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

[MattBLancs]

For further reference, (though as expected, the dishwasher did a cracking job!) Old toothbrushes quite good for scrubbing grime out of a Fresnel less without damage.
Have tried my ultrasonic cleaner too but seemed slow going.

[CitroJim]

Old toothbrushes are so, so useful!

Those lenses have come up amazingly well

[mickthemaverick]

Old toothbrushes are so, so useful!

Especially when you've got old teeth!!

[CitroJim]

Old toothbrushes are so, so useful!

Especially when you've got old teeth!!

And knackered ones like mine Although I'm all electric in the toothbrush department, I buy cheap ordinary ones purely for cleaning purposes... One such use being to remove mud from around my toenails after a good trail run...

TMI possibly

[Zelandeth]

Have to admit that it's where cleaning things like light lenses or textured mouldings that go behind door handles and the like where the dishwasher has made me really lazy. Just chuck it in there and forget about it for the duration of the 30 minute quick wash and it will look like new when you're done. There are still two toothbrushes in the tool box though for where manual agitation is necessary.

Had another quick win in terms of ticking something else off the to do list this afternoon as this little (surprisingly heavy) box arrived this morning, vastly overpacked in a container the size of a large shoebox.



This is the dip/main beam toggle relay for the Trabant. The one on the car was dead meaning that the headlights only worked on dipped beam.

Simple matter of undoing the two 8mm mounting bolts, unplugging the wires and then reversing the process. I did remove the one bolt that holds the fuse box in to hinge it out of the way just to make access a bit easier. You can absolutely do it without this step but as it takes about 20 seconds I figured being able to see what I was doing was worth that.

The old relay has been unbolted below and was just waiting for me to swap the wiring over - I did this one connector at a time to ensure I didn't get anything crossed over.



Here's what was left of the old one...Not surprising it didn't work.



Quite why someone had dismantled it and completely removed the actuator arm from the solenoid I'll never know.

New one was connected up, bolted in place and the fusebox was re-secured in its correct location.



I can confirm that the headlights now work correctly, toggling between dip and main beam with a very satisfying mechanical "Ka-clack!" noise from the relay when you tap the indicator stalk towards you.



Once the beam height adjustment has been fine tuned and I've swapped out a few blackened looking lamps in the tail lights I think we can tick the lighting systems off the list as done.

Another really quick and simple job which was as simple as it should be. Really helpful that there's such a following for these little cars though that oddball components like this are still readily available. This is obviously at least a somewhat specialised part and while I am sure there's a more modern solution which could be engineered to work, just being able to drop in an original spec part is far easier.

[Zelandeth]

The Partner really wasn't impressed with the idea of starting this morning. Admittedly it was -6C at the time, and it did just about manage to cough into life. It was pretty plain though that the cold was going to see off the battery. I'd been wanting to change that pretty much since I got the car though, it's obviously been in there for a good number of years and is significantly undersized for the diesel variant, I believe it's a type 020. A properly rated Bosch S5 Type 027 is now on the way from Tayna. There's a decent rating difference between the two. 52Ah/470A Vs 63Ah/610A. That CCA rating being the most important one for a diesel.

Hopefully should be here in the next day or two. The car is currently in the garage having that broken wheel bolt from last week dealt with. Taking bets on whether they manage to drill it out or not...

I guess the Trabant is on daily duty in the meantime!

[CitroJim]

This slightly cooler weather is good at weeding out weak batteries and diesels are unlike petrol engines in that they need to spin at a reasonable speed to start...

Tayna have always been brilliant for me and I hope that continues with you Zel...

[Zelandeth]

Ordered yesterday, arrived on my doorstep this morning.



Tayna up to their usual standards of efficiency.

Was going to fit it this afternoon plus new wiper blades to replace the ones which have started to squeak annoyingly...however had cause for pause when encountering whatever this modern nonsense of a clamping arrangement is.



That point where I realise quite how out of my depth I am when faced with modern vehicles, when I don't even immediately understand how a battery clamp works. I only had a few minutes left at this point (having waited 20 or so minutes to ensure everything electronic had gone to sleep gracefully in the car), and not immediately being able to see how it came apart I decided to consult the internet and get back to it tomorrow.

Apparently if the visible bolt is removed the whole thing should hinge upward and lift off. Why did we need to overcomplicate even a battery terminal clamp? I seriously did consider just hacking this nonsense off and fit a normal clamp (for which I actually have a cover as well). However no, I'll do it properly and have another shot at finding the proper battery cover.

I apparently also managed to buy completely the wrong type of wiper blades...so I'll be needing to return those tomorrow.

On the plus side, the garage were able to drill out and replace the offending wheel bolt, so that was an £80 rather than £200 job which I'll take as a win.

[myglaren]

100 years warranty if you scan the q-code?

[Rp0thejester]

Oh it's fitted with the quick release, that's a good send on my car, we all know how Citreons have dodgy electrics. Quick undo and put back on oh look warning light gone.

[xantia_v6]

100 years warranty if you scan the q-code?

Yes, but the 100 years lapsed in 2022.

[CitroJim]

100 years warranty if you scan the q-code?

Oh it's fitted with the quick release, that's a good send on my car, we all know how Citreons have dodgy electrics. Quick undo and put back on oh look warning light gone.

Mine has those too and one needs a clean... It's just a tiny bit furry... Time to get the Vaseline out...

Zel, when you swap the battery, be sure to follow the procedure - it's not simply a case of out with the old and in with the new as on your others. The procedure is detailed on this forum somewhere or Marc will be able to advise specifically for your vehicle...

Good news on the wheel stud

[MattBLancs]

That battery clamp should just lift up, I'm pretty sure the nut doesn't need to be touched.

Given it's not that easily decoupled from the car (hence out of reach of dishwasher) I'd say a good candidate for a bit of toothbrush action on it too! Bit of paraffin or similar to loosen up the greasiness and a quick brushing.

Quite surprised how readily my 306 HDi (not started in, I think best part of 4 years) brumed into life in something like -3°C this week!

[Michel]

That battery clamp should just lift up, I'm pretty sure the nut doesn't need to be touched.

You're correct, my Berlingo and Picasso had thr same clamp. It just lifts up.

[Michel]

Zel, when you swap the battery, be sure to follow the procedure - it's not simply a case of out with the old and in with the new as on your others. The procedure is detailed on this forum somewhere or Marc will be able to advise specifically for your vehicle...

I remain unconvinced about this, having owned numerous older Citroens a Berlingo, a Picasso,
and some C5 MK1s.

I *know* it's the correct thing to to, but my ADHD never had the patience, and no vehicle ever had any ill effects with me just disconnecting them.

I could see how it might be an issue on the newer cars full of electronics, but the Berlingo and Partner are simple vehicles.