945 Niggles

[Laird Scooby]

Fingers crossed it keeps running then! At least if it stops again you have a good clue where to start looking!

[bluebrickrick]

I'm ahead there, toying with the idea of a flying lead and warning LED before I button it up, then thought about enough lead to plug into the lighter socket (as I did when my reversing light switch died !) to hotwire the pump and yes folks in a rare lucid moment I noted one of the relay functions is to cut fuel flow if in an accident situation

[Laird Scooby]

Good ideas there Rick - i'd suggest a bit of caution if you decide to use the cigarette lighter option for the simple reason something in the back of my mind is saying the cig lighter is fused at 10A or 15A which won't be enough to run the pump. However if you're simply using the feed to operate the fuel pump relay that shouldn't be a problem.

[bluebrickrick]

Good point Dave, I went for a run today with nothing untoward, but being intermittent that tells little ! I'd decided on not doing the flying lead mod just in case it ended up under the seat and grounded - its not a long job to hoik out the ashtray and lighter bay for access.

Not having figured out why that link is still needed (until I can pick up another relay) it doesn't feel like I've actually cured anything, it might be a fault with the LH2.4 or wiring to it, (its too wet to ferret about in the doorpost at present an Kim has a hospital appointment Friday) so time will no doubt tell, I did find last night that I had downloaded a 240 version of the manual for the 2.4 somewhere so have been looking through that and find (if the 840 version is the same) there is a stage 3 diagnostic which operates injectors AIV etc so will have to have a look at that when time permits.

Will update any further happenings or findings, these searchable topics are great guidance if you can hit on the right search terms.

Cheers & beers

Rick

[Laird Scooby]

Let us all know how you get on Rick - friday seems to be the day for hospital appointments, got one myself!

They really get in the way of sorting things out but are necessary else we couldn't do anything!

[bluebrickrick]

You are right Dave - I got it wron g, its next Friday which is good as it gives me a weeks confidence building OR time to continue rectifying need to it book in for an MOT soon too............

[Laird Scooby]

Another MoT looming! Mine runs out 2/12 so not got long to sort the final niggles caused by ATS when they damaged my exhaust because the ramp they put it on wasn't completely down on the floor! Got the bits, just need the time! Seems when i have the time it's raining, when i don't have the time the sun is out, it's dry and (even if a little cold) not much wind.

Frustrating doesn't get close!

I suspect now you've found the (basic) cause of why yours was cutting out and have removed and refitted it, it's likely to go on for quite some time without a problem now. After all, how long have you had the car and been driving it like that before it played up?
Sometimes things like this throw a wild card and suddenly play up a few days later, remove and refit again and then they're fine for quite some time. Would be good to get to the bottom of it though!

[bluebrickrick]

Hi Dave

I did a Bogside-Cromer-Bogside run Thursday then the Norfolk & Norwich and back Friday without a murmur, not satisfied it is cured but confidence is floating off the bumpstops again

I've only had this one since February this year, bought locally as a 'get you by' through Gumtree from a couple of lads who work as fitters for a local coach firm and bought it for banger racing then decided it was too nice to destroy, bless them !

My 'proper' 945, a Wentworth called Hercules died after Xmas with dramatic loss of compression on 2 not adjacent pots, (not got round to opening it up as the new car had a few issues which I knew needed sorting when I bought it)

I've had Hercules for around 12 years and driven 245 / 745 / 945s for the last 30 years or so as company service vehicles, I kept one when I came off the road full time as I still needed the capability (and there is nothing which motivates a service team more than if they arrive late on site and their boss has already done their job, or a real sh£t job comes in and he does it instead or just arrives to bring spares / tools / experience / moral support!)

When the firm was taken over and the inevitable leasing lesser vehicles was started by accountants who had no idea of what was involved for the chaps at the sharp end, the attractions of a company vehicle had diminished so I bought it off them.

The only real problems Hercules had was a MAF sensor failure about 10 years back, a heater core about 5 back and a Turbo failure which was mis diagnosed as shot valve guides, as a short term measure I bought Father Jack, who had a failure to start when warm problem plus several other issues which I never found the cure for but learned much about throttle switches, air bypass valves and trying to clean the corrosion from ECH sockets & pins (had been forded or sea logged at some time and the ECU submerged) as a result, Father Jack is quietly giving up his organs so that others may live on with them transplanted - unfortunately the ground I store him on will soon not be available so an EOL certificate may feature in his future (BTW the kids cristened him the instant I brought him home as FEC is part of the registration No !) the £500 I paid for both of them will be more than realised in spares use, including good tyres and exhausts.

I would say from my experiences, do not fit a turbo from a vehicle which has stood for over 6 months without stripping and cleaning first the amount of carbon and scale which seems to accumulate is unreal.

Always feel the drivers and passengers carpets if footwell liners are fitted, passengers side wet, walk away its the heater core, drivers side wet, expect to have trouble, IF you can find a valve expect to loose knuckle flesh.

Make sure the speedo works

Just about everything else is fixable in real time and you have a vehicle which you can throw anything in or behind and it'll pull

During a gale last year I was heading down to the doctors to see the vampyre for a blood test, only to find an enormous oak branch had just blown down and hit a van in front, (people in it OK) so there we were with a constricted road with traffic building either side, I just happened to have a chainsaw on board (as you do) so cut it into two bits and was just wondering where to drop it when the adjacent farmer arrived via his field and on foot, 'I'd best go back for the tractor & a chain' he says, so dropping the saw back in the boot, I pulled my towing strop out and said 'just roll the branch over so I can squeeze past then strop it onto me tow hitch'. Just as this happened a police car arrives on the wrong side of the road behind us, these two gormless looking young chaps saunter down and eye up proceedings, so we ask them if they have a broom in their car, 'yes why' was the answer 'Cos there'll be loads of sh^t left to sweep up after I've dragged this lot down to the farmyard - we left in a trail of leaves and sawdust to blue flashing lights and open mouths. Nigel cut & split over a ton and a half of saleable firewood out of that branch!

Someone must have seen us as I've had various comments about the "Swedish Tractor" since then ? With my Series 1 Landy before and these since, I've had the best, I hope I die before the time comes when there are no longer affordable 945s about, nothing since holds a candle to them.

[Laird Scooby]

Glad to hear it's all going well Rick - i'd be inclined to take the view "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" now. You know the most likely cause of cutting out so if it does, as you rightly pointed out in a previous post, it's a quick job to whip the ashtray and fuse/relay board out.

It sounds as if you rescued it from a fate worse than death buying it off the banger boys. It was probably testing your resolve by throwing its toys out of the pram with the fuel relay problem, it will probably behave itself now it knows you're not going to convert it to razor blades anytime soon!

I'm glad i'm not the only one that refers to blood tests as seeing Nurse Dracula or the Vampire! I have to confess though, i don't normally carry a chainsaw when i go to see her!

It's a tool i've never needed or wanted although is the subject of a long-standing joke. A friend says i'm similar to his dad in that i'd go to Aldi for bread and milk and come home with a chainsaw, along the lines of "The ballad of Lidl & Aldi" :

https://youtu.be/cL7jyXCQ2Zc

The joke is that in truth i'd go to Aldi for the chainsaw and pick up bread and milk as an afterthought!

Handy that you just happened to have one on board with that tree though!

All good advice about things to look out for - i've not had any of those problems and my current 760 had a new heater matrix a few years back (and a new radiator more recently) so i should be ok for a while. The water pump looks newish as well so as i've also replaced the 'stat, i think i should be fine for cooling problems for some time to come.
As for the turbo, good advice there as well, i'm not keen on turbocharged cars for that simple reason. It's impossible to assess the turbo when buying secondhand, unless it's either obviously new or there's a James Bond style smoke screen from the exhaust.

As for the "Swedish Tractor", this could be why :

https://youtu.be/9yHl24QynOM

Although they've painted it black, that is in fact a red-block in there, a B21ET from a 240 series.

In other news, i think i've sorted my exhaust to MoT acceptable levels and also fixed the door mirror that was damaged by some myopic idiot without a driving licence. Bought a pair of mirrors on ebay and swapped the glass and motor into the mirror housing on the car - saved a lot of faffing about removing the door card etc!

[bluebrickrick]

Wow, now that is a tractor Dave, Father Jack's 2.3 turbo in a Fordson Dexta springs immediately to my diseased mind - only trouble is, with the wind blast I'd go through more bowls of tobacco per mile than I would litres of juice ! (my dear old Fordson Major red lines at about 14mph so wind chill or pipe flare ups are not much of a problem)

I'd seen (but forgotten) the Lidl & Aldi skit thanks for reminding me, I don't often go near either but when I do the temptation for some of the stuff they offer is high, as, I have found is the quality of the odd powertool bought from them, the Europeans don't seem to be quite as good at accepting any old cheap rubbish as some in the UK

Fingers cross for your impending appointment with the man with the ministry computer, I need to book mine next week.

My Surgery trips (I alternate between Vampyre & Diabolic Nurse) are not generally supported by chainsaw or other arborial tackle but given the wind overnight I had chucked it in as I was continuing over to my parents place where ropey old trees can be a problem.