!

That car is seriously about to appear priced to sell, patience has run out...

I'm trying to sort out a day to pop up and see Jim, if you're around on that day, whenever it may be, I shall come and have a look at it and have a think..

[CitroJim]

I'm trying to sort out a day to pop up and see Jim, if you're around on that day, whenever it may be, I shall come and have a look at it and have a think..

Mike, don't hold your breath.... Looking at my schedule I'm stacked out until well into July... Goodness only knows when I'll have any quality time free - Mondays and Fridays are currently insanely busy for me and weekends are always out due to standing commitments... Best therefore to make any arrangement with Zel separately

[Zelandeth]

The internet doesn't half make the world a small place!

Just had someone say hello over on the vintage radio forums regarding the fact that they live only down in Hemel Hempstead and also run a pair of Estelle's, having found me there via another totally unrelated forum!

That's up to I think four instances of totally unrelated streams crossing in the last couple of months.

On the plus side it also might finally mean I can get pointed towards a decent parts supplier for the Skoda - so whether it stays or goes it can do so with the minimum of a to do list. I hate selling cars with known problems unless I can avoid it.

Edited to resolve autocorrect induced typos again...I really do need to proof read before clicking submit...

[CitroJim]

Zel, that is wonderful Knowing the mob on the vintage radio forum it is not surprising at all.. Despite the heavy and sterile moderation of said site it is clear there are many enthusiasts of interestingly different automotive devices there.. The likes of 'Herald13/60' and '1100man' give the game away quite happily...

I've had similar and very recently I've been reunited with someone I lost touch with getting on 20 years ago through a combination of Facebook, MK Hospital and running

[Zelandeth]

Well I replaced the "system control" relay as I guess is the best description (it being the one that turns the whole shooting match on or off) today, and I can no longer provoke a miss by whacking the relay block with a screwdriver. I've had a quick run down the A5 for a junction in either direction and it's behaved so far...being an intermittent problem though we'll have to see whether the repair sticks. If not the only other really likely candidates I can think of (now that I've also tightened up the slightly loose CPS) would be either a dry joint in the ECU or an old fashioned wiring fault.

The former of those two doesn't really bother me as it's eminently possible to work on. The latter however I'd really hope it's not as that could turn into a right old pain to track down, but I'd also hope if it was that it would be down to physical damage and pretty easy to find as the EFi loom is actually of really pretty decent quality. It's also routed sensibly, which must make a huge difference! It's run around the upper perimeter of the engine bay really, so no chance of it getting soaked through with oil, or sitting wet and rotting out like the Xantia one under the radiator.

The ability of the internet to connect people is astonishing. I'm not massively active online compared to a lot of people, and my actual activity is limited to the random nonsense you see me babbling about here (none of the other car forums (in descending order of regularity of posting there: Here, Lada, Saab, Skoda) get any more sense out of me I'm afraid...), vintage radio/technology in general, lighting technology and a variety of topics surrounding the furry fandom. My Flickr page used to also be pretty busy with the bus stuff, but that's dried up pretty much with no longer having access to such things sadly. That's pretty much it, yet so far I've managed to stumble across or have been stumbled across by folks from pretty much every one of the other topics on one of the other forums. So far my best "you must be kidding me" moment was stumbling across someone from my old work, while randomly flicking through a few videos on Youtube of some pretty major events over in the US. Was a good one for that moment of "Heh, that looks just like..." right up to the point when he turned around and spoke to the cameraman, at which point it became blindingly apparent from the accent that I had indeed just managed to randomly stumble across a former co-worker, at an event several thousand miles from home, courtesy of no more than a combination of Youtube's "we think you'd find this interesting..." and insomnia! I guess that's the same reason that some people are really paranoid about it too. I know a couple of folks personally who have completely different, totally isolated profiles that they use for any online activities and are totally paranoid that there might ever be any crossover between various forums or their day to day lives.

I just don't have the time for that sort of approach, I think the fact that I've used the same username since the dawn of time (okay...since the start of the century, how does that sound), probably makes me easier to track down than a lot of people. My approach to making sure that I don't worry about my real life and the internet mixing? Simple...don't do anything (too) daft on the internet in the first place.

...Likewise just don't do anything too daft in real life, as you can bet your bottom dollar that if you do, someone will be there with a camera and they will ensure that the moment then finds its way onto the internet. I used to help out from time to time at a pub/hotel, so could tell some stories! I won't though, as most of them concern people I actually know personally and I respect their privacy more than that.

I do hope to be able to revive the bus related photostream and anecdotes one day...If I had a spare couple of grand and enough time I really would look at finishing off getting my cat D licence, then go and wave it at the likes of the Oxford Bus Museum and make it clear that I'd like to help out. If it's anything like the last couple of places of its kind that I've spent any time around, they've got far, far more demand for moving vehicles than they have qualified drivers available to drive them - especially drivers who won't run away screaming when presented with a bus with no power steering, no air conditioning, no power brakes (or even any appreciable brakes whatsoever in the case of the Albion...) or a crash box, possibly even with the pedals in the wrong places - or all of those things combined. Whereas I'm far happier in the cab of something along those lines than any of this modern fly-by-wire nonsense with 12 speed automatic gearboxes and steering you can steer with one finger. Guess the fact that I've got a decent idea of what makes the oily bits work would make me vaguely useful from that perspective as well.

[CitroJim]

I have no issues with my real identity being known across the Internet Zel. I do nothing daft on-line or anywhere else and have nothing at all to hide...

The real person behind the CitroJim moniker was revealed far and wide many years ago... I use it everywhere... Even my club running top has CitroJim written across it!

Pleased you have more than likely sorted the intermittent misfire

[Michel]

I have no issues with my real identity being known across the Internet Zel. I do nothing daft on-line or anywhere else and have nothing at all to hide...

I have vague issues, but they centre around my ex-wife and her friends spying on me. Call me paranoid, but I really dislike her knowing what I'm up to. I never do anything *too* daft online or anywhere else, not now anyway. I have been known to in the past, but I have nothing to hide. I tend to disappear from FB quite often and change my name and email details on there but that's all. My android phone, which has to use a google account, is registered to one with a nonsense name.

[Zelandeth]

Can you discard the shroud, just to test that theory. If you mark it 1st, if that is the problem you can simply trim/re-profile it before refitting.

Missed this reply!

Removing the shroud to prove a point has occurred to me - sadly it's the thing to which the fan is attached, so no shroud means no fan. On a day with 26C weather, that seems like courting disaster even on what's meant to be a quick test run!

I think I'll whip it out this weekend and attack that area with the grinder to just make a nice "pocket" to surround the CPS and its wiring. Given that the CPS is *the* single most critical component really to the system in terms of making it actually do anything other than be a giant paperweight it doesn't seem worth risking it being damaged.

Has behaved perfectly again today though, so watch this space.

While rummaging around in one of my Bags O' Cables (tm) looking for a 10Base T ethernet cable, I stumbled across an actually only a few years old but old looking pull switch. That'll do nicely for my fan override switch I think as it will look perfectly in period with the interior.

Think next task though is to tidy up the interior wiring, tucking the ECU and its associated spaghetti up behind the dash. Will still be easily accessible behind the glove box, but I managed to clobber the fuse panel with a shopping bag again today, so it needs to happen before I break something. May as well wire in the 12V switched feed properly too so the rear window demister switch is no longer my ignition switch...

Assuming the 27-29C weather doesn't arrive this weekend anyway. If it does I'll be hiding in a darkened room somewhere wishing the world didn't exist rather than being productive.

[elma]

Tell me about it.
9h a day this week in the blazing Sun has left me burned and worn out.
Not for working all that hard either, just the cumulative Sunning gets me knackered.

Personally I don't like everyone knowing me on the internet.
I joined Facebook only recently to ease boredom in hospital.
Other than that I'm content with the people I know.

[Zelandeth]

Ended up spending a couple of hours cleaning the paving around our house this afternoon. Started out in the shade of the house, didn't notice coming around the corner into direct sunlight until about half an hour later when I realised I was melting.

Still 3/4 of the paving to clean too...at least it's not all lockblock like out back, that bit takes forever.

If I do anything tomorrow it will probably be to pull the thermostat out of the Skoda then take it for a darn good thrashing - first to scrub the brakes up as it hasn't moved in several months, and secondly to see if that solves the overheating issue. Depending how stupidly warm it is, the valve clearances may also get checked.

Was quite nice today out in the Lada with all the windows open while on the move (even if my hair kept stabbing me in the eyes, it's months past needing cut!), but was too warm whenever I stopped.

27C forecast for here tomorrow...not looking forward to that! Suddenly €200 for a proper cooling vest is sounding like really good value for money. I'm from Aberdeen, I wasn't made to deal with this nonsense!

In other news, we're finally going to get the last few windows sorted here. When we originally had the first lot of work done, part 3 of 3 was valued at £10,500 plus pocket change. That dropped to about £7K after we proved to be a good repeat customer. Then the company ended up calling me a ridiculous number of times over a couple of days (not badgering - just due to horrendous internal communications I think), and I made it clear that I was somewhat frustrated about that - this was right when we had a lot of stress going on. So left them to stew in their own juices and worry about whether they'd lost us as a customer for a while.

Had a call back yesterday from a manager there who was massively apologetic and offered to put us in touch with their trade section to get any remaining work done.

Booked in now to get the remaining eight windows (including one stinking great toughened glass panel that's about two metres wide by full room height) in really good quality materials...for £3100 fully fitted. That's a pretty good "sorry we messed up the customer relations" discount I think...

[elma]

That is a very good discount. Hopefully enough left for a Saab hg and a vest cooler.

[Hell Razor5543]

Well, for those of you who are complaining about the heat please spare a though for me. I will be looking after Royal Ascot again (nine days in total, five of which in full morning suit), and if I have to go into the Royal Enclosure I have to be wearing the whole outfit. It is only comfortable in mild weather conditions. Heat means I have my own private oven, rain means I am walking around in a heavy sauna!