Travels & travails with a C15 (& other vehicles)

[van ordinaire]

Good to know you feel you can undertake the journey. Is that the new direct train to/from Amsterdam?

Notepad didn't so much crash, as simply disappear (or so I thought) which, I think, is due to to an oversensitive mousepad.

No internet access c/o DFDS wifi, even though we put to sea some time ago (you might recall that on the outward crossing, I lost it once the French coast hove in sight!) - sooooooh, I'm tempting fate by starting this on "notepad" as (a) I'm not home yet AND (b) already had one false start because hitting either the space bar, or "return" deleted the previous para. (that's a combination of no "autosave" & an over-sensitive mousepad).

Seems like 1st sortie of the New Year completed satisfactorily, clocked 176,176 miles on the approach to ferry terminal - so really must sort out an oilchange before another trip, as now 3,000 miles overdue (by my schedule) although, I think, 176,000 is actually a factory service interval. Seems like this could easily be my first 200,000 miler.

Picked up some diesel @ 1.24 a lire (just noticed there's no Euro symbol on this keyboard) soon after entering Belgium but something I only realised on this trip is that the last digit in the posted price is no longer, necessarily, a 9, often 4, sometimes 1. Disappointed that had to change to a quicker route back before it go dark, as was enjoying rural Belgium & the back streets of its smaller towns (although greater Antwerp is, in some ways, even worse than its infamous "Ring"!) BUT, I was running out of time.

For those not in the know about such things, Maastricht plays host to the first major international classic car show of the season but it seems to be leaning towards becoming a "mini-Essen" - endless rows of M-B's & Porsches, mostly merely being nice specimens of otherwise unexceptional models bearing those repective badges. French cars were not at all well represented: a very original Amilcar (still sporting a 2013 tax disc!), a Renault 4CV, a 4, 5 Turbo & 30, the Bugatti club was, as usual, one of the largest, whereas the only Pug of note was a 404 pick-up & there was a delghtful van version of the Simca that was a Topolino built under licence. Given how keen the Dutch are on Citroens I was surprised how little they figured, a handful each of 2CV's & DS's aside there was a solitary CX on a dealer's stand & a couple of Meharis - oh & an H-van bookshop.

Maastricht is clearly a wealthy place, so the streetscape oozes money rather than interest & apart from the Traction coming into town as I was leaving, nobody that attended the show in their own classic as, invariably, a number do, seemed to make visit the town (city?) centre.

Got to ferry terminal dead on time but despite the formalities being minimal found the waiting lanes empty & could drive straight onto the ferry, to be waved into the prority disembarkation lane - with only 2 cars in front of me; they, as usual, stuck in the mixed traffic exit lane, whereas I went straight into the cars only lane, passed everything - & got to customs before they were ready, so I just kept going. 1/2-way out of Dover I passed one artic, then had that long haul up out of town to myself. With such a start, had an excellent run home, got back from Dover on almost exactly an hour, whereas I allow 1 1/2.

Now on that long boring run on the Autoroute from Antwerp It suddenly occurred to me: suppose the reason I never found an airleak when I had the tank out was because those weren't bubbles that could be seen in the fuel line - but water globules. Any thoughts?

[xantia_v6]

Bubbles float on diesel, water globules sink.

[myglaren]

Bubbles float on diesel, water globules sink.

On a marginally related note, why all the foam when filling with diesel.
I managed to get 68 L in my 65 L tank the other day but only by waiting for all the foam to subside - yes, I do fill it right up to the top of the spout.

€ symbol is AltGr + 4

[white exec]

30+ years ago, diesel at UK filling stations used to foam most of the time. Now it doesn't, presumably down to the anti-foaming additives (along with the perfumes...). Maybe someone forgot?

[Michel]

I managed to get 68 L in my 65 L tank the other day but only by waiting for all the foam to subside - yes, I do fill it right up to the top of the spout.

Please don't. It can escape out the breather and cap sometimes, especially on corners and roundabouts. This makes it pretty lethal for motorcyclists and cyclists in the wet, as I know to my own cost..

[myglaren]

I'll bear that in mind Mike, thanks.

[van ordinaire]

Bubbles float on diesel, water globules sink.

But under pressure in a fuel line?

[Zelandeth]

I think if you'd be pulling enough water through to see globules in the fuel line you'd know about it. There would be water visibly trapped in the fuel filter housing for one I would have thought (does the C15 share the little drain tube on the filter housing the XUD Xantia has?).

[van ordinaire]

Investigating the filter was something I did, before calling my recovery service (for 40 minutes of free diagnostics) but didn't find any water. However, as there'd have been diesel floating on it - how can I be sure?

Not aware of any drain tube, but then not familiar with the XUD filter housing.

[white exec]

If it's a Purflux fuel filter (black priming button on top, aluminium filter bowl below), then there is a black plastic thumbscrew-type drain tap at the bottom. This is where water will collect, so if you drain the unit into a container, you can see whether it contained water.

[van ordinaire]

Ah, now the relevant section, as I recall it, in the BoL makes a bit more sense. (as an abstract concept it was difficult for me).

However, my filter body is all plastic & the primer is remote. I don't believe it has a drain. The 1st time I changed the filter, I removed the "bowl" & emptied it; this time I can't remember how I emptied it, to enable me to clean the black slime that I had found in the folds of the element, off the floor of the housing BUT, then, I wasn't even thinking "water" - never mind looking for it.

[daviemck2006]

I'm by no means a large person in any dimension...

Your very large in respect of personality and helpfulness and just being a thourghly good person.

[CitroJim]

I'm by no means a large person in any dimension...

Your very large in respect of personality and helpfulness and just being a thourghly good person.

Davie, you are too kind by far...

You sure you're not confusing me with someone else?

[Hell Razor5543]

I'm by no means a large person in any dimension...

Your very large in respect of personality and helpfulness and just being a thourghly good person.

Davie, you are too kind by far...

You sure you're not confusing me with someone else?

I KNOW that Davie is not confusing you with anybody else!

[Michel]

I'm by no means a large person in any dimension...

Your very large in respect of personality and helpfulness and just being a thourghly good person.

Davie, you are too kind by far...

You sure you're not confusing me with someone else?

He's clearly confusing you with me. I heard you were an obnoxious old tw@t...

Oh, wait, I think I'm confusing mysellf with myself there...