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

[van ordinaire]

No fobs - please, I get more than enough of/about them on the Cadillac forum!

[white exec]

Have had the large circular seal on the top of the reservoir go hard and no longer seal properly. New one sorted it. Item still available.

[Zelandeth]

Just looking at some of the photos from earlier, and I think I might have just stumbled across the reason for the belt just seeming generally "noisy" compared to before...

You may recall that the driveway ended up strewn with the inevitable bits of atomised wiring loom trunking (I moved the air conditioning pressure switch connection out of the way just to keep it safe, the conduit of course protested), as always seems to happen when you go near a Xantia engine bay.

I just noticed this...

What do you want to bet that's why my belt is noisy? It's not noisy at all, it's a bit of conduit that's gone and got itself wedged down behind the pulley...It definitely wasn't there when the pulley went on, so it was dislodged when I was sorting out things up top after the belt was back under tension.

I'll check tomorrow to see if it's still there, and if so will convince it to part company with the car and go join the rest of the fragments in the bin.

Have had the large circular seal on the top of the reservoir go hard and no longer seal properly. New one sorted it. Item still available.

Not a bad call at this age anyway I guess. If they're still available and not silly money I may well grab a new one anyhow, it can't be a bad idea to replace at this age.

[CitroJim]

Well spotted on the conduit Zel... Indeed it can make some odd noises when rubbing against things...

What was the fob problem? I only ever used one and the other one I'd never even tried in all the years I owned the car...

[Zelandeth]

What was the fob problem? I only ever used one and the other one I'd never even tried in all the years I owned the car...

Nothing more sinister than a dead battery. New pair of cells fitted and it's working perfectly again.

[van ordinaire]

Be interested to know if that lasts. My experience was something like this: fob signal gets weaker & weaker, replace what might very well be original 12,15 year old battery, works once when tested from a reasonable distance, thereafter have to stand by the car (garage door,whatever). 3 months later, all the symptoms are it needs new battery - except fitting one makes no difference, buy nice leather "manufacturer's" fob & start using key (make mental note never to get anything with keyless entry. Soon learned to cut out middle stages, save money by never replacing batteries. Of course on the Cadillac forum I am considered a Luddite - possibly even a heretic, so I can only assume that the right not to be reduced to having to use a key IS guaranteed by the Constitution.

[Zelandeth]

Hard to believe it's coming up to a year I've had the Activa!

Means it's due a service.

New oil and filter are now in stock and will be changed tomorrow. Air filter was done today, here's what came out...

Also changed the wiper blades (and rebuilt the rear one with new rubber).

Figure as she will be doing a run to Livingston soon makes sense to get this all done first, can't hurt to have all the consumables fresh.

[CitroJim]

It's turned into a Leaf

I'm embarrassed to see the state of that filter... But then it is a year so perhaps not my fault!!!

[van ordinaire]

Where can you still get wiper rubbers - or did you just use the good bit out the middle of a longer one?

What's the point, now they're so cheap (peculiarly so, in this country)?

Recently seen rear blades being offered; what's that about, apart from the length - how are they any different?

[Zelandeth]

You're off the hook Jim! It was taken out when I got the car, looked like new and was put back in. That grime is all from the time I've been driving it.

The rear wiper needs to have the pin sticking out the side... I'll take a photo tomorrow. I've seen a bunch of places list wipers as compatible which are the right size but don't have the correct fixing.

I just bought the cheapest wiper GSF had in stock that was the right size and dismantled it to nick the actual blade. I've gone for some of the Denso "Hybrid" wipers on the front. Reason being in that I was basically forced into getting them for the van as they were the only ones I could source locally in the right size - but have been really impressed with the performance. They have a profile more akin to a standard blade so don't look as daft as those full on flat aero abominations.

I've been utterly unimpressed by the last few sets of wipers, so willing to give something different a shot. What happened to the days when you bought a Bosch blade for a few quid, it then worked lovely and remained like that for a few years?

In other news the van has decided to start peeing fluid out of the clutch slave cylinder, so will need to get a new cylinder ordered. It's *also* started to squeak at idle, in a dry bearing on something belt driven sort of way...so will need to investigate that too. Hoping it's something easily resolved...so probably "anything that's not the alternator" will do.

I don't blame it at all for stuff like this given the thing has done more miles in the last couple of months than in the last decade. Honestly surprised to have found as few gremlins as I have.

[Hell Razor5543]

I have successfully used a wiper blade trimmer. Used properly they sand the edge of the blade smooth again.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Windshield-W ... :rk:1:pf:0

[white exec]

I've been using Denso wiper blades (standard OE and service items from Toyota) on both RAV and XM.
They are as good as Bosch used to be.
Wipers here get a pasting from abrasive dirt-road dust, and from the sun, which tends to 'bake' them into the lop-sided (parked) stance on the windscreen. They get set into this position, and so then start to sweep quietly on one stroke, and 'dig in' on the other, producing lots of judder.
Much better though the Denso's are, have found on the XM - which gets less use - a wine cork popped under each arm, lifting the bade off the screen by a few mm, leaves them in their proper perpendicular stance. Done such, they now last years.

[Zelandeth]

I have successfully used a wiper blade trimmer. Used properly they sand the edge of the blade smooth again.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Windshield-W ... :rk:1:pf:0

Been a few years since I last saw one of them! Friend of mine used to have one that was used on bus windscreen wipers, looked like something from the 50s or 60s from the design of it, but given the price of 30" or larger wipers not surprising there were tools in the shed for getting a few more miles out of them...

[CitroJim]

You're off the hook Jim! It was taken out when I got the car, looked like new and was put back in. That grime is all from the time I've been driving it.

Phew! That's a relief

The rear wiper needs to have the pin sticking out the side... I'll take a photo tomorrow. I've seen a bunch of places list wipers as compatible which are the right size but don't have the correct fixing.

I just bought the cheapest wiper GSF had in stock that was the right size and dismantled it to nick the actual blade.

I did that several times in my ownership but they never seem to live long... It's easy to do solves a problem nicely...

Did I not let you have a genuine spare Zel? Even if I did it'll be so old it'll likely need a new blade...

[Zelandeth]

Recently seen rear blades being offered; what's that about, apart from the length - how are they any different?

Here's how the rear wiper is attached to the arm.

The pin is permanently attached to the blade in this case.

Here's what's gone on the front. We'll see how they perform over time in due course.