Cats clapped out Cars. Wafting North

[warch]

I've been idly trying to work out whereabouts in the vicinity of Ludlow you are Catsin. I sort of recognise where your car is but can't quite place it.

[catsinthewelder]

34 minutes ago, RobT said:

This any good to you?  Not sure if D3 is for later Renner 'boxes, but got two litres FOC if you want it Rich.

That's very kind of you Rob but apparently I need D2.  Lucky that you reminded me to check though as I'd probably have just filled it with ATF.

I'm up on Clee Hill,

[RobT]

No probs.  I'll keep it for the day I finally lose my mind and buy a Laguna II.

[hairnet]

lose lmfao

 

[SiC]

On 10/20/2020 at 8:23 PM, RobT said:

No probs.  I'll keep it for the day I finally lose my mind and buy a Laguna II.

Spot on fluid for a Clio 172/182 too! You tend to need it as the seals have a habit of leaking...

[RobT]

10 minutes ago, SiC said:

Spot on fluid for a Clio 172/182 too! You tend to need it as the seals have a habit of leaking...

Yours if you want it m8. Just pm your address.

[beko1987]

On 20/10/2020 at 20:23, RobT said:

No probs.  I'll keep it for the day I finally lose my mind and buy a Laguna II.

I did it twice and survived, although that may have just been luck... (and bridging them as they started to fail...) 

[catsinthewelder]

That will be why I need to avoid them then 🤣

[catsinthewelder]

In other news this turned up yesterday.

 

[Rod/b]

Are you planning on framing it or something?

[warch]

On 10/20/2020 at 8:19 PM, catsinthewelder said:

I'm up on Clee Hill,

I came to that conclusion based on the elevation above the surrounding countryside, but I decided I didn't want to give away your position in case any shite thieves have infiltrated the forum. 

[catsinthewelder]

It's alright, the only Ford in the fleet is the dull modern 😂

[dollywobbler]

The Mighty Dacia did get spotted by someone on Twitter recently. Thankfully they didn't give away the location...

[beko1987]

6 hours ago, Rod/b said:

Are you planning on framing it or something?

He's saving that for the mot certificate 

[catsinthewelder]

An hour of spare time earlier saw a little tinkering.  I went out to get the rotor arm off the Rover to drop off at our local motor factors so they can order the correct replacement.  With that done I had a go at the bonnet mech on the car which was seized on both catches.  10w40 did nothing much but a search for black spray paint found some silicon spray lube which got the main (cable operated) catch working although the hand operated one still isn't springing back.  Might have to remove it and try a stronger spring.

While under the bonnet I looked at the washer bottle which reminded me that the pump on the Dacia leaks badly so needs fixing for an MOT.  Temptation was high to steal it from the Rover but the Disco wasn't far away and has achieved the status of parts donor now so I headed over.

The pump came out without too much grief and fitted the bottle in the Dacia nicely so just seatbelts and seam sealer to go (along with finding out how many more things have broken in the year of sitting around).

Something else I spotted was that the stalks on the Disco are identical to those on the Sherpa.  It also has a hazard light switch behind the wheel so I might be able to change the whole setup over from one to the other which would be great.  

[beko1987]

The disco is probably going to be a good source of wire, connectors, relays etc that will probably plug straight into the sherpa... 

Plus if you wait until spring you could probably remove the seatbelts without needing a spanner... 

[catsinthewelder]

Aye, the Discovery is getting quite ripe.

Today the V5 turned up for the Sherpa so I went out and made an effort to get her started.  As it's not going anywhere near the road soon I just used Kerosene.

Once she'd fired up I wandered into the back to check on the leaking roof and found that the plastic skylight had vanished in today's strong winds.  Fortunately I found it behind the van and it's just the plastic bolts that have snapped.  I'm hoping that numberplate bolts are the same size but might have to do it with steel bolts for the time being if they don't.

[catsinthewelder]

So this is the sight that greeted me, not ideal for keeping the rain out.  Fortunately the lid would fit through on an angle so a plan was formed.

With the opening catches or whatever you call them removed I thought I could unscrew the bolts with pliers and replace them but it turned out that they weren't bolts.  Drill a hole and use a screw then except there wasn't much for the screw to go into.

Why didn't I do this earlier when I could use power tools?  Hang on there a vice in the shed that'll make it easier.

All in place, probably should have got some silicon out at this stage.

But it's only 4 screws so I might find some brass woodscrews first and use proper sealant.

 

[catsinthewelder]

Not put anything in here for ages but the Dacia is now MOTed and has been to the FotU and FoD this month.  I was quite pleased to see this the other night 

Finished work early today so got some tinkering time.  First job was to fix the left dipped headlight which stopped working on the way back from the MOT.

@3VOM spent ages helping me look for the fault on Sunday and I was fairly sure it lay in the fusebox as he proved it wasn't in the light.  I've even bought a new fusebox but can't use it as all the feeds are linked and mine is wired in after the switches (I think).

I've eliminated this bodge wire that didn't appear to be required.

I spent ages working out which fuse did what as the manual was hopeless.

Ended up wiring the two dipped beams together as one of the fuse positions was duff.  Not certain what current is required to blow these fuses as they seem to get hot enough to melt without blowing 🙈

Got there in the end though 😁

I was so flushed with success that I had a go at the Rover 

Managed to get one wheel unseized which is a start.  Fresh battery won't turn the starter motor so I tried rocking the car to unstick it and found it wouldn't move, even the fronts are seized 🙈

 

 

 

[phil_lihp]

The 220 must live on!  How bad is it these days?  I'd still be up for coming and helping out with some recommissioning on it. 

[catsinthewelder]

I'm fairly determined not to scrap it so long as the landlord doesn't get cross.  Screen is still cracked and somebody tried to steal the cat (that it never had) cutting out some of the scrap exhaust and saving me a job.  There's replacement exhaust bits in its biohazard interior.  Brakes are seized on other than the n/s/r despite being left with the handbrake off.  Engine won't turn which isn't ideal, I'm guessing seized starter.  There is a replacement starter in the car but I don't know if it's the right one so was planning to rock the car in 5th to see if that helps.  I think I must have fitted a new rotor arm as the dizzy is back in one piece.

Various rusty bits on sills, wheel arches etc as well as the screen surround but only a couple of small holes that I can see.

[High Jetter]

1 minute ago, catsinthewelder said:

somebody tried to steal the cat (that it never had) cutting out some of the scrap exhaust and saving me a job. 

😂

[phil_lihp]

The rear calipers needed work for every MOT it had with me so I'm not surprised they've given up now.  I forgot about the cracked screen, that's a shame as it's the first thing I had to get fixed way back in 2013!  

[dollywobbler]

Has been great to see the Mighty Dacia back in action - with some long journeys completed already!

[HMC]

I put new front discs and pads on the 220 in jan. 2015. I remember even then the pistons were a bit grotty but cleaned up ok. 

[catsinthewelder]

3 hours ago, Nyphur said:

@catsinthewelder - I was trying to find your topic about that massive camper you bought but couldn't find it - do you know where it is please?

Pretty much the rear 3/4 of this thread before I started posting about it on here.  I've done very little to it recently as I decided to make the Dacia the priority this year.

https://autoshite.com/topic/42004-i-very-much-think-this-is-a-bad-idea-a-morris-camper/page/3/

[Rust Collector]

I've just stumbled across your topic, and I am intensely jealous of your Dacia!! I would love to own one at some point. It's great to see that you've got her back on the road, and a real testament to their toughness that it drove all the way here originally!

[mat_the_cat]

On 8/24/2021 at 10:11 PM, catsinthewelder said:

 

@3VOM Not certain what current is required to blow these fuses as they seem to get hot enough to melt without blowing  😁

 

 

I can't seem to be able to delete the the or smiley whilst on my phone, but the fuse melting issue sounds very much like a high resistance connection at the actual fuse holder (either wire to terminal or terminal to fuse). As soon as you start passing any significant current it heats up, dropping the voltage over the circuit in question, and potentially getting the fuse hot enough to melt even though the current is nowhere bear its rating. New fuse box the right shout, but the wrong type!

[catsinthewelder]

I think you're right there @mat_the_cat.   I'll try giving everything a good clean when I get chance and hopefully the temperature will drop a bit.  Otherwise I have 2 possible options.

1, if the car has been wired sensibly all the wires to the fusebox will be from the same place with the switches downstream of them, in which case a thicker wire from the battery to the new fusebox and everything wired after it would work.

2, If it's wired as badly as it looks with all the dash switches being before the fuses I could pinch the little fusebox out the back of the campervan for the Dacia and use the new fusebox in its place which would simplify the wiring there as one side of it consists of all the unfused positive contacts wired together.

[dollywobbler]

Romanian electrics certainly do make French electrics seem really quite good! I remember the joy we had fiddling with fuses at speed in the Dacia, to try and keep the instrument lights and rev counter working.