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Post by Penguin45 on Dec 31, 2023 18:20:48 GMT
Further to Andrew's comment, I did have the same issue for a while, which turned out to be one of the large connectors on the starter solenoid. I replaced the connectors and cable in a "belt and braces" repair. See the FIRE! thread for info on how to proceed. Chris.
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Fire?
Dec 28, 2023 22:47:49 GMT
Post by Penguin45 on Dec 28, 2023 22:47:49 GMT
Apologies to David, I have been meaning to add some thoughts to this for a little while. Sometimes time is the enemy. Further to what David wrote, consider that 2024 sees the 50th anniversary of the end of ADO17 production. All wiring looms are between 50 and 60 years old. This can't be a good thing! In this passage of time wiring and connectors have become brittle, terminals lose the ability to grip as intended, terminals and connectors become oxidised, earth points rust and copper wiring develops verdigris. This is the bluey green deposits you find on and in wiring and causes high resistance. Resistance equals heat.... Not to mention the bodgery committed by previous owners. Maintenance.I will confess that I have a slightly unfair advantage compared to many. Thirty years repairing domestic appliances means that most wiring issues are second nature to me, but I appreciate that many people feel that it is a black art. However, without going technical, there is a great deal of basic maintenance which can be performed at a "mechanical" level. An afternoon spent cleaning can transform the performance of your electrics with no risk whatsoever. Arm yourself with some abrasive paper, contact cleaner, small wire brush and, ideally, a fibreglass cleaning pencil. All available from Halfords and not expensive. Contact cleaner by Penguin 45, on Flickr Fibreglass cleaning pen by Penguin 45, on Flickr Additionally you may want some surface cleaner and rags for ordinary cleaning purposes. Working on clean stuff is just so much nicer. The biggest collection of (and most vulnerable) electrics is in the engine bay, so I'd start there. DISCONNECT THE BATTERY. That's a safety instruction, and also a good place to start. Get the battery pillars clean and the clamp-on connectors. Use plenty of contact cleaner. Follow the earth cable to the wing. The mounting point to the bodywork is always rusty! Dodgy earth by Penguin 45, on Flickr It will look lke that. Get it cleaned off, and get the terminals and fixing screw shiny. When re-assembling, a light smear of vaseline will help protect the surfaces. That simple process may already have added a volt or two. From there, just carry on. One wire at a time to avoid any confusion. It's a slow and steady process, but strangely therapeutic. A loose terminal may be gently nipped with pliers and regain its grip. Don't forget the starter motor and engine earth strap. If you have braided earth straps consider replacement if they look particularly grotty or frayed. Refit battery connectors (again, a smear of vaseline for protection) and see if your headlamps have got brighter and the starter spins faster. Repairs.Of course, it won't be quite that easy. Most likely you'll find connectors which have lost their spring and won't grip. The quick and easy solution is to use the red, blue or yellow plastic crimp-on connectors. There are problems using these, principally that they have poor anti-vibration capabilities. They are also sensitive to wiring size. Stick a skinny wire in a blue connector and odds on it will fall off in short order. It is also worth considering that they weren't commonly seen until the '80s, so if originality is important to you, they'll stick out like a sore thumb. I have used VEHICLE WIRING PRODUCTS for many years for the correct crimp-on connectors. They also do a variety of crimping tools, from budget to professional quality. If you are stuck with the plastic sleeved connectors I would suggest that you pull the sleeve off and solder the connection. Length can be an issue. Trimming back and baring a wire for a new connector may leave it too short, so splicing can become necessary. Again, soldering is the strongest option, with a heat shrink sleeve. Don't use tape, as it dries out and falls off. Again, heat shrink is easily available these days. Try to match the original colours, as it will make future fault finding far simpler. Finally, there is the verdigris issue. It can spread trough an entire length of wire, causing high resistance. Think of it as a pipe furring up, except that you can't get rid of it. You will need to replace the entire length of wire. Firstly, you will need to work out where the wire is going and cut wire accordingly. With the connectors in place you need to tape the wire into the loom to keep it all tidy. Upgrades.The best way to protect the wiring and old switches is to fit relays. Take the load off the switch and feed the chosen electrical item with new heavy wiring. Relay diagram by Penguin 45, on Flickr This shows a typical circuit. The top one has no relay, and the circuit is effectively a loop. Earth, battery, switch fuse, object, earth. The lower one shows a relay in the circuit. The switch activates the relay rather than the object. The load on the switch is unlikely to exceed a few milliamps; the power requirement is dealt with by the relay and lovely new heavy wiring. Rather than spurring directly off the battery, which would leave the circuit unswitched, spurring from the starter solenoid allows a switched circuit and lets you tidy the extra wiring into the loom. VOF707J by Penguin 45, on Flickr Headlamp relays on the inner wing of the Red Dog. Power is spurred up from the solenoid, the original lighting wires can be seen coming from the fuse box. The original colours are then sent to the headlamps from the power side of the relays. Anyway, a little bit of order and method will allow you to maintain and improve your wiring with little expense or danger. Chris.
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Post by Penguin45 on Dec 24, 2023 9:32:16 GMT
Best wishes to everyone for a happy Christmas and a joyful New Year.
Chris.
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Post by Penguin45 on Dec 21, 2023 19:02:43 GMT
Hello Colin.
Is it a clean cut out or is there sputtering or juddering? If it cuts out cleanly I'd be suspecting something electrical; otherwise perhaps to do with fuelling. Does it re-start easily afterwards?
There's a few things to try and work through!
Chris.
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Post by Penguin45 on Dec 20, 2023 18:34:43 GMT
Hello Rob,
Welcome aboard.
I get 32B 96 as the pump for the automatic engine, but no results to be found.
You have done the obvious and spoken to Tony Wood at LOCI?
Chris.
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Post by Penguin45 on Dec 13, 2023 18:00:03 GMT
Eyup. If you didn't have bad luck, you'd have no luck at all. "New" new alternator or a used one to fit? If it's new I'd think that you'd have some sort of warranty to pursue. Off the wall thought, it is one built to turn the correct way? It shouldn't really be an issue, but...
Just noticed comment above - I had a Moulton Minx bicycle as a kid. Madly under geared.
C.
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Post by Penguin45 on Dec 6, 2023 18:31:45 GMT
Hello Rhys,
I don't know of any members in the Colchester area except for the PO. A bit of sniffing about suggests that Lee Scott Classic Car Restorations have a decent reputation. Perhaps a phone call and a chat might be the way forward.
Chris.
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Post by Penguin45 on Dec 5, 2023 20:48:40 GMT
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Post by Penguin45 on Dec 4, 2023 12:47:00 GMT
Not one I recognise, MrC. Looks like it has been a Wolseley Register car at some point in its life. Perhaps an email to them might yield a bit of info?
The bill of sale from David Kingersley is an interesting little aside. A David Kingersley bought and runs Longbridge Motor Spares; a supplier of 1960s BMC parts.
C.
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Post by Penguin45 on Dec 2, 2023 11:17:18 GMT
Just to add regarding the rear arm pivots, the change from roller bearings to the Metalastik bushes took place between MkI and MkII cars. Yours will be this later type. Article on dropping the rear suspension assembly HERE. C.
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Post by Penguin45 on Dec 1, 2023 18:40:48 GMT
Hi Samuel,
I think first you need to work out what the actual problem is. To that end, what year is your car and where about are you?
Rattles. Some noise problems are surprisingly simple. Rattling handbrake rods spring to mind. Loose gaps, worn clevis pins and pivots can make unexpected amounts of noise. Missing rod return springs leave the whole mechanism with no tension. The whole lot can rattle like mad. Took me ages to figure out on one of my cars...
Knocks. More scope for trouble here. Simple one: missing rear bump stops will allow the limit arm on the top to hit the body or alloy carrier on full travel, so that would only happen over major bumps. Can be exacerbated by low ride height - check for 378mm between centre of front wheel up to the wheel arch. The trailing arm on MkI + most II cars pivots on taper roller bearings, which wear, dry out, corrode and develop Brinelling (clickiness). In extreme cases the wear would let the arm wiggle from side to side and affect the handling. The MkIII cars use Metalastick bushes rather than bearings. Noise isn't so much a issue, but in extreme cases the top of the rear wheel can bend inwards and scuff the inner wheel arch - a rubbing, scraping noise would ensue. The worst scenario I can envisage is body work failure, allowing the whole carrier to move. There are only four retaining bolts for the whole rear arm assembly, so this is potentially extremely dangerous. Both Nick (1800Heap) and I have had to do work in the mounting areas - there are pictures (somewhere) in our restoration threads.
As a starting point, perhaps ask if you could put the car up on a lift briefly one lunchtime to have a look. I can assure you that modern motor technicians will be unable to resist having a look as well, so the problem may well be quickly identified!
There are probably other possibilities, but that's all I can come up with at the moment. The actual Hydrolastics are very unlikely to be the culprit.
Chris.
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Post by Penguin45 on Nov 29, 2023 18:51:59 GMT
Hello Samuel, welcome along. COVERDALE CARPETS do carpet sets for the 'Crab. I have a set in my 18/85 and they've lasted well. Be certain to make clear which variant you have, as gear lever and handbrake position varies on the later models. Perhaps you could pop up some pics and give us a bit of information about your car when you have some time. Chris.
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Post by Penguin45 on Nov 28, 2023 13:46:44 GMT
DFD's last owner was a member on here. The thread is HERE. The kindest thing I can say is that they didn't help themselves very well. C.
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Post by Penguin45 on Nov 27, 2023 23:22:34 GMT
I can think of only one problem with your thinking. It's still pug ugly. C.
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Post by Penguin45 on Nov 27, 2023 23:17:30 GMT
Hello, welcome aboard.
Glad to see a young person showing an interest in these fine old beasts. Yes, it was an interesting, nay, sophisticated car back in the day, with the most amazing magic carpet ride. Knocks the spots of Series Land Rovers by miles.
Prices have risen significantly over the last few years with most nice examples now topping £4k and upwards. £2.5k will get you a decent example, but it will require work to some degree. There are a couple of cheapies on eBay at the moment. Do not buy the black one in Colchester... We know about that one... The green one in Colchester is a far better bet and was the property of David on here many years ago. It deserves to go to someone who will try and take care of it.
Rust is the enemy. They can (and will) rot just about anywhere, so vigilance is required. My own red one is like painting the Forth rail bridge. After ten years, I'm into my third tranche of structural repairs. Have a good look round the site. The restoration stories are very revealing and there's even a photo section entitled Rust which is not for the faint hearted. Part of the problem is that the cars are immensely strong, so problems can get left too long. Panel availability is also becoming an issue, with one rather eccentric gent holding a barn full of ex-MoD spares. He will not deliver and he will not ship. Collection is the only option.
That said, the rest of the car is simple, even the much maligned Hydrolastic suspension system. It's all pretty standard Sixties BMC stuff with regard to electrics, hydraulics and engines so there are no great mysteries on that front.
I hope you choose to join us. They're a great car. A bit unusual, a bit rare, highly distinctive and a great drive.
Chris.
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