glang
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Everything posted by glang
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yes it dumps into the bottle but of course produces a load of steam. I do have a tendency to overfill the rad which proabably doesnt help cos the air space would help absorb the small change in volume of the coolant due to the higher temperature reached..........
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yes Ive got a 13lb cap to go on just to make sure but even so the temperature gauge goes pretty high.......
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Is that a SPAL fan Nick? If you have the budget theres now some very powerful and slim electric fans out there as magnets and blade design have improved a lot recently. I do believe that fitting one these would be sufficient to keep a Vitesse cool under almost all conditions however they draw upto 24amps! Im looking for a cheaper alternative but as Tony says above maybe I need to look again at the rest of the cooling system as mine sometimes boils over just after Ive turned the engine off......
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Hi, I did have the original mechanical fan and found that in hot weather it couldnt keep the rad cool at tickover so went the electrical route. As I say electrical fans seem to vary enormously including the lower power and old model kenlowes (like the one in your pic) as compared to a top end 190quid models. I suppose its the efficiency of the blade design and motor kw rating you're paying for but do think that whatever you fit it doesnt block much airflow when driving along cos I never suffer then with high temps. You only have to look at a modern car to see how they do it nowadays.........
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Thanks guys. I think the rad is ok as when moving there's no temperature problem it just when stopping so my thinking is that a right good blast of air would control it at least for a while. I reckon a modern fan from maybe a Mondeo or Laguna might do depending on its thickness and I reckon anything will be more powerful than the chinese junk.......
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I'm still fighting with keeping my Vit cool in Spanish traffic jams and have given up on the cheapy ebay Chinese electric fans. They just arent powerful enough with 80 - 120w so I want one with 250+ but am much too tight to pay out for a Kenlowe or similar. Obviously the space available between the engine and rad is very limited but I wondered if anyone has found a suitable secondhand powerful electric fan from another car? If so could you let me know what car its from, its size and wattage, cheers.
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It certainly seems strange that the friction plate has worn so quickly but I cant think of any other simple explanation so maybe there was a problem with the pressure plate (dont know how many miles that has done) which has finished it off early.... However as it sounds like you're going to renovate the hydraulics anyway I would do that first and see if there's any improvment before rushing in to change the clutch itself.
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Its almost certainly wear on the friction plate but is it something thats got worse over a long time, short time or is the car new to you?
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Bearing in mind (no pun intended) that our cars are now unlikely to cover huge distances, be driven hard or suffer from lack of maintenance I wouldnt worry too much about the quality of one make or another. Of course some people maybe racing their cars or driving round the world but mines running fine on the cjheapest spares I can find.....
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What I meant was that if youve got a modern really good handling car then its tyres become a really important factor to drive at the limit whereas if youve got a Vitesse where the back wheels can tuck under very very easily (and Ive done it) the quality of the tyre is much less important. After all its ONLY the driver that keeps you on the road......
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I use this site for some very good fitted prices: http://www.tyre-shopper.co.uk/ Ive fitted 165/80/13 which drop cruising revs nicely but of course give a speedo error. I also buy the cheapest I can find as I dont drive in the wet much and my vitesse is so poor handling that good tyres are a waste!
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Ive use the same filter as John and it works fine but if space permits get it installed as vertical as possible so as to ensure it stays filled with oil with the motor stopped.....
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I just upgraded my original oil pump with a James Paddock unit at 40quid + VAT and am very pleased with the result as the pressure is much better. Physically the new pump was beefier than the old one however I did change the main bearings at the same time which of course could also have an effect.....
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Hello Dave. You should have a small plunger on the left hand side of each carb body which is for checking mixture adjustment. It takes a bit of getting used to but with the engine up to temp and running you lift one plunger and listen for any immediate rev change. Pick up - too rich, dying - too weak. Basically there should be no change but in my experience if you hold the plunger up for more than a few seconds the engine will falter regardless so the true indication is what happens initially. Hope that helps, Graham
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Yeh the optical system is still available but way outside my budget..........
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Ive got one of those cheapy systems off ebay on my vitesse and its been fine although I havent done that many miles with it and I do keep the points in the boot just in case. If I wanted to splash more cash Id go for the lumenition set up from James Paddock as I like the large diameter of its magnetic triggers as it should mean improved spark timing accuracy....
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Thanks for your help Steve. Thats 22kg with front mounting plate and all flanges? Quite a lump and gonna cost a bit to courier........
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Hi all, I've looked through the recent parts weight list but can't see how much my vitesse diff unit weighs. Anyone got a reliable figure for one (I'm not worried what ratio)? Thanks
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Yeh I know its not ideal but as much as I love my Vitesse I want a whine free box with modern smooth gear change that will allow me to cruise at motorway speeds without the need for a complicated electro-hydraulic lump on the end of it
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I see that Daihatsu Hijet/Piaggio Porter vans have a loverly compact 5 speed rear wheel drive gearbox. I know the ratios probably arent ideal and its not designed for so much torque but I would love to have that extra gear - anyone fitted one or even considered it?
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Thanks for the suggestions guys but it looks like there's no easy magic solution! I'll probably have to stick with a bodge that I saw in an old Alfa Romeo: it had a tick over adjustment lever on the dash (separate from the choke) that allowed the driver to pick up the revs a little if it started to struggle. I'm not going to install this in the Vit but have set up the choke so that by pulling out the knob just a little the throttle is opened without changing the choke position.......
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Thanks interesting idea Don. I've got the standard filter with the hoses fitted to take air from alongside the rad but maybe I need to investigate more to pin down exactly where the problem is.....
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My problem is when the car is stationary as the fueling is fine when moving. I stop and whether I have the original mechanical fan or an electric one the idle drops very low and if allowed to stall the engine is quite difficult to get restarted. When u think about it on stopping the heat off the exhaust must be considerable and it has no easy escape route which is why I was wondering if anyones has tried the various mods I mentioned....
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sorry u must have a special one as that didnt work on mine which with its recored rad runs at a good temperature. Have u removed the valences or done any other mods?
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Hiya, has anyone found a real solution for fuel vaporisation in Vitesse carbs? I'm thinking heat shields, bonnet vents, exhaust manifold tape etc. Mine's going to live in southern Spain for a while and I would love to find something to help the old girl.....