invacar LightBulbFun's Invacar & general ramble thread, index on page 1, survivors lists on Pages 24/134 & AdgeCutler's Invacar Mk12 Restoration from Page 186 onwards, still harping on...

[lesapandre]

1 hour ago, martc said:

Just a thought about the oil leak. Using the Mk1 human nose what does it smell like? You talked about a differential, if that uses hypoid oil (which they normally do) there is a distinct 'cat wee' smell about it, quite unlike engine oil. The smell could help to determine the source.

A Partridge for every situation...

 

[egg]

Looked like engine oil when I saw it and no distinct smell, but could of course, be two leaks....

[LightBulbFun]

9 hours ago, martc said:

Just a thought about the oil leak. Using the Mk1 human nose what does it smell like? You talked about a differential, if that uses hypoid oil (which they normally do) there is a distinct 'cat wee' smell about it, quite unlike engine oil. The smell could help to determine the source.

oh I see there is a bit of confusion over what I said  the differential is leaking for sure that much I know, i can see where its leaking from and the corresponding tell tails on the ground  

but there is another leak from the engine, that I can tell is coming from the engine, just not yet figured out where exactly, thats where my mystery lies  

(the engine and differential/gearbox are spaced far enough apart that its pretty easily to tell which the leak is originating from)

[LightBulbFun]

in REV news, I had planned to pick up another computer today, and I did try, I got out the dead end, but bailed because of the weather, mainly visibility issues i was unhappy with, this is going to be a fairly long and complicated drive for me through London, and I just did not feel comfortable doing that with mirrors and side windows covered in rain obscuring visibility etc, thankfully the seller is understanding and is happy for me to try again tomorrow where the forecast is looking drier!

the other slight* issue, is REV does indeed leak quite a bit!

as I feared this is leaking directly onto the main electrical connectors for the dashboard/indicator stalk (the shiny blob is a water drop that was actively dripping)

I am pretty sure its coming from the windscreen seal and on that front I am wondering if this is something I could get a mobile windscreen guy to sort out? I think the seal just needs replacing (it is dry and has shrunk) 

(this is something I would like to get sorted sooner rather then later if I can, since I know water and lucas electrics dont mix! and I can tell the floor has suffered somewhat because of it as well) 

one of the side window weather strips also popped off, I was able to pop it back on!

I also notice the windscreen wiper is not the best at clearing the screen, it seems a bit smeary, especially at the top of the blade and was a bit juddery  at times also, would this be down to a poor quality wiper blade, or some other issue like the spring in the arm going weak? the wiper blade is fairly new (I fitted it in 2021) but maybe its just a poor quality, (or maybe I have fitted it wrong?)

at any rate I think I need to do a @dollywobbler and get myself windscreen wiper to keep inside the car for clearing all the other windows!  (the wiper I ordered back in 2021 did come as a pair so I should have a 2nd one in REV's corner-o-bits in the house) 

heres hoping its a bit drier tomorrow! 

[Rust Collector]

21 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

the wiper blade is fairly new (I fitted it in 2021) but maybe its just a poor quality, (or maybe I have fitted it wrong?)

I find that my blades don’t last any time at all if the car is left stood up for any period of time - give the blade a good clean with a soft cloth, if no better then I’d chuck a replacement on as a first port of call.

[LightBulbFun]

5 minutes ago, Rust Collector said:

I find that my blades don’t last any time at all if the car is left stood up for any period of time - give the blade a good clean with a soft cloth, if no better then I’d chuck a replacement on as a first port of call.

thanks! ill give it a go although to be fair It did not feel 100% even when I first fitted it, hence this niggling thought in the back of my mind that maybe I fitted it wrong? next time I pop downstairs to REV ill grab a close up of things so people can see whats what and tell me if I fucked it up or not LOL

 

I do want to pop to a halfords for some nick-nacks, so im quite tempted to see what will happen if I ask them for a new windscreen wiper blade and if they offer a fitting service  

[egg]

I agree that blades seem to last no time, so probably just change anyway.

[wuvvum]

Yeah, modern wiper blades are pants.  I generally replace mine annually.  (Other than the ones on the Renault 6 as they're f-ing expensive and I rarely drive that in the rain anyway.)

[lesapandre]

I think it's got the unsprung flat blade of the kind that was first fitted to the Austin A30/35 etc - moving over to a spring blade will certainly improve things.

The arm itself is probably standard British car generic kit. Unlikely that Halfords will carry anything with the right fitting.

These folk seem to have  lot of blades and will probably suggest something that will fit and look right without changing the arm as well:

https://texautomotive.com/product-category/wipers/wiper-blades/page/2/?srsltid=AfmBOoo7GCvB7hIIKRhO1QOl6DmWGkYkQqXjb36KUU7ebaPWE5_YvEhF

Having something to clear the screen properly will be a big +.

[captain_70s]

It looks like the blade is one of those where you can just replace the rubber section, if you can find it. Would need a closer picture of the blade and the mounting type ideally. 2021 might as well be the Middle Ages as far as modern rubber goes!

I have a set of TEX stainless blades on the Dolomite and they aren't exactly great, they are a bit looser a fit on the arms than generic Halfords etc ones and seem to smear water across the screen more than actually clear it. Definitely made for show rather than go.

I would assume the windscreen seal is just a generic profile, given it is a flat pane. You'd need to take it out to know what profile is required though.

[beko1987]

The factory wiper blades on dad's enyaq leave a fucking huge uncleared patch right dead in line with the drivers eyes... Complete with smearing around it.

The blade lifts off the screen. Dad says it's always been like that. I spent a few minutes bending it a bit which improved matters but not for long. 

I class wiper blades as a yearly job. Need new front ones myself next payday as their smearing now. Cheap and replace often is how I do it. With rev you can buy a twin pack and use both rubber blades over time 😂 I used to do that with my zx

[beko1987]

55 minutes ago, Rust Collector said:

I find that my blades don’t last any time at all if the car is left stood up for any period of time - give the blade a good clean with a soft cloth, if no better then I’d chuck a replacement on as a first port of call.

That's what kills mine. I park in a dusty shail parking area 80% of the time then get in after a few days and need a blast of screenwash just to set off. Ruins them quickly. 

Smeary night time windscreens are my fatal flaw too. Can ignore most other things but i struggle if it's a Smeary mess, the lights of other cars go blurry

[LightBulbFun]

thanks for the feedback on the wipers , I will admit part of the reason for buying what is currently fitted to her, to replace her old knackered one in 2021, was because it was Shiny and Chrome  in that its much more period appropriate looking, I do find the more modern wipers look a bit incongruous on Model 70's, and I know Zel's had surprsingly good luck with these old style ones, so I was hoping maybe they would also work on REV

On 28/08/2019 at 20:09, Zelandeth said:

The heavens did open at one point, which revealed two things.  Firstly that I owe this windscreen wiper which I'd expected to be a useless bit of shiny tat for display purposes only, an apology.

It actually works perfectly fine, in fact quite a bit better than the modern one it replaced.

 

maybe its just a case of pot luck or having to order from a specific supplier?

43 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

I would assume the windscreen seal is just a generic profile, given it is a flat pane. You'd need to take it out to know what profile is required though.

indeed AFAIK it is just a generic windscreen seal and infill, apparently the same type used to fit/seal the windows in Land Rover Series/defender hard tops etc  

 

[IronStar]

Would Bosch aerotwins fit something like this? Is there even a size small enough?

The outright best wipers I've ever seen are on 159. Have their own Bosch kit number, and come at HOWMUCH €, as everything else 159 specific. However, the previous owner fitted them at some point, and the car is with me for over 3 years, and they wipe as well as they did when I got it. They weren't even new when I got it. I've worn through tyres, but not the wipers, absolutely amazing kit. 

[LightBulbFun]

11 minutes ago, IronStar said:

Would Bosch aerotwins fit something like this? Is there even a size small enough?

The outright best wipers I've ever seen are on 159. Have their own Bosch kit number, and come at HOWMUCH €, as everything else 159 specific. However, the previous owner fitted them at some point, and the car is with me for over 3 years, and they wipe as well as they did when I got it. They weren't even new when I got it. I've worn through tyres, but not the wipers, absolutely amazing kit. 

AFAIK the wiper is a normal 10 inch item shared with classic mini's (1960's-1970's ones) bayonet fit I *think* its called? although when I installed one, it did not feel like installing a bayonet lightbulb I can tell you that much LOL

[captain_70s]

A bayonet fitting should "click" pretty tightly into place. It could be the arm itself is worn, the Dolomite's original arms definitely were.

[reb]

On the point of rainy mirrors: apply a coat or two of RainX, it's magic. It's also very good for its intended purpose on windscreens, but I find it not terribly useful at town speeds, though it can help wipers clear more effectively. 

It really is magical stuff, applied properly you can drive up the motorway in torrential rain without wipers switched on. (This is not a recommendation to do so)

[Rust Collector]

Car builder solutions supply fairly smart looking bayonet blades:

https://www.carbuilder.com/products/stainless-steel-sprung-windscreen-wiper-blade-10-2

I haven’t tried those blades myself, but other products from CBS have been of satisfactory quality. They’re my go to for random parts when I’m cobbling something together problem solving on old cars.

[Noel Tidybeard]

if they are mini fitment go for later 11 inch blades- chrome wipers are all well and good until the first time the sun is in the right place and you become blind by the amazing reflective properties of chrome

tldr fuck authentic over performance

[Noel Tidybeard]

the other thing to do is get a better arm as well- hook fitting then makes it piss easy for blades

maybe mr blakes den can advise if his late chilli souper has hooked blades

[wuvvum]

How does the demisting work on these?  I assume there's no dedicated heater blower, but does the hot air come through under a bit of pressure from the engine cooling fan or is it purely reliant on the ram air effect from the car* moving?

[Noel Tidybeard]

5 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

How does the demisting work on these?  I assume there's no dedicated heater blower, but does the hot air come through under a bit of pressure from the engine cooling fan or is it purely reliant on the ram air effect from the car* moving?

yes Desmundo did comment on one his forays the the heat was chucked out quite well on his whistle- mr wobbler is missing an pipe iirc

[beko1987]

29 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

if they are mini fitment go for later 11 inch blades- chrome wipers are all well and good until the first time the sun is in the right place and you become blind by the amazing reflective properties of chrome

tldr fuck authentic over performance

That sounds like only the anecdote a really shitty drive once upon a time can give... 😂

Like the stainless steel gearknob the og puma had. Looked lovely, but at 6.30am in -3 you couldn't touch the fucking thing unless through sleeves 😂 Same after a day parked in +27 sun all day but the opposite pain

[LightBulbFun]

56 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

A bayonet fitting should "click" pretty tightly into place. It could be the arm itself is worn, the Dolomite's original arms definitely were.

if I am looking at things correctly there is a peg on the arm that mates into  a hole on the wiper blade? and it looks like there is a metal tang that sandwiches it all together? I certainly remember the peg and hole, but I remeber clicking it together and thinking to myself surely the arm should go a bit deeper into the wiper blade? but I guess not (thats why I have always thought maybe I fucked it up, but no the peg did go into the hole I am pretty sure!)

48 minutes ago, reb said:

On the point of rainy mirrors: apply a coat or two of RainX, it's magic. It's also very good for its intended purpose on windscreens, but I find it not terribly useful at town speeds, though it can help wipers clear more effectively. 

It really is magical stuff, applied properly you can drive up the motorway in torrential rain without wipers switched on. (This is not a recommendation to do so)

thats a very good point about RainX someone even mentioned it to me directly fairly recently and I completely forgot about it, so thanks for the reminder ill be sure to pick some up soon

34 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

if they are mini fitment go for later 11 inch blades- chrome wipers are all well and good until the first time the sun is in the right place and you become blind by the amazing reflective properties of chrome

tldr fuck authentic over performance

I have wondered if I could get away with fitting a larger blade to increase the swept area, so that might be something ill play with in and of itself

23 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

How does the demisting work on these?  I assume there's no dedicated heater blower, but does the hot air come through under a bit of pressure from the engine cooling fan or is it purely reliant on the ram air effect from the car* moving?

funnily enough Villiers machines had a heater-blower, but for some reason the Model 70 was never such equipped, I guess they deemed bleed air off the engine cooling fan to be sufficient? 

[lesapandre]

First stop would be some clear silicone on the windscreen seal for the time being. These things usually leak at the corners.

[egg]

38 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

funnily enough Villiers machines had a heater-blower

Yes, I think from memory it was the generic Smiths(?) one that looks the same as the one that was in 'Foxanne' and other Brit cars.

[Noel Tidybeard]

captain tollys creeping crack

[High Jetter]

3 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

if I am looking at things correctly there is a peg on the arm that mates into  a hole on the wiper blade? and it looks like there is a metal tang that sandwiches it all together?

That's what I remember from that era.

[captain_70s]

4 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

if I am looking at things correctly there is a peg on the arm that mates into  a hole on the wiper blade? and it looks like there is a metal tang that sandwiches it all together? I certainly remember the peg and hole, but I remeber clicking it together and thinking to myself surely the arm should go a bit deeper into the wiper blade? but I guess not (thats why I have always thought maybe I fucked it up, but no the peg did go into the hole I am pretty sure!)? 

Certainly sounds right. This is mine.

No free movement in it and is secure. But yes,the arm doesn't go very far into the fitting.

I've gone a size up in wipers, an inch bigger would just clear the windscreen seal.

[Missy Charm]

5 hours ago, beko1987 said:

That sounds like only the anecdote a really shitty drive once upon a time can give... 😂

Like the stainless steel gearknob the og puma had. Looked lovely, but at 6.30am in -3 you couldn't touch the fucking thing unless through sleeves 😂 Same after a day parked in +27 sun all day but the opposite pain

I often used to wear gloves when driving my Puma for the same reason.  

Dez: I had a mobile windscreen fitter reseal a leaky rear window in a Ford Orion, many moons ago.  Don't remember much about the process, other than him coming round and spraying sticky goo under the edges of my sealing strip*.   It worked and didn't cost much.

*innuendo?  In your endo, etc.