Charlie's new home

[Panky]

Looks like good stuff, note is says can be used as a replacement for 20/50. I use the stuff without any additives.

 

[Suinnyboy]

Yes excellent product. Old Australian family business that wisely supports the classics car and motorsport communities. They also have their own collection of classic cars and race cars.

 

[stable]

At last MOT day came!

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand











he failed. But on bugger all

Dodgy indicator switch and a patch of rust I missed near the seat belt mount.

All in all a good result.

Actually been living in him on and off this week. Drove him upto the workshop and spent a few nights up there while doing super long days to try and clear some work backlog.

Anyway just an update. Still getting terrible gear selection after the oil change. One last poke at the slave cylinder and if nothing changes it'll be a 6 speed conversion me thinks!

Tom

 

[Panky]

Not too much to sort out then A nice bit of winter camping - excellent[8D]

 

[stable]

woop woop, he's road legal!

Really excited. Off on a spring holiday with the family next week to sunnier parts.

Then back to 3 weeks work and then... I've booked off a solid month to overhaul Charlie and have a good look at the otherun.

Question is how much can I achieve in a solid month...

Tom

 

[Panky]

Excellent, well done that man[^]
You can do loads in a month, more if you work nights too
I guess the thing is to go over everything before hand and plan it in, hopefully not too many surprises when it's time to get stuck in.

 

[stable]

Well we made it out for the first run of the summer. Did the usual checks before the off and found NO water in the cooling system. And some mayonnaise in the oil cap. Ho hum...

Anyway topped here up and we were off with a close eye on levels.

Frustratingly I had pressure bleed the clutch which seemed better. Until 20 mins of driving and it was gone and couldn't select gears. Cools down and all's good again [xx(] So oil change and good bleed and I'm no where with it!

Anyway a cold night on a big hill kind of made up for all that!

 

[Panky]

Looks like a great place for the kids to let off steam, it's great to finally use you van isn't it
The clutch problem sounds odd, will it just not go in gear of does it crunch when you try?

 

[andrew]

Looks like a great spot, where is it?

Member of the non-Facebook club.

 

[stable]

Yes we're really lucky in mid Wales, you only ever 10 mins away from a great park up. This is just south of Llandrindod Wells, the Rogo it's called. If you squint you can almost see Pen y Fan in the Beacons in the background.

The clutch is odd. It grinds as if the clutch isn't being engaged when the engines warmed up. I measured how far the piston is moving at the clutch slave/lever end. It's about 12mm. On my Highwayman it's more like 20mm... but even with 12mm feels fine when starting from cold only a problem when it's hot. The travel does not change when the engines warmed either from what I can see. So perhaps it's something in the clutch assembly playing up....

Tom

 

[jimberlake]

Strange issue indeed, racked my brain but nothing.

Reg countryside...same here with the Peak District, though had my best holiday ever in Wales a couple of years ago in the Commer...2 weeks, red hot and amazing scenery...you are lucky.

The Blue Toaster

 

[stable]

Scratch that - the highwayman I have = the travel is about 12mm too not 20mm so certainly the problem doesn't reside in the master/slave cylinder...

We spent a lovely week touring Yorkshire last winter and just had friends back from the lakes. Having done a few work runs up the M6 gives me a taste for exploring a bit more up north.

Tom

 

[martin maltas]

Could it be the crank thrust washers, allowing the crank to move forward when it's warm?

www.commervanspares.co.uk
https://www.facebook.com/commervanspares

 

[stable]

So jumping ahead here - if my head gaskets gone, and maybe the bottom ends playing games what are my options regarding rebuilds/re conditioned units with these engines?

Who do I call...

 

[greg]

The slave cylinder mounted on the wrong side of the bell housing can give these clutch problems.

The simpler the betterer...

 

[stable]

It's on the 'back side' same as on the other van.

I'm half tempted to pack out the slave a few mm to see if that makes a difference but don't want to burn out a clutch by bodging.

Tom

 

[Panky]

Thinking on Martin's suggestion - try pushing the clutch in and watch the bottom pulley to see if it moves.
You can get complete new short engines off Ebay for under £500, but hopefully you don't need one.

 

[stable]

Lots to think about - I'll take him upto the workshop tomorrow with me and have a play around in my lunch break.

Tom

 

[stable]

hhhmm still at a loss.

Took him upto the workshop. Faultless from cold. 10 minute run and can only just get gears when rolling. Just griiiinds trying to get one from standings.

Hydrolic side of things look to be A1. Can't feel any movement in crank from front pulley when hot (or cold). Seems rock solid.

I can switch off for just a minute or 2 and the clutch starts to return. It really feels like the biting point slowly disappears through the floor the longer you drive... in my mind logically seems like it should reside in the hydrolic system - but the piston displaces the same hot or cold at the slave end.

It's a real shame as I fear the g'box is taking a pounding while I can't resolve the issue. Maybe I just have to pull the box and take a look at the clutch assembly.

Tom

 

[Panky]

Try a couple of packing washers first like you said.