What did you do with your BX today ?

[Kitch]

Nothing today, but yesterday adjusted the idle mixture on the mk1. It's done around 140 miles since the MoT now, and every 10-15 I have to empty out the pre-filter I fitted before the fuel pump. There is A LOT of crap in the fuel tank!

If it hadn't fitted the pre-filter, it'd be in the carb now, too. Food for thought!

[white exec]

67zagato_rover_2000_tcz_5.jpg

The story is here: viewtopic.php?p=270347#p270347

[deltic]

Yes Lancia made some great cars. I had a Beta for about 3 years, not one of their great ones but an enjoyable car nevertheless.
I could not beat its rust however so sold the 4 year old car for peanuts to a guy who wanted the engine.

My father used to run a couple of Fulvia's alongside our DSs and I can remember as child us driving from Scarborough to Herefordshire to see a Fulvia Zagato with a view to purchase. No idea why we didn't buy it but I think he bought bought a red new HF instead. Even as a 5/6 year old I used to find the rear of the Fulvia very cramped, certainly compared to a DS, and moaned endlessly. I always loved the dashboard though!

The only other Zagato I recall seeing was one that was just outside Killinghall near Harrogate for many years.

[Fumbler]

Todar I are been mostly attempted to clean up the gearknob. Instead, I began eroding the rubber it's coated with. I do have a spare, But I think getting a plastic replacement would be preferable.

EDIT: oh, and for funsies:

PXL_20210526_171938348.jpg

[rutter123]

I expect the other 2 won't be around in 30yrs
I think you've won that one.

[Jaba]

Today I fitted an alternator vee belt with 4 vees onto a compressor with 5 grooves. But first I had to measure up an old condensor with 4 grooves to see if it fits on the inside or outside 4 grooves, its the outside 4 I decided leaving the inside groove unused.
I have a leaking aircon hose to be replaced so I found an old stock hose with an R12 valve in and converted it to R134a then flushed it out with white spirit and am leaving to to drain overnight before fitting.

[Fumbler]

I commuted ~50 miles to work and 50 miles back. Car appears happy so I'll get the oil changed this weekend hopefully.

[Jaba]

Booked an aircon recharge and a new Yokohama ES32 tyre from ATS who are doing 10% off at the moment.

[white exec]

Delivered the final bundle of paperwork (including the required 65-page technical report) on the new towbar to the ITV (vehicle test) station. Required all of this, plus a digital copy of it all. Where will this all end up, I wonder?
Anyway, the bar is on, and I just await an appointment for its inspection. Good, in'it?

The A/C is earning its keep, and still working nicely. Unlike UK, we've been 30°C for a week now, and very low humidity.

Have noticed that the NA 19D is really spritely in cool weather, but (and on the same tank of fuel) power reduces noticeably when the air is hot (28C+) and presumably less dense. Can't remember that happening on our previous '89 same, even in central Spain at 44C and towing.
Only obvious difference is the older one was an XUD9, and this is a 9A.

Surprised how much power the A/C compressor steals, too.

[DLM]

"Surprised how much power the A/C compressor steals, too."

I recall on a 17turbodiesel BX that kicking in the aircon when at low revs before boost kicks in made a huge difference to power available: I was glad I didn't live on a hill! Momentarily it was like having aircon fitted to a 17 n/a - reducing the XUD to a level of performance more associated with earlier and very much less efficient n/a diesels.

[white exec]

I live at the foot of a 0.7km hill, which I can normally scoot up in 2nd. Hot weather + A/C not helpful, and have to resort to 1st at least once.

This morning, air temp was just 19°C, and the car pulled like a (small) train.
Difference!

[David]

I live at the foot of a 0.7km hill, which I can normally scoot up in 2nd. Hot weather + A/C not helpful, and have to resort to 1st at least once.

This morning, air temp was just 19°C, and the car pulled like a (small) train.
Difference!

I was surprised when I found how much power that the A/C took too. I had the car MOTed and the A/C gassed up last week, and when I tried to get up a steep hill on my way home, I actually stalled the car!

[white exec]

Have done the same. Not helped by the idling speed being a purely mechanical setting, not load-sensitive and not tweaked by the A/C being turned on, as an ECU-controlled injection would be. There ought to be a mod lurking somewhere there . . . *

On the XM 2.5TD, ECU control of the fuelling is so good that you can actually engage 1st, and gently pull away up a modest slope without touching the throttle - the fuelling is automatically adjusted for load. Spoilt!

* How about a thin wedge/blade being solenoid-pulled in front of the idle stop ?

[white exec]

I see from the electrical circuit diagram for the BX A/C system that there is a Fast Idle Solenoid (#345) wired to operate when the compressor clutch is energised. Presumably this is for petrol engines (and likely 8v and 16v injection models).

Was there an equivalent idle-speed-up mechanism for the diesels, or was the normal idling speed just expected to cope with the extra load, which it doesn't ?

[Jaba]

I see from the electrical circuit diagram for the BX A/C system that there is a Fast Idle Solenoid (#345) wired to operate when the compressor clutch is energised. Presumably this is for petrol engines (and likely 8v and 16v injection models).

Was there an equivalent idle-speed-up mechanism for the diesels, or was the normal idling speed just expected to cope with the extra load, which it doesn't ?

Yes its a small solenoid valve that bleeds in a bit of extra air to raise the revs at tickover. Its purpose being to avoid stalling a tickover. The ECU is supposed to switch off the compressor when max power is needed, I have no idea how it decides when to do this and I cannot say that I have ever noticed it happening. I have wired a non used over temperature warning light to show when the compressor is running to keep an eye on what the AC system is doing. My TD had neither of these benefits.