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Admirable AX Ambling, although ambling adjourned atm


Tomtation

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20 minutes ago, Tomtation said:

I've never thought about veg, is anything required to run veg? Is it literally buying 5L bottles of veg oil from <insert supermarket here>?

M'coli, plan is, the PLAN IS, to take queues from my BX GT which has the carb fed 1.9 XU petrol, it only gives out 105bhp (or at least did in 1985) but does it in a torquey, smooth and unfussed way. It's quite quiet and is a very nice place to be, especially for cruising long distances. So I want the AX GTD to be similarly quiet inside and comfortable, as well as being economical (its main function) and cool looking. I've plans to put in a load of sound insulation on my BX so may want to do the same with the AX. Normal AX's look cute, but the GT's look awesome (I particularly love their alloys). I'd likely be keeping the (hopefully squishy) standard suspension.

So if I want a smoll, cheap to run as poss vehicle, why not cobble something together to suit my needs? If it matches my BX GT, then I can only be winning right? Bonus points would be awarded for colour and registration coordination to my BX GT - pictured below, Bleu romatique would be the ideal colour choice for the AX GTD, it'd look great with the same coloured body kit as the BX GT's bumpers. Is getting a B**JUY numberplate a step too far?Image

Running new veg  (insert wholesaler's name here) is thicker then diesel so warmer weather when the oil is thinner helps and some mix it to thin the stuff. It can gum up rings etc if short runs/cold engine so longs runs of 100+km make it happy.  There's vast amount of stuff on interwebs and even a beige forum about veg as fuel.

 

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So behind the scenes convo has occurred and i'm 99% certain i'm a gonna have the little AX dizzle, question is just when. It's feckin miles from me (TADTS) so would not likely get away with collection until lockdown ceases, 

But look on the bright side, we'll all be dripping with anticipation when the collection does indeed ensue. I'll have to make an extra effort in the collection to make all that anticipationary foreplay worthwhile... I know I will have to keep a constant mental check on AX-induced trouser incidents, and maybe even go armed with extra-fortified underwear just for the occasion. Who knows, it's a crazy AXless world just now and I may get all unnecesary.

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On 4/29/2020 at 6:47 PM, M'coli said:

If you wear a particularly-coarse hair shirt, buy the 1360cc alloy-block. I had one in a Metro and it could be dangerous on certain hills, eg coming out of a hairpin bend at 20mph and then straight onto a fairly steep hill saw it bog down in second, and if you weren't quick at changing into 1st the car ended up stopping. Once into 1st it wasn't a long enough ratio to get it beyond 20-ish mph, so you sat there for however long it took for the hill to ease slightly with the engine bouncing off of the governor. 1st gear was slightly too short, and second slightly too long.

Metros are a great deal heavier than AXs though, and were always the worst performing of the TUD3-powered cars.

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On 4/29/2020 at 6:57 AM, Axplug said:

Here it is for starters .. ..maybe flattering it!...I’m in bakewell derbyshire.....I’m happy to operate on dibs basis....I’ll pm some pictures 

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That is fabulous! 

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  • 1 month later...

Well folks, Tuesday next is the day of the dizzler. Purchase confirmed, beer tokens obtained and picnic planned. I bet you lot just can't wait for it, I know I can't!

Now i'm not studying every evening and day off i'm doing a lot more mooching around hhere and there, the Hearse as our 2nd car has been indispensible in its lugging capabilities for what now must be several tons of timber/logs/garden mulch etc, BUT i'm spending north of a tenner a week and i've not travelled outside of town much! Yeovil is not a big town by any means. It does 24mpg on a run, I would be truly horrified to work out what it does around town though (i'm thinking mid teens...), especially as 4th which is an overdrive on these Volvo AW70 autoboxes is now non-evident. A 60mpg+ ecobox that I can tart up into a GTD will be a very welcome addition to the fleet!

Collection action coming soon!

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  • 3 weeks later...

So i complety failed to do anything remotely shite with this collection, the AX landed last Tuesday and is remarkably not shit. Sorry shiters, no woolard, pez shot or poo count (was 1 just incase you're interested).

Transport device = Lexus RX 400h, whacked cruise on at 70 and just chilled all the way up there, munching scotch eggs, pasta salad and pork pies, jelly beans and grapes for sugary sustainance. Fantastically capable machine. Did it in 1 tank too, 37.4 mpgees (3.3 V6 hybrid :D )

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AX Thoughts? Mildy disappointed. It isn't that slow and it isn't that rattly or clattery, it doesn't even smoke! For a 202000 mile AX? C'mon! It handled the 4hr trip home with aplomb, +1 for 5th gear.

Bonus points for smoll (what i wanted) economonomical (indicated* 1/4 tank of dizzle for 235 miles!) and arm day workout steering.

Paint? Awful, i likes a shiny motor and for the 1st time evva i MIGHT PAINT! I mean how hard can it be? ?

Interior? Bloody lovely, Philip has treated it to GT seats and carpets which are luvverly, the dash and plastics are nice too. Has NEW GEAR KNOB, I likes me a knob so all is well and good there, i can merrily fondle in the knowledge of new-knobbness.

Has the standard AX oil leak, plus perhaps another or two - to investigate. Tyres are cracking in places, GT alloys under investigation. Bumpers pale and interesting, GT bumpers also under investigation. Has Saxo rear beam = stiffer rear but not rot and has many other important maintenance and upgrades performed.

Would recommend Philip aka AXplug as seller, top feller and top service provided. Tea, kitkats, facilities and tour of enviable shite included, awesome biege thing tucked away that looks lile a Triumph Stag but isn't, can't remember what it was with all the excitement.

Only foto i have of it yet, a flattering pose whilst dripping oil onto Toyota's nice tarmac hehe.

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Dog 1 approves, baby dog 2 yet to experience.

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Keeeeeep shiting!

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  • 4 months later...

'ello folks, it's been quite some time since my last post although I have been lurking, not much car action to report as I've been a bit more house DIY focused. The AX 'as ambled along admirably (sorry, but I can't hep with the AX alliteration..). Has taken a ton or so of rubble to the tip (in instalments obvs) and has generally been a good old bean, I have accosted most of the rattles and had a good clear out of the gacking scuttle area. I've even thought about looking at the oil leak, but got put off by the sheer GROTTINESS of the engine and associated area - there is oil, gunk and shite everywhere - at least rust won't be an issue underneath!

It has been performing main-vehicular duties this week as the Lexus shamed itself by needing parking brake cables for the MOT, I adjusted the whole lot a couple of months ago to stop a squeak and found that they are were all seized, I promptly forgot this until the MOT man called to say it failed. It needs three of the fuckers AND parking brake shoes, the cables are available from Lexus only and are almost £100 each 🤣.

I say it has been admirably ambling, UNTIL TODAY. The thing wouldn't start, even when cabled up to the running hearse - cos cold OBVS, Swedish 80's ovlov hearse laughs at the cold. Nevertheless I am in the shit as there are no other vehicles to use whilst the Lexus is sulking at the MOT garage awaiting handbrake cables (a 'dangerous' fail so cannot be driven even with extant MOT) and the OH had to ring his dad to take him to work. I am at work and so couldn't do anything except try to guide a non-car person over facetime to connect up the jump cables, all electrical items were perfectly functioning but the starter didn't even click, turn over or anything so pretty sure that is the culprit - it has always been a slow turn-over but previously always started.

How difficult is a starter motor to replace in an AX 1.5D for a bit of a noob? Is it just a couple of bolts and a plug? Never gotten involved with starters before, but it'll need one to survive the winter (battery was new last year).

Cheers folks.

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Things to do:

A diesel AX will bump start without drama - but make sure you have a fully charged battery on it to fire the heater plugs - and put a squirt of 'easy start' in too just to help a cold engine. A hot engine is easier. You will need to be on a decent slope of have a hefty friend...but you could run one of these without a starter as long as you can get a good push...

The problems you are having may be a duff battery* or the earth lead may have come loose - earth the battery with a jump lead to check this - and bung a new battery on. I have had the earth lead problem - electrics worked fine but the poor earth would not swing the starter - was just a question of tightening the earth strap. Check both the battery pole attachments are really clean and tight.

Starter motors are easy - preferably on ramps or a lift from underneath - the AX were designed for easy maintenance. Starters are easy to get too.  In the meantime give the starter a few good whacks with a hammer to see if it will free - and check it is earthing and getting power.

On the Lexus cables - that seems crazy - get one off and see if anybody will make you one? 

*check the newish battery is ok with a meter or putting it on a charger to see it is taking a charge and fully charge.

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Thanks for the super advice lesapandre - I have no idea what the earths are like but the PO (fellow shiter) was very good at maintenance and preventative maintenance too, so I imagine they're good. Although it is a rattly old beast so entirely possible it's loosened, can't hurt to check. I imagine the starter has it's own earth and the batt earth is somewhere on the inner wing/bulkhead close to it? I'm sure I can find it but always happy for the easy way lol.

I thought about bump starting, bit I am at work on a 12 hour shift and our house is on a single track lane on a slight hill. If the AX didn't start for the bump, it would be pretty shit for the OH as there is nowhere to go at the bottom! We'd need to father in law to get his truck out to tow it back up etc, it wouldn't get back on the drive either on account of the steep ramp...

Problem with the Lexus is that it's stuck at the garage now, the parking brake failure is 'dangerous' so it cannot be driven even thought the MOT hasn't yet run out. Is my fault for forgetting its fucked, the rest of the car is lovely though.

Negatives aside, on a more positive note, I'll be able to look at the AX in the cold frosty dark tonight about 9/10pm, after a 12 hour shift and a 40 minute walk home 😆 🤣

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8 minutes ago, Tomtation said:

Thanks for the super advice lesapandre - I have no idea what the earths are like but the PO (fellow shiter) was very good at maintenance and preventative maintenance too, so I imagine they're good. Although it is a rattly old beast so entirely possible it's loosened, can't hurt to check. I imagine the starter has it's own earth and the batt earth is somewhere on the inner wing/bulkhead close to it? I'm sure I can find it but always happy for the easy way lol.

I thought about bump starting, bit I am at work on a 12 hour shift and our house is on a single track lane on a slight hill. If the AX didn't start for the bump, it would be pretty shit for the OH as there is nowhere to go at the bottom! We'd need to father in law to get his truck out to tow it back up etc, it wouldn't get back on the drive either on account of the steep ramp...

Problem with the Lexus is that it's stuck at the garage now, the parking brake failure is 'dangerous' so it cannot be driven even thought the MOT hasn't yet run out. Is my fault for forgetting its fucked, the rest of the car is lovely though.

Negatives aside, on a more positive note, I'll be able to look at the AX in the cold frosty dark tonight about 9/10pm, after a 12 hour shift and a 40 minute walk home 😆 🤣

Try the simple things first. The battery earths onto the engine from memory - just check everything is tight and the earth cable is not split under the covering. It may be a dudish battery - try changing it.

You will need a decent inspection lamp. I got a fantastic one in Poundland for £2.00 - may still have them...just as good as my £25 rechargable and as smaller easier to use! 😁

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  • Tomtation changed the title to Admirable AX Ambling, well mostly*, a bit*, alright it won't start okay?
1 hour ago, lesapandre said:

Try the simple things first. The battery earths onto the engine from memory - just check everything is tight and the earth cable is not split under the covering. It may be a dudish battery - try changing it.

You will need a decent inspection lamp. I got a fantastic one in Poundland for £2.00 - may still have them...just as good as my £25 rechargable and as smaller easier to use! 😁

Cheers fella, I do need a decent inspection lamp. It's on my christmas list if I've been a good boy.

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I had a quick look at the AX last night, all lights and electrical items appear to work at their normal rate, but i didn't find the multimeter and go prodding cos dark and cold.

I did see that there seems to be a significant fuel leak, which is washing the oil off of the engine and distributing it underneath the car nicely! Looks like leaks from around at least 2 of the glow plugs, hopefully these just need tightening but maybe also seals? Injectors look ok.

Looks a bit dramatic! I topped up the oil and coolant too whilst i was there as these were on minimum levels, again.

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2 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Coolant - the rads tend to leak where the plastic parts are joined to the metal - so it may just be a leak.

There is also dribblage fron the coolant level sensor that sits next to the reservoir cap. Should this have a gasket cos its just sat there plastic to plastic.

Trying and failing to upload photos via phone, grr.

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So I am at home today and thought i'd just tinker with the AX. Turned the key and the bloody thing turned over! Very very slowly though, maybe a revolution every second, but enough for the little beaut to fire - it is a keen starter this. Perhaps the battery is a dud, ordered an Ancel BA101 battery load tester to find out - should be a useful piece of kit for the other vehicles too and fun to play with.

I've done some shopping, apart from top-up oil and tax etc it'll be the first money i've spent on the AX ever! Ordered rocker gasket, sheets of cork make-your-own gasket and some engine cleaner so I can try and attempt to see where the leaks are coming from.

Water leak

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'Clean' side

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Less clean side! This was after a 40 minute each way motorway drive to see my sister, it didn't start the next morning. The tyre and pretty much everything else down here is covered in oil/fuel. I've been under here before and not niticed this.

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Not sure if the injectors and/or glow plugs are leaking fuel or not, there is a fuel leak as i've seen fuel drops behind me after parking it. I'll give the front of the engine a fecking good clean and see what I can see.

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I was hoping to take it upto Worcester on Friday to collect a new gearbox for the Hearse, it's 130 miles each way... Dare I?

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As PO I’m sorry to hear it’s blotting it’s copybook with leaks........I think I said when we met I thought the starter was on its last legs as it had just started doing what you  are experiencing with me.....it shouldn’t be the battery as that was a new one from Tayna a few months before I sold it... the starter i think is probably feeling it’s 200 k miles as I didn’t touch it so the brushes may well be worn which may explain the intermittent nature of the problem. You could try tapping it with a hammer to see if it makes it work when it’s playing up but I would swap it over I don’t think it’s hard to do . I did the rocker gasket myself in the same attempt to find the source of the oil leak which made no difference......!  I think you will find the leak might be head gasket related as I think I read that TADTS. .....which I never had time to get around to.....I noticed the oil around the tyre and thought it was the engine oil leaking and being thrown around by the cv joint. But it’s quite hard to see whereit’s coming from as you say a clean might help! The other leaks I am afraid must be new ones !  All the best in sorting it anyway ......

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Nice to hear from you Phil! I hope your getting on ok with your shite, did you get anywhere with your 1.0 AX?

I did read about the HG TADTS and hoped the rocker hasket at least in part wasn;t helping. I;ve ordereed one, so may aswell go ahead and fit it/clean etc. I think I saw an oil leak from the mystery item where the distributor would be in a petrol, so I might have that off too for a clean and replacing of gaskets. I remember our conversation about the starter and battery, i'll waity for my snazzy tester to arrive to OK the battery then look into changing the starter - might have to be a 2021 thing if it can hang on in there! The oily tyre might be something to do with the aux belt flinging oil about too.

The coolant leak (at least the one I found!) should be an easy fix at least. For the fuel leak, I am using alternative fuel for the previous and next 2 tanks, so this may affect seepage etc.

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Hi Tom hope you’re well....your plan sounds more likely to work than mine ever did.....yes I’ve still got the sister ax and it firstly needs the rear axle bearings done. I bought a ‘good’ axle off a breaker and after much hammering of the  torsion rods it came apart and one pin was completely shot so I got another off eBay ( this could have gone on for some time) and that one amazingly is ok both pins are good so just need to rebuild it up and put on. (I did yours a while ago when it failed an mot and the pins on the one I put on that were perfect and well greased with genuine citroen bearings so hopefully yours will last a good while longer)   I’ve been distracted by getting my citroen dispatch van going.....with the 1.9 non turbo and extra weight I seem to find myself going about the same speed as I used to in your ax! But citroen certainly can make decent Diesel engines that seem to last for ever......

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Hey Phil, i'm very glad you did the D's rear axle, that's one quite large thing to not worry about! I find I either pootle around town at 30 or less (!) or end up pushing it quite hard, even if you drive around with your foot on the floor all the time it's difficult to get into trouble 🤣 Did you ever replace any of the front suspension Phil? There is something off about the ride height and I think the front drinkers side is a good inch or two higher than the drivers. I thought it an issue with the rear axle, but as you say that is sorted, so I think perhaps it must be a shock/spring thing? It's quite noticable when you look and each corner behaves differently over bumps.

Some goodies arrived today, i'm quite excited about the battery tester, it not only tests charge but also CCA, the state of the charging system and the starter motor status. It wasn't cheap but is just what I need right now before I go splashing on a new starter etc. All im waiting for now is the make-your-own gasket material for the coolant leak then I can get on. Well, I could have gotten on today but i'm in a bit of an 'everything is shit' mood so i'd probably just break stuff then get cross about it.

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So the battery appears good, but only at 58% charge. I whipped it out for charging, and in the process found the earthing point. What I should have done is taken all the connectors off and cleaned it all up (quite oily/gunky) but I did the right thing* and just tightened it up, it wasn't very tight actually and I maybe got a nut-revolution (obvs the standard scientific units used in tightness) out of it. The battery looks clean and new, its a Varta blue job of 60-Ah and 540CCA so fairly meaty. Fingers crossed

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On reflection, there is a bit of belt sqeal on startup until the thing warms up a bit, I bet the alternator isn't getting it's full speed, I mostly do shortish journeys in it and everytime I use it the battery probably discharges more (especially as I have to have the fans on full whack and lights this time of year). So what I think i'll do for now is a bit of maintenance and cleaning and hope for the best? A good a plan as any right? Cos I have a fuckton of other stuff to do, and could do with at least ONE car not pissing about! /RANT. I'm off on Wednesaday and next weekend so plan is:

  1. Spray the shit out of the engine with degreasing anti-gunk stuff = clean engine
  2. Replace rocker gasket (I could see dribbles, pretty sure it is leaking from the front and front top bolts)
  3. Inspect the thing where the distributor would be on a petrol (vacuum pump??) as i'm pretty certain this is leaking oil onto the gearbox (and engine/box earth point)
  4. Look for leaks like a leak perv
  5. Inspect and tighten up the aux belt
  6. Use until either battery is discharged again or the starter really is fucked

I like plans, I mean they pretty much never actually happen but... Sound good right? I'll also play with my new battery tester on the other cars and my friend down the road has a Sprinter ambulance-motorhome thing, he isn't sure if his leisure batteries are any good so i'll whip out my toy for him too 😉

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You're probably onto something with that alternator. Even if it isn't wholly the source of your starting issues, it won't be helping.  If you have a few other vehicles - which it sounds as though you do - why not swap a known-good battery into the AX, run it for a week and see if it makes any difference?

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Hey Kit, i'm not sure any other the other vehicles has such a meaty battery tbh, the hearse has a tiny thing, the Lexus about the same (cos hybrid) - the BX's might have similr - i'll check it out. The AX battery has taken some good charge over the last 6 hours, there isn;t  much more juice going in it so i'd guess it is a good'un.

6:45 tomorrow morning will tell! Will the dizzler start?!

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New starter arrived today which is brill as I ordered it Tues morning ~2am. It is wet AF here though so im not going to be getting under there and fiddling, fingers crossed the weekend will bring better AX fettling weather!

*checks weather forecast

Sat afternoon and Sunday look much less wet, maybe even some sunshine! That'd be a nice change. Still no make-your-own-gasket stuff yet, might have to check on that as everything else I ordered arrived days ago.

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  • Tomtation changed the title to Admirable AX Ambling, now an actually ambling

Starter motor replacement success!

Electrical connections all nice

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Primer bulb replacement, i assume the old rubber leaked air and so the PO replaced it with a nice length of copper pipe. I was worried it wouldn't run properly on reassembly due to lack of fuel primage, but had nothing to worry about in the end. Not sure what the yellow connector is for, there are a couple of unused electrical connectors but the car has been converted from a Lucas (satanspawn) to Bosch pump by Phil, Axplug, thank bloody goodness too as I bet the Lucas wouldn't have fired up so nicely.

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You cannot believe how oily and filthy I got... It is gross in this engine bay.

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New (right) and old (left), book/judge/cover etc

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Took a few hours as was well fiddly, had to take the fuel filter off to access the 3rd bolt which caused some panic as the primer bulb has been replaced with a length of copper pipe. Old mechanic disel + air in fuel system = a bad time. But the old girl fired up instantly, although lumpy whilst the air cleared she purged herself nicely. I now have a good used starter installed, delivered for £29.98 and guaranteed for 3 months - feeling like today was a bit of a win!

I didn't start till after lunch so ran out of light for the other jobs, but they can wait. The new fangled super battery testing toy said the battery was at 98% charge, 535 CCA (out of 540) and low resistance, there was also 14.6V going in from the alternator which sounds good - this was once the belt had warmed up a bit and stopped squeaking. I did a vid for those who like listening to old diesels and because I was genuinly surprised how quickly and nicely she fired up.

Keep shiting folks.

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  • Tomtation changed the title to Admirable AX Ambling, now an actually ambling appliance
  • 4 months later...

Afternoon shiters, today was the big day - MOT time. No surprises it failed, BUT nowhere near as bad as i'd feared! More on this later...

I had Tuesday off, so I finally got around to de-gunking the engine and replacing the rocker cover gasket. First off a bottle of injector cleaner went in half a tank (as per bottle instructions etc) and I gave it a solid 5 mins of an italian tune-up going up the nearest dual carriageway, it's up a long steep hill so the mighty 1.5d can only get to about 68 or so in 3rd up it - great for clearing the pipes. This cleared out the exhaust, got the engone nice and hot for the de-gunking BUT also fucked the aux belt idler pulley. *meh* You win some, you lose some. If you scroll up you'll see just how oily and gross pretty much the whole front end of this car is! So rocker cover off, it's a rubber gasket thank fuck so no paper or cork residue to bugger arund with cleaning off.  A quick wipe up and we have a nice clean mating surface (the best kind obvs 😇).

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We had oil leakage around the rocker cover botls awell as the main gasket, so I made a few little cork jobbies for the bolts.

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Back together! I sprayed the shite out of the front and back of the head/block/gearbox and as much else as I could get at with de-gunk spray (non-aerosol) then the aerosol kind.

Before

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After

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I was worried the clutch release bearings were busted, as there was that kind og rattle at idle, but tightening the belt has solved it - although the idler pulley is whining now the belt is tensioned properly, I got the sweet spot between rattle and whine by adjusting it whilst idling (not sure if it was a bad idea or not!), very sensible aux belt tensioning system on this, two locking nuts and an tension adjusting bolt all of which is accessible through the wheel arch without lying down. I also made a gasket for the coolant level sensor/sender in the expansion bottle as this was dribbling, no-one like a dribbler now eh?

MOT results, not too bad but still requires effort. I have the car back now and so have 10 days to sort, i'm thinking I have Tuesday, Sunday and Monday off although i'm working Saturday night so Sunday will be a bit of a write off, I'll see if I can book the free re-MOT on Monday afternoon. The garage were quite excited about having a 'proper' car in, and they seem to really like AX's with several comments on what a nice little car it is! The guy adjusted the headlights and replaced a little bit of holed tubing from the washer reservoir, that leaves the rear brakes to look at (imbalanced), the wire and bulb for the drivers side indficator to find (hopefully fallen out inside the wing), the drivers brake disc to clean up/remove all the oil and the oil leak to solve. The guy reckoned it may be the crank seal, i'll have a clean up and see.

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NON AX CONTENT. In other news, the engine upgrade on the hearse is progressing. The slow and thirsty B200E (k-jetronic) and AW70 autobox are out, rear axle swapped for a better ratio and correct reluctor ring tooth number for the Bosch LH2.4 EFI, rear brakes rebuilt (a struggle), rear disc guards taken back to metal, primed, stonechipped, VHT painted and new flexi's too.

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We changed the wheels to standard Volvo 15" alloys, although the 17" renault steels looked awesome, the ride suffered, the tyres were expensive and everytime I needed to get to to anything under the wheel it was a serious struggle to get the adaptor plates off. When I started the rear axle swap one of the adaptors had to be cut off with an angle grinder! I've not doen the front brakes and wheels yet, this is the next job. I imagine the sliders wil be siezed on at least one side as the drivers wheel used to lock up quite quickly under heavy breaking, hopefully the front calipers don't need rebuilding too! The rears had split rubber gaiters and partially siezed pistons, getting the bleed nipples off was interesting too! They had to be cut so a twist grip socket could be hammered on, just about managed it though.

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The new engine is a marine B230 block with a forged crank and longer stroke, giving it 2.5L compared to the strandrd 2.3. It is a Penta AQ151, with dual carbs in a boat it puches out 155bhp, so with a turbo strapped on and LH2.4 EFi I hope for 170-190 with 7psi of boost (the standard car high pressure turbo (HPT)). the most powerful 2.3 standard red block was about 190bhp when new so we should be good! Most importantly there will be enough torque to pull the great bloody beast that the Hearse is along at a fair old lick.  The new engine has been mostly stripped, i've looked inside the bores and it looks pretty good tbh. I've cleaned the bores up and all the rust has gone, I can't feel any lips at the top or where the rust in the pics is, so the opinion of the volvo forum seems to be that the rings will be ok. Cylinder 4's exhaust port face needs a bit of a tickle with a welder too, it was a maring engine so... The cam looks new and it is the 'V' cam, the best balance for torque and power as standard.

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Pre-cleaning the bores.

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Lots of good stuff done I think, plently more to do though! I'd be interest to know the shiters opinion of the new engine, this is the 1st time i;ve opened up an enginje so it's all a learning curve for me. I had a mate/self-employed mechanic help me with removing the engine and g'box, he's keen to help with the installation of the new one too, but I want to get the new engine sorted and rebuilt.  1st thing will be a skim and exhaust port welding, I need to open up the bottom end to check all the crank bearings etc, also I need to know if it has the 9mm or 13mm rods and where the thrust bearing is (middle/rear) - 13mm and rear thrust is what I hope for!

Cheers.

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If I may be permitted to hijack your thread for a moment as it seems a good place to reach a target audience, bloke who owns a lock-up in the same block as mine has his daughter's AX Dimension in his and she has been persuaded that she needs to sell it so he gets his garage back.

It is P reg (1996) 56k approx miles in slightly dark red, MOT till Novemberish. She is the second owner from new. It is in mid Kent. No, I forgot to take a photo. What's it worth? I have no idea how much she wants but please don't embarrass me with stupid offers.

If anyone is interested PM me and I will contact the chap so we can proceed.

Feel free to move this if there is a better place for it.

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