Dollywobbler's Dreadful Dyane - Back on the road

[dollywobbler]

Forgot to mention - the chap doing the work found a bent, seized steering arm today apparently, so replaced the entire front axle. At least it gave a good opportunity to replace the gearbox mount which we'd identified as being iffy... MOT tomorrow afternoon!

[dollywobbler]

MOT passed! Woo-hoo! So, now just need to hope that the logbook does indeed turn up next week. Then I need to make Capers happen.

[dollywobbler]

The Collection Caper is afoot. I have packed a bag with essentials. Camera, sandwiches, a drink, gaffer tape. Stage one will see me chauffeured in an Lexus GS thing towards Abergavenny. From there, three trains will transport me towards Warminster and an appointment with my Dreadful Dyane. That should be around half past three. Then, it's just the small matter of driving home. I may avoid motorway, in which case, a four or five hour introduction will take place. Departure in half an hour. 

[320touring]

The Collection Caper is afoot. I have packed a bag with essentials. Camera, sandwiches, a drink, gaffer tape. Stage one will see me chauffeured in an Lexus GS thing towards Abergavenny. From there, three trains will transport me towards Warminster and an appointment with my Dreadful Dyane. That should be around half past three. Then, it's just the small matter of driving home. I may avoid motorway, in which case, a four or five hour introduction will take place. Departure in half an hour.

Bonne Voyage!

[dollywobbler]

Abergavenny has been reached. Waiting for the first train. Running two minutes late.

[purplebargeken]

That looks much nicer than Edmonton Green ^^

[trigger]

Wales in nice & sunny/Suffolk in wet & miserable shocker!

[dollywobbler]

It's lovely. But I'm having a right game uploading pics to the forum, so may have to abandon my live collection thread plans.

[barefoot]

Oh come on, 

What else are you going to be doing this afternoon,

They look great from this end.

[dollywobbler]

Take a look at @dollywobbler's Tweet: https://twitter.com/dollywobbler/status/633602902913888256?s=09

 

Well, that's one way of doing it. A crap way.

[Bobthebeard]

It's lovely. But I'm having a right game uploading pics to the forum, so may have to abandon my live collection thread plans.

 

Nooooooo.....

Just use words! Coffee and donuts have already been purchased.

[dollywobbler]

You'll have to make do with links. EDIT - now I'm home, actual pics! Newport reached. It's quite nice actually.

[dollywobbler]

Shit just got awesome.

[dollywobbler]

Extravagance.

[dollywobbler]

Bristol Parkway. Actual 4G and amazing invading hair.

[dollywobbler]

Train shite at Bristol. I'm on this one for an hour and it is awful. Knackered seats and lots of noise.

[dollywobbler]

Had a slight panic, as I realised I didn't actually have the phone number of the chap with the Dyane. Quick friends on Facebook to the rescue! Phone battery now low. Ugh.

[Noel Tidybeard]

Had a slight panic, as I realised I didn't actually have the phone number of the chap with the Dyane. Quick friends on Facebook to the rescue! Phone battery now low. Ugh.

if Carlsberg made kolecshun freds Mr Ian Seabrook would NOT be involved

[dollywobbler]

Made it to Warminster.

[dollywobbler]

Can you see it?

[Timewaster]

Phone battery now low. Ugh.

What better planning for a long post collection drive in an unseen ancient Citroën than to flatten your phone battery entertaining unknown weirdos on the Internet on the way?

 

Long live Autoshite.

[dollywobbler]

Few problems.


Hot coil I think. She refused to idle in traffic, then refused to restart after a short pause. I'm now 70 miles further down the road, 100 miles covered in total and she's running better. Sailed along at 70 on the motorway.
She is pinking though, so she needs some fettling when I'm home.

[beko1987]

Hope it's going well!

[jonathan_dyane]

If you get sick of the beastie, call me first

[dollywobbler]

Made it! 172 miles.

 

Not a bad run, but this car is fast generating a huge to do list. I'll have to check the ignition timing tomorrow, then see if I can find out where the horrendous oil leak is. The heater pipes are missing (which doesn't help with noise levels), the driver's door striker needs adjusting, the shock absorbers are variously shagged (very exciting over the mountain road!), the exhaust is a bit 'get yer home' (this was a very low budget purchase), the wiper motor/spindles need replacing (very, very sloppy) and the seats could do with new rubbers.

 

By jove I do like it though. Just like a 2CV, but with so much more practicality. And elbow room.

[dollywobbler]

One last pic from the journey home. Night ops commence!

[vulgalour]

This is so Autoshite right now.

[dollywobbler]

Reality has dawned all damp and horrible this morning.

 

Which is all the more annoying as the weather forecast reckoned it wouldn't rain for another hour. Oh well. It has allowed me to discover that the wiper spindles are just too worn. The blades barely clear the screen - an advisory on the test but in actual rain, they're just not up to the job. I did get a replacement linkage with the car, but I'm worried that trying to fit it may just result in the bulkhead completely falling apart. 

 

I'll crack on with sorting the ignition timing anyway, as that has to be a priority.

[stripped fred]

Well done on completion of a succesful mission. Looking forward to updates on this car.

[dollywobbler]

Ugh. Not sure I am. Got the Dyane into my garage and had a good mooch around it. One of the bolts for the inlet manifold has snapped off! No wonder it was behaving quite badly. The poor thing must have been running seriously lean on one cylinder. 

 

There's also oil all over the place, so I'm going to have to remove the front end and strip the engine cowling off to try and find where the oil is leaking from. That said, I suspect the breather valve is kaput, so that won't be helping - too much crankcase pressure just forces even more oil out.