Gordonjcp-adm wrote:
Aren't we all "happy amateurs" at something? I'm only just learning how to fix cars, but given that I've been only just learning about it for nearly 40 years there are a few things I'm not too bad at... ;-)
I started learning how to rebuild engines at the age of 11 but experience of decoking a 600cc, flat twin, sidevalve, aircooled engine doesn't help me a lot with a P38. There's still things I will steer clear of, as I demonstrated a few weeks ago, I can pull the heads and replace the gaskets in a day but the deepest I will go into an auto gearbox is to change the filter. As far as I am concerned, auto gearboxes operate by fairy dust and magic.
I take it he's a mechanic then so considers himself a professional? Might be worth pointing out to him that the dictionary definition of a professional is someone that does something for money not that he does it properly, just that he gets paid for bodging someone else's car rather than doing it for free......
A poor LPG install causing the engine to run lean will burn the valve seats but it is well known that the grade of steel used by Ford is softer than that used by some other manufacturers (although nothing like as soft as that used by the Japs). As you say, to a large extent it will depend on the system fitted, how well, how well calibrated and how the car is driven.
JMCLuimni wrote:
Shame the site allows him to moderate it into what is is becoming.....
He's been demoted from Admin to Moderator and hardly appears on there these days, I haven't seen a post from him in months. I was made a Moderator as the existing ones didn't seem to be doing anything (and I've never edited a post or banned anyone for having a sense of humour although I've tried posting stuff that would have got me a ban from him in the past and nobody has said anything). The biggest problem with rr.net these days is most of the knowledgeable have left in disgust and it's now mostly new members asking the same old questions that have been asked and answered many times. Very few seem to work on their cars and are always asking how to fix the problems that have been introduced when their 'mechanic' did a completely unrelated job.
Seems we are the accepted place for refugees from LZ as well as RR.net now. All are welcome and nobody gives any grief here, we're all too busy nailing our motors back together.....
When you come to trimming, remember to wrap the material around at the front and on either side at the rear between the C and D pillars rather than cut to the edge of the board. These are the two areas where the rubber trims don't cover the edges.
Not really work, more a hobby that can sometimes earn me a bit of pocket money. It depends on the trailer I'm towing as I hire them as and when needed so don't always get the same type. I've got the factory swan neck towbar so can't alter the height so I'll look at how it sits when loaded and decide whether standard or motorway is the right height to keep it level. Brian James trailers tend to sit slightly lower than Ifor Williams ones so I lock it in Motorway and I always do if it's a single axle one or an empty twin axle. Remember there's no lower speed limit when towing on the Continent so I can cruise at 75 ish and keeping it lower makes it more stable.
Got the noseweight loading the wrong way round above, too much and you'll hit resonance, too little, so it is tail heavy and it'll snake. On more than one occasion, I've stopped after the first downhill and moved a car further forward on a trailer as it started to snake and needed more weight on the front.
Every winter, as soon as the temperature gets down to about 3 degrees C, or the weather man says it's going to get down that low, they chuck tonnes of rock salt all over the roads. Countries that get far colder than the UK don't, people just fit winter tyres and learn how to drive properly.
But at least the BMW lump has hard valve seats so doesn't need a lube system fitting. A mate runs a Jag XJR and a 4.4 Disco 4, both on LPG.
I tow all sorts of things, usually near or even over the 3.5 tonnes limit. I've found that the weight doesn't make a lot of difference to fuel consumption, it's the aerodynamics, or lack of, that make most difference. I towed an Audi A2 on a small car trailer to Latvia and the fuel consumption, and cruising speed, were hardly any different to running solo (although it did take slightly longer to get up to cruising speed), but towing an empty 6 foot tall box trailer made a hell of a difference. The most important thing is getting the weight distribution right, too little nose weight and you'll hit resonance at around 55-60 mph and it'll start to shudder, too much and the tail can start to try to wag the dog and it'll start snaking at around the same speed, especially when going downhill.
RTFM, 80 ft/lb or 108 Nm if you want it in foreign.
I quite like the noise the TD5 engine makes but when has anyone every revved a diesel engine and stood there with a big silly grin on their face from the noise it makes? Even the Le Mans wining Audi diesels don't sound nice compared with everything else. Problem with an oil burning L322 is that it also comes with the GM gearbox which, if you are lucky, is good for about 80,000 miles
The ones he's got are the NGK PFR6N-11 Platinum plugs which are the recommended ones for a Thor (rather than the BPR6ES copper core for GEMS). My point is that after 10 miles I would expect them to still look like they did when put in and not covered in soot.
Now you've done one side, the second one shouldn't take more than an hour at most. It's like everything, takes ages to do the first time and once you've done it, it's dead easy second time round. I've got heater core O rings down to under an hour start to finish now......
Avoid the orange seals and fit them dry, no lubricant of any sort.
Not been in there any further than the blower recently but I would expect it to be much the same as a LH one on a RHD car. In which case if you open the glovebox and undo the 5 screws around the edge, the whole lot drops down (and you don't have to spend hours adjusting the glovebox lid to get it to close properly again). At least then you should be able to see it and work out for yourself how easy or otherwise it is to get to. It might be much like the blend motors where you can get to them with the dash in place, it's just a bit fiddly.
Welcome, although you've just got rid of the reason for this forum existing as we are mostly (if not all) P38 owners on here. However, we're always interested in learning about the later ones...... What is it, a proper one or one of these oil burners?
Just make sure you get a round in and nobody will tell you to do anything, except maybe get another one in.
These are 4 that I took out of my car a few days ago and they've done 10,000 miles......
Yet you've got that much build up in 10 miles? I would expect them to come out looking much the same as when they went in after such a short time. Have you done a compression check? Any blue smoke?
Pull it out not push it in. When the pipe is in place and there is pressure behind it, the collet lifts up to grip the pipe. With no pressure it just falls inside the hole and stays there.