classic car forum header
Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 
Register     Posting Photographs     Privacy     F/book OCC Facebook     OCC on Patreon

1953 Citroen Traction
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration. Forum Index -> All our old cars, vans, lorries etc
Author Message
norustplease



Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 779
Location: Lancashire

PostPosted: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Didn't use the Traction on Drive it Day, but together with a couple of other classic car owning friends, we did a drive to Ribchester up the Ribble valley one weekday, when the roads were quiet, and had lunch in the garden of the Potters Barn café in the village. A nice sunny day, only marred by the car's insistence on the return trip that it would only pull with the choke pulled out onto the fast idle setting.
Investigation at home showed all of the filters filthy and the float chamber and some of the passages in the carburettor full of a rusty brown sediment. All flushed out and the carb refitted, started up and it still hiccupped! Then I noticed that the vacuum pipe hadn't been plugged back in......

D'oh.

Still waiting for a proper proving run to make sure that the problem is solved. I have had some petrol pipes dissolve in recent months due to E5 fuel. Could this be the remains of the lining of some of these pipes? Or is a fuel tank overhaul indicated?
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
norustplease



Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 779
Location: Lancashire

PostPosted: Fri Sep 03, 2021 9:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Still not quite right, have replaced ignition consumables with ones of known provenance and given the carburettor an overhaul with new diaphragms etc, but still hesitant under load. I must confess that I have parked it for the moment and concentrated on some minor cosmetic issues on the Volvo and continuing the 'refresh' of the Wolseley.
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
norustplease



Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 779
Location: Lancashire

PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2021 5:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Having hiccuped my way around the village a few times now, I am resigned to a full fuel system overhaul. I am proposing to carry out an increasingly common modification and fit a HIF 44 SU to replace the over technical (and probably not genuine) Solex that seems almost impossible to thoroughly clean out internally and has never been a wonderful performer ever since the early days of my ownership.
I have most of the constituent parts now and will probably make a start in the next week or so. A couple of local TOC members have undertaken an SU conversion and have reported pleasing results, so I am hopeful for a smoother running and possibly slightly more powerful car for 2022.
One worry is that although it has passed through two filters between tank and carburettor, the fuel still has a distinctly brown tint, and I wonder if the tank has had some kind of liner in the past to counteract surface rust issues and this is now starting to break down under the influence of E5. This probably means a new tank, which is not a problem in supply terms, but is an expense that I would rather not have incurred.
Sadly, as a result of this ongoing issue, I have not trusted the Traction for any lengthier adventures since late April when the problem first arose, but have favoured the Volvo, which has the added advantage of a few more mod cons, like a heater/demister and proper windscreen wipers and screen washers. Here's hoping.
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
norustplease



Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 779
Location: Lancashire

PostPosted: Mon Feb 28, 2022 5:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nearly March 1st. Battery on charge and adecent weather forecast towards the weekend.
So here's hoping!
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
norustplease



Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 779
Location: Lancashire

PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2022 9:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Realised that I have an incomplete story here. Like quite a few Traction owners, I have ditched the Solex carb for an SU. An engineering firm over in Yorkshire provided me with a suitable inlet manifold and advice on carburettor selection, needles, springs etc. and this was all fitted over the winter.
So far only a couple of short runs have taken place, but indications are hopeful.
Most of the linkage has had to be remade as a cable based setup rather than the system of cranks and rods that worked the Solex. I have also had to ditch the original air cleaner (which was incorrect anyway being off a French car rather than a Slough one.)
At the moment the HIF44 has a doughnut type air cleaner fitted off a BL car of some kind, possibly a Maestro. I may, however, invest in a 'performance' type filter eventually, it depends on how much induction noise that is likely to create on accelaration.
What I need now is some decent weather to give the car a few good long runs. The carb has a larger choke than the original (13/4 as opposed to 11/4 ) so I may also get a small uplift in performance, which will help on some of the local hills.
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Ray White



Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 6284
Location: Derby

PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2022 11:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think you will find the fuel consumption worse than before and low down torque may be a bit less but your mid to high range performance should be better with a higher top speed only limited by the overall gearing.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
norustplease



Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 779
Location: Lancashire

PostPosted: Wed Apr 20, 2022 9:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Fuel consumption in a Traction is not brilliant anyway, but there is definitely more power available.
However, raised the bonnet to tweak the tickover speed after a drive today and something went crack, and the small cast hinge bracket on the bulkhead had snapped off one of its lugs and the whole bonnet was now off centre.

Surprisingly these are available.

Not surprisingly, at about £20 each from a supplier in Belgium!
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
norustplease



Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 779
Location: Lancashire

PostPosted: Wed May 04, 2022 3:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The brackets are available, but what do you know, even after much filing and chopping, they still don't fit properly.
Of course 99% of the population would not notice the difference, but I find it irritating and am just thinking what to do to remedy the situation.
On the plus side, had a pleasant local expedition yesterday, mainly to fill up the fuel tank, which after a few pothole bumps, actually showed a realistic level.
Forgot the bottle of snake oil though, so need to add some of that today.
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
norustplease



Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 779
Location: Lancashire

PostPosted: Wed Aug 31, 2022 3:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Have done a couple of the local car club mid week runs recently, which usually add up to around 50-60 miles once you have driven to a start and back from the finish, often somewhere out in the Lancashire countryside.
I haven't bothered changing the old AR filter to a sports type, and apart from a slightly lusty note from under the bonnet when accelerating hard, it seems to be okay, so it will stay for the moment.
Am off to a show at nearby Hoghton Tower on Sunday, weather permiting(wouldn't you know it, they are forecasting an end to this fantastic run of summer weather on Saturday evening!!!!) I will take an umbrella just in case.
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
norustplease



Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 779
Location: Lancashire

PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2022 4:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

After a good summer's motoring with the SU carb conversion, the Traction developed a sudden mysterious fault. Whilst reversing out of the garage, it suddenly locked up whilst rolling down the sloping drive in gear, but wih the clutch depressed. Suspecting a brake issue (like possibly a brake lining adrift), I stripped the brakes, particularly the front ones which seemed to be the source of the lockup.
Nothing!
Although the stoppage was abrupt enough to cause a squeak from the affected wheel, oddly it seemd that if I revved up, it could be overcome, and driving forwards in first gear, seemd faultless. jacking up the car in neutral allowed the wheel to rotate, which eliminated the diff, but in second gear with the clutch disengaged, the wheel refused to budge!
Needless to say, with the Traction's reputation for exploding gearboxes, I haven't driven it since and after various other diagnostic steps, which I won't bore you with, the issue was clearly gearbox based.
The problem appears to be a well known one. The second and reverse gear cluster runs on a pair of bushes which are a press fit into the cluster, leaving a gap which the oil hole uses to feed lubricant into the bushes and gearbox shaft.
One of two things can happen. Either someone puts in GL5 grade oil which contains an ingredient which can attack the yellow metal components, or if the gearbox runs hot the bushes can migrate inwards and block the oil hole.
Either way this causes premature wear in the bushes, which permits it to tilt under certain drive conditions. This means that the cluster cannot mesh properly with either the reverse or second gear and jams. If this happens at speed then a tooth can be sheared off, which can then drop into the bottom of the box and be picked up by the crown wheel and....bang. The crownwheel locks itself and sometimes splits the gearbox casing.
Fortunately my gears locked only in reverse at less than walking pace and presumably, for the moment, the tilt is only significant enough when coasting, so I am hopeful that a repair can be effected by dismantling and stripping down and replacing the worn bushings.
So, early in the New Year, the spanners will be out.
I have bought a second hand gearbox to substitute for the time being, whilst I either attempt a repair myself, or give it to someone who knows what he is doing! At least that way the car will hopefully remain mobile whilst I sort something out for the longer term. The 'new' box will be with me at Christmas, having been transported up from the Midlands by my daughter and husband, who were kind enough to collect it from he owner in Bedford.
I will keep you posted.
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
peter scott



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 7113
Location: Edinburgh

PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2022 5:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is there some way in which the external gear change links could engage two gears simultaneously?

Peter.
_________________
http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
norustplease



Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 779
Location: Lancashire

PostPosted: Sat Dec 24, 2022 6:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Difficult to say, but unless everything became really sloppy on the joints to the operating rods, I think it extremely unlikely.
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
norustplease



Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 779
Location: Lancashire

PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2023 3:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My diagnosis was correct, the reverse/ second gear cluster had failed (see picture), probably caused by the bushes migrating inwards,masking off the oil feed holes in the reverse gear and then allowing the cluster to tilt. This would probably have snagged the gears and initially caused a crack, which would have gone unnoticed, until the tooth finally came adrift taking a large chunk of the gear cluster with it . Fortunately it did so whilst at very low speed on the drive and the magnetic drain plug captured it before it could do any more mischief. I recommend a magnetic drain plug!! It might save a fortune and a transmission explosion. It also explains why I was able to still engage first gear and drive back into the garage.
Well, it is all in pieces now and awaiting reassembly after tomorrow, when I am picking up a refurbished gearbox. My stopgap box hasn't been used. A quick removal of the lid showed that this box was also in the throes of having the bushes migrate inwards, and so would very soon suffer the same fate. I may eventually attempt a repair, substituting new bushes and replace any sloppy bearings etc. leaving it on the shelf as a emergency reserve.
I am going back to the standard ratio final drive, it seems more appropriate around here with all the hills, etc. I wonder if the excessive use of second gear has contributed, another Traction owning member who has been a passenger on a couple of the PDVCC mid week runs last summer, commented that I change into second far more frequently than he does, so maybe....?
We will probably get the basic engine /gearbox unit back in on Wednesday, and then I will do the rest of the connecting up over the subsequent few days. I am taking the opportunity to do some more jobs on the car whilst it is off the road, including a brake fluid change and some bits of paintwork. Nothing is spoiling here, the roads have been liberally salted several times and we haven't had any heavy rain to wash it away, so it is probably better off in the garage anyway.
So hopefully, I will be back on the road again by the time that the weather improves.

_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
norustplease



Joined: 11 Apr 2011
Posts: 779
Location: Lancashire

PostPosted: Fri Feb 10, 2023 10:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

After a search, a refurbished gearbox has come my way and a friend and I spent the last two days fitting it. there is a clutch interlock which required the initial fitting of the gearbox to the bellhousing with the lid removed, and when we had everything in place and the engine/transmission back in the car and connected to clutch and gearshift, we tried to select the gears. However, it rapidly became clear that we could not find a neutral position, and the car would not move (being pushed that is) without the clutch being disengaged. After much fiddling with the linkage to the gearlever, we eventually gave up and rang the reconditioner.
His advice was that the box was supplied in neutral, but that whilst being fitted without the lid, which contained the selector mechanism, one of the gears on the mainshaft had probably slid along and was no longer engaged by the selector forks. We were hence stuck in either first or reverse. The next day we did some local dismantling so as to be able to remove the lid and found that he was right. Pushing the gear back into place and reassembling everything, seems to have done the trick and neutral can again be found.
Car still requires some final reassembly, I am awaiting a couple of gaskets and the bonnet needs some local paintwork whilst it is off the car....but we are getting there.
_________________
1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV


Last edited by norustplease on Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:30 pm; edited 3 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Ray White



Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 6284
Location: Derby

PostPosted: Fri Feb 10, 2023 11:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have to admire your tenacity. I practically get a cold sweat every time I see that photo of your previous gearbox. To think how many poor Frenchmen must have gone down the same road as you makes the mind boggle!

I am really glad you are getting to grips with it.

Good luck!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration. Forum Index -> All our old cars, vans, lorries etc All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next
Page 4 of 5

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
OCC Merch link
Forum T&C


php BB powered © php BB Grp.