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Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	think we need to start a sweepstake- but I dont think anyone would be foolish enough to think it will fail! Good luck! ----------------------
Tue 27 Jul 2010 @ 23:39
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	Day 18 More paint, exhaust mountings & a seriously abused garden sprayer Up at first sparrowfart to ~~paint~~ slobber a couple of coats of ordinary white gloss on the rear floor and wheel houses - This is more to make sure the edges and joins are sealed up & also used up a part tin of gloss I'd found in a dark corner & wasn't fit for tidy work - what comes off before fitting out the back of the van is finished will be easy enough to patch in afterwards. Between coats of paint the exhaust had some attention - The welding is what the van must have passed the MoT test with & there are no leaks to see but the rubber mountings were past it - Once of the floor stiffener braces has been butchered to clear the front bend of the Carlton rear silencer assembly that's been fitted - There were some LDV rubbers in the shed so they got used for now with some cable ties to pinch them onto the mounting rods to hold things in place - This photo was taken after I'd started seriously abusing this - It seemed a good idea to get some used engine oil on the underbody & into cavities while the van was on stands for working on the exhaust. The oil was too thick for the pressure sprayer to do more than jet the oil into cavities & over the underfloor surfaces but at least it did the job from a distance and out of range of drips and splashes, well most of them - overalls & every stitch I had on went into the washing machine on my way to the shower. A messy business, 10 litre all told with maybe a litre or so that dripped off - - but it will slow down corrosion where I can't get at it & the also it should loosen up failed underseal that hasn't already flaked off so that all the loose stuff can be blasted off when it's time to give the underbody a thorough clean and tidy up. Yet again gremlins struck when it was time to be packing up for the day: with running the engine long enough to warm up thoroughly while tinkering with the exhaust, the temperature gauge crept up to hover in the red & then the starter motor began to stall when starting the engine while it was hot. Turns out that the engine does overheat when left idling, maybe because there's very little air being drawn through the radiator (missing fan cowl): the temperature drops when the engine runs fast enough for the fan to work a bit better. I'll have to see what happens when the van is taxed & I can drive it - radiator core could be choked as well... The starter motor stalling was the ignition timing too far advanced, in fact so far advanced that I couldn't see the timing ball in the flywheel at first. Much cussing until I realised this because it's awkward enough on the Opel engine with having to hold a mirror and timing light so close to the exhaust while leaning into the van from the driver's side. More cussing too with having to adjust the distributor position then check the timing several times before it was right. Starter doesn't stall now and a misfire that appeared when the engine warms up has cleared too. And I shouldn't have to mess with the ignition timing again unless the Hall trigger packs in. ----------------------
Wed 28 Jul 2010 @ 22:06
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	Interesting use of used engine oil - what a great idea. Does it last as long as the waxoyl stuff and are there any areas that shouldn't be sprayed on the underside with the oil? Will you be making Pickering now Phil - mattress in the back? ----------------------
Thu 29 Jul 2010 @ 08:23
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	Old engine oil doesn't last very long in terms of corrosion prevention because eventually it will wash off in areas subjected to much spray. It's best to avoid soaking rubber bushes & brake hoses from being soaked in oil & also shield the exhaust hot spots so that it won't smoke on the outside when it warms up. Dunno about Pickering: today is pay day but already most of the month's spare cash has gone on bits for the van that I know need replacing ASAP like crunchy radiator hoses that probably will split when the leaky water pump is replaced and there's a couple of tyres I don't like the look of. ----------------------
Thu 29 Jul 2010 @ 09:40
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	woo under side is in good shap u picked up a good one where. what r u doing with the inside
Thu 29 Jul 2010 @ 17:42
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	The inside is being fitted out as a rather large toolbox made out of mostly 9mm ply and 10x20mm softwood; there's a lot to do make the van a lot more secure before that happens though. ----------------------
Sat 31 Jul 2010 @ 01:18
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	Got a solution: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRNVxHPJ0hM ----------------------
Sat 31 Jul 2010 @ 08:22
bluebedouin Global Moderator Posts : 2444 Location : Northampton,England. Status : Offline	D'you know,I was seriously toying with a less powerful but similar "deterrent" in the shape of an electric fencer.Wasn't sure what effect it would have on the van electrics/electronics.:o ----------------------
Sat 31 Jul 2010 @ 20:55
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	Days 19, 20 Water pump & cooling system hoses; first trip out - problems Water pump has been dribbling since I got the van - and the radiator & heater hoses were crunchy when squeezed so the lot has been replaced along with the radiator cap that failed a pressure test and hose clips that were past it - Crankshaft pulley has to be removed in order to get at the bottom 2 water pumps securing bolts - Photo taking while pressure testing the system but the blue drips are splashes from filling too quickly... Engine oil drip from the crankshaft front seal will have to wait while I find another pulley: pulley boss has corroded into the seal land area well past polishing up. Thermostat checked out ok, opening at about 87C, so all that was needed was a new seal - Sharp bends of heater hoses (3 altogether) changed to suit how 15mm copper tube could be bent - There's room enough to get away with this - Engine oil & filter were changed at the same time. When the sump plug was removed no oil came out though: there's a layer of sediment in the bottom of the sump that had to be poked through first. Another item on the To Do Later list. A quick scoot round with a jack to check brakes & stuff, throw about half a ton of kit in the back then off to Elland for a family do, to arrive about 9pm for 5pm start with having to get out & get under on the way. Oh the joys of a CF... First problem was the clutch slipping, something I'd not noticed in the few miles I'd already done in the van running empty. It took about 12mm of adjustment of the pivot bolt to get free play at the clutch fork but the clutch is biting as it should now. Other problems - Shuddering on the back end above about 50mph; swapping the rear wheels over made a difference - left side wobbles first now, not the right side, so I'm hoping lack of balance weights is all that's wrong. Steering lock jammed so that the key couldn't be turned either way but it freed enough to get going again, to jam even more solidly when I landed in Elland meaning that I couldn't get the key out to get into the back of the van for any tools. Borrowed a screwdriver to get at the steering lock & managed to remove the switch, to find that it's the guilty party: lock itself is fine. Engine overheating. The toil up the M62 entailed having the cab heater on full blast and being thankful that there wasn't much traffic to hold up with having to drop down to under 40mph at one point. Return trip wasn't so bad with air being a bit cooler in the wee small hours but it sure got hot in the cab even with the window open. Engine lacks power in 4th & 5th gears; it's fine in 2nd & 3rd & will get to an indicated 55mph in 3rd quickly enough. This could be related to overheating but it feels more like fuel starvation & on the trip back home it struggled up the long climb out of Norden in 3rd from having a little rest & cool down in Rochdale. Speedometer reads too high, about 35mph for 30mph going off a speed indicator sign that spotted in time to pass at 30mph. That's about the difference between rolling radius of about 12" for 185x14 tyres that are on now and about 14" for 195x14 tyres that the van is getting as soon as I can manage it (I think that the van wold have left the factory with 195x14 tyres anyway). Headlamps flicking off when moving the switch for indicators & the speedo & gauges illumination was very dim. A dose of WD40 got the switch to turn again in Elland but it jammed again when I got back home so next morning it had a serious talking to. As found: 5-pin harness connector missing, replaced by blue crimp connectors, accessories supply (white+blue) taped back. - Before popping open the switch to see whether the detent ball would respond to a dose of Vaseline I had a rummage in my wiring stuff, to find a spare switch together with a harness connector with enough cable length to work with - Switch fitted, excess cable poked underneath dash - Speedo illumination sorted: fit 4Watt bulbs - Gauges needed new miniature capless bulbs: old ones were rather black inside. Cleaning the contacts in the stalk switch has stopped the headlamps from flickering. Cooling problem - The viscous coupling doesn't engage when hot; the bimetal coil expands & turns the central shaft when heated with a hot air gun but the fan free-wheels all the time. Despite the coolant boiling at one point (top of the long climb on the Edenfield road out of Norden - could hear the coolant 'bumping' when I pulled over with the gauge on the wrong side of red) there's been no loss of coolant & the radiator doesn't have any 'cool' spots indicating blockages. (Trick here is to spray water over all the core when it's hot & watch it dry: blocked tubes show up as staying damp after the rest of the radiator has dried out.) Vauxhallgreenparts for a new coupling (ouch - £66 - but I'm fairly sure that the last GM coupling I bought ~1989 was just under £100); another problem arises though because it will need a fan cowl to work properly & the one for the Opel engine is nothing like the one for a slant engine that I've got somewhere - large offset of fan position to left side from centre. I've got a sheet of 0.5mm steel in the shed... ----------------------
Mon 02 Aug 2010 @ 00:55
bluebedouin Global Moderator Posts : 2444 Location : Northampton,England. Status : Offline	Will the cowl from my Opel diesel fit?It's laying around in one of my garages somewhere. ----------------------
Mon 02 Aug 2010 @ 01:10
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	Dunno; on mine the left side of the fan periphery is close to the side of the radiator & the fan seems a lot smaller than the diesel one. I'm going to see what shapes up using cardboard & gaffer tape; something simple like the early steel cowl shouldn't be too hard to bash & weld together out of thin tin. ----------------------
Mon 02 Aug 2010 @ 01:18
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	Would it have been possible to do away with the viscous coupling? I have had two go on my Dolomite sprint. The last time the blades came off and went through the newly fitted radiator and I decided I'd had enough of it. The car now hibernates! ----------------------
Mon 02 Aug 2010 @ 01:42
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	If I hadn't found a new coupling then electric fan probably would have been on the cards rather than a second-hand coupling - usually they last a long while from new but 25+ years old and used already is pushing things a bit. ----------------------
Mon 02 Aug 2010 @ 01:52
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	Gosh Phil - a few probs here and there then. I hope you get them all sorted asap - at least you know what's what! Good luck ----------------------
Mon 02 Aug 2010 @ 08:26
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	loving the blog. has inspired me to do one when my van is down south where i can play with it! ----------------------
Mon 02 Aug 2010 @ 23:20
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	Day 21 Carburettor Took the carburettor off the engine for a complete strip down; float chamber had a fine selection of forrin bodies in it including a small piece of plastic that couldn't possibly have got past the screen filter in the inlet. The carburettor just needed a thorough clean inside & out - there's no wear to speak of, indeed surprisingly little in the throttle spindle and the float needle valve hasn't got a wear ridge. Refit - The grey gaskets are fairly thick heat-resistant ones from a part head set that came with the van; the old gaskets were so hard that they snapped when bent. Carburettor gasket is a used one, the only one I had spare but it's still supple; it got a thin smear of grease on each face to be sure that it will seal. Carburettor on & connected up - Engine ventilation vacuum hose was clear but the bleed spigot in the inlet manifold where the hose is connected was blocked, requiring drilling out - Engine performance now much improved, almost spot on. There's a little roughness at lower rpm, e.g. when accelerating from about 30mph in 4th gear, but this feels more like the engine needing a good long trip to blow out the cobwebs than anything needing fixing now. The engine takes a while longer to start overheating too with needing less pedal to the metal to get anywhere. ----------------------
Mon 02 Aug 2010 @ 23:58
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	Day 22 - a little problem... A broken valve spring - As luck would have it I wasn't far from home when the spring broke so I managed to get the van back after removing the rocker cover, taking out all the bits I could see & then wrapping a rubber band around the valve stem to keep it from dropping too far into the engine. ----------------------
Tue 03 Aug 2010 @ 13:21
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	The damage Number 3 exhaust valve minus its spring & rocker arm - The piece of fuel hose did a better job of holding the valve up after the rubber band disintegrated a few hundred yards from home. One of the gasket sets that came with the van is a complete head set so it wasn't too hard to decide on removing the head rather than attempt to fit another valve spring in situ if the collets could have been retrieved. A very good reason for doing so - Maybe the crankshaft front seal isn't leaking after all. Number 3 piston crown a bit dented - Cylinder head - Spring seat & cam follower removed before upturning the head, when the collets fell out. All the head bolts are hexagon socket head type, not 12-point spline. The 3 middle shorter bolts that wouldn't clear the camshaft because I'd timed up the engine on cylinder 1 instead of cylinder 4 had to stay in the head until it was off. Find out tomorrow whether I can get valve springs locally but it's going to be next pay day before I'll be able to afford a set. There's plenty to do meanwhile though... ----------------------
Tue 03 Aug 2010 @ 23:32
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	All look like a new photo-story must take place in your life, with name ... How to clean the engine correctly. :-) (joke) Good luck, Phil. Old engines like the cleaning process so much. ----------------------
Wed 04 Aug 2010 @ 06:14
Anon Deleted Posts : Location : Status : Offline	Hi Phil, are the valve springs the same as for the slant head? If so I might be able to help ----------------------
Wed 04 Aug 2010 @ 15:37
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