so you don't have to....
Picture the situation.
Yesterday evening, I decided that instead of lying on my back on dirty concrete I would would Use the car lift at work to take the sump off yet again.
All went well........ to begin with..... as follows.
1: Drive car onto lift, no problems.
2: Raise car.
3: Have a good look underneath the engine and begin to plan.
4: Drop Car.
5: Open passenger door and retrieve bucket to drain oil
6: Drain oil.
7: Raise Vehicle, wonder why the lift starts making very strange noises about 1 third of the way up.
....
....
....
....
8: Realise through your assistants pigeon English that all is not well.......
....
....
....
....
"What happened next".... Please comment.
Before you guess, I will give you one more important piece of information. Someone had wired a pipe accross the top of two of the posts on the lift to hang parts for painting over.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
Landrover Oil Pump Change
Ok, so it's been a while, finally My 1963 LWB Safari is back on the road, but only just...
I intend to indulge you in a "multi-post" history of the Landrover from when I first set eyes on all of it's bits scattered around an old barn in a farm shed in Cumbria to where it is today, unfinished but on the road. I But that's for later. Today, I am pleased to say, I have been able to drive it to and from work with the oil pressure light out (well most of the time anyhow).
So how did I do it.?
I started having oil pressure problems about 2 months ago. Suspecting the pressure relief spring valve, I decided to begin with a look at the oil pump. So for the first time, sump off and oil pump off. Found that the pickup was loose, set about fixing this and checked the spring relief valve, which appeared OK.
Problem not solved. Changed the oil Filter. Still no good. Took the sump off for the 2nd time and change the spring in the pressure relief valve. Still not fixed. Did change a few other gaskets (Deisel pump and sump) at the same time, which will hopefully mean lower oil usage.
Gave up with cheap bits and decided to change the oil Pump.
On Tuesday evening I halled myself out of my sick bed to conduct procedure as below.
1: Drain Sump into very clean container (as oil will be reused). Be very careful not drop sump plug in oil.
2: When the sump is drained, re-insert sump plug to stop dripping. Drop Sump plug in oil.
3: Undo the 24 Bolts that hold the sump in place.
4: Remebering that it is heavy and if it has not been taken off for a while it will be stuck in place, carefully remove the sump. Advoid this landing on you head.
5: Carefully flatten the retainig tabs on the oil pump reatining bolts.
6: Undo these, and remove oil pump. Again, this is heavier than it looks. Avoid it landing on your head, and remember that it will have an amount of oil in this. Wipe this of your face before proceeding.
7: Attach new pick up to new oil pump. Spot that the pick up pipe is shorter on the new oil pump than the old one. Think nothing of this, it is a new part after all.
8: Install new oil pump, attempt to keep this clean and grit free during whole procedure.
9: Clean all grit from gasket, and gasket surfaces and remark to yourself that the sump is indeed heavy whilst you hold it in place with one hand whilst trying to arrange the gasket and screw a couple of bolts in with the over hand.
10: Install the 24 bolts holding the sump in. Tighten all of them 3 times in a paranoid attempt to be sure you got all of them.
11: Wipe clean Sump, engine, chassis and front propshaft of oil and muck so that you can identify future leaks.
12: Try to pour oil from bucket back into engine with a dodgy old funnel.
13: Allow funnel to fall down side of engine whilst half full of oil.
14: Swear.
15: Repeat 11.
16: Test. Be very pleased that you get oil pressure, be not so please that you only get oil pressure on the flat and uphill.
17: Reflect on the difference in length of the new oil pick up...... Nuts.
Time Taken: 1Hr 20 Mins
More Power Job Difficulty Rating: 6/10 (5/10 by the third time you've done it).
More Power Job Enjoyability Rating: 2/10 (Not the most pleasent of jobs).
Simple then, hopefully, it'll be sump off one more time, swap to the old pick up on and that'll be that.
I intend to indulge you in a "multi-post" history of the Landrover from when I first set eyes on all of it's bits scattered around an old barn in a farm shed in Cumbria to where it is today, unfinished but on the road. I But that's for later. Today, I am pleased to say, I have been able to drive it to and from work with the oil pressure light out (well most of the time anyhow).
So how did I do it.?
I started having oil pressure problems about 2 months ago. Suspecting the pressure relief spring valve, I decided to begin with a look at the oil pump. So for the first time, sump off and oil pump off. Found that the pickup was loose, set about fixing this and checked the spring relief valve, which appeared OK.
Problem not solved. Changed the oil Filter. Still no good. Took the sump off for the 2nd time and change the spring in the pressure relief valve. Still not fixed. Did change a few other gaskets (Deisel pump and sump) at the same time, which will hopefully mean lower oil usage.
Gave up with cheap bits and decided to change the oil Pump.
On Tuesday evening I halled myself out of my sick bed to conduct procedure as below.
1: Drain Sump into very clean container (as oil will be reused). Be very careful not drop sump plug in oil.
2: When the sump is drained, re-insert sump plug to stop dripping. Drop Sump plug in oil.
3: Undo the 24 Bolts that hold the sump in place.
4: Remebering that it is heavy and if it has not been taken off for a while it will be stuck in place, carefully remove the sump. Advoid this landing on you head.
5: Carefully flatten the retainig tabs on the oil pump reatining bolts.
6: Undo these, and remove oil pump. Again, this is heavier than it looks. Avoid it landing on your head, and remember that it will have an amount of oil in this. Wipe this of your face before proceeding.
7: Attach new pick up to new oil pump. Spot that the pick up pipe is shorter on the new oil pump than the old one. Think nothing of this, it is a new part after all.
8: Install new oil pump, attempt to keep this clean and grit free during whole procedure.
9: Clean all grit from gasket, and gasket surfaces and remark to yourself that the sump is indeed heavy whilst you hold it in place with one hand whilst trying to arrange the gasket and screw a couple of bolts in with the over hand.
10: Install the 24 bolts holding the sump in. Tighten all of them 3 times in a paranoid attempt to be sure you got all of them.
11: Wipe clean Sump, engine, chassis and front propshaft of oil and muck so that you can identify future leaks.
12: Try to pour oil from bucket back into engine with a dodgy old funnel.
13: Allow funnel to fall down side of engine whilst half full of oil.
14: Swear.
15: Repeat 11.
16: Test. Be very pleased that you get oil pressure, be not so please that you only get oil pressure on the flat and uphill.
17: Reflect on the difference in length of the new oil pick up...... Nuts.
Time Taken: 1Hr 20 Mins
More Power Job Difficulty Rating: 6/10 (5/10 by the third time you've done it).
More Power Job Enjoyability Rating: 2/10 (Not the most pleasent of jobs).
Simple then, hopefully, it'll be sump off one more time, swap to the old pick up on and that'll be that.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
The lads visit Quadmania Scotland
3 weekends ago the lads were dealing with the matter of "The Stag", in preparation for this past weekends big event (Which more will be written on as there was very much a car theme to the Niksters wedding).
Of course, due to the "law of the stag" we are not at liberty to reveal many of the finer points of the weekend, but one thing that we can include is a review of our trip to Quadmania located near Dunoon in Scotland.
The Saturday morning activity was the 2 1/2 Hour "Big Quad ATV Trek". After very detailed instructions on the use of the quads, we set off teamed up with the other groups that were out for the morning. We were taken up, down, across and so on round a field at a disappointingly sedate pace to begin with "to get the feel of the bikes". Then we set off on the trek, still together with the other groups.
Just as it was beginning to seem a little dull, we separated from the other groups and set off on our own. Immediately having to hang ourselves off one side of the quad to stop it from falling into the pond which dropped sharply to our left, then swinging sharply to the right down a steep incline into a stream. "Brilliant" we thought. The rest of the trek followed a similar vein, with alarmingly steep inclines up and down on both grass and narrow paths, some medium-high speed sections and some "technical off road".
Needless to say there were some comedy moments. At one point, there was a shake of the head by the instructor and a comment asked of my being a bit of a "throttle jockey". Also as we stopped for one break, (Sideways) Matt couldn't contain himself, jumping off his quad and shouting "You can get them very sideways", unfortunately, the ex-marine instructor was none too pleased with this remark and made it quite clear that sideways was not an appropriate direction of travel. Our cards were marked, didn't stop us though.........
The afternoon activity saw us dressing up in rubber and getting to terms with a spot of "gorge walking". Despite some of the party worrying themselves nearly to death and enquiring of the validity of there life insurance in event of injury from such event, this was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Not a typical lads activity, but the opportunity to muck about in a 6 Deg C water brought the kid out in all of us (o.k. some more than others....) as the group made it's way up the steep and narrow gorge through the Scottish forests.
All in all, Quadmania, comes highly recommended from "The lads". Professionally run, nice people, a good mind for safety but at the same time understanding that people are there to enjoy themselves. See Norwegian Wood for a review of our choice of acommodation in Scotland.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Hammer Burns
Whilst working on my land Rover yesterday evening, I managed to burn myself on my hammer.
Now, I can admit to many hammer related injuries but this was a first even for me.
How, I hear you ask.... Hooge spotlight standing on wing of Land Rover, hammer about 2" directly in front of said spotlight. Move spotlight and rest arm on hammer, which by now is, of course, red hot.
Now, I can admit to many hammer related injuries but this was a first even for me.
How, I hear you ask.... Hooge spotlight standing on wing of Land Rover, hammer about 2" directly in front of said spotlight. Move spotlight and rest arm on hammer, which by now is, of course, red hot.
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
The Cars, the Blog
Follow three lads, with a common interest in the automotive world, through their lives journies with all things petrol (and one or two diesel....) powered.
See our efforts to keep our vehicles on the road, make them faster (or just get them to go in the first place), better, cleaner, dirtier, stop the oil coming out, get the oil out..... You name it we've tried it and normally failed at the first hurdle.
Keep up with the fast moving progress of our restoration projects. Well, maybe the pressure to write an update might encourage us off our backsides and into the garage.
Get pictured reports from motoring events around the UK and the world, from the comfort of your office, we'll do the hard work so you don't have to.
With more-power, the blog, you can expect tales of success and failure, pain and pleasure, profit and (mostly) loss but hopefully no tales of divorce. Amazingly we've all avoided that one so far. Probably because only one off us has actually bothered to get married already.... But that's all changing with a forthcoming long weekend enjoying three hired Caterhams, oh and a wedding.
See our efforts to keep our vehicles on the road, make them faster (or just get them to go in the first place), better, cleaner, dirtier, stop the oil coming out, get the oil out..... You name it we've tried it and normally failed at the first hurdle.
Keep up with the fast moving progress of our restoration projects. Well, maybe the pressure to write an update might encourage us off our backsides and into the garage.
Get pictured reports from motoring events around the UK and the world, from the comfort of your office, we'll do the hard work so you don't have to.
With more-power, the blog, you can expect tales of success and failure, pain and pleasure, profit and (mostly) loss but hopefully no tales of divorce. Amazingly we've all avoided that one so far. Probably because only one off us has actually bothered to get married already.... But that's all changing with a forthcoming long weekend enjoying three hired Caterhams, oh and a wedding.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
