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mrFrog

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Posts posted by mrFrog

  1. had a thought on this, i reckon you might well need to find a way of controlling the vanes on small throttle openings. In traffic the last thing you want is a fair chunk of boost and find yourself whizzing along in first gear using a fair bit of fuel to boot. Maybe a throttle potentiometer to measure throttle openings and perhaps control the nozzles? It's when you open the loud pedal you want more boost than you would get with a normal 300tdi, but some situations like parking don't need more boost than standard?

    Just a thought.

    You won't get a "fair chunk of boost" on low throttle openings, just a bit more with a VVT than you would with a normal turbo. It's still going to be very gradual, not going to be a whole heap of boost on and off, so I can't see it being a problem.

    People running normally aspirated performance cars with loads of power can still manoeuvre at slow speeds (unless they have silly sports on-off clutches that is).

    The major advantage of VVT is that you get the best of all worlds in one turbo unit. Small turbos spool fast at low revs, but run out of puff at high revs, big turbos are the opposite, nothing low down, and plenty of grunt at the top end. A VVT turbo is both :)

  2. I've had to drill the head out of an allen bolt once and no HSS bits would cut into the metal. A 6mm cobalt bit from screwfix (a set of five I think, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7mm), and that cut a hole through the allen bolt as if it was butter.

    So, it would appear they can make a difference, I've been meaning to buy a replacement set ever since...

    I found them quite fragile and they wear pretty quickly though, so maybe a set of each, and reserve the cobalt bits for those jobs that are either too tough for HSS, or, where drilling is awkward and a bit with more bite helps.

    My tuppence.

  3. How about this ? I happen to have two spare sides sitting in my workshop which I need to sell at some point. Here are a few pictures which hopefully will help. Let me know if you need more while I still have them :)

    DSCN0959.jpg

    DSCN0958.jpg

    Trying to give you an idea of where things screw/mount onto, think the belt screws into the top hole in the middle of the black panel, the bottom hole I think is for the inside panel to clip onto.

    DSCN0956.jpg

    This screw on the side is the other side of the nut on the picture above

    DSCN0957.jpg

    HTH, don't hesitate to ask for more

  4. i always thought if air is present in a gas cylinder there is a risk of explosion when we work on a live gas connection/main if air enters a main all breaks loose pilot lights in houses are turned off as there is a risk of explosion if air enters a gas main is this true for cylinders.

    I guess the reason there is a risk in gas mains and houses, is that anything connected to the mains (oven, rings, boiler) that is using gas, e.g. turned on (cooking, or heater pilot light on). Any air trapped in the gas line will result in the pilot light / oven / ring to go off, and it won't re-ignite on its own, so gas will freely leak into the house unburnt, hence the risk of explosion.

    In an lpg tank, as said above, the liquid will flow out first and won't mix with air (mixing gases is actually pretty hard, and usually results in them separating again if left for too long, a bit like oil and water).

    Either way, engines have constant sparks (except diesel), so if a couple of engine revs are run on air rather than LPG, you'd notice a cough/splutter, and then the engine would start again as soon as LPG is re-introduced,unlike a gas ring which doesn't spark 3000 times a minute.

    Hope this makes sense.

  5. Cool pics! That bridge looks like an incredible piece of engineering! Any idea how high above the valley floor it is?

    Not just a incredible piece of engineering, it's also somehow beautiful and blends really well into its environment.

    270 m (886 ft) at maximum, designed by the structural engineer Michel Virlogeux and British architect Norman Foster, it is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with one mast's summit at 343 metres (1,125 ft) — slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower and only 38 m (125 ft) shorter than the Empire State Building.

    more details here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millau_Viaduct

  6. Sounds like a nice trip, glad you enjoyed it.

    I must admit, being our first ever 4x4, and not the most comfortable of all, I was partly worried that once we got there, I wouldn't want to come back. Which might actually have been a good thing, kind weather, good food, wine, company, etc... :P

    Love that bridge, watched it being built stage-by-stage through driving down to the south of France via Millau every year (with a Freelander, I note :P). Awesome engineering along that whole motorway :)

    Saw a programme on TV about the whole build, and it was very impressive.

    I presume you mean the motorway that snakes through the mountains, through the "gorges du tarn" up to clermont-ferrand in auvergne. I too was awestruck by the way the motorway carved a path through the hills and mountains, yet seemed to blend in nicely all the same.

    We did a very similar trip up many years back, when the motorway didn't exist, the little roads around the mountains were something to behold too.

    Best bit of that trip (years back) was being allowed onto unfinished motorway for the last 30 odd miles (tarmac was down, no central reservation or lines). We got lost and asked for directions on a building site. They told us to follow an articulated lorry who would show us the way - 30 miles of pure unspoilt tarmac... heaven... at 60mph behind a lorry in a powerful car... hell...

  7. pano.jpg

    A defender's return trip to Corsica

    As some of you will know, we recently purchased a 110 CSW and took it on hols to Corsica.

    5 weeks of intensive prep followed our purchase, not so much off-road prep, more like changing all fluids, cambelt, anything that didn't quite work right so we knew we had less of a chance of things going wrong along the way. We also fitted a decent radio, sat-nav, CB, comfortable front seats, sound proofing, etc... to make the journey more pleasant.

    Set off one thursday, very early in the morning, dark and wet on our way down the south of england, then through France and finally to Corsica.

    The drive to the eurotunnel was uneventful, an hour later we're getting some early shopping done at "Cite de l'Europe".

    Quick fuel-up, sunglasses and music on, we set off for the first long leg of the journey to Avignon.

    http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=...ie=UTF8&z=6

    We spotted a few defenders along the way, most waved or flashed. We overtook one particular belgian and his 90 3 times as we stopped for fuel or food, waving frantically as we drove past every time.

    dscn0876.jpg

    dscn0877.jpg

    As we approach Valence, heavens opened and we were treated to a lightning show, I (mrFrog) was amazed, mrsFrog who was driving wasn't !

    We finally made it to our hotel in Avignon, my hopes to see the famous "Pont d'Avignon" dashed, it was too late and we needed to sleep.

    As I nodded off, I was privately proud of our little landie which got us so far without hassle. I did cross my fingers in my back though :D

    Early morning start, we're back on the road, mostly on motorways since we had a boat to catch in Nice

    http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=...ie=UTF8&z=9

    Wonderful sights and smells along the road from Marseille to Nice, we arrived in plenty of time, sun shining, temperatures in the mid 30s.

    The famous "promenade des anglais"

    dscn0878.jpg

    The harbour

    dscn0880.jpg

    Waiting in line

    dscn0881.jpg

    Lovely tall ship

    dscn0890.jpg

    Our transport for the next few hours

    dscn0886.jpg

    Mirabella V - the world’s largest single masted sailing yacht. (75m long, cost over US$50million, charter from US$375,000 per week)

    More details here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabella_V and http://www.mirabellayachts.com/mirabella5/ if you are interested.

    dscn0891.jpg

    The last leg of the journey was uneventful again, finally arriving at our destination at 22:30 local time. 41 hours after leaving home.

    http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=...ie=UTF8&z=9

    Our defender met our uncle's toyota landcruiser - a 30 year old machine which I happen to like a lot.

    pict1074.jpg

    pict1076.jpg

    pict1083.jpg

    Found quite a few working defenders here and everywhere, there are everywhere on the island.

    dscn0894.jpg

    dscn0895.jpg

    And finally got to drive to a few magnificent places

    pict1084.jpg

    pict1086.jpg

    pict1088.jpg

    pict1089.jpg

    Unfortunately, some places aren't as pristine as they should. Sign says "Respect nature, use the bin"

    pict1110.jpg

    Needing some blackberries to make jam for our uncle and aunt, we took to the mountains.

    dscn0902.jpg

    dscn0905.jpg

    Met some wildlife

    dscn0907.jpg

    Dirt tracks

    dscn0914.jpg

    Deep ruts

    pict1116.jpg

    MrsFrog off roading for the first time, not huge articulation, but enough to worry you when you're not used to high ground clearance.

    pict1136.jpg

    pict1149.jpg

    100% Concentration

    pict1152.jpg

    More pictures of the defender on location

    pict1218.jpg

    pict1122.jpg

    pict1123.jpg

    Finally, on the return trip, a well equipped french 90 on the boat

    dscn0944.jpg

    We took a slightly different route on our return since we had to stop off in Normandy for a wedding. We decided to go a little further east, as far as Montpellier so we could drive on the famous Millau bridge, some of you may have seen it featured on top gear some time ago.

    http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=...ie=UTF8&z=6

    Unfortunately, our timing was rather poor and we crossed the bridge at night. Here's the only decent (arty ?) picture we managed to get

    dscn0949.jpg

    This is what it looks like in day time

    250px-ViaducdeMillau.jpg

    600px-Wiadukt_Millau.jpg

    (Thanks to wikipedia for the images)

    That's it, our Corsican trip. We covered around 2500 miles in total, with no major mechanical problems, and averaged 26.6mpg with a peak up to 29.9. That was driving at a pretty constant 80mph on the GPS (130km/h) on the motorways.

    Quote of the week - mrsFrog asking me if I was worried at one point during the return journey...

    Me (driving): "No why ?"

    mrsFrog: "You're only doing 50mph, that's rather slow"

    Me: "No, pedal to the metal, but we're going up a steep hill"

    The rest of the pictures can be found here if you have a few minutes:

    http://slideshows.scullard.com/2008-09-11-Corsica/

    Hope you've enjoyed the read

    Greg & Nathalie

  8. Thanks guys, the picture here isn't one of the actual item, just a generic pic to try and describe the problem more accurately.

    We're going to try and find a professional welding outfit locally who can help, if not, bracket, replacement or worst, putting the AA's european breakdown service to the test are all options.

    Thanks for the help and ideas, much appreciated :D

  9. Out in corsica at the moment, the alternator has decided that it could do with a single fixing point and let go of the other !!!

    Let me explain, the bottom part of the alternator's face, not the one tha attaches to the adjustable bracket, has broken clean off.

    The question is... can the two bits be welded back together, or, do I need to find a replacement alternator ?

    Picture attached to give some sort of idea - not of the actual alternator though.

    BrokenAlternator.jpg

    Many thanks

    Greg

  10. I changed the timing belt on our not quite 60,000 mile 200tdi 110 two weeks ago, and the difference in how it drives is absolutely stunning !

    It pulls much stronger now from low revs, 2nd gear roundabouts are now easy 3rd gear, and cruising speed on the motorway has improved significantly.

    It wasn't out, everything was lined up properly, but the old belt had an ever so small amount of slack between crankshaft and camshaft pulleys.

    Aside from knowing it's all proper under the covers, I now have a nippy 110 :lol: Well pleased B)

  11. I have some of the washer/tube things that go on seat belt mounts. If you give me the dimensions/description then I will take a look in my box of bits and see what I can find.

    Three Blades you're a star B)

    The tube in question is 11.4mm id, 19mm od and 19.2mm long (as per my super-precise-not calipers)

    Let me know how much you want for it, packing, postage, etc... and I'll send a cheque or paypal straight away.

    I've added a few pictures for clarity

    DSCN0872.jpg

    DSCN0873.jpg

    Yey - love forums - Yey

  12. Been quoted £200 by one independent, and £300 by another who quickly said that the price would increase if any bolts were stuck.

    Quite a difference in price for 15 miles as the crow flies.

    This is for a defender with a 200tdi.

    Ended up buying the bits and the tools I didn't have that made the job easier (viscous fan spanner, locking kit, bendy torque wrench) and a second hand radiator for £25 rather than a brand new one, cost me less than £200 all in and I have shiny new tools in my toolbox. Depending on what tools you have already, it could cost you more or less.

    The change engine theory works too, as long as the timing belt in the new engine has been changed recently ;)

    It really isn't that difficult a job if you are moderately mechanically minded and don't mind following instructions carefully. Mine took a fair bit of time due to the radiator's condition and difficult bolts to remove though, so be prepared to invest time and effort into it.

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