ChrisT
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,670
Club RR Member Number: 225
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MOT this dinner time...  After adjusting the headlight aim it passed with no other problems  TBH as it's only done 300 miles since the last there shouldn't be any issues. |
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Last Edit: Jun 3, 2019 17:26:17 GMT by ChrisT
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ChrisT
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,670
Club RR Member Number: 225
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Just doing a few little tidying jobs this week in preparation for a local classic car meet tonight.... The join between the parcel shelf and seat back wasn't very tidy, just a length of plastic angle which had deformed and the vinyl had started to sag.  Got a length of steel angle from B&Q to replace the plastic...  Flattened the angle a little with some careful work in the vice to match the profile of the join, drilled some hole and painted it black....  Glued the vinyl back in place and riveted on the angle. Haven't got and pics of it fitted yet but looks a lot better. Scuttle panel used to have a fresh air vent for the heater but as I've reworked that it was no longer needed so filled the vent a long time ago, it's started to crack between the joins so rubbed that back....  Opened the cracks up with a blade and filled with some knifing putty. After a bit of flatting and repainting it doesn't look too bad, still visible from certain angles but it'll do for now....  Fingers crossed for this evening that I make it to the meet, weather's not ideal at the moment and I'm not sure the Mrs will be too happy about the slight leak from the passenger window.... |
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Last Edit: Jun 8, 2019 8:22:12 GMT by ChrisT
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ChrisT
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,670
Club RR Member Number: 225
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Made it to the 'show' yesterday without any dramas, water leaks or breakdowns, which was nice.  Not a very good turn out because of the weather I think. Breakfast meet this morning and Manta club meet Monday night...... |
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ChrisT
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,670
Club RR Member Number: 225
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Breakfast meet done....  Guy next to me in the Ferrari 348 - "Remember seeing your Manta at Newark kit car show years ago when I was about 17" Me to self "I think I've wasted my life on this car  " Slightly low oil pressure after a bit of a drive about, hoping it because I'm still on running in oil and oil cooler disconnected, will change it out and connect cooler tomorrow..... |
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Not wasted at all, spent time perfecting. Anyone can go throw money at a Ferrari, but if both passed me in the street I know which I would be more interested in, and its not Italian...
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ChrisT
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,670
Club RR Member Number: 225
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Not wasted at all, spent time perfecting. Thanks, I guess that's one way of looking at it. Changed oil,filter and plumbed in cooler the other day, showed good oil pressure. Took it out for a short drive and low pressure returned once warmed up, hoping it's just the oil pressure relief valve playing up as that should be quite easy to sort - changing the oil pump is a sump off job which isn't easy with the cross member where it is..... |
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ChrisT
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,670
Club RR Member Number: 225
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Jun 14, 2019 20:27:02 GMT
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Removed the oil pressure relief valve yesterday, located behind this 24mm nut which isn't as easy to access as it should be as I've put the alternator tensioner bracket in front of it....  Valve removed, showed some signs of wear, short longitudinal marks, not visible on this pic....  Cleaned it up and cleaned out where it sits in the pump. After refitting started engine and got good pressure, as before, left it running to warm up, after 10 mins it had dropped but not as low as before (20psi). Took it for a drive out this morning only to find it as bad as before. Had a spare oil pump in the garage, that came with the block I replaced last year, took out the valve, looked a bit worn but not as bad as the other so thought I'd swap them over, along with spring, see if that made any difference... Better initial pressure, up to 70psi, but it still dropped off once warm. Makes me think pump may be at fault with getting the same results from both valves.... |
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An oil pump can only do so much, once the oil clearance is excessive you will never get the pressure sorted, even after changing pumps 100 times. You most likely have to drop the sump to change the pump. Get some plastigauge and check your bearing oil clearance. |
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ChrisT
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,670
Club RR Member Number: 225
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Dropping the sump is the only way to get the pump out, but the engine's only recently been rebuilt with new bearings so don't think that will be the problem.
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Jun 15, 2019 22:46:56 GMT
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which grade of oil are you using? 20 psi at idle with a warm engine is ok and does the pressure rise with the revs?
in my xflow engine i use 20w 50 Valvoline oil with a high pressure pump 60 psi when cold and 20 psi at idle when hot
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Rob
Part of things
Posts: 252
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i always ran 10w40 semi synth in my xe's. had one that read 25psi at idle when hot, i finally stripped it years later and there was a deep score in number 1 crank journal allowing oil to short circuit.
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ChrisT
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,670
Club RR Member Number: 225
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which grade of oil are you using? 20 psi at idle with a warm engine is ok and does the pressure rise with the revs? in my xflow engine i use 20w 50 Valvoline oil with a high pressure pump 60 psi when cold and 20 psi at idle when hot I forget what grade I'm using (15/40 probably), pressure does rise with revs. There's conflicting advice across the interwebs about what's good XE pressure warm, some say 20 is about right other say 40, the thing is i'm fairly sure it's never been as low as 20 until last week so, although it might not be something to worry too much about, something's changed - from the scoring on the steel relief valve I've got to assume the alloy pump housing will be as bad... |
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Jun 16, 2019 10:36:20 GMT
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The relief valve was always a weak spot, the likes of SBD do a nylon replacement to cure the problem of sticking, I think the spring can weaken as well so it might be worth getting the relief valve repair kit before you tear the sump off
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Rob
Part of things
Posts: 252
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Jun 16, 2019 11:02:23 GMT
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other option is shim the valve. but its a bodge
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Jun 17, 2019 20:39:36 GMT
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the nylon relief valves come with wash... i mean "shims" to get your correct target pressure. its only a bodge on standard valves it seems! ive owned and driven gte 16vs for 20 years now (eek) they have all been around 70 psi cold idle, 40psi hot idle. 70 psi revved. backslash on the pump is a simple feeler gauge job, well its simple after the terrible job of removing the pump  |
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ChrisT
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,670
Club RR Member Number: 225
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Jun 20, 2019 17:57:54 GMT
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The relief valve was always a weak spot, the likes of SBD do a nylon replacement to cure the problem of sticking, I think the spring can weaken as well so it might be worth getting the relief valve repair kit before you tear the sump off Had seen the nylon valves but they don't guarantee them in anything but OEM pumps or the ones they supply, pretty sure I've replaced the pump before probably not with a Vauxhall part... Tried shimming the valve and results were very similar to before. Think I can feel grooves in the oil pump housing where the valve sits, which isn't surprising if there was damage to the steel valve the ally housing was bound to have suffered. So decided to bite the bullet and make a start on replacing the pump, removed stuff from front of engine (front cover, crank pulley, cam pulleys, idlers etc) the pump is finally visible down there.....  Next on to the underside, sump needs dropping to access oil pick-up pipe, not a lot of room between it and the cross member...  Unbolted engine mounts and jacked engine up as far as possible, a couple of inches max, removed sump bolts. With sump loose I could pull it to one side just enough to access the bolts for the pick-up pipe....  Pump removed....  |
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ChrisT
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,670
Club RR Member Number: 225
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Jun 24, 2019 18:11:04 GMT
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Figured there was no way I was going to get a good seal on the sump with the limited access so it needs removing. Couldn't jack up the engine any more so next option is to drop the sub frame a bit, disconnected steering column, the ARB and shocks, removed the nuts in the engine bay holding it to the chassis. Large stands under front of chassis/ARB mount brackets, lower the lift a little and with some persuasion it started to come away....   Engine jacked back up shows a lot more room, enough to get the windage tray and pickup pipe out but not enough to pull the sump. Will have to drop the subframe some more, although there seems to be some resistance..... |
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Jun 24, 2019 19:46:48 GMT
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Brake pipes?
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ChrisT
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,670
Club RR Member Number: 225
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Jun 24, 2019 21:08:28 GMT
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Checked them, flexi hoses from inner wing to calipers have plenty of slack in them.
Think it might just be I've not undone the rear bush bolts the subframe is rotating round...
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ChrisT
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,670
Club RR Member Number: 225
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Jun 25, 2019 20:16:15 GMT
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The reason the subframe wouldn't drop any lower was because of the long bolts going up through the chassis stopping it moving in the arc it needed to, after some wiggling I removed the bolts holding the housing with the long chassis bolts in. Subframe dropped some more and sump finally removed...   New oil pump and gasket fitted and sump refitted...  All going back together well so far, thinking getting subframe back in place may be more of a game... |
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