Greeks

Not many reasons for me to pop up here these days, sorry it’s because I heard this awful news.

I also first met Paul on the 2003 10CR reconnaissance. What a legend. Andy and Paul were an amazing sight, and amongst my favourite images of that epic weekend is of the big flight jacket and Paul fast asleep in a yellow TR, fairly bulging over the side screen!

I came on here expecting to see a photo of that. He’ll be tickled pink that instead there’s several photos of him sleeping in Triumphs!

What a generous sod he was. I remember 13 years ago he let me know he was coming out to Melbourne. We’ll, I’ll let him explain:

“Eyup Greeksy, Paul Darbyshire here (AKA Burnerboy). Seeing as though you haven't been able to come and play out with us for a while I thought I might come and see you 🙂 I am travelling to Aus in the first week in Feb and visting a client in Melbourne (ACI Glass).

Is there anything I can bring down with me (Triumph related) that you need? I am quite prepared to carry heavy things just so long as I am not liable to get pulled at customs (don't you freeze when you hear the sound of Marigolds being snapped on?)”

Next thing he’s only agreed to bring a set of Witor’s finest out! Belgian beers ensued.

Then a couple of years later we caught up in Brisbane too. It’s been a decade or so now, but I’ve very fond memories.

Rest in peace.

(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)(clap)

Quoted from josh18

Hi Alec. It took me a while to work out what that was for but when I did, I thought- Genius!

Quoted from Nick Jones

Yes, gas strut on both sides would be a nice solution.

Nick

maybe... i was wondering if a gas strut might be worth a go.

Cheers Nick. I wondered if it was an issue with the notoriously poor quality steel in the later models.

Is this normal.

Is there a normal fix 🙂

No problems clashing with mine - I think the bulkhead hole had to be enlarged slightly when the first one was fitted, but I didn't do that so don't know the details - you certainly can't tell from looking.

I use tralier brake master cylinders. Cheap as chips and when they die just put a new one in. They don't really look much different either.

This kind of thing http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/lik.....;lpid=107&chn=ps

I agree with John.

... See if you can make it to Strasbourg

Yep, i've heard of quill shaft flames in Australia.

Not sure what year yours is, but a common mod here is to weld a couple of supports for the late Mk2 like this - apparently the holes in the centrepiece mounting elongate over years and the shaft bearing takes the strain:

Diff nose 1 by Graham Reeks, on Flickr

No... But I was told there are a gazillion spot welds to drill.

This is a nifty little resource with diff ratios listed for all sorts of cars:

http://www.difflappingqld.com.au/uploads/web/gear-diff-ratios.pdf

Bloody oath! That WAS reliable... and noisy, and slow, and had crap a/c and  

The others weren't really very good, either.

We're not prepared to spend any more time and money now, so someone else can have it cheap.

... well eventually a compression test was performed. The diesel specialist was conviced this wouldn't be the issue as the engine only had 100,000 miles on it.

One of the cylinders took 10 seconds to just about get to 100psi 🙁

We are most certainly not amused.

Thanks gents ... I guess I won't worry that mine has always taken a fair bit of cranking to start, but not be smug about it either.

Quoted from piman

Hello Bruce,

yes it should, if all else is good.

Reliant Scimitars have the same problem, needing a lot of cranking to start if left for a while, many owners just fit an electric pump with a switch just to prime the carburettor, leaving the mechanical pump as a main.

Alec

Quoted from Nick Jones

Poo.....

Nick

... well fuel filters are cheap, but it didn't solve the problem   Back to the drawing board.

Great. Well it's cheap enough to try the filter so I'll be onto that!

About 20 bhp less than the least powerful variant  

Quoted from Nick Jones

So you did everything right and it's still poked you in the eye...... how irritating.  If they've still got access it does seem wise to do the others while they are there as most of the labour is in the access and the plugs themselves are cheap.  

As for the diesel starting issues, most of my own experiences are with much older technology.  My A6 has had starting issues on and off for years.  It's not that it doesn't start, it's just that under some conditions it has to be wound over many times before firing and then puffs a great grey-white smoke cloud.

- Proper low temperatures (< 6ºC) it's always started first turn as the glow plugs kick in.  (unless the glow plugs are knacked)
- Hot start, always instant.
- >6º but < 20ºC was difficult for years.  
I cured various airleaks in the suction side of the system and leak back pipes. Helped a bit.... maybe. Unlikely to be applicable to yours.
Adjusted injection timing.  Advancing the static injection timing does help these, but unlikely to be possible with yours.
Frigged the glowplug system to come in earlier.  Does help alot, but I found it hard to come up with a frig that worked over the whole temperature range needed but didn't result in dead glowplugs every three months, so I unfrigged it again.

The "cure" (so far) was found by accident.  Another little issue that has dogged the car for about 8 years was slow cranking speeds.  The battery died and I thought that would resolve it.  It didn't.  Cleaned up all the various connections in the high current wiring (there alot as the battery lives under the back seat).  No win.  Contemplated changing the starter, but it's very expensive and ridiculously difficult to access, so as the thing did always start in the end I decided to ignore it.  Fast forward about 6 years to last autumn and I had a couple of no starts.  First one I was pointing down hill and gravity started it.  Second one I had to blag a jump, at which point I noticed that it turned over much faster than usual and fired right up.  Bought another new battery, a Bosch one with the highest CCA I could find that would fit in the hole.  It now spins over about double the speed and starts more or less instantly, whatever.  The problem was a crap battery all along.

Moral - good cranking speed starts diesels better.  May be relevant, maybe not.

Going back to your common rail diesel, when it comes to cold start, the fuel pressure question is not whether it gets to the correct pressure when running (which it clearly does), but how fast it gets to the necessary minimum pressure when cranking.  That is where the condition of the fuel filter comes in and also the lift pump.

Best of luck.......  I can do you a great deal on an Audi A8.  It's a shed but it starts 🙂

Nick

Quoted from andy thompson

Easy once you take the head off........ got that T shirt

Quoted from mikeyb

re the other plugs, I'd agree with Nick - they may look good on the outside but will be going on the inside - you don't want to have that manifold twice!  Dont forget the small one on the back of the head.

See my blog for experience!  (Edit - I see youalready had!)

http://triumphandadversity.blogspot.co.uk/#!/2013/04/core-issues-again.html