Project Meg the Visa.

[HillmanImp]

Okay, ta for the replies everyone. 

 

I'm more confident I can blank it off now. I was worried about doing that and just making everything worse. Don't go out of your way to check the LNA 6Cyl just if you are at the car it would be helpful. There's no rush on this at all, I've ignored the car for months. 

 

There are no signs of OMGHGF so far thankfully but I'll try and do a compression test and have a look at the carb over the weekend, just to be sure theres nothing else going on. Unfortunately I'm being dragged out tomorrow afternoon on the lash (I honestly can't be bothered) which may well write Sunday off too but will try and make sure I'm not too bad.

[Zelandeth]

Given where that vacuum port looks to be, it could account for your miseries if it's closer to one cylinder than the others in the inlet tract.

 

Had this on the Lada when one of the inlet manifold studs had unscrewed itself.  Car ran fine under load, but had a continual miss on no 2 at idle.  Was because the vacuum leak meant that that cylinder was running lean at idle.

 

I'd blank it off and see what happens.

 

Does this have vacuum advance on the ignition?  If so you might find a narrow bore hose which should be seated there.  That's a guess though, I've zero experience with this model.

[HillmanImp]

Yeah, it has a vacuum advance. Theres a hose running from the distributor to the carb. Is this maybe something to do with that?

 

Will blank off the mystery pipe and see how I get on.

[Six-cylinder]

I have asked where the pipe on my LNA goes on the FB group. 

 

Tom Leach Chr Smith I think it might go to the the eco gauge on the dashboard. 

I remember blocking it off on my GR as the car wouldn't run without something blocking it or correctly attached.

[Six-cylinder]

I bit more trawling my photos this morning has revealed a photo of the Visa 10E I used to own and that the union is caped off.

 

This car never had an eco gauge. I have never seen Eco lights on a Visa facelift dash as this one was.

[Mrs6C]

Seems to be a Citroen 'universal vacuum facility' for multiple and various uses, according to model and specification... like the vacuum equivalent of a PTO drive...

[Zelandeth]

If the hose for the distributor is present and correct elsewhere, this has most likely lost its cap.

 

I'd say block it off and see how things go.  It will have been playing merry hell with the mixture at idle so will probably solve most of your current issues.

 

Note that if the cap on it has been failing for a while (before disappearing entirely) it may have been messing with the idle mixture for a while - so expect to have to completely reset your idle mixture once it's done.

[HillmanImp]

I've blocked off the pipe with a bolt and a washer and Meg is running brilliantly so far.

 

 

Was definitely running rich as I nearly gassed myself reversing into the parking space at the station yesterday but I adjusted it last night and its much more tolerable.

 

I picked up Mrs Imp at the garage as she was leaving her car for its MOT and the lads in the garage came out for a gander. They're into their rallying and old cars down there. They've a MK2 Escort & 205 rally car and a few other bits and bobs.

[Six-cylinder]

Great to see it out and about again.

[Skizzer]

Excellent news. I’ve got a real soft spot for Visas.

[Six-cylinder]

Excellent news. I’ve got a real soft spot for Visas.

 

Hands off our Visas! 

 

I will have to repair Offa's dyke or something!

[Skizzer]

Hands off our Visas! 

 

I will have to repair Offa's dyke or something!

LOL - don’t worry, you’re safe for now.

 

 

 

For now.

 

Mwahahahahaaa

[Mrs6C]

Huzzah! Glad that Meg is back to form again!

[HillmanImp]

Horns not working. Anyone have a diagram for these fuseboxes? 

[lesapandre]

Couple tips: Check the connections at horn end for corrosion. If still no tooter...try taking the horn off and striking it on the kerb sharply a couple of times. Will free the diaphragm off. ( you may have tried/ know this but my AX horn suffered like this so this is what cured it...)? Visa's have that lovely old fashioned fuse box.

[Mrs6C]

The Citroen Visa Forum has the Visa workhsop manuals available to download as .pdfs here - I think in four parts as the files are large:
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/visaforum/visa-workshop-manuals-and-bulletins-pdfs-t749.html

The wiring diagrams should be in there.

 

[Six-cylinder]

The only Visa handbook I have at home is for my 1983 car and this is the fuse page. They don't seem to number them and they say the yellow terminal is first, confusing. 

1983 says same fuse as wipers. 

As lesapanfre says check for corroded terminals and earths.

[HillmanImp]

Ta for your help.

I've managed to get it working by connecting it directly to the battery. Also checked a different horn which didn't work either. 

As I suspected the fuses are okay (everything else seens to be working, I doubted the horn was on its own) so I think the cuplrit might be the switch on the stalk. 

Will dig that out now.

[HillmanImp]

Yeah, thats not as simple as I was hoping. 

Its not a simple wire running to the horn. Think its a new unit job innit. Thankfully its the same as the C15 by the looks of it so should be pretty easy to sort. 

[HillmanImp]

Ordered a brand new one for £22 on Ebay. The ones from the breakers cost more.

Getting it delivered to work so will hopefully sort during the week. 

[Mrs6C]

It is rather a multi-function stalk and probably* not built as robustly as the kind that Mercedes fits to their cars...

The one on my C15 actually snapped off half way along and had to be glued back together with Araldite. It has held so far...

[Zelandeth]

Best advice is to run the loads via local relays to keep the heavy load off the quite overcomplicated switch innards.  Especially stuff like the horn which will cause quite a bit of arcing at the contacts when disconnected due to the inductive nature of the solenoid coil...

Granted, it's usually the headlight contacts which I hear of failing, but there's always going to be some.

It's worth taking the dead switch apart just to marvel at how they managed to put it together in the first place...they're a properly ridiculous contraption.

[dean36014]

Also the same as BX's one too for future reference. 

[HillmanImp]

What up mofos. Regular stupid question from mr HillmanImp. 

Meg needs a tickle in the ns wheelarch behind the bumpstop. 

How dafuk do I get it off? Someone suggested summink last year before I fudged the other side but I cannae remember what and have had no luck finding the post. 

[somewhatfoolish]

Drilling through the spot welds is probably the way most likely to leave what's left of the bumpstop intact and ready to be pigeon pooed back in place. It is fun* trying to find them all though.

[HillmanImp]

4 hours ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Drilling through the spot welds is probably the way most likely to leave what's left of the bumpstop intact and ready to be pigeon pooed back in place. It is fun* trying to find them all though.

Yeah, I haven't a clue how to find them. I was hoping they'd just show. Will have a crack tomorrow or just fudge it like I did last time. 

Ta. 

[Mrs6C]

A technique I have used is to use 'wet or dry' sandpaper to rub down the paint on spotwelded flanges until the bright metal is achieved. The spotwelds can then be seen, forming circular patterns coloured in a grey-blueish hue. You can drill them out or use a sharp, flat chisel and a decent hammer to drive between flange and underlying metal. Either the spotweld itself will give to the chisel blade or the flange metal surrounding the spot weld will; if the latter then straighten out any deformities in the metal with hammer and dolly or between the jaws of a decent metalworking vice and dress the edges of the holes with a round file. This will give you ready-to-use plug weld holes to put the flanged item back on the good metal you have used to create the panel repair underneath. If the spotwelds gave in to the chisel, use an angle grinder or file to grind the spot weld remnants back to flat and drill or punch out holes in the flanged piece for the plug welds.

[Mrs6C]

Also, before you remove the bumpstop bracket, I'd suggest you clean the metal around the area to be repaired with a stiff brush to get rid of surface dirt, then use a permanent marker pen to mark out its footprint, extending the lines as needed with a straight edge, to mark reference points and dimensions for its extremities. When you have removed rusted metal and made the repair, you will then have reference marks to be able to replace the bumpstop bracket in the correct location on the new metal.

[Ben_O]

Are you a panel beater by any chance mrs6c?

[HillmanImp]

Done it. Couldn't get the bump stop off so just cut it out and replaced all the metal behind. 

Due to what must've been a defective tapemeasure, I had to ads in an extra strip of metal at the top. I know, I know, measure twice, cut once.... 

Just tac welded the bump stop back on in 10 places after rebuilding it on one side. 

Forgot to take photos of it finished and painted before I dropped the car off the jack.

Hopefully will be an mot pass though now. 

My back is now killing me after doing that. Will medicate with some beer.