Mat's BX Blog

[Tim Leech]

Remarkable piece of machinery, the power of hydraulics.

Or not in my case!

[mat_fenwick]

A rare BX related post for a change, as last night I picked up the new acquisition. With the benefit of hindsight, driving it 60 miles home in the middle of the night when it had sat unused since an MOT failure 3 years ago was perhaps not the best idea I've had. Especially given that it was snowing and I had no heater or demist functions.

Vanny kindly gave me a lift over to collect, and after stopping in a pub on the way back for a meal, I wired the blower motor directly to the battery to try and make it possible to see out. I managed to lure Lana out of Vanny's nice warm car and into the BX with the promise of a working heater, but sadly the vents were shut so no toasty warm air was forthcoming. Having a passenger did however mean I had a 'manual demist' feature, so she spent most of the journey back wiping the inside of the screen.

The only other thing to need repairing was the exhaust hanger, which although firmly attached to the car, was not in any way attached to the rear silencer. Easily fixed with a length of wire.




I took a few photos this morning to show how cars have increased in size over the last 20 years!



I then had the first look at the car in daylight. Overall it didn't seem too bad, but a bit green from its storage under trees. And full of cobwebs!





Important areas seem solid though.









The headlamp lens needed attention before the journey, but fortunately all other lights worked apart from a number plate lamp.

[merlyn]

Looks rather nice if a bit leafy!!

[Tim Leech]

That looks proper solid! Easy fix!

[Defender110]

Looks promising.

[Paul296]

If the inner wings and the rear door-shuts are anything to go by, that looks like a very solid car. Nice one.

[mds141]

Who's is the DS5?

[mat_fenwick]

The DS5 was Vanny's ride for the weekend. It's the hybrid version, which was quite spooky when running purely on battery power. We had to cross a ford to get to the seller's house, and on the way back apparently it cut out mid-stream! I was well ahead at this stage, having crossed it with an appropriate level of enthusiasm...

I'm pretty impressed so far, both bodily and how well the NA diesel drives. I haven't done much mileage with this engine in a BX, and I can now see why some people think so well of it. Apart from hills it seemed to hustle along quite nicely once up to speed.

Once we got back this afternoon I gave it a wash - amazing what a quick clean can do visually!











Need to sort out the heater blower, a few tyres, the rear exhaust box, wonky driver's window, suspension leaks, flat spheres on the rear, possibly a rear arm bearing, free off the front brakes, mend the headlamp and replace the driver's door mirror. Plus whatever I find once I start investigating...

[mds141]

Looks a good 'un Mat.

[vulgalour]

snap! (almost)

[Tim Leech]

That looks much much better!

[Dollywobbler]

I think you need to watch your pressure washer settings. You appear to have blown the windscreen wiper off!

Looks a good buy so far.

[mat_fenwick]

I've removed the wiper to remove the transistor module, as I've established that's where the fault lies. I've not yet tested the transistor yet, but thought it a good idea to write a short guide on how to test it and replace if necessary. I'm pretty sure I have a suitable replacement if the transistor itself has failed but it may just be the connection to its case to blame - it's looking fairly rusty!

[Vanny]

Important areas seem solid though.

Take the air box out and say that again, i can see a brown streak of doom!

[MULLEY]

Rusty coloured leaves with any luck or the dreaded