Turbocharger

I've just had a phone call, a friend is trying to find a desert-camo military-looking vehicle for a film shoot in London tomorrow (Friday), for a Gaddafi/Libya p*sstake skit. They're offering to cover expenses plus your fee for appearing, she mentioned £150. She appreciates it's quite last minute, but anyone who can supply should contact Jen on 07881 630834.

I'm replacing UJs reasonably often, I probably get 10,000 miles out of each one though I probably don't grease them as often as I should. Looking at today's failed item makes me wonder if the grease is getting everywhere it should: Two pins are greased and healthy, one has reached "needs greasing", and on the fourth the rollers came out as powder (giving rise to the play which meant it was time to find my prop tool again). I replaced the UJ but it's not possible to get all four cups 'tight' against the circlip - pushing through the yoke means that one will always sit slightly inward, and then the grease doesn't flow out to the needles. Other than clamping the free-flowing pins with a socket and G-clamp while I'm greasing it (as I did today), is there an easy way to make sure that the grease reaches all the critical parts? It looks like two cups are always going to run dry once the 'assembly' grease is gone, so my greasing isn't contributing to the life of the component.

Cartman - I took an SLK. The Jag was short-lived and I decided the Ninety would send me deaf. I hope this post (with its confusion over trichloro... and tetrachloro...) has saved one person's accidental trip to A&E.

I didn't know this but I spent the weekend in Flanders studying the history of WW1, and our guide mentioned the use of chemical warfare, particularly phosgene gas. On doing some reading afterwards, I hadn't realised but there's a serious hazard here for us all. Brake cleaner contains trichloroethylene, and welding heat OR THE UV RADIATION from the arc can be enough to dissociate it, where it forms phosgene. It's powerful enough to be fatal at 4 ppm, and gives you a nasty turn at lower concentrations The same is true of freon, though I don't think our A/C systems are likely to use this refridgerant. This chap had a close call with it. Be careful out there folks.

This is why I went for a VGT - that and I can't live without the endless hassle of a homebrew project that's never quite finished. I've now got 1 bar boost at 1400rpm and pushing 1.5bar by 2000rpm - it's the first figure that makes the driveability work (though I then went and ruined it with an autobox but it tackles the same issue two ways round). If you're seeing black smoke at full throttle & low revs then you're already overfuelling and you won't get any more performance from the star wheel. First things first - is the air filter clean, pipe runs not pinched or delaminated, intercooler not clogged with old oil etc. Get a boost gauge, make sure the wastegate's pinned shut (use a regulated workshop airline to feed it directly, you shouldn't see any movement until 0.8bar & fully open by 1.2bar, don't stuff 10bar into it accidentally because you'll need to buy a new one). Then, and only then, consider throwing money at turbochargers etc.

Sounds like fuel starvation to me - lift pump or fuel filter. If you've recently messed about with the fuel filter, that's where I'd start looking.

Thanks for the comments and ideas. I'm thinking the tube wall is too thin on the manifold, but it's what I've got and I don't fancy starting again so I'll live with it for a few more failures before I declare it a lost cause - I've got a welder. It was properly cracked, all the way round: I tacked it in place, on opposite sides and with minimum heat (while it was still bolted up to the head!) to maintain the alignment: Then welded it all the way round, nice wide zigzags to spread the joint and any stress in the area (maybe just moving the next crack upstream to the weakest point?) Then painted it with silver VHT paint so I can see the witness marks of any future cracks, and reassembled. My brace is clearer in this pic, it goes down to two nuts on a stud on top of the engine mount so it is adjustable to take the weight. It may be too stiff, or the cracking may be from before I braced it - time will tell. Thanks for the constructive and less helpful comments re manifold design. As I said, I'm comfortable with the gasflow compromises - this is a structural vibration problem. However, the Schedule 40 manifold looks sturdy but I've got a couple of my own comments: The T-pieces on cylinders 2 & 3 have the effect of diffusing the flow at the port, slowing the gas and raising the pressure. This isn't the case on 1 & 4, and will give strange flow effects and balancing problems. The EGT probe is after the turbo which is strange (depending on what they're trying to measure) and the flow isn't so pretty where the collector branches to the turbo flange. I'm not saying mine's a paragon of gas-flowing virtue and I bet his hasn't cracked anywhere due to the weight of the turbo like mine... My point: if you're sure about your changes, get your welder out and show me how it should be done! Unfortunately I can't test-drive it at the moment because I got a bit enthusiastic with the blowtorch and "annealed" one of the spill-rail copper washers into a melted blob of copper, so I need a trip to the shops first.

The gasflow efficiency isn't in question, performance is more than adequate - I need to add reliability. The turbo needs to sit roughly where it is now to get the inlets and outlets pointing the right way and clear of the other manifold, and keep the oilways draining properly. Plus it all bolts up ok to the downpipe as it is. It's not clear from my photos but my brace is adjustable, it sits between two nuts at the lower end to allow the turbo to be slightly 'jacked up' statically, though I'm sure this preload will change when the whole thing gets hot. The standard 200Tdi exhaust manifold isn't braced between the webs - I guess I'll put this failure to collateral damage from before the brace. I'll weld it up, check it for flatness (skim it again if it's a problem) and bolt it up with a new manifold-to-head gasket.

It is a custom manifold, and my brace should give it the support it clearly craves. How can I see if it's overconstrained?

I've had problems at various points with sealing the manifold to the head, which I've always put down to the distance from the head to the weight of the (unsupported) turbo - old photo: So I made a brace a few weeks back to pass any deflection back down to the (engine side of) the engine mount: But now it's cracked the manifold (again) on one of the end branches, where the black line is showing: How to repair it - reliably? Thoughts: - it's not the first time I've seen a failure here, the manifold is obviously working very hard structurally though the brace should be helping. - it's failed in torsion, so the vibration has fatigued it as the turbo has moved up and down - either it's old damage which has come to the fore, or the assembly is now overconstrained with a brace as well? - I'll tack it in-situ and then re-weld the crack, but should I brace it somehow as well to spread the stress or will it just concentrate elsewhere?

Sorry, 300Tdi engine, standard starter, probably an undersized battery and a torturous earth path.

Quite a lot of our modifying, tweaking and bodging suffers from guesswork because we don't know the real numbers involved. Since I've borrowed a posh multimeter with data logging etc, I thought I'd post up the starting current I found, in case anyone's doing any sums. You can see 373A starting current, and then 48A charging current falling quickly to 16A within 30 secs when I took the photo (the battery had just been on charge). I also measured various voltages and found a peak 2V drop between the starter motor body and the gearbox earth stud during cranking, which explains the poor starting I've been suffering recently (and was why I'd borrowed this posh machine). 2V at 373A is 0.005 ohms, so not a big resistance - it shows how good the heavy current paths have to be! Hopefully the ballpark starting current will be of use to someone.

I said "Hey darling, look at this Ebay listing..... we need to sell the house."<BR>She said "Err. No. I'm awesome, but I'm not that awesome."

Jose, I presume you're struggling with so many English numbers so quickly? The answer machine gives 07811 119929 (+44 7811 119929) or sales@mattsavage.com. Matt runs a well respected business, I hope your problem is quickly resolved. Regards John

Cut the glass in two, trim the corners, flog one V8 & glass on ebay as "Top Gear style" for £££ and you can buy her flowers to put on the other new table in your living room. Simples.

Les, I went from 3-bolt to 4-bolt, the steering effort is largely similar but the 3-bolt boxes will 'choke' if you suddenly change direction when you're steering, ie moving the wheel to the right, suddenly move it to the left and you'll feel it 'seize' momentarily as the hydraulic pressure changes direction. Bad explanation, hopefully you see what I mean. The same thing doesn't afflict the 4-bolt boxes, so that's where I'd go given the choice. They do need different pipes though, not expensive though I've got an adaptor for the reservoir pipe (which weeps fluid forever more).

Possibly abusing my position as a regular LR4x4er, but I'm chair of the organising committee, it's a free event and Russ Varney will certainly have opinions on where the LandRover brand will go in the future. Mods - please move or remove if you feel it's out of place. Prestige Debate: The Challenges Facing Prestige Manufacturers in a Low Carbon Society The IMechE is hosting a live "Question Time" style debate, with panellists from the Boards of Britain's most prestigious manufacturers and chaired by Autocar Magazine's Steve Cropley. You can submit questions to the panel of industry experts on the challenges and opportunities facing prestige car manufacturers - be part of a live discussion on the future! It will be at 7pm on 24th March, at the University of Bath (BA2 7AY). A debate between the some of the Automobile industry's biggest hitters, considering the future for premier and 'halo' vehicles in a carbon-conscious market. Chair: Steve Cropley - Editor, Autocar Panel: Antony Sheriff, Managing Director of McLaren Automotive Ulrich Eichhorn, Board member for Engineering, Bentley Tom Purves, CEO Rolls Royce Cars Russ Varney, Sports Cars Director, Jaguar Chris Porritt, Programme Director, Aston Martin Refreshments available from 6.30pm. Tickets are free but attendees must register in advance at: http://events.imeche....aspx?code=L195

It's the beginning of the end, but you can obtain a near-indefinite stay of execution with a welder. I'm just up the A46 from Bath and I'll tickle a patch onto it for you for sensible money this weekend if you need - drop me a PM.

Les - have a play with the ratio calculators, but also think carefully about what it tells you. 70mph @ 2250rpm doesn't sound too far from 70mph @ 2000rpm, but that's the difference going from a 1.6 to a 1.4 box (depending on your diffs, tyres etc) - and it can be a big difference if it means the engine will bog down and drop off boost when it clunks into top gear. I went from a 1.6 t-box to a 1.2 and it's miles apart, 3rd gear now is where 4th gear was. With 32" tyres it's sensible (volume-wise) cruising at 70mph now, but it's only good for 80mph in top, or revving out at 75mph in 3rd. With the 1.6 t-box it would drop into top at 30mph and then carry the same gear all the way up to 85mph or so - plenty of power but it was a bit 'revvy'. I'm happy with 1.2 and 3.54 diffs as a "relaxed" drive (I've got faster cars if I want to step out a bit) but it would be better with lower diffs / 1.4 t-b / smaller tyres if it was for towing or hilly work. You're welcome to a drive in mine if you like, I'm only in the next valley as you know.

Fair enough, I think we agree on laning and attitudes. I can't say I have much sympathy for the grump she has after buying a house next to a right of way which is hundreds of years old, but she could have spoken to us and I hope she'd have found us polite, articulate, empathetic and interested in the history and beautiful scenery around her house (as well as a little bit jealous that she gets to wake up and see it every day). Maybe she didn't get chance to meet us because we weren't there for too long? I don't like laning past houses, through farmyards etc and I'd willingly take a longer (agreed) route to preserve someone's privacy. I fully accept the point about irresponsible behaviour and damage to the lanes but that's the wider question of sustainability, and it's not going to get any easier as more secondhand 4x4s fall below £1000 and "yoofs want to test them". We can only behave properly and make sure that minority remain so, and the majority give a good impression for community relations etc. As I said above, we did drive Breast High road but the Suzi didn't make it up the washout on a left hand bend. Discretion being the better part of valour, we turned back before doing any damage (to the car or the lane!).

Before you lift the head, check that the injector clamps are all tight (13mm spanner, the rearmost one is a little awkward to access). Mine lifted one slightly after I'd fiddled with the injectors and it gave a distinct and 'crisp' ticking until clamped down properly again.

They might not be fragile but I'll bet they're heavy, make sure they're secure in case the car does the human-washing-machine thing with you and the lights inside it!

On Sunday? What had we done to upset her? I genuinely can't think of anything which could have put anyone's nose out of joint other than "exercising our right to pass and re-pass", I make a point to engage, smile or wave to everyone I meet. In fact I think I stopped on the descent into Sadgill to pick up some litter which someone had cast asunder...

In hindsight, we should have turned the Jimny at that point, though my Ninety had driven it first attempt without a spotter, waffles or winching, suggesting it was quite dry by comparison to the winter examples above. As I said, where we found a problem on the Brest High Road we looked at diverting (soft grassland all around), towing (danger of digging ruts), winching (nowhere to put the tow vehicle that wouldn't cause damage), so we turned round instead. We noticed that where we did turn round overlooking Coniston Water (c. 2km before the OS map shows the BOAT ending) there were marks where bikes had just headed away up the hill across the moor. There wasn't much damage - or it had recovered well - but it shows that it's not just water damage, there is irresponsible access occurring up there (and elsewhere too). It's down to the responsible users (and I hope I count myself among the latter) to police the routes as best we can, and to use the lanes responsibly and sustainably in the meantime.

With the Jimny in a V-gully between rocks? Yes, we did go off the driven line, by about ten feet. He'd tried the scramble up the rocks two or three times, and he was starting to dig a hole. Rather than do any damage to the surface of the track, he took the hard-surfaced rocky option to the left, risking damage to the car rather than the terrain. On the way back down he went for the steps because the issue was traction rather than clearance. It's a moot point here because that track's a dead end, but what's the best way to tackle such situations? Where I've seen similar situations in the Peak District or Brecons, the track ends up deeply rutted and scarred (usually from water erosion wearing one rut much deeper than the other), or else the track spreads over a wider and wider area at the difficult point. Historically, traffic would have taken an easier adjacent option if possible, so that's what we chose because we were confident it wouldn't do more damage. At a similar problem on the Brest High Road, we turned round rather than tear chunks out of the countryside for our own selfish enjoyment.