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[Genem]

Working through some "membership" emails and a knock at the door.... National Park Ranger and "There is this car, she's put it in the ditch. Could you..."

So I fired up the Quattro …… and the 48 year old Landrover pulled the 3 year old Audi back onto the straight and level very easily.  (Still not sure how it happened, the front offside was well into the ditch on an other-wise quite wide, straight piece of track).  Off they went to take the dog for a walk.

Thought it unfair to take a picture.   

[jkhackney]

Lack of snow here took me cross-country skiing in the neighboring Canton, Valais, where I overnighted in the Dormobile.

A heat wave meant -10C at 8am and nearly 0C by 1pm.

I'd got a new gel battery last Spring and a thermostat to control the petrol night heater. I let it run at home all night, with no battery issues. But in the truly cold temperatures, my heater stopped at 5am and I knew this meant "dead battery"! It's my starter AND leisure battery ... 

Inside everything was iced up in the morning. I decided to postpone dealing with it. I came back from skiing to find the sunny end of the Dormobile thawing out and had a nice picnic. The battery was indeed very dead.

Starting on the handle was difficult with tired arms and cold oil! I retarded the ignition timing 10 clicks and removed the damper from the air piston on the Stromberg (otherwise it can flood on startup in very cold temperatures). It started on the 3rd pull, I was very happy!!

Here's another photo of the train ride through the mountain on the trip home. 15 minutes in the train saves about 80 miles of motorway driving. A bit pensive about whether I'd be able to re-start the engine to drive off the train, but of course it had charged well.

Next time I either bring a trickle charger and plug into the mains, or figure out a place to put a HUGE leisure battery! The split charger is already installed, for my caravan battery.

-Jeremy

[Genem]

Interesting and useful for those who like the great outdoors!

Can you expand on the hop-on/hop off vehicle/train thing ?  How widespread is that sort of service in Switzerland ?

( Perhaps an article for B2L ?)

 
 

[Ndrwdz]

Drove to Salisbury to the launch party for the  New Defender.
Spent almost the whole time there talking to owners of Series vehicles.

Got stopped by the Rozzers on the way home - sidelight bulb out.
They were a bit taken aback when I said "I've got a spare - I'll fix it here and now".

Andrew

[jkhackney]

That train has a regular schedule (7 trains per hour on weekends, each way) and you just show up, pay, and drive on. It has a passenger area for motorcyclists who can't stay on their motorcycle in the tunnel, and is otherwise just flatcars with a tin roof. You drive into and out of the train via the fold-down side of a flatcar. Even the turning circle of a 109 is sufficient to make the curve. It goes about 70mph and costs 30 franks one way ($30).

Here's the one from here to Valais:
https://www.bls.ch/en/fahren/unterwegs-mit/autoverlad/kandersteg-goppenstein

It can also be booked in advance all the way to Isella in Italy.

There's one under the Furka pass and over (not under) the Oberalppass to Disentis, and probably a few others. I wish I could take the Dormobile to other places in Europe on the train, but those trains aren't high enough (i.e. their tunnels are too low).

Jeremy

[Genem]

^^^^ What a great idea ! 

[lowoil]

100 mile round trip yesterday to opening of Leaf Sprung Landys new workshop with NW group. Great do, thanks Jim.
Decided to check mpg so filled up at Asda at 9am, shot down motorway at dizzying speeds up to 60 mph, picked up friends half way there and another 20 odd miles cross country.
It was only when I dropped them off on the return journey I realised I'd left the petrol cap on a pump at Asda, back at Asda at 5pm, cap still there 
18mpg

[LandCasco]

Make my own gasket for the sump and TB cover later install them with sealant.
And founded one bleed bolt in front cylinder leaking brake fluid. The tread looks bad.
I love this car and I hate too you fix one thing and later another one broke.

Change this bad brake cylinder today, all normal now!

[Genem]

Slightly OT.... used surplus scaffolding to build a "mezzanine floor" in the workshop to get more storage space. Started moving some spare tyres up onto it.... fell off the steps, landing on an engine and having a "spare" mounted on a "Wolf" rim follow me down. I can confirm this is NOT a good idea. #sore.

  

[Old Hywel]

 

Sorry, couldn’t help that.

[w3526602]

Hi,

In France, you are required to carry a full set of spare  bulbs. That might be why sealed beams are forbidden in France (So, carry a spare SB unit?)

I'm have read of a French police car stopping a Renault with a dud front marker lamp. Garage was called out to change the bulb.

Monsieur Flic told the mechanic to send the bill to Renault.

602

[Peter Holden]

Due to the Renault Megane fiaso and the costs to Renault for the roadside garage bills the french no longer insist you change the dud lightbulb at the side of the road, and nor are they enforcing the breathaliser rule.

Peter

[jkhackney]

I still have a bulb kit in the underseat tray (you can still buy the kits in service stations here!).

I renew the Swiss MOT in 3 weeks, started preparing today. The electrics work (touch wood!). Cleaned underneath with a toothbrush and brake cleaner. Polished the brake lines. I'm keeping the leaking sump under observation (may have to change the gasket, what a dummy I re-used it    and only used sealant on one side!).

For you winter campers, I found my error:

... in the truly cold temperatures, my heater stopped at 5am and I knew this meant "dead battery"!

My heater is an Eberspächer B1L from 1981. I looked up in the manual that the fan draws 40W and the glowplug 200W. I calculated that with 3 or 4 startup cycles per hour for 12 hours I require 55 or 60 Ah. Even if I just ignite it once and run at max for 12 hours, to avoid lighting the glowplug, the blower alone takes 41 Ah. I think my battery may be 72Ah? In the cold it's cutting it too close!

Jeremy

[gvo416j R.I.P.]

Continuing with the swap out of bits from my 2A dormobile to the S3 rebuild after the accident resulting in the writing off of said dormobile.

Decided to change the timing belt in the 200Tdi. Next problem was locking the engine as the engine is currently a non runner due to lack of oil pipes to the front and is also an auto.

The factory workshop manual just said take off the front pulley from the damper and attach special tool such and such, whereas the Haynes manual said put the vehicle in low box with the handbrake on and in park was sufficient for an auto model.

Long story short was that it just turned and I spent a while making up a "special tool" of my own to do the job from some scrap to complete the job.

I was not too worried when the engine turned as I assumed Haynes was wrong because the park is a locking pin in the gearbox and there is no direct mechanical connection to the engine through the torque converter. However I talked to a mate who is a mechanic and he was not so sure, and also stated that the locking pin for park may be broken due to being shunted in the accident.

Has anyone any thoughts on this  and if broken is a possibility, will that mean it is unsafe to use the box

I think one of my first jobs will be to put a prop on the rebuild and jack up a wheel and test the park.

Also counted up the holes that need filling in the bulkhead behind the seats after the army life of the S3 rear body  --- 56 --- and it is not even an ex FFR

[winchman]

Found some bits we had lost that where holding us up