Six Cylinders Motoring Notes

[Six-cylinder]

At the last FoD open day Slowsliver took the cutter cylinder off our Hayter Condor mower and came round yesterday to help me with the struggle to get the old failed bearing out. In spite of him bringing his best bearing puller in the end we had to resort to grinding it off. The good news is it it a standard size and I now have its replacement, this time sealed for life!

 

I am now waiting for 5/16 UNF countersunk screws I have ordered to arrive as I had to drill the originals out to get the bearing housing apart.

 

I hope over the F o U weekend we might get it back together and do a test mow. 

[Six-cylinder]

More skiving off work!

 

This morning instead of answering work emails I met my Auto Sparks to have another go at getting my Citroen CX to start and it was worth it because we succeeded.

 

We checked the fuel pump pressure, which was fine and then he changed the injectors for me. A Citroen car club member had given me a used complete rail to try but some of the rubber pipes were slitting so he changed the individual injectors onto my own rail. Bingo old fuel and everything it burst into life, revs and ideals smoothly. The throttle cable is burnt so the Auto sparks operated the throttle and I put it into drive and steered and we moved forward 20 feet. The bad bit is the rear suspension collapsed in a pool of HML fluid, one step forward One back. 

 

Because I had gone AWOL Mrs6C decided she had better do the shopping, trouble is I stopped and did the shopping on the way home. Yes our fridge is full to bursting!

[richardmorris]

More skiving off work!

 

This morning instead of answering work emails I met my Auto Sparks to have another go at getting my Citroen CX to start and it was worth it because we succeeded.

 

We checked the fuel pump pressure, which was fine and then he changed the injectors for me. A Citroen car club member had given me a used complete rail to try but some of the rubber pipes were slitting so he changed the individual injectors onto my own rail. Bingo old fuel and everything it burst into life, revs and ideals smoothly. The throttle cable is burnt so the Auto sparks operated the throttle and I put it into drive and steered and we moved forward 20 feet. The bad bit is the rear suspension collapsed in a pool of HML fluid, one step forward One back.

 

Because I had gone AWOL Mrs6C decided she had better do the shopping, trouble is I stopped and did the shopping on the way home. Yes our fridge is full to bursting!

Well it’s an improvement I suppose.

I bought my first cx in 1999 ( New Year’s Day from Roger Bradford) and sold the second and last to him in sept. 2006. In that time, and as daily cars doing 15,000milex a year, I never had a high pressure leak. Lots of other, mainly rust, issues but not a hydraulic failure.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Meanwhile, on a driveway somewhere near Little Tel Aviv, a CX is in need of yet another jet wash session due to feckin' tree sap.

[hairnet]

Lurl shopping

 

Boo you Citroen breaker

[Six-cylinder]

Well it’s an improvement I suppose.

I bought my first cx in 1999 ( New Year’s Day from Roger Bradford) and sold the second and last to him in sept. 2006. In that time, and as daily cars doing 15,000milex a year, I never had a high pressure leak. Lots of other, mainly rust, issues but not a hydraulic failure.

 

I bought this CX in 2006 and in the early years used it quite a bit peaking at 9400 miles in a year. I have had 4 CXs and had not had hydraulic failure, but both our DS (Pump) and Xantia (return pipe) have.

[Six-cylinder]

I had a request from the Buckingham Canal society to launch our boat in the newly watered, but currently isolated Cosgrove end of their canal in readiness for the festival 21/22 July.

 

However much a pain in the wallet a Range Rover is, you can’t help admire the way it handles a 2 ton trailer over rough tracks into the canal bed and out. 

[SiC]

Just needed a snorkle to just* undo the straps, drive it straight in there and drive the Range Rover out...

[Talbot]

That's *only* 2 tonnes? I would have guessed at double that!

[richardmorris]

That's *only* 2 tonnes? I would have guessed at double that!

 

Did the RR even notice it was towing something?

[quicksilver]

Don't know about the boat but it certainly didn't notice the Renault 6 when that was on the back. Admittedly the Renault is a lot lighter but I don't think Range Rovers really care how much weight you put on them.

[Noel Tidybeard]

indeed not a chap i used to work with told me about west mids plod giving a 40 tonne artic a tow past his house (up hill) when it got stuck in the snow

[Talbot]

I've done this too. Many years ago in a RRC fitted with a Perkins 4.182 turbo engine. Bloke had broken down on the side of the M74 and was looking at an arm, a leg and a major organ to be recovered from the motorway. It was about 2am and I saw him break down, so pulled in to offer assistance.

 

Ended up dragging him about 8-10 miles in low-box, up a sliproad and into a services at a junction, so it was no longer a motorway recovery and he could get some kip while waiting for recovery.

 

He was unbelievably appreciative (owner driver) and bought me a whole tank of fuel for my trouble. Apparently it saved him "a bastard fortune" by being on a general purpose road and not the motorway.

[Six-cylinder]

Over 18 years of Range Rover ownership I have pulled quite a few things, the MAN lorry at max gross weight with a load of steal had slipped sideways into a farm gateway to let a vehicle pass and was properly stuck. The driver said "you will never get it out with that"

 

I went to a Bond Mini car rally and 7 campers were stuck at the bottom of grass slope in the wet, one at a time they came out with the P38 I had at the then.

 

The heaviest lorry I have helped is a 17 ton articulated dray lorry who tried to turn round on grass in March! Fortunately my P38 could stay on tarmac and while I needed to hurl its 2100kg with a snatch action several times I got him out.

 

I have never put the L322 to any real test, but last December I found a Passat stuck at the bottom of a iced, snow covered hill and while it was difficult to stand while fitting the tow rope the L322 just went straight up on road tyres.

 

Today manoeuvring the boat carefully over some large dry ruts and in a confined space was made easier because it is not fighting for power or grip.

[bezzabsa]

Have seen Plod RR's drag artics up 'Windy Hill' on the M62..and seen them drag cars from the side of The little House on the Praire also on the M62..

[panhard65]

I just came on here to post a pic I got at St Malo yesterday and find mrs cylinders boat has been out and about as well.

I caught up with it again later heading west on the A303. No camera that time as I was driving

[Mrs6C]

That's Wilderness Beaver "Tophyl" from Taunton (lives on the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal) returning from cruising in France these last few weeks, with our friends Bill and Alison!

 

"So today we successfully finished our cruise of Brittany’s waterways at Glenac. Totals: 17 days cruising; 425km (268 Miles); Average 25km/day; 98 locks; 83 litres of fuel or 1.08 litres/hour. We’ve had a brilliant time and stunning weather and scenery."

 

The Wilderness Boat Owner's Club FB page has a few photos of her trip here:

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWildernessBOC%2Fposts%2F896624047209026&width=500

[Guest Hooli]

Talking of towing. When I had my disco I got roped into helping at a soap box derby. Three of us with various 4x4s were seen towing convoys (about four each) of karts up the side of a Welsh valley for them to hurl themselves back down it again.

[panhard65]

That's Wilderness Beaver "Tophyl" from Taunton (lives on the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal) returning from cruising in France these last few weeks, with our friends Bill and Alison!

 

"So today we successfully finished our cruise of Brittany’s waterways at Glenac. Totals: 17 days cruising; 425km (268 Miles); Average 25km/day; 98 locks; 83 litres of fuel or 1.08 litres/hour. We’ve had a brilliant time and stunning weather and scenery."

 

The Wilderness Boat Owner's Club FB page has a few photos of her trip here:

https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FWildernessBOC%2Fposts%2F896624047209026&width=500

I suspected you would of known about it. I only just spotted it as I was checking in hence the rubbish picture. They were obviously one of the first off or he wasn't hanging around towing it home. It took me until the A303 to catch him and my 806 still flies along even full of French motorbikes.

[oldcars]

I towed a Corsa c off the motorway with my old Hyundai Santa Fe. Its was shit. Thought i had left the handbrake on in both motors.

[Mrs6C]

I suspected you would of known about it. I only just spotted it as I was checking in hence the rubbish picture. They were obviously one of the first off or he wasn't hanging around towing it home. It took me until the A303 to catch him and my 806 still flies along even full of French motorbikes.

May I post your photo on their FB page? I can credit you with it, of course...

[DSdriver]

I thought you were going to put the boat in the canal before it was filled with water

[Mrs6C]

I thought you were going to put the boat in the canal before it was filled with water

It has been done before... at the other end of the Buckingham canal, in 2013...

[panhard65]

May I post your photo on their FB page? I can credit you with it, of course...

Feel free it's not the greatest pic as I had to move at the time

[Six-cylinder]

Does any body know there way round Mercedes W124 heater controls?

 

This morning my Auto sparks came calling, he poked and prodded the heater valve on my W124 200TE and announced the problem was the voltage it was receiving and not the valve itself. It seems if you start the engine with the heater on cold it will stay on cold, but once you move it to hot it will stay activated even if the temp wheels are turned to back to min. The system is designed to fail heater on.

 

He is asking if can I provide a more comprehensive wiring diagram than the Haynes manual and where is the Control unit located?

 

Can anybody find me a heater control unit part number or maybe lend me a control unit to try? 

 

If you are thinking why does the Auto sparks not just get on with it, I can't afford just to send it to be fixed so after 20 plus years friendship he will help me as long as I do the background stuff with a minimal cost and lots of tea.

 

Picture is today looking a bit sad standing around to get you sympathy vote.

[panhard65]

I suspected you would of known about it. I only just spotted it as I was checking in hence the rubbish picture. They were obviously one of the first off or he wasn't hanging around towing it home. It took me until the A303 to catch him and my 806 still flies along even full of French motorbikes.

I saw another one today on the M5 heading south by Bridgwater. It was a green one I think it was hard to tell as it was going the other way. They are a bit common these boats.

[Peter C]

Chris, I replied to your message, sorry I don’t have a clue where the control box is located.

[Six-cylinder]

I am still struggling with the heater control on my W124, the Auto sparks says if we can read from the diagnostic port we might move forward. Has anybody got a ready to fit a 1990 Mercedes?

 

I feel I am blundering around in the dark at the moment, does anybody know what I should be doing to resolve this problem?

 

This is the port to connect too.

[panhard65]

Your electrician needs older diagnostic equipment. Find someone with an original Launch X431. They came in a big case with all the leads, I am 99% certain I have the right one here. I might have to go to Essex this Sunday so might be able to detour on the way back and code read it for you.

[Junkman]

240V AC.