Panda (Classic) Charmanda(er) - mania continued......

[blu73]

Well thats the vacuum advance fitted, only a little bit fiddly getting the old one off and the new one but wowsa, that makes a pretty substantial difference doesn't it! Pulls way better, particularly higher up the rev range (obviously). This has resulted in me needing to twiddle the idle screw a touch as now once warm and not on choke he's idling at 1400rpm.

The fuel pump is here, cleaned, masked and clear-coated and ready to go on - but the fuel hose clips haven't arrive yet so will wait for them to turn up and will do the hoses at the same time.

In other news, have noticed a few little issues:
1. The rocker cover gasket is weeping a touch at the dizzy end of the head.
2. the radiator cap seems to have failed and lets out the tiniest little bit of pressure when warm resulting in the water going down very very slowly (new one ordered today).
3. and the washer bottle leaks when you top it up, not investigated exactly where from, maybe the seal on one of the pumps, maybe from a pump itself, or just the hose on the pump. Also the rear washer doesn't work despite the pump going so think i need to replace the non-return valve (location found thanks to johns guide )

So few more little things to keep me occupied, but nothing major thankfully.

 

[AndyReact]

aye, its like magic that little UFO on the dizzy when you stick a new one on!

my washer bottle leaked, was just the hose had cracked at the end, pull off, cut 10mm off, shove back on - fixed!

 

[blu73]

Yeah I will have a look at the washer leak over the weekend. Kinda nice to have a few little unimportant things to do rather than build the entire front of the car lol.

New radiator cap arrived this morning, I think i can manage to fit that today

 

[blu73]

Well went out to put the new rad cap on..

The pic doesn't show it very well but this has defo had some k-seal in it at some point, loads of copper bits in there.. Meh, will get round to a proper flush at some point soon.

Decided I would look at the washer bottle and you were bang on AndyReact here is the bit of pipe from off the pump


Cut that bit off and stuck pipe on and bob's yours uncle no leaking. Also pulled the side panel off the passenger rear to get at the non-return valve. I thought i had one but i didn't so for now just split it open and turned the little piston round which basically turns it into a pipe connector rather than a valve so now also have a rear washer too

Then you know, one thing leads to another, I decided to whack the fuel pump on even though the new pipe clips still not arrived, so stuck it on with all the existing pipe. And omg, i think we can safely say we have found the starting issue now. I know its not really been sat which is when the issue rears its head but it started with hardly any choke whereas i needed choke all the way out before even on a warm day. Let it run upto temp and adjusted the idle down, sitting at about 850-900 at warm idle. Then took it out for a spin and sweet baby jesus its like a different car - must have been properly starved of fuel cause i can go up the hills in higher gears and the revs right out past 6k easily which it just couldn't before. The old plugs actually looked totally fine when I took them out so can't of been that lean and tbh it smells like its running a touch rich now but I will do some miles and recheck the plugs.

 

[blu73]

Right. New horn push arrived today and some new countersunk screws - this is ready to go on now

 

[Didge3]

Right. New horn push arrived today and some new countersunk screws - this is ready to go on now

Definitely my favourite change you've made, lovely wheel
Oh and the pedal covers are better, the snapped one on the clutch with a subsequent sharp edge made driving in socks difficult

 

[blu73]

Haha yes the little twang noise it made when I moved my foot a certain way drove me up the wall.

Steering wheel will be the first actual proper change I suppose, upto then it's pretty much servicing and replacing parts

 

[blu73]

Aahhhhh Yeeaaaahhhh!

 

[Didge3]

Looks great
I see you've moved the redline down on the tach though

 

[blu73]

No idea where it was when i picked car up from you tbh, I've moved it loads of times for no particular reason at all, something to twizzle while i'm bored at junctions or traffic lights etc. I don't really rev it hard ever really anyway - although it does pull miles better up there in the higher revs now its not starved of fuel lol: but remember where I am i'm either going up a massive hill or coasting down one, makes no difference if i rev the tits off it other than it makes loads of noise - i just bumble along 95% of the time

 

[Didge3]

I used to have it sat at 7k, mainly because that put it at a 90 degree angle so it looks nicer
I would always tend to change up around 5.5k under full acceleration but would stumble to just past the 7000 mark, never dared to go beyond that :devil:

 

[blu73]

only gone that high like once, which i think resulted in a bit of oil being chucked out the breather cause he then smoked a little after and i got all upset but it cleared and everything still seems to be fine. But tbh I rarely take it past 4.5k, its properly my old man car and normally doesn't go up that high even unless the hill requires 2nd gear haha

 

[blu73]

only gone that high like once, which i think resulted in a bit of oil being chucked out the breather cause he then smoked a little after and i got all upset but it cleared and everything still seems to be fine. But tbh I rarely take it past 4.5k, its properly my old man car and normally doesn't go up that high even unless the hill requires 2nd gear haha

OK famous last words, it does seem to smoke a bit but only intermittently. Mainly I can only actually see any smoke when coasting down a hill on overrun - once i stop and get out its not smoking whether idling or revving it.

So... my knowledge tells me this is often worn valve guides rather than the actual valve stem seals. As valve seals would normally smoke a little bit on startup and then clear but it doesn't seem to ever smoke when i start it, just after coasting downhill for a while. Not something I have ever changed valve guides, done seals a few times but never guides, nor can i find any online. Is it even a diy'able job or would you usually get a machine shop to press them out and press new ones in?

Whats peoples thoughts on this, you think i should just swap the seals and not worry about the valve guides? Anyone ever changed the actual valves guides?

Anyhoo, I'm not gonna worry to much right now but i feel the next little project may just be a little top end overhaul. I'm away this weekend but I will do a compression test sometime soon and post results.

 

[andyholli]

I'm still thinking stem seals - if they were okay but the guides were loose then oil getting down there would still be controlled properly.
If the seals are past their best but the guides good then you would get a bit smokey at times.
I think coasting down hill sucks the oil down, then as soon as it fires up at the bottom it burns it off and all's clear again.

Snatch does this - I too must get around to that top end refresh one day.

p.s. - How do you know if the rev limiter is working properly if you don't crash into it? - It's a maintenance task to investigate regularly.

 

[blu73]

hahaha, rev limiter? what rev limiter Ahhhh
but in all seriousness, i just don't really ever feel the need - the extra torque/power from revving past 4.5k is neglible really, goes just as fast if you change up around 4.5 as if you wind it out to 6, so long as you are not on an incline obviously. I'm clearly just getting old

And yes, long stretches of overrun cause big vaccum compared to underload and that causes oil to be sucked past the seals, or that is my understanding of the scenario at least. But you aer bang on, if the seals were fine no oil would get past them, worn guides or not. I feel much better about it all now, thanks Andy! I think its just more noticeable because of where i live too, full throttle up hill for a few miles, coast downhill a few miles. Assuming it doesn't get much worse I think I shall start amassing some parts for top end overhaul and leave it for later in the year. I was convinced for a while it was something to do with overfueling since fitting the new fuel pump but it would be black rather than blue-y grey if that was the case. And in theory it was running lean before rather than rich now.. I guess emissions at MOT time will tell me whats what on that front, i do have a gas analyser but i use it so rarely that i just don't trust it, will have to get it sent off for calibration i think.

 

[blu73]

Well not much has happened recently. I am due to take Char to Classic, Kit & Retro Action Day on Saturday. He is on a stand if anyone fancies a day out. Should be a decent day and I believe I even get to do free parade lap as I'm on a stand.

In other news I got a parcel from Mister Auto


Been using them alot, decent prices and good service.

This one contains

Timing kit, thermostat, waterpump and head bolts.

They are sending the payen gasket set separately which should be here soon, the one i have came from their UK warehouse but the gasket set is coming from France so taking a little longer to arrive. And also I ordered a new metal water rails, one across front of the block, from Italy as the existing one looks nasty even though it is totally fine really.

Oh and the secret marmite mod has left America so hopefully you won't have to wait to long for the reveal.

 

[blu73]

ok, little update on the poor starting after sitting - thats defo cured, been a bit over a week since i have moved it and today it took 3 turns of the engine to pump fuel and it fire

 

[blu73]

Washed, clayed, polished. Ready for Castle Combe tomorrow. If anyone is going 2moro come say hi

 

[blu73]

Few from today.

 

[panda panda]

Did you forget to bumper black?