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Bitumen Boy



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1733
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire

PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2018 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm assuming it's a Lucas diz? If so you should be able to get a good condenser from the Distributor Doctor http://www.distributordoctor.com/distributor_condensers.htm

Thinking about it, is it possible you have one of the poor quality repro rotor arms causing problems as well?
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Vulgalour



Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 473
Location: Kent

PostPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 3:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It doesn't matter where you purchase a condenser from now, the quality is incredibly variable and almost always poor. I can usually get 6 months or 4000-ish miles out of a condenser before needing to replace it and that's ridiculous. Every other ignition component I've replaced has not given me anywhere near this amount of trouble.

This is why I've ordered an electronic ignition kit that replaces the points and condenser. The cost is similar to that of a supposedly reputable replacement condenser and points, and it will finally put to bed whether or not it really is a solution with this car. It's been something of a running theme that I've been stubbornly sticking to the original ignition set up while regular readers try and get me to replace it with modern kit over on another forum I frequent.

While I'm here, the end of week report is as follows:

Oil and Coolant - no noticeable consumption
Carburettor - spare rebuilt by a skilled friend and ready to post after Christmas Day
Ignition - new kit ordered

There's nothing else of note to report. In a way, this failure is well timed since I rarely drive at all between now and January so I'm under no pressure to use the car while I wait for parts to arrive to fix it.
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ukdave2002



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4100
Location: South Cheshire

PostPosted: Sun Dec 23, 2018 11:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

In my toolkit I have. 0.22uF polyester capacitor, it has fly leads with crocodile clips attached. In the event that a faulty condenser is suspected, it can be quickly attached to the coil and ground without any dismantling.

The capacitor can be picked up at any electronics store for less than a quid, it needs to have at least a 400V working capacity. With a bit of inginuity you could of course fit in the distributor as a permant solution.

Dave
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Vulgalour



Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 473
Location: Kent

PostPosted: Sun Dec 30, 2018 5:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We have reached the end of week 5.

This week began with the installation of an Accuspark Stealth electronic ignition kit to replace the condenser that failed the previous week.




Initially I had set everything by ear and got things close so I could use the car until Mike brought the relevant tools home to set the timing and idle correctly. The Princess doesn't have a rev gauge, so it's necessary to set it with a tool, like this strobe thing from Snap-on that Mike's had for years. The boot of the Rover does make a very good tool table, it's just the right height and size.




Since doing that, the car starts no better or worse than usual. It does, however, drive much smoother with no hesitation. In retaliation, the choke cable has decided that it doesn't always want to lock so I have now had to employ the 1980s staple of a wooden clothes peg for certain choke pull positions.

The other job that was almost completed was the bottom section of the rear wing that had rotted out. It's a difficult profile to replicate so I made do with a section of the old front wing I replaced to give me the rough shape I required. I'm not as happy with the repair as I could be, it's not my tidiest work. That said, once filler and proper paint is applied, you'll never know. I ran out of time to do any more work on the inner arch cleaning and repair work so that will have to wait for another day.



Coolant - no noticable consumption
Oil - no noticable consumption
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Vulgalour



Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 473
Location: Kent

PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 8:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

End of week 6. I'm a little late on this, meant to do it yesterday and got somewhat distracted by a French car.

Coolant - no noticeable loss
Oil - Put about 200ml in to keep it above the minimum on the dipstick

It's been a productive week. Finally got the front arch liners fitted, which is a less than pleasant job. They do catch on the tyre sometimes on full lock, but only a little so I'm not terribly concerned, they probably just need massaging into the arch a little more, or an extra fixing putting in.



The sills and rear inner arches got a nice fresh coat of underseal.




The whole car looked a lot smarter for that and it should help keep rust and stone chips at bay. I tried out a different local fuel station which I probably won't use again because it's incredibly small and cramped. Made for an okay fuel up snapshot, all the same.




Ticked over another little milestone this week too, having now reached 77k.



My attention then turned to the rear suspension displacers. All of the spares I've got have seized pivot shafts. This is a common Princess problem and unfortunately, the only way to get them out is to sacrifice the trailing arms. I did take the one liberated displacer to a local machine shop, along with a complete trailing arm assembly, and even they couldn't get the pivot shaft out. Fortunately they did free the stub of pivot shaft from the one displacer that had already been cut out of a trailing arm so I do now at least have one usable spare.



Mike and I then refitted the stonechip guard trims to the sills. It's held on with polyurethane sealant and button head screws rather than the rubber seal and rivets the car came to me with. It helps make the car look just that bit more finished and should protect the doors from stone chips. I doubt there will be a problem using sealant rather than rubber trim.




The Princess continues to behave really rather well and to do everything I need. Motoring has become somewhat uneventful, happily, so I've been able to focus on less essential jobs and just enjoy using the car for its intended purpose.
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Vulgalour



Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 473
Location: Kent

PostPosted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Week 7 end of week report.

Nothing happened.

Another 70 miles under the tyres without incident. Oh, and I bought a Citroen BX.
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Vulgalour



Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 473
Location: Kent

PostPosted: Sun Jan 20, 2019 1:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

End of week 8, only about 30 miles done this time, which is a light week even for me.

The only thing of note was doing a cold start video because everyone knows how unreliable old cars are when it snows (statement may contain some sarcasm).

https://youtu.be/GC7HB4ufcIM
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Penman



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4748
Location: Swindon, Wilts.

PostPosted: Sun Jan 20, 2019 11:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi
Now come on V, only soft Home County dwellers would call that a cold start.
I doubt they would have even taken to the roads with that much snow.Laughing

Having been brought up as a southerner I am allowed to make such comments about southerners.
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Vulgalour



Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 473
Location: Kent

PostPosted: Sun Jan 20, 2019 12:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In reality, positively balmy. I didn't even have to put my big coat on. #Northerner
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Bitumen Boy



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1733
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire

PostPosted: Sun Jan 20, 2019 8:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hope we don't get that much snow here - the local council will stop all work until it thaws.
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Vulgalour



Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 473
Location: Kent

PostPosted: Sun Jan 27, 2019 4:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another week down and I'm afraid it's another boring report. All systems normal.

In fact, the only thing of note is that the Princess had to jump start the Rover whose battery had gone flat due to me only using it to do 30 miles in 2 months.



Had to jump start the Rover again today because for the first time in 8 years of car ownership and driving I managed to flatten the battery by leaving the headlights on. Ironically, the Rover does have a buzzer to remind you when the headlights are on, only it doesn't always buzz.
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Vulgalour



Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 473
Location: Kent

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2019 10:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

End of Week 10 (a bit late again).

Very little to report. I've not used the car a great deal this week, in part because of the snow and in part because I've had nowhere to go.

Fuel economy is slightly up. Since fitting the electronic ignition, on the advice from a racing friend, I switched to fuelling up only at the local Shell garage instead of supermarkets. I was dubious about this since I was of the opinion that fuel is fuel. However, I've noticed a very slight decrease in fuel consumption and slightly smoother running since doing it, enough that the slightly higher cost is offset.

My driving habits are very stunted lately, having nowhere other than local errands to go to has meant I'm in urban territory for fuel consumption which is around 22-23mpg. That is quite an improvement over the 19-20mpg I was getting before replacing the ignition components and switching to Shell for fuel, so I'm not dissatisfied with it, and it's perfectly within range for the book figures.

Other than that, over the last 10 weeks I've noticed a marked improvement in the braking efficiency and with the various bits of welding I've done the interior of the car is staying much drier. Regular use, as expected, agrees very much with this car. I am looking forward to warmer weather, all the same, if for no other reason than it will be easier to keep the car clean.
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Vulgalour



Joined: 08 May 2018
Posts: 473
Location: Kent

PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2019 7:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

End of Week 11 Report.

Another uneventful week with nothing of note to report. That's a good thing, of course, it just doesn't make for very entertaining reading.
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Rick
Site Admin


Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 22429
Location: UK

PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2019 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good to read that it's all still going to plan, there can't be too many of BL's finest being put to such regular use.

RJ
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alanb



Joined: 10 Sep 2012
Posts: 516
Location: Berkshire.

PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2019 8:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Perhaps this goes to prove the theory that cars are more reliable the more they are used.
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