heath robinson

Bad form or not, I'm very grateful for that. It's good to have a definitive pictorial jobbie to wave under an oily nose. Someone had assembled the brakes before it got to us, but we replaced everything from the wheel back to the peddle, and bled the lines with a pressure whojamaflip, so were slightly mystified. Thanks all. Jake

Nick, I've always been led to believe that when the oil passes through the injector pump it's heated, not cooled. The pump is bolted to the block, so as the block warms up the heat transfers to the pump. The main advantage of the pre-heater is that the fuel is heated before the filter, and is less likely to clog up the pipes. I have seen first-hand that when you put too much solvent (in this case mis-fuel, 70/30 petrol/diesel) into the oil then the heat of the pump causes vapor-lock. Interesting when towing on a motorway hill... The driver was less than amused. It's the pump that seems to be a problem, at least in a transit, as the diesel provides the pump's lubrication, whereas veg oil doesn't... I've also been told to watch for the rings getting gummed up, and letting oil past, although I don't really know how you would go about watching the rings. HTH

Was it really cheaper? The battery centre in Bridgwater fixed my diodes and brushes for about £45.

When I was at uni there was a system which used a digital camera and a template to take photos of an object from predetermined points, which were then used to build a 3d model. This was at least 6 years ago, and needed nothing more than the camera and a printed sheet of paper, so there must be a more accurate system than this available now. Si said that the corn-starch material commonly used in the rep-rap will virtually vaporise at the temperature of molten ally, so is more than good enough for lost pattern casting. I've seen a system (Not in a rep-rap, but could be adapted easily) that used something half way between araldite or epoxy and 2-pack paint, mixed with either ground/powdered glass, stone, plastic or metal. It was being used for architectural sculpture, but was strong enough to use for other stuff. Also, the plastic repair kits that motor-factors sell (Super superglue, mixed with powdered plastic) make an insanely strong substance. I was trying to pull the tester apart, and broke both the plastic part and the board it's stuck to, but couldn't even chip the bonding agent!

Brilliant, thanks.

Si, you've rendered my mate useless for the foreseeable future, as after seeing your machine on friday he now won't talk about anything else. It's funny you mention using a vacuum, as we were talking about housing the thing in a pressure container so that a partial vacuum could be used to help draw the fluid out of the nozzle. Didn't get as far as the ionic peanut butter guidance though Thanks for the ball, and indeed for the many things to think about. Cheers, Jake

Hi all. We have a series 3 with 6-cylinder brakes in the yard, which has had the brake system re-built. The first push of the pedal is always very soft, and does very little. After the first pump, the brakes are good and crisp. The adjusters have been adjusted, the fluid bled, and the hoses checked, but we can't figure out what's going on. Any ideas? Thanks, jake

Is there any difference between the heads of GEMS and Thor engines? If there is, are there advantages to either one? Also, does anyone think it worth my while to use a Thor inlet manifold for a MS/LPG setup? The effective trumpet length is mahousive, but is there any reason not to use them? Thanks all, Jake

I dropped Woody a line over the weekend, so I guess he'll answer this and other questions when he logs in. It's all quite confusing... That's why I liked the sound of the Vialle liquid injection, although the control has to be about 70 times more precise IIRC. I've sent Emails to various people about this system but have had absolutely zip response. Unlike an electroplating company called Caswell, who went out of their way to import some special ceramic exhaust paint from their american sister company for me. Cheap, too. Basically a similar process as used by the £400 ceramic coating companies, but £20 in a rattle can!

Ah...

That's good to know, I had the feeling that I was being pointed toward the more expensive stuff for no discernable gain. What injectors did you use? Thanks, Jake

Evostick sell an impact adhesive remover IIRC.

I've spoken to Tinley Tech, and they've recommended a Bigas injector Rl21 double and Valtek injectors. I can't find out a vast amount about either of these things bar the sales blurb, and a few vague hints that the Valtek stuff might not be much cop (Admittedly this came from a Scooby owner on an lpg forum, and I've never been sure how much you can really trust someone who has those neoprene strings on the arms of their sunglasses...). Does anyone run the OMVL R90E reducer? It seems to do the same thing, but for less cash, and is rated up to 6 litres. Does anyone know much about these products? Also, has anyone found out if you can run the Vialle LPI injectors from the 'squirt? I've tried to get some more information about them, but they've not replied yet. In light of what's been said about pre-priming the LPG system, I think I have a cunning plan... the switch from my old system has three positions, lpg, nothing, and petrol (The nothing is to use up the petrol in the crab bowls). I'll take the thing apart later, but if it's a three position switch, I'm thinking that I could have it as follows... 1. Petrol (Petrol pump on, LPG solenoids off) 2. Prime (Whichever fuel it's already on, but with both fuel supply systems on to prime) 3. LPG (Petrol pump off, LPG on) Does this sound feasible? Thanks

Zoltan, have you considered something like this, from DIYAutotune in the states. I don't know if it's a good idea, but I have been looking into getting one of these and one of the relay boards for my MS project. Richard, I haven't done it yet, but I'm going to get my MS to be switchable between LPG and Petrol, running both banks of injectors directly.

Thanks guys. I'm veering towards Barum in Tiverton, as they're nearly £50 cheaper for the crank regrinding. Also very knowledgeable when I spoke to them, and get their parts from Real Steel.

What kind of credentials do they want from the garage? What would your friendly local garage need to send them?

Ask to speak to the guy (I'm sure someone on here knows his name) who's in charge of production. He knows many things.

I'm just a little worried about what it'll do to the balancing.

I'd also try phoning Richards, the guys there are very knowledgeable about this kind of thing. Generally, they've already done it...

the big ends need re-machining on 2 of them, where the bearing shell of one has failed, and bits of it have buggered the rod next door as well. Is there a cheap way of getting 2 new(ish) ones? I believe that it's a case of taking a little off the flats , then re-boring the hole to re-do them. About £25 each I seem to remember.

Hi all. I need my heads done, and crank reground, and indeed 2 conrods done too. Where's reliable, not too expensive, and experienced? Around the taunton area, or between here and Cornwall. Also, is there a cheap way of acquiring a serp timing cover? Ta, Jake

I've had my balls chromed. It stung a bit...

Perfectly timed, ta for pointing that out!

It shouldn't be too much trouble to make a coil if you have a tube bender (For copper tube though, CDS might be a little overkill) to fit yer flue. Alternatively, you could make a jacket to fit the can it's self, a bit like a back boiler, but more like a back-and-sides boiler...

I'd suggest getting a spark mp instead, if you run a dizzy. RPI's do one that boosts your spark, and alters your timing so as to be optimum for both fuels. I've been told by a few different LPG tuners/fitters etc that the uprated coil is trouble in a can, and it's better to stick to a standard coil, with good leads and a spark amp.