David Sparkes
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Posts posted by David Sparkes
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Just a comment from a user who considers himself mainly 'inactive'.
I note the comments from Invision always refer to Concurrent users.
My ISP logs me off every 24 hours, whether the PC has been Hibernated within that period or not.
However, once logged into this forum, and some other LR forums in the same multi-tabbed Browser window, I tend to stay logged in for several days, even though I don't actually read postings every day.
So, if the forum invoked a disconnection every 24 hours, I would not be sitting there as an idle but concurrent user. It's true that if disconnected like this I may actually not bother to visit more than once a week, but who is the loser in that case? Possibly me, but hardly the Forum, or even other users, considering how infrequently I am active.
Those who are both more regular and active may object to 'logging in' every 24 hours, but in the case of my ISP it's just a matter of typing in my password, my user name is automatically entered. IE, It's not an onerous task to re-activate the account.
Reducing Concurrent users by elimination of the idle ones may not be a long term solution, but might buy you time at a very minimal cost.
There is an assumption that the software has the facility to limit the amount of time a user is continuously logged on, so in this respect my comments are risky.
Regards.
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Given the reading I used to do in Motor Sport magazine (when Bill Boddy was Editor, and DSJ wrote Letters from Europe) cone clutches were often used in early cars, and were often described as fierce or sudden. I formed the opinion that the mechanical advantage of the cone shape was used to compensate for the poor friction qualities of the lining materials they had available.
My personal experience of cone clutches was in Laycock overdrives, as fitted to MGBs. In those the clutch was engaged by hydraulic pressure from a plunger pump driven off the gearbox output shaft. Clutch release was effected by both opening the hydraulic circuit, thus dumping the pressere, and several coil springs (compressed as the clutch engaged) forcing the carrier for the inner lining away from the outer.
You may need to give similar encouragement for the handbrake linings to disengage.
The significant point with these overdrives is that the driver was encouraged to keep the power on when engaging overdrive, as the speed difference between the inner and outer tended to screw one into the other and give a very positive engagement. Here the cone was used to give an effective non-slip clutch in a small diemension. It may be that you need to ensure that at least one of the cone carriers has enough mechanical movement to allow it to be drawn into a tighter bond with it's mate as one cone rotates wrt the other.
I'm not certain on the ability of a cone handbrake to withstand mud and grit. You might benefit from scrolled slots (as in grooved brake discs) in one surface, to give a channel for the muck to drop into while on it's way out.
HTH
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I have been pondering these for some time....
I belive that the 'dippable' H4 type uses a solenoid to move the bulbs focus point in order to dip. i would assume then that its possible to adjust the level in that way.
On the HID bulbs I've seen, then NO.
The light source is a small 'bubble' about halfway along a rod of glass. The glass is horizontal, like a standard H1 or H4 bulb, and never moves.
Around the glass is a chromed steel tube, which extends the full length of the glass rod, and has an end cap on.
The upper half of the tube is cut away, so light from the bubble shines upwards, hits the upper half of the reflector cone and is reflected down and forward through the lens prism, giving dip beam.
The lower half of the tube has a transverse slot cut in it, and in the unpowered dip position this slot is over the solid base which holds the glass rod, thus no light shines through the slot.
When main beam is selected the metal tube is pushed forwards by a solenoid. The slot is now level with the light source bubble, so light shines downwards (as well as upwards). The downward light hits the lower half of the reflector cone, being directed forward through the lens prism, thus giving BOTH dip AND main at the same time.
You can see there is no individual Main OR Dip adjustment. Whatever you do affects both at the same time.
If you want a guaranteed result, use www.HIDs4U. co.uk and ask his advice about which is right for your use and your pocket.
Unless you know, and have driven behind someone else's ebay purchase, and feel they are right for you, then ignore ebay, AND and other vendors. Let someone else gamble, like me, and take advantage of my mistakes.
Power is nothing without control, and having a million candle power shining out from the front of your car will be a waste of time if the beam is not accurately controlled.
Personally I don't want the tarmac close to the car turning white when I'm trying to do 60mph in the dark. I want the bright spot lifting from in front of the car on dip to further down the road when on main, thus I have a problem with any device that leaves Dip on (as HIDs do) when I select Main. Others think brighter is best, even if the bright bit is so close to the bonnet that at 88 feet per second (60mph) you will hit whatever is in the bright spot before you have chance to press the brake pedal.
The cost effective answer is Osram Silver star bulbs.
I've no experience with the Crystal Sealed beam, but I'll probably be trying some if I keep the Series 2 device.
HTH.
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I am wondering if anyone here has dirty hands on experience of the Land Rover based Fire vehicles made in the past by Carmichaels of Worcester.
Specifically it's the FT6 style I'm interested in. FT6 Catalogue.
I've found a few pictures on the web of shiney red bits, but it's the underneath I'm more interested in, thus 'dirty hands on'.
I've searched all the forums with varioius Search Terms, Carmichael, Fire Engine, Fire, and not flushed out much.
There is suppossedly a picture in the Gallery, but the Search couldn't find it.
Note that a S2 A or B Forward Control is a different animal altogether, and is not relevant to my enquiry.
Cheers.
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OK, I've boxed myself into a corner here, you might as well all have an opportunity to display your wisdom :-))
I've bought the Draper / Machine Mart speed saw, and an inline oiler, and One Litre of oil.
If I analyse the oiler correctly, the fill hole is about 3 mm in diameter, so what do other folks use to transfer Airline Oil from the one litre bottle through the 3mm hole?
If anyone is inclined to say they use 3 in 1, and the nozzle on the standard small tin works fine, they should expect their (sensitive areas) to start hurting, just as soon as I've finished the plasticine model, and stuck several pins in the appropriate place!!
That was the simple starter, now onto more serious matters.
I recall, vaguely, that some compressed air hand tools should NOT have the Quick Release connector screwed directly into the tool, but should have a short length of hose attached, then the QR connector. I think (vague recall) that this was to isolate the QR from any vibration manating from the tool, but there may have been other reasons as well.
Yes? No? What other reasons might there be?
If Yes, is there a recommended minimum length for this permanently connected hose?
Getting personal, I now have several air hand tools.
An assortment of spray lances for cleaning and undersealing purposes.
A 3/8" right angle ratchet, which I've never used.
An air chisel, used very occasionally.
The new speed saw.
If short isolation hoses are required, is that for everything, or just 'some' of them? If so, which?
Cheers
PS - I think this is my first New Topic posting on this Forum. If it isn't, I can't recall the last one!!
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You've said it twice, once as "15k", then again as "15000". In both cases what you have written is 15 THOUSAND.
I think you meant 1.5k and 1500 respectively.
At no load I'd have said it doesn't take a lot of air to run at 15 HUNDRED rpm.
Do you have a vacuum brake servo? Have you isolated the rubber pipe to the servo? A cracked pipe or a faulty servo may cause enough of an air leak, and it might explain why you can hear a hiss when the engine is switched off, depending on where the servo's atmospheric pick up is located (frequently in the car).
The Lakes eh? At Easter? Brave man.
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I'm not entirely certain that 'oversteer' is the correct term for what's happened here, BUT
I'd look closely at any flex joints in the steering column.
I'm wondering if the wheels failed to turn - the dead spot - so you turned the steering a little more as a natural reaction. A loose or badly worn UJ or flex joint started to transmit the turn, the tyres dragged sideways in the direction of the turn, and pulled the steering across without turning the wheel (because of the free play in the column). Thus the turn becomes too tight and the car crossed to the left side of the road.
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I think the dash would look in keeping with a Series vehicle IF it was painted gloss Bronze Green.
The Kenlowe is also a worthwhile purchase, darned expensive to buy new, but worth hanging onto if it's thrown in with the deal, as this one was.
The car looks to me as though someone's cared for it. That they may have had a different colour choice is not so important as the 'caring' part.
Could you do me a couple of small favours:
How long is that starting handle?
Does the bit you hold actually spin on the shaft? (IE, is it meant to?).
Thanks.
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The only guidance you have given us is "It is a BFG show pics of you truck around aus"
I'd pick the fourth picture, with you both sitting on the car.
The first one has the tyre wall visible, but after that, what other interest is there?
A great picture of your car, but apart from that, what?
The sunset picture shows the unmistakable BFG tread pattern, people enjoying life, 'family' values (not male only). It's a picture that identifies the tyre, but also has a strong 'wish I was doing that' quality.
How many entries are you allowed?
Sorry to throw in a discordant note!!
I have no experience of marketing / advertising.
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You need to specify what wheel diameter you are using, or considering.
If you say nothing about suspension, people will tend to assume you are on standard settings.
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I've just, the last two weeks, bought a chrome swivel from Paddock Spares (Britpart). Obviously I can't comment on the working life so far.
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The classic question:
Was it like that before you touched it?
(You say you've had the decker panel off, and bishbosh says the bonnet has to be removed before the decker panel can be removed.).
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"the attachment facility does pretty much " etc etc
Sigh.
BUT, as I explained in my first post in this thread, IME the attachment facility DOESN'T do it.
Don't worry about it.
I've given up, so further comment is of no value to me.
D
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I haven't contributed on this topic before, (that I recall).
I did lose all pressure one cold morning a year or two back.
After finding out how expensive a new one was, and that no-one had an exchange item on the shelf, I took it from the car and opened it up, without any manuals.
I found, at the second attempt, that the pressure relief valve was stuck open,and obviously It stayed open even while I was manhandling the unit. It released easily enough when prodded in the right place with a screwdriver. I found a polished section on one side of the valve piston, so rotated it to bring another section into use. No further problems.
A ZF pump on a 38A. It seems a lot of pumps are the same, but have an intermediate bracket added to make them fit the 'proper' bracket on a particular engine. That was the case with my BMW diesel anyway. Pump + intermediate braket becomes a BMW part :-))
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88" is the wheelbase, (the distance between the centres of the front & rear wheels) The overall length will be longer :-)
Cheers.
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OK, thanks for the explanations.
I've come here from the simpler world of the Series 2 Club Forum.
Assuming (as here) that the file size is within limits, I don't have to open an account at a third site, nor even create my own album of the pictures I 'might' need on the Club site.
As I'm writing my contribution to whatever topic I simply browse to the file position on my hard drive and the picture is uploaded and inserted.
So simple no-one had to write an A4 sheet of instructions. (That comment I wrote with tongue in cheek).
None of the guidance seemed to refer to the Attachments section immediately below the panel I'm drafting this reply in.
So what's the Attachments facility for?
Browse takes me to the Directory structure for my hard drive, so what file types is the system expecting me to attach, because it's ignored my jpegs?
I've survived here long enough without posting pictures, so I'll just carry on as before, and look for this post under my name if I ever have a strong need for a picture.
It's not as though I ask a lot of questions anyhow.
Thanks again, Cheers.
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Can you extend the garage backwards, or at least put a lean to shed across the back, on the understanding that afterwards you would replace it with a lean to greenhouse (if that sort of thing earns you Brownie points)?
Would changing the door from an up and over to a side hinged help with the access / egress clearance problems?
Sorry, I just plucked those from the air, I haven't seen any of your posts outside this thread, so have no idea on your current garage arrangements, apart from the fact that it's small :-)
Cheers.
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'Remind' me please.
Where is the Help, How To, whatever, that guides me through adding a picture to a post.
I have looked through the Help, even searched it using the term Picture, to no avail.
I've read the Help on Posting generally, and it explains how to mess around with fonts etc, but nothing about Uploading files.
Without any guidance:
I can see the 'Attachment system ready' message displayed, with a ticked green circle even.
I've used the Browse button to select the 53kb file on my hard drive.
I've made sure the full path is displayed in the window.
I've then clicked the Upload button and there's been some screen activity.
Then I'm told I did not select a file for Upload.
I can upload files OK to the Series 2 Club Forum, so what have you done wrong? :-)
Thanks!
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Daan:
"me talking about it being misleading -no- since I was one of the designers of dieselmax".
Firstly, Congratulations for being part of a very successful team.
Secondly, if you go back to what I wrote, in the extract you quoted, I think (hope) you will see that what I was saying is that Dieselmax is so far away from a Land Rover diesel that it's misleading to say that the solutions that worked for Dieselmax can simply crossover to a Land Rover cooking diesel.
I was not intending to say that any facts you quoted were misleading.
Turbocharger:
"David - Six slugs of gas - what engine are you running?"
BMW 2.5 6 cylinder in a 38A Range Rover.
Checking the heat loss over the intercooler is interesting, and might help if you've found a stock intercooler to be ineffective, but I think the most important task is to measure the air temperature in the inlet manifold. If, when you want power, this temperature is less than 30 / 35C then I'd say there is no need to do more work on the intercooling.
Apart from being a good figure to quote at the bar, of course :-)
Cheers.
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"Generally, the more leaves a spring has for a given rate, the more flexible the spring is, due to lower surface tension of thin leaves vs thick ones. A multi leaf unit would also have more inherent damping due to interleaf friction when compared to a spring with fewer leaves."
That's pretty much where I got stuck, because it seemed like a contradiction.
Thinner leaves equals more flexibility.
More leaves equals more interleaf friction, equals more inherent damping, equals less flexibility.
If we postulate that the increase in flexibility outweighs the increase in stiffness caused by the greater inherent damping, then why is the increased flexibility required? Is it just to reduce the vibration / shockwaves travelling up the steering column? (And perhaps contributing to increased wear on the various ball joints?).
Cheers.
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"Moral of the story - if the thermocouple isn't in deep enough to the gas flow, you'll get low readings".
I'd certainly agree with that.
Which is why I think it's so misleading to say this or that number is the target to either get or not exceed, when different engines are being discussed.
I think I get high numbers because the thermocouple tip is wiped by every slug of hot gas leaving the cylinder head. That's 6 hits per 720 degrees of crankshaft rotation, thus there's 'no' cool down period between hot pulses, and the response to either throttle opening or closing is faster than the multimeter can really display.
Cheers.
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Isn't a guy allowed to play with his toy?
If he want's to know the temperatures, and do original research, why shouldn't he be encouraged, instead of being shouted down?
Dieselmax is a hell of a lot more complicated than just one limiting factor. I'd suggest that Ricardo's expertise cannot be reduced to a single sentance in a Land Rover forum.
In other words, trying to use Dieselmax as justification, or not, for a hobby interest modification on a Land Rover engine is extremely misleading, and of no practical benefit to the original poster. Let's stick to the question, eh?
For Turbocharger, the makers of multimeters that we can buy with plug-in K type thermocouples obviously think that any error generated by the intermediate contacts in the plug and socket are either of no significance, or can be calibrated out, within sensible limits for any application that would use such a cheap and cheerful meter.
As you will know, you can buy K type thermocouples with 'any' length of lead attached, and the correct plugs to terminate the leads. Thus you could buy, say, 6 thermocouples and install them anywhere you like in the engine, intercooler, etc, and have multiple plug ended leads in the cab, then see if you can establish a pattern of readings under your test circumstances.
Remove the plugs, rewiring to a switch of your choice, and see if the results change significantly.
Regarding testing the effectiveness of the intercooler, you can put two thermocouples in, one at the hot point, the other at the cold point. Join the leads together, but reverse them. The output is then the temperature gradient across the intercooler, rather than the specific temperature. This is just an alternative view, I'm not saying it's better or worse.
If you want to be a little more precise about measuring multiple temperatures, then Autospeed, the online magazine, did a circuit some time ago where each thermocouple fed into it's own termination circuit. The output of this circuit was something like 200mV per degree centigrade. The actual figure is not really important at the moment, but it meant that you can switch your display voltmeter to any of the thermocouples without affecting the TC termination, which was your original concern.
I have built this circuit, for 8 thermocouples IIRC, and it works fine. More than an evenings work though :-)
Jeremy Fearn, to drop a name, looks for 30C as a maximum air temperature in the inlet manifold, although this is in competition, a road vehicle will be higher when in a traffic jam, etc.
BTW, I've seen well over 800C at the turbocharger inlet, and the turbocharger has lived to tell the tale.
Cheers
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Series 2A, 109" Diesel.
Standard front springs have 11 leaves.
Standard rears have 8 +2 leaves.
HD rears have 8 leaves (presumably each leaf is thicker).
Using the Paddocks Spares site as reference, other series motors have 9 and 7 leaves, depending on model and application.
However, there seems to be a trend that front springs have more leaves than the equivalent rears, the 88" petrol has 9, for example.
So, what is the reason for 'a lot' of leaves at the front?
It can't 'just' be weight, as the HD rears get less leaves to carry a potentially greater poundage.
Just because it's Series doesn't mean it's Simple :-))
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The two warning lights that flash at the moment of switching, where are they earthed?
On what is almost an un-related line of enquiry;
If the fan is switched on, the fan warning light will be lit; what is the sate of the rear fog warning light?
If the fan is switched on, the fan warning light will be lit; if you now switch the wipers or washers, does the fog warning flash as it would do if the fan was not on?
Cheers
We have a BIG problem with the website server
in International Forum
Posted
OK, Understood, thanks.