Today I mostly .....

Any topics of general interest (not lada related), post them here.
User avatar
Zelandeth
Diamond
Diamond
Posts: 2695
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2002 3:40 am
Location: Milton Keynes
Contact:

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Wed Oct 17, 2018 9:48 pm

The new crankshaft pulley for the Xantia arrived this morning. Comparing old and new it's pretty clear that the old one is well and truly knackered.

Image

It's very clear that the outer edge has moved relative to the "hub" - the result of course being the belt being pulled out of line.

Image

Swapping things out was literally a case of "de-tension belt, unbolt, remove pulley, put new pulley on, clean bolt, apply thread lock, tighten bolt, re-tension belt, tidy up."

Which was about the long and the short of it. It does appear to have resolved things for the most part. I've marked the pulley and bolt and will be keeping an eye on it to make sure it's staying bolted up before I put the wheel arch liner back in.

Image

The oil leak - which looks massively worse here than it is - the car has never left so much as a single drip of oil where it's parked - is from the cam cover. I'll get it replaced at some point, though it's pretty well buried, so it may well be a while before it gets to the top of the to do list.

Tomorrow's task is probably going after this with a set of good quality hose clips.

Image

I know that there's some air getting into the system, and the perpetual film of oil there tells me that one of the return hoses is weeping slightly...so hoping that going over things properly will resolve both of these issues.

Lastly I fixed this...

Image

Which took me all of 30 seconds to get the screw out, remove dead battery, find replacement (2x CR2032) and put it back together again. So why on earth had I put it off since mid May when the remote stopped working?!?
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.

User avatar
Zelandeth
Diamond
Diamond
Posts: 2695
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2002 3:40 am
Location: Milton Keynes
Contact:

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Sat Oct 20, 2018 9:44 pm

Hard to believe we're only a couple of weeks away from a full year that I've had the Activa in my fleet.

Means it's service time. Picked up fresh oil, oil and air filters and a new set of wiper blades (as my use of the windscreen washers yesterday made it abundantly clear how knackered the set on the car was). The rear has a fitting type that's quite hard to find these days so that was a case of dismantling and rebuilding it with new rubber.

Oil and filter will be done tomorrow, air filter was done today though.

Image

Not the worst I've seen by a long shot, but definitely due a change.

Have already got a pollen filter in stock too, so will stand on my head in the passenger footwell to change that too in the morning.

Other task for tomorrow is to investigate why the van appears to have decided to start peeing fluid out the clutch slave cylinder. Oh, and the funny squeaking noise from up front, which also appeared newly today...just hoping it's not the alternator basically...
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.

User avatar
Zelandeth
Diamond
Diamond
Posts: 2695
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2002 3:40 am
Location: Milton Keynes
Contact:

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Tue Oct 30, 2018 11:18 pm

The Lada has always in my ownership had an issue with the fact that you could only ever use the windscreen washers twice or three times before the whole system would clog up and need to be dismantled and declogged.

Main issue was slime growing in the tank.

Image

It also had issues in that the lid had split (they all do that) which had left the pump dangling by its hoses.

So today took it out and gave it a thorough clean, while I was there I bolted the pump back onto it. The lid was reinforced by wrapping a cable tie around it, clamping it to the rim of the tank. It's not pretty but works.

Much cleaner...

Image

...aaaand back in place.

Image

Much better. Hopefully will be able to use the washers more than twice now, and have one less thing to worry about come MOT time...most importantly though it won't bug me every time I open the bonnet.

The obvious question looking at that photo though is "where has a large chunk of my coolant gone?"

...Guess that will be first on the list once this weekend's festivities are out of the way.
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.

User avatar
Zelandeth
Diamond
Diamond
Posts: 2695
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2002 3:40 am
Location: Milton Keynes
Contact:

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Wed Oct 31, 2018 11:19 pm

With the knowledge that the Activa has a 300-ish mile trip tomorrow I wanted to give it a once over. Also wanted to finish the service I started the other day.

Okay...first off drain the oil, five minute job with no mess because I'm lazy and use a pump. Oil filter required 15 minutes of faffing around to get off simply because it's a royal pain to get at, even when you've already done it twice.

Image

It would be easy if there wasn't a boost pipe in the way to the left and a million high pressure hydraulic lines to the right.

Once I convinced it to move it was a simple matter of spin it off, spill oil all over the front of the engine because it's mounted the wrong way up, and stick the new one on. Then fresh oil in, start up and check the level. Having measured what came out, this was where we were first try.

Image

While I was in there I checked that the crankshaft pulley bolt hadn't unscrewed itself, it looked fine. So put the wheel arch liner back in.

Image

While giving things a wipe down I spotted something that obviously wasn't as it should be...

Image

So *that* would be why a little while ago I suddenly started to be able to hear the turbo wastegate going *pssschooo* on every gearchange.

Nothing for it with a trip halfway up the country the following day, pulled it off, got some good quality duct tape in there and wrapped some cable ties around it so the tape can't unravel.

Image

Better solution would have been self amalgamating tape, but I couldn't find it. So duct tape it is. The hose has gone very hard, so replacement is probably the only long term solution. It's basically just a glorified elbow though, so I'm sure a silicone replacement could be sorted easily enough (as knowing PSA the original hose will be long since NLA).

Last task for the day was to clear the detritus out of the boot and to give the leather a quick skim over with the leather conditioner.

Looks better!

Image

Really need some new floor mats in the front.

Image

If I've got to spend several hours stuck in a queue on the M6, I may as well do it in a clean car interior that smells nice.
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.

User avatar
Zelandeth
Diamond
Diamond
Posts: 2695
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2002 3:40 am
Location: Milton Keynes
Contact:

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Wed Nov 07, 2018 12:02 am

So the Activa provided us with lovely comfortable for the 400 ish mile trip to and from Scotiacon over the weekend. Didn't miss a beat I'm glad to report. Can also vouch for those newfangled Valeo "Hybrid" wiper blades are brilliant.

Time for a bit of time for the van. Initially set out to investigate the non-functional heater blower. Wondered if the blower assembly would be accessible from under the dash with the engine cover removed.

Image

That would be a no. Annoying...looks like it will be a dash top off job then.

Oh well. While I've got the cover off (it's a bit of a faff to get it right out the vehicle) I may as well get the only oil leak of any consequence sorted, the timing cover has been weeping from the front offside corner.

Sure enough, with the cover off it was obvious that the old gasket has turned to plastic and was cracking around that corner. New one was only £12 from Mercedes themselves so wasn't worth messing around with eBay nonsense or playing supplier roulette.

Have a look at this...

Image

Isn't that the cleanest engine top end you've ever seen?

Definitely seems to suggest that the story of the van having no expense spared on maintenance by the original owner.

Need to give the front and side of the engine a scrub down to confirm, but it appears to now be oil tight again, be nice to have it all cleaned up before the MOT next month. Oh...need to sort the exhaust though. Missing hanger on one box (so it buzzes like mad) and a huge hole in the other.

Oh...any tidy up that radio wiring... it's a mess, and now I've seen it I can't unsee it.
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.

User avatar
Tom.
Site Owner
Posts: 958
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 1:08 am
Location: Liverpool
Contact:

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Tom. » Wed Nov 14, 2018 10:53 pm

Got my hands on some original UK Lada seat cover sets and floor mats. Also got a Niva 17i Cossack complete seat set. ( in need of a deep clean ) :)

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
97 Niva 1.7i
2107 Riva Sport
2104 Estate 1500

User avatar
Zelandeth
Diamond
Diamond
Posts: 2695
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2002 3:40 am
Location: Milton Keynes
Contact:

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Tue Nov 20, 2018 11:53 pm

So had the Xantia in for the MOT today.

Sadly not a pass, but this was pretty much expected as I knew there was a bit of a clonk from the front that I suspected might have been a ball joint or drop link that was on the way out, so I was going to ask the tester to have "a good poke around" if it hadn't immediately been found.

Image

Usefully a quick rummage through my box of bits of Xantia turned this up.

Image

It's booked in to be sorted on Friday. Could probably get this done myself, but I've a bit of a rule about faffing with hard suspension components. I don't! I've done enough "simple ball joint swaps" which ended up being anything but, so these days it's worth enough to me getting someone else to do it. Just too much stress otherwise as if anything goes sideways I don't have a four post lift and tens of thousands of quid worth of tools to hand!

Having a good local garage I trust helps too.

New tyres are also already on the radar as I'd be looking to replace them shortly on age grounds anyway. New set of UniRoyal Rainexpert 3s will be going on soon, hopefully before the winter really arrives in earnest.
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.

User avatar
Zelandeth
Diamond
Diamond
Posts: 2695
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2002 3:40 am
Location: Milton Keynes
Contact:

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Tue Dec 04, 2018 8:24 pm

Picked up the new clutch cylinder for the van.

Image

Weighs a ton for how compact the part is...

Hopefully get that fitted tomorrow.
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.

User avatar
Zelandeth
Diamond
Diamond
Posts: 2695
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2002 3:40 am
Location: Milton Keynes
Contact:

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Wed Dec 05, 2018 5:31 pm

Despite it pouring with rain, got the clutch slave cylinder fitted this afternoon.

Image

Got to love the access working on this thing. Likewise the fact that fasteners by and large are of high quality so stuff doesn't put up a huge fight when you try to undo it.

Ten minutes start to finish.

Pedal still feels slightly odd so I reckon there's still a bit of air in there. Also not totally happy with the amount of tension left on the hose. I'll address both of these things at some point when it's not raining.

Xantia is still in the garage. Checked in today and confirmed (as I suspected) that it's putting up a fight and they're planning to pull the whole hub to separate things on the bench as required. Good demonstration of exactly why I decided to pay someone else to do it for me. I don't have a nice solidly mounted vice or access to an oxy acetylene torch.

MOT on the van is up tomorrow. I'm torn between just cracking on and getting it ready for a test and leaving it till spring and instead concentrating on the Invacar for a few weeks...
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.

User avatar
Zelandeth
Diamond
Diamond
Posts: 2695
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2002 3:40 am
Location: Milton Keynes
Contact:

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Thu Dec 06, 2018 5:14 pm

Made one good door out of two knackered ones.

Image

Previous door looked better but had a totally seized lock mechanism and someone had wrecked the frame around where the exterior handle is fastened to the interior frame when trying to free stuff off.

This one had everything working but had a knackered window frame. So transferred that over...simple enough save for the small detail of having to drill out every single screw involved.

Tomorrow I'll get the glass refitted and do the same on the offside (that door has a bunch of holes in and the skin has separated from the frame, as such is about as rigid as a piece of tissue paper).
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.

User avatar
Zelandeth
Diamond
Diamond
Posts: 2695
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2002 3:40 am
Location: Milton Keynes
Contact:

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Fri Dec 07, 2018 9:36 pm

Today's achievement: one fully rebuilt and working door.

Image

Refitting the glass single handedly was awkward but I mercifully managed it without dropping anything.

The doors on this thing are really odd in that they drop outwards at the top yet sit on a runner at the base, and slide forward to open. Further reducing the space needed to get in and out of what's already a tiny car. Slotting this into improbably tight spots in the supermarket car park and watch the SUV drivers seethe is going to be fun.
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.

User avatar
Zelandeth
Diamond
Diamond
Posts: 2695
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2002 3:40 am
Location: Milton Keynes
Contact:

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Sat Dec 08, 2018 5:55 pm

Today I got the window and such stripped off the offside door from the Invacar (after drilling out another 8274662819 screws) and put the good door base on the car.

Image

I'll hopefully get the window frame and glass reinstalled tomorrow. I'm slightly staggered by the whole concept of actually having two functional doors on the thing.

Ran out of patience with having to pump the front tyre up every single time I went to move the car, so finally dug out a spare wheel that actually holds air.

Image

Still needs a full set of tyres before it goes near the road anyway but at least it won't go down in half an hour now! It turns out that it's totally impossible to steer a three wheeler with a flat front tyre...
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.

Andrew353w
Bronze
Bronze
Posts: 146
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:38 pm
Location: Barnet

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Andrew353w » Sat Dec 08, 2018 7:17 pm

Where DID you obtain that tyre? That's some old cross-ply from the dark ages & I wonder just how old it is......
Major Denis Bloodnok, Indian Army (retired) coward and bar

User avatar
Zelandeth
Diamond
Diamond
Posts: 2695
Joined: Wed Jul 31, 2002 3:40 am
Location: Milton Keynes
Contact:

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Sat Dec 08, 2018 10:30 pm

No idea...I got a selection of random wheels and tyres with both the Invacars. This is the tyre type it would have originally been fitted with.

145 R10 Radials will be going on before it goes on the road. Those are slightly fatter looking tyres and look more in proportion to the car.

These ones most likely as they'll look the part and don't cost a fortune. Much as I'd love a set of Dunlop SP Aquajets, but at at a hundred quid a pop...just no.

Goodness only knows how old that tyre is...
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.

Andrew353w
Bronze
Bronze
Posts: 146
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2011 4:38 pm
Location: Barnet

Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Andrew353w » Sun Dec 09, 2018 3:15 pm

Oddly Reliant specified cross-ply tyres on their range of 3 wheelers for long after radials had been adopted by other manufacturers, and with good reason. One was the way in which cross-ply tyres behave at the limits of adhesion; radials "hang on" to the road and grip more than cross-plies, but they loose their grip all of a sudden. Cross-plies don't grip the road for as long or up to such cornering forces as radials, but loose their grip gradually-the driver feels the car sliding away from under him with cross-ply tyres, but with radials grip is lost spontaneously. Given the modest power of a Reliant I expect it was unlikely most owners would reach the limits of adhesion & so a gradual slide must have been thought preferable to a dramatic skid. Another point was the cars' wheel arch profile, which meant the fatter, flatter look of radials would often rub on the inside of the arch during enthusiastic cornering. Do also remember the safety aspects of mixing cross-ply and radials. If you MUST mix them, it's cross-ply on the front & radials on the back, but the best combination is the same on each corner.

Going back to the adhesion qualities of cross-ply tyres, the "gradual slide" effect is why one used to hear much more car skidding in years gone by, both on TV programmes and on the streets-radials have to be pushed MUCH harder to skid & then don't skid as much.
Major Denis Bloodnok, Indian Army (retired) coward and bar

Post Reply