Sparepart

Now I need to look at my column more closely, because my cam is broken, I think that when I put the Mountney boss on the shaft I probably failed to notice the notch that molded into it, so did not put the notch just above the cam, damn!

This is an odd co-incidence, I am just rebuilding the steering column assembly on my Exmo. When I took it all apart I noticed that the indicator cancellation cam is broken. On closer inspection it seems to me that this cam also acts as a spacer between the bottom of the boss and the top of the small ball race thats at the top of the sterring column tube. You could check the state of your cam ?

A bit more seriously though, would I be wrong in thinking that if either diode fails and becomes "short" rather than open circuit, then both coilpacks could discharge at the same time ? so you might want to consider the long term reliability of this solution.?

Ah yes! all solved by a bleeding resistor,

I am no electronics expert.... so I leave others to correct what is about to follow. From your diagram I am assuming that you have two coil packs and therefore a "lost spark" system. That is why the circuit is combining the negative sides of both the primary coils. I have spared no expense in making a rough drawing of a suggestion for a slightly different circuit. A spark is generated by the secondary coil (High Tension Coil) when the voltage at the primary coil collapses from 12v to 0. This collapse causes the magnetic energy stored in the core of the coils to collapse and the resultant "flux" is what gives the high voltage in the many turns of the secondary coil and thus a spark. In old fasioned engines its the points that disconnect to cause the collapse, in electronic systems the collapse is controlled very accurately by the ECU. Essentially the ECU decides when and how long to connect the "negative" side of the primary coil to earth (or zero volts). A crude graph of voltage at the -ve side of a primary coil against time is thus. When the ECU stops earthing the -ve side of the primary coil it suddenly rushes up to 12 volts again, however, in all this excitement the high flux in the core causes the voltage to "overshoot" and return to 12v in a voltage spike, displayed in red above. I am going through all this to get a clear picture in my head about what the elements of the suggested circuit are doing. Firstly the two normal diodes are essential because they prevent the earthing of one coil by the ECU from earthing the other coil and causing an unwanted spark. The Zener diode is connected to earth so that any voltage higher than the breakdown voltage (in the case of your zener I think it's 13.5v nominal) is discharged to earth rather than blowing up the Tacho. Now there might be other elements needed like resistors and such like (I am NOT an expert) but I hope this suggestion might help.

Unfortunately the DVLA website is quite clear on what is needed to change the V5 either engine number or capacity. Change of engine number or cylinder capacity (cc) You need to provide either: . a receipt for the replacement engine . written evidence from the manufacturer . an inspection report provided for insurance purposes . written confirmation on headed paper from a garage (if the change took place before you bought the vehicle) https://www.gov.uk/change-vehicle-details-registration-certificate/what-evidence-to-give When you bought the crated motor, did you not have a receipt ? or a guarantee ? if so surely the engine would have been refered to using some sort of serial number .... just in case you were not happy with it and wanted to return it, the seller would have wanted to make sure you were returning the same engine that had been supplied..... ?

After a lot of trial and error ( I think it's called an heuristic approach) I have modified the Sierra wiper mechanism to give a better sweep of the blades, the drivers side now has just over 130 degrees and the passenger side (which was never a problem) has around 100 degrees. The photo below shows the hacked end product. Adding length to the crank arm only gives a marginal gain in sweep because it soon fouls the bracket and also means changing the length of the attached arm to a point where the mechanism becomes "unstable" and can easily lock up as the joint flexes in the wrong direction from the nearly straight position, a bit like your knee suddenly bending the wrong way when you try to kneel. Now I can move on and try to get a decent weather seal around the turning shafts that are coming through the scuttle.

As you say, the headlights via the ignition is up to you, On my car the headlights come directly through the ignition switch and the dipped lights come from the battery BUT via a relay that is poered through the ignition switch, this is how it was wired on the 1986 Sierra, although older cars don't have a dipped beam relay and younger cars have relays for both dipped and main beam. I think if you search the forums you will find this topic has come up before. Now the flashers. I have looked in detail about how they operate using the Sierra loom, and I assume you are using the Sierra stalks ? So here is a brief description that hopefully explains which contacts on the stalk and flasher uniit are used an included the Sierra loom wire colours. The flasher relay has 3 contacts, 31/brown-Earth,49/(black/red)-power, and 49a/(black/white/green)-output to the L/R indicator switch contact 49a on the steering column switch that has the l/r indictor switch and hazard warning button on it. In normal operation the column switch takes power from a fused contact that comes via the ignition switch to pin 54(Black) and it's output 49 feeds flasher contact 49 which gives a flashing output on 49a that goes back to the column switch 49a (you can see the correspondance of pin numbering here). The column switch then drives output pins R(Black/Green) or L(Black/White) depending on the position of the indicator stalk. When the hazard warning switch is engaged a whole load of contacts on the steering column switch change. Now the power feed to the flasher 49 still comes from 49 on the column swich however it is taken from a fused link directly to the battery and not via the ignition switch, this input is at pin H(30)(Red) on the column switch. The flasher unit is unaware of where the power is derived, so it still produces a flashing output on pin 49a which still feeds 49a back on the steering column. The change of switching caused by the hazard warning being engaged now feeds the flashing power from 49a to BOTH R and L outputs, so all the flashing lights flash. Hope this might help check that your connections make sense.

Just a thought. Initially you suspected that the starter was not disengaging. You might want to check that it is not re-engaging after the engine has started. Theoretically this is simply to disconnect the feed to the starter solenoid after the engine has started. In practise of course this difficult to do safely, one would probably need to add an extension to the wire that goes to the solenoid so that it can be disconnected easily without hands/spanners etc close to the running engine.

Perhaps you could find a plastic end cap ? Something like:- https://www.comtecdirect.co.uk/product/emtelle-pvc-duct-end-caps/PG4330 This one is just under 100mm, don't know the diameter of your cap. You could trim the length and perhaps wind tape around the outside of your cap to get a tight push on fit. Cut a round hole in the middle so that the key goes in. Then you could form a correct radius to get through the test, and it would not look like a temporary fix.

I knew someone would advise using the Mini/BMC type mechanism, it's just so obvious, the problem is with my attitude not to let the bone go, it's a case of "I've started so I'll finish syndrome" ISSIF. I have now extended the arm by 10mm and remounted the motor. The added sweep is not great but welcome. As Bob says I can see that if the slave arms are shortened then this gives a better "bang for the buck", also this has the advantage of choosing a different sweep for each wiper AND only one cut and weld on each arm AND the effect can be trialled by temporarily overlapping the cut arm to set the added sweep to exactly that needed. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll keep you posted.

I dismantled the wiper mechanism from under the scuttle and set about making the mod. There is a major problem. The arm that is to be lengthened already comes very close to the "backplate" to which everything is bolted, i.e. the linkages and the motor/gearbox etc. G. Cash gave me a spare wiper assembly, but this is the same, the arm comes close to the backplate. Obviously, I am missing something here ( yes I know, use Mini wipers etc.) ... as I see it the only way to extend the arm is to move the drive shaft by re-mounting the motor and gearbox further away from the potential contact point. I can see that this is possible, but no one has mentioned this. Its all puzzling.

At last I have the windscreen fitted on the Exmo, and have just managed to mount the Sierra wiper mechanism which I have modified as per the build video. I have made shorted arms and blades, so far so good. I put it all together and set the motor going. No bangs or crashes, so the clearences are okay. However, it's obvious that the sweep is not good enough. On the driver's side it is just about 90 degrees, i.e just 45 degrees each side of vertical, this might just be ok to see through on a wet day, but then the park position leaves the wiper well up the screen. I have searched through the forums and unsurprisingly this topic has already come up before. I quote the ones that I found below. It seems that the perceived wisdom is to add 10mm to the short arm that is attached to the motor spindle. Before I do this i am wondering if anyone has anything further to add to the wisdom on this subject, apart from telling me to fit Mini/old BMC type wiper mechanism. https://www.rhocar.org/index.php?/forums/topic/4337-sierra-wiper-motor/&tab=comments#comment-31292 https://www.rhocar.org/index.php?/forums/topic/5338-sva-with-windscreen/&tab=comments#comment-40054

This is a very interesting question, the sort of thing that hits you by surprise when you return to the car after purchasing the ticket. I did a bit of googling as to what motorcyclists do, and saw the advice to do as emptyat has said. A govenment document on motorcycle parking has the following paragraph "There is potentially a problem with Pay and Display, in that tickets displayed on motorcycles can be stolen. Moreover, the adhesive backing may be on the wrong side of the ticket to permit display on the front of a surface, as opposed to inside a windscreen. One solution to these problems has been implemented by Birmingham City Council, who provide a secure box into which motorcyclists post their Pay and Display ticket, having written their registration number on it." This made me think of another way of displaying the ticket, how about having a visible flat surface secured to the car and using a glue to stick the ticket to the surface. A glue that would mean destroying the ticket to remove it. So one would purchase the ticket, write the reg on it, photgraph it, stick it on the surface. Further tickets could just be glued on top. The surface could be engineered as to be easily removable using some sort of security bolt and key, and stowed out of sight when not in use. OR ... have a hinged perspex cover that is secured on top of the flat surface to prevent the ticket getting wet. Oh yes, another thought... if you use something like a steering wheel lock device whenever the car is parked you could fix the flat surface to the locking device. I use one of those that have a long bar to prevent the wheel from turning, the flat surface would be easily visible if it was fixed to the bar, say with tight jubilee clips.

The VIN on my Exmo was allocated a long time ago, I had no choice then along the lines of what Brumster says above. I paid a local garage to stamp the VIN in the driver's side floor and on a piece of SS that I then cut into a tab to rivet near the battery. They made a slight cockup, one of the digits (a 3) was punched upside down. They did it on the floor first, so also repeated the mistake on the tab for consistency. This odd VIN has caused a few smiles but no complaint from the SVA tester or the MOT testers over the years. So if you add the possibility of upside down characters into the Nelmo stats you probably get more possibilities than atoms in the universe ? ... no wait a minute that can't be right as the univers is infinite ... or is it?

I have been Googling this, always a dangerous thing. However I have watched several tubes on performing alignment using the "string method". I think the best of them, is seen on the link below. The presenter is very methodical in explaining the process I think he says it is what his car racing team use on a regular basis for setting up the track cars. He focuses on the importance of forming a perfect rectangle symetrically around the car, however I think the important point is that you set up parallel straight lines on either side with the wheel centers of each axle equidistant from the line. He also explains the relationship between Toe In using degrees and distances. I will be trying this method first to see if it works, but I don't have a rolling chassis at the moment, so am interested if LewisH tries this first. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxnK1XE6ZAA

This is great news, here I have been messing about with all the physics and mechanics of caster and camber etc and all the time the solution is getting toe in correct. This is the most easily adjusted of all the steering geometry variables. What i don't know is what is the correcy value ?? Two above posts say "far too much toe in" well the obvious next question is ... what was the correct amount of toe in ?. The Haynes manual for the Sierra Saloon/Hatchback/Estate says that the optimum should be just 1 mm, with a minimum of 0.5 mm and a maximum of 4.5 tolerable. Can you remember what value was used on your vehicles ?

As you have probably found in your search, I asked this question not that long ago, in the thread:- https://www.rhocar.org/index.php?/forums/topic/49176-exmo-caster-adjustment There is a rather american voiced, but well explained Youtube about self centering:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLbs8kBXgrw On the Exmo, we can't push the bottom of the struts forward too far because the springs will foul on the leading side of the "n" shaped mounting outrigger. If the "front suspension springs fouling against chassis turret." means that they are fouling the trailing edge, then you have some hope because pushing the strut bottom forward might cure both problems. On my Exmo there is no self centering, however it passed the old SVA test without any mention. I want to fix it because it makes steering feel more like using a rudder on a boat, requiring constant attention to keep going in a straight line. Self centering can also be affected by something called the "King Pin Inclination", however we cant adjust that becuse it is set in the casting of the stub axle at the strut bottom. A property called camber we can in theory adjust by increasing/decreasing the distance between the either the strut tops or bottoms. A certain amount of negative or positive (I am not sure which?) camber can help with self centering. I think its negative camber where the tops of the wheels are closer than the bottoms. This means that when the steering is turned from straight there is a slight lifting of the car involved. Thus when the steering wheel is let go the energy is released by the wheels returning to straight and the car dropping slightly. Problems with this is that the steering becomes "heavier" and the tyres will wear on one side......I am toying (just toying) with the idea of being able to adjust the camber by being able to slide the top mounts in a short groove rather than the current fixed hole....I'll need to take measurement to see how much that could change the camber by, and the safety aspects etc. etc.

That wire, that you have no clue as to what it is for ? ... It is always the wire through which you inject the Loom/Harness smoke.

Well done with the rear wheel arches, it was a big bullet to bite. From where did you source the silencer ? how does it sound ? it looks like it can be repacked ? Also what a cliffhanger of a statement "....or so I thought" .... when is the next installment? ... on the edge of seat.

Watching and listening again to the vid, the clicking is obviously the starter relay cutting in and out and sometimes holding, at which point the motor turns but slowly. Two things happen when the solenoid is energised, the solenoid pulls an arm that pivots to push the starter dog and engage it with the flywheel cogs, at the same time it closes an electrical switch that connects the battery to the motor. The switch has to make a good enough contact to pass the high current needed by the motor. So a possible cause of the problem is low voltage/current in the circuit that powers the solenoid, sometimes it barely has enough energy to engage the cogs and close the contact but the sudden added slight drop in voltage due to the motor starting causes the solenoid to drop out, then the motor drain stops and the solenoid has just enough power to re-engage, and this process repeats causing the rapid clicking. When the solenoid manages to make prolonged contact, enough for the motor to turn, it still only holds the contacts of the internal switch together weakly and not strong enough to pass enough current. Obviously the power to the solenoid is either coming through your ignition switch, in the start position, or via a relay that is driven by the ignition switch, depending on your cars wiring. In any case you can test this theory by energizing the solenoid directly from the battery rather than using the ignition switch. You need to be careful, make sure that the car is not in gear etc and with care connect the thick lead (positive) coming from the battey to the solenoid terminal on the starter (disconnect the wire coming from the ignition system), be careful, connect a thickish wire to the solenoid first before touching it to the thick wire terminal from the battery positive or directly to the battery positive. If this way of powering the solenoid solves the slow turnover problem then it indicates that the problem is with the power coming from the ignition system, and not starter power or earthing etc. If turnover is still slow, and the clicking noise occurs etc .... well at least you have eliminated something that might be a problem. P.S. Warning, if you have not done anything like this before, be prepared for a bit of sparking when you touch the wire to the positive terminal and the sudden activity from the starter that it generates, which will continue for as long as you make the contact. If you left the ignition switch on, then the engine might start to add further drama and the need to stop the contact immediatly, just like when you hold the key in the start position and then let it spring back.

Have you performed the tests described in the service manual ? section 9 of chapter 5 "Starter motor - testing in the vehicle". If you don't have a copy then you can try and download the pdf from the link below. https://musse67.mbnet.fi/Taunus/Korjausoppaat/

I think you need to accurately identify the WW mechanism. Many builders have used the old Austin/Morris/BMC type of mechanism, where the motor drives a spiral cable inside a sheath. Two small gear boxes are attached to the cable where the spiral motion is converted to a reciprocating motion to move the wiper arms. When this mechanism is in operation the only obvious moving parts are the wiper arm shafts coming out of the little gear boxes. This is good as it means other parts of the under scuttle clutter are not likely to get caught up in the mechanism. Even better, the little gear boxes are mounted through a hole in the scuttle that has an inbuilt water seal setup, AND the distance between them is adjustable, this is why they are so popular. You will immediatly know if this is what you have, because (I may be wrong) all other mechanisms involve a motor that drives a crank arm that in turn pushes and pulls two longish arms, each one driving the wiper arm shafts back and fore. These mechanisms have a fixed distance between the wiper arm shafts and in operation the various arms/levers are VERY visible and take up quite a lot of space, which must be kept clear of any other items under the scuttle. Also frequently they are designed to be fitted outside of the weather proof part of the car so there is a challenge to weatherproof the area where the shafts protrude through the scuttle. ..... I find myself rambling on a bit and have got off subject ... so will stop now...... you need to identify the exact wiper mechanism before you wire it up.

Spec gives a range, 100% at 44A, 60% at 57A, 15% at 115A and 8% at 130A. You can draw a curve to predict intermediate values. So at 44A you can weld away forever and at 130A you will drink a lot of tea ... or might go down the pub. Personally I have not yet had it cut out yet, but do tend to weld in short to medium bursts mainly because I find it hard to wear my specs with the mask, so don't, and then have trouble seeing where the weld is going, so keep stopping to check. I get so close to the action to see properly that the glass is pitted with blobs of sputter, ah ... sputter another good topic