Granadaland Gets Greenhouse Gassed Again - Caution: P6 content! Car runs! ish

[LC Torana]

That's a like for the post, not the job.

 

Also rear mudflaps.  That job was, unaccountably, excruciatingly difficult.

[Junkman]

Since things have stalled a bit due to allegedly adverse weather conditions causing minor inconveniences the Mainstream Media® tried to qualify off as "flooding" while I was relegated to spending three weeks in a genuine disaster area, returning with my arse on fire and not having slept for 30+ hours, I figured it would be best to have a full English with extra black pudding and then proceed to Lake View to watch Mr Conelrad remove the petrol tank for further inspection.

 

The car continues to fascinate by displaying everything being like new underneath every thing you remove.

Whether it's underneath the removed tank, or underneath the rear seat cushions, all you see is pristine paint and factory fresh looking caulking.

[Rocket88]

Since things have stalled a bit due to allegedly adverse weather conditions causing minor inconveniences the Mainstream Media® tried to qualify off as "flooding" while I was relegated to spending three weeks in a genuine disaster area, returning with my arse on fire and not having slept for 30+ hours, I figured it would be best to have a full English with extra black pudding and then proceed to Lake View to watch Mr Conelrad remove the petrol tank for further inspection.

 

The car continues to fascinate by displaying everything being like new underneath every thing you remove.

Whether it's underneath the removed tank, or underneath the rear seat cushions, all you see is pristine paint and factory fresh looking caulking.

Are you sure it's a P6?

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Anyone who followed my Roverama '75 thread might remember the lengthy bout of breakdowns caused by detritus in the fuel tank. After pulling a huge amount of sand like crap out of the thing, I gave up and bought another tank. Not that the second hand tank was a simple solution - look at the fuel filters from my car:

 

 

The tank excretes a lot of raw Ready Brek. I installed this diesel filter immediately after the output to catch it before it becomes Central Heating for Carbs. 

 

 

Then this paper filter in the engine bay catches all the stuff which made it through the pump. I change the filter every couple of months because it doesn't take very long for a new filter to get into this condition. 

 

I really can't be arsed dealing with another problem fuel tank. So, let's hope, by some miracle, Lyndon's tank is clean. 

 

 

Fuck

 

 

 

[Junkman]

You could grow some orchids in that.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Their octane level would give new meaning to the term Flower Power. 

[phil_lihp]

Good to see it coming back to life, it looks like a good one. Still intending to try a V8 P6 at some point if they remain affordable for a while longer.

 

The fidgety rev counter might be interference from something electrical too close to the cable, Philibusmo's Mk1 Fiesta did the same thing and I found the wire for it in the engine bay was touching an engine component, tucked it up against the bulkhead and that sorted it.

[Junkman]

I have the same suspicion, but believe it or not - I don't even know how a P6 counts its revs.

[LC Torana]

I have the same suspicion, but believe it or not - I don't even know how a P6 counts its revs.

You've piqued my curiosity.  Let's have a look:

(click to enlarge)

 

The tacho (mis-numbered on the legend) is Number 34, top-centre.  It must have three wires (or two wires and an earth stud).

 

22 is the distributor, 44 is the LT winding of the ignition coil.

 

The W (white) wire is the 12V+ DC feed.

 

The WB (white-with-black-trace) wire is connected to the - terminal on the coil.

 

 

 

 

 

So, to cut a long story short, the distributor signal input is connected in parallel with the points.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

This car is early enough to have an RVI tacho, which is wired in series:

 

 

(30: tach, 31: ballast resistor, 33: distributor)

 

Because they don't work with electronic ignition most people are converting to the later type, but there are a lot of "my rev counter has gone bonkers" posts about them too. Interference is the first thing I'll check for (maybe the wiring to that mystery 12v socket in the engine bay needs to be looked at closer) but I'll also dig out my spare cluster to see what kind of gauge that has. 

[LC Torana]

Ahh, good.

 

So it's one of those tachos that if you disconnect it, the engine stops.

 

But your engine sounds like the ignition is running smoothly, so that suggests the points / coil / ballast / tacho series circuit current is flowing as it should.  This suggests the inner workings of your tacho are kaput.

 

Mind you, a dodgy condenser could also be telling you it's on the way out, so I'd check that first.

[Junkman]

The dwell is not adjusted yet and that alone can cause the rev counter issue.

[Junkman]

You are the British Blues Brothers AICMFP.

 

That's the bloody biggestest compliment I ever got in my dismal shitty little life!

 

In rather unrelated news, the car now has a valid MoT, I paid the invoice (don't ask!) and thus it will be D-R-I-V-E-N home from its current location.

This is going to happen on Friday, because commitments blah, blah, but those who give a shit, please stay tuned.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

News about the Haunted Rover's demise was lost in the board kerfuffle.

 

Here is Junkman's post, rescued from Google Cache:

 

 

I'm terribly sad to have to announce that my dear haunted friend of six years has been taken from me.

 

It developed yet again running issues during the GGG's Van Damme Plah collectionisation shenanigans.

 

Sadly, it turns out that this time it's serious enough, that fixing it is no longer a feasible option, if it ever was.

 

It nom nomed piston #5:

 

 

 

 

It also displays significant wear in all other cylinders of this bank:

 

 

 

 

 

And since it is also low on compression on cylinders 4 and 6, I decided to call it quits and don't even take that cylinder head off anymore.

 

Although I'm not emotionally involved enough with cars to give them names, I'm still heartbroken.

 

Too fresh are the fond memories of more than half a decade of an uphill struggle against this possessed beast, which kept fascinating through a total resistance to any attempt to improve it, while every other P6 owner I know enjoyed driving his pride and joy up and down the country without any issues.

 

I will miss the attempts to kill me, and I will miss its blatant resistance to finish a trip every time the Junkwoman used it, and if it was on a bloody school run.

 

Google "broken down Rover P6" and see what you get as the #1 result!

 

So good bye, my shoddy brown friend. We had a great time together. You were delightfully shite.

The poor thing is now being broken for bits.

 

 

My shameless vulture of a car is already wearing LLF's front calipers. I also have its absolutely flawless rear valance, and its heater should make this winter much more comfortable.

 

While the car's engine is toast and none of the panels are impressive, the shell is incredibly solid. We're hoping there's someone out there who could make use of it.

 

 

So, if you need any haunted P6 parts, get in touch with Junkman. Especially if you're the kind of person who would have looked at the smouldering ruin of James Dean's Little Bastard and say "shit, there's a load of good parts on that".

[Junkman]

Apart from that, there is an almost new RPI crankshaft inside that block!

[Dave_Q]

How goes the DVLA situation RE: the blue one?

 

Still on for being able to pay for your free tax non-disc in about 2021?

[Junkman]

I wouldn't call it a situation.

Where I'm from, it'd be considered a cross between a Punch and Judy theatre and a clusterfuck.

[Ghosty]

 

This is going to happen on Friday, because commitments

 

Oh god, don't tell me that means what I think it does.

[Junkman]

No, I don't think so.

[Ghosty]

Probably not, then.

[Junkman]

Nah, can't. Punch and Judy theatre and all that sort of rot.

Then again, the Junkman I knew a few years back didn't give a flying monkey about such nonsense, so I still might change my mind.

[Ghosty]

In Glossop you said the opposite, which made me wonder. I guess I'll see on Sunday.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

[Ghosty]

At first glance it looks like there's a cartoon chicken leg stuck to the Junkhouse.

[Junkman]

I can assure you that the chicken legs are stuck to the fridge walls inside the Junkhouse.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Some random pictures from today. There's a video too, but it's going to take me at least sixteen hours to find the right music for it. 

 

 

 

 

 

The paint is shining up lovely with only the mildest effort. 

 

 

Never used. If there was ever an incentive to give up smoking, this is it. 

 

 

The engine bay looking a little more presentable after one of Junkman's patented "jet wash water directly into the ignition system" sessions. 

 

 

Also in the engine bay is this chunky two prong socket, with a constant 12v supply. Anyone have any idea what it could have been used for?

 

 

Look, look! There's a plastic protrusion poking through the carpet so your unused seatbelts don't look all untidy. 

[dean36014]

I can remember my old Standard 10 was fitted with a similar socket and it was for a under bonnet inspection lead lamp.

[Junkman]

Well, I have to say it felt kind of weird sitting inside a skull instead of what I got used to for the past seven years, namely sitting inside a pumpkin.

On the drive home, the car did extremely well, save for running out of petrol at some stage.

The roadside repair comprised some pez straight into the carbs and then a jerrycan load into the tank and Robert was one of your forbearers' Brother.

 

There was severe congestion all around the Granadaland, so plenty of opportunitiy to just sit there and improve The Climate.

The car shook all this off without even shrugging, Kenlowe coming on and off as it should, no fuel vapourisation, nothing.

Of all the P6 V8s I had, it is also the quietest one by far. You can't hear the engine ticking over when sitting at a traffic light.

The oil pressure is sensational. The lowest reading I got at tickover after crawling in traffic for an hour was still higher than what I got from the haunted one at 70 OMGMPH.

No mean feat, considering the oil is at least 34 years old and the level a notch below minimum.

I shall never change it.

Also, the car was sitting on my drive for hours and would you believe it now? No leaks!

 

On the downside, I have to look into premium petrol and additives, because OMGHICOMPRESSORISATION.

 

But the most important thing is this:

 

THIS CAR ISN'T HAUNTED!

[Junkman]

Oh, and the oil dipstick has been straightened now.