240 General: New (to me) 1980 Volvo 244

[Laird Scooby]

As an aside/answer/conclusion (i hope) to the side discussion we had earlier in the thread Alan about the painful fuel consumption of my beast, i filled up yesterday with 6 gallons of BP Ultimate.

I'd done 90 miles since the last one give or take 1/4 mile. Last fill up showed 16mpg ish, this time it took 6 gallons +/- a litre so on the face of it, 15mpg but remember i had to warm it up and then check/adjust the mixture a few days back?

Experience has taught me that takes about a gallon minimum so it was 90 miles on 5 gallons, 18mpg but.......

.... it's 6 miles to the BP and i'd done a few miles in between, memory says the mileage was about 60-64 miles when i adjusted the mixture.

At the old mpg rate, that would have used 4 gallons (4x 16mpg = 64 miles) so it would appear on the other remaining gallon, i've done 26 miles so 26mpg - i hope i'm right!

I could still be wrong but i don't think so!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

As an aside/answer/conclusion (i hope) to the side discussion we had earlier in the thread Alan about the painful fuel consumption of my beast, i filled up yesterday with 6 gallons of BP Ultimate.

I'd done 90 miles since the last one give or take 1/4 mile. Last fill up showed 16mpg ish, this time it took 6 gallons +/- a litre so on the face of it, 15mpg but remember i had to warm it up and then check/adjust the mixture a few days back?

Experience has taught me that takes about a gallon minimum so it was 90 miles on 5 gallons, 18mpg but.......

.... it's 6 miles to the BP and i'd done a few miles in between, memory says the mileage was about 60-64 miles when i adjusted the mixture.

At the old mpg rate, that would have used 4 gallons (4x 16mpg = 64 miles) so it would appear on the other remaining gallon, i've done 26 miles so 26mpg - i hope i'm right!

I could still be wrong but i don't think so!

I had to stop and think about that calculation a few tomes Dave - it is difficult measuring consumption on just one gallon, but it does look promising.

I suspect it might be a bit difficult to get a reliable reading during the lock-down, but it will be very interesting to see what the consumption has been next time you fill up. If you are getting 26ish MPG now then I'm guessing that won't be for around a month?

Anyway, fingers crossed that you have nailed the problem with that tweak.

Stay safe,

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

I had to stop and think about that calculation a few tomes Dave - it is difficult measuring consumption on just one gallon, but it does look promising.

I suspect it might be a bit difficult to get a reliable reading during the lock-down, but it will be very interesting to see what the consumption has been next time you fill up. If you are getting 26ish MPG now then I'm guessing that won't be for around a month?

Anyway, fingers crossed that you have nailed the problem with that tweak.

Stay safe,

Alan

The calulations make sense Alan, assuming everything else is correct. When i say i filled up, it was full, not as in i'd put 5 gallons into a near empty tank. As it's been pretty consistent for some time now, it's reasonable to assume it only did 16mpg for most of the time it was running on the last tankful.
Even if it only used half a gallon while i warmed up the engine and checked/adjusted the mixture, it still shows as an improvement so it's going the right way.

I'll see how it goes over the next couple of weeks and maybe top up again then, get another figure for comparison.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

The calulations make sense Alan, assuming everything else is correct. When i say i filled up, it was full, not as in i'd put 5 gallons into a near empty tank. As it's been pretty consistent for some time now, it's reasonable to assume it only did 16mpg for most of the time it was running on the last tankful.
Even if it only used half a gallon while i warmed up the engine and checked/adjusted the mixture, it still shows as an improvement so it's going the right way.

I'll see how it goes over the next couple of weeks and maybe top up again then, get another figure for comparison.

I wasn't doubting your calculations Dave. Let's hope it is solved and the next fill up will confirm 26 MPG :-)

Stay safe,

Alan

[john.wigley]

Originally Posted by Othen

... I'm itching to get out on one of my bikes Dave; I started all of them yesterday - just to keep them ticking over - and it is very frustrating not being able to take one out for a ride.

It is heading towards 20C today - perfect biking weather - I should be heading towards Hunstanton for an ice cream with a few biker mates.

Ho hum.

Stay safe.

While some may accuse the Derbyshire Constabulary of being over zealous, Alan, it is chaps like these who get responsible bikers a bad name. Going out in just a T-shirt, and probably shorts and no gloves besides, is inviting trouble in the event of the most minor spill, to say nothing of the traffic and other violations, demonstrating a total disregard of the legal requirements.

When I think of the good work done by volunteers for Blood Bike, for example, this type of thing makes me very cross indeed.

http://email.trinitymirror-news.co.u...inOGaM2XMF7CF/

Regards, John.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

While some may accuse the Derbyshire Constabulary of being over zealous, Alan, it is chaps like these who get responsible bikers a bad name. Going out in just a T-shirt, and probably shorts and no gloves besides, is inviting trouble in the event of the most minor spill, to say nothing of the traffic and other violations, demonstrating a total disregard of the legal requirements.

When I think of the good work done by volunteers for Blood Bike, for example, this type of thing makes me very cross indeed.

http://email.trinitymirror-news.co.u...inOGaM2XMF7CF/

Regards, John.

You are so right John, I read the article and agree there are a few daft bikers out there that give us a bad name.

Bikes stick out like a sore thumb at this time, so people are bound to get caught by the police. Here in Corby we have (for some years) had an issue with a group of lads who ride off-road bikes around the town. I heard that a couple of weeks ago the local plod had a concerted effort to catch them and sealed off some woodland where the bikes congregate to scramble around. In a day they confiscated 8 bikes - which will have hurt people a bit.

I'm not against off road riding at all (my CCM is a green lane bike), but only in suitable areas - and my bikes are all tested, taxed and insured - and I have a licence (unlike any of the lads who were lifted by the plod).

I can't help thinking a lot of this is to do with out British national ethos - we just don't like being told what to do. I don't want to stray into the Coronavirus area too far (you may remember I had a brief and unhappy foray into this forum's thread on that subject), but I don't think it is helping the government's plan to halt the pandemic. If we are not actually ordered not to do something, then at least some of us Brits will deliberately misconstrue the intent and carry on doing it. I think Mr Johnson hoped he would be able to treat us as adults at the start of the pandemic, and we would follow advice without being forced (as Sweden has done with its citizens - although that may well end in tears), but sadly we proved him wrong. I remember Mothering Sunday in March - it was a nice weekend and millions flocked to the coast and other attractions in spite of the advice - resulting in the lock-down the next week.

I read in the papers today that the media is claiming not to understand what Mr Johnson told the nation yesterday - but to me the intent is very clear, and it would be difficult for central government to spell out exactly what should happen in every instance (in the military the most important thing is to 'understand the commander's intent' - the detail being much less important).

A short digression I'm afraid John, carefully avoiding politics but dipping into our collective national psyche.

I absolutely agree with you about a few bikers being daft - and remain frustrated with my 4 bikes all ready but unused in the garages. Halting this pandemic is more important than me missing a summer of motorbiking :-(

Stay safe,

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Sadly nobody can legislate for stupid and those bikers only wearing t-shirts would be stopped regardless of a pandemic in the interests of their safety i would hope.

Hopefully various delivery people will be dropping off certain items to at least two of us today and (weather permitting) some "normal" stuff can happen!

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Sadly nobody can legislate for stupid and those bikers only wearing t-shirts would be stopped regardless of a pandemic in the interests of their safety i would hope.

Hopefully various delivery people will be dropping off certain items to at least two of us today and (weather permitting) some "normal" stuff can happen!

Did you get your 36mm socket Dave?

I'm tracking the progress of my cylinder head through Parcelforce's system. So far (after 4 days) Parcelforce has only got it from Bristol to its sorting office - so I won't be seeing it today.

I have always wondered what the 'Tracked 48' means in Parcelforce's product list: the van drives at 48 MPH? 48 people are involved in the delivery process? 48 miles to Tulsa? ...

... I should think Wednesday or Thursday will be most likely :-)

Stay safe,

Alan

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

Did you get your 36mm socket Dave?

I'm tracking the progress of my cylinder head through Parcelforce's system. So far (after 4 days) Parcelforce has only got it from Bristol to its sorting office - so I won't be seeing it today.

I have always wondered what the 'Tracked 48' means in Parcelforce's product list: the van drives at 48 MPH? 48 people are involved in the delivery process? 48 miles to Tulsa? ...

... I should think Wednesday or Thursday will be most likely :-)

Stay safe,

Alan

Not yet Alan but after Hermes "recieved my parcel" on 5th May and managed to get it to their hub and finally (yesterday) to their "local depot", it's finally with the courier for delivery today.

Parcelfarce seem to operate on a similarly strange measurement of time (mine was also meant to be 48 hour delivery) but if yours was at the sorting office this morning, keep checking the tracking by hitting the update/refresh button on that tab. Chances are it's already out for delivery and your head will land at your feet today.

As for what the 48 refers to, i've come to the conclusion that it means the item will be delivered within a 48 hour window, they just don't tell us when that window starts and stops.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Not yet Alan but after Hermes "recieved my parcel" on 5th May and managed to get it to their hub and finally (yesterday) to their "local depot", it's finally with the courier for delivery today.

Parcelfarce seem to operate on a similarly strange measurement of time (mine was also meant to be 48 hour delivery) but if yours was at the sorting office this morning, keep checking the tracking by hitting the update/refresh button on that tab. Chances are it's already out for delivery and your head will land at your feet today.

As for what the 48 refers to, i've come to the conclusion that it means the item will be delivered within a 48 hour window, they just don't tell us when that window starts and stops.

Ha, ha - It had not occurred to me that the '48' referred to 48 hours, but your explanation makes sense: it must be 'delivered whenever we feel like +/- 48 hours'.

I don't think the head will be here today. It only arrived at the national sorting hub (wherever that might be) at 08:05 this morn, then it has to go to the delivery depot (maybe tomorrow), and then out for delivery, which is why I'm thinking it will probably arrive on Wednesday, or if I'm a bit unfortunate then on Thursday. Unless I'm pleasantly surprised I'll aim to do the work on Friday. It is fortunate that I'm not trying to run a business here :-)

The shipping cost me £30, and I suppose if it had not been for the lock-down I'd probably have just driven down in the Skoda last Tuesday and collected it. Bristol and back would be 300 miles at 50 MPG, so 6 gallons or £30 in diesel. That would have been my only additional cost (in that I'm not doing anything else and the Skoda is taxed/tested/insured anyway). I'd have had the job done by now - Bob and I would have had a day out as well. Ho hum.

Stay safe,

Alan