Mat's BX Blog

Post by **docchevron** » Mon Oct 11, 2010 2:31 pm

them there kits are wrong!
They come up quite often though.

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Mon Oct 11, 2010 3:24 pm

How are they wrong, Chris?

Steve

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Mon Oct 11, 2010 3:29 pm

They're for the front arms, this SKF catalogue shows it...
A shame I didn't look at the photo more closely before bidding, but as they are not as described I should be able to retract my bid. Unless I keep them as a spare, but I could get a set of arms complete with wishbones for not much more!

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Mon Oct 11, 2010 3:44 pm

Oh well. I put an offer in on a Carb. for a 19 the other day if it's any consolation.

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Mon Oct 11, 2010 11:20 pm

I've sorted it out with the seller and she was very apologetic - they've now been relisted as front kits hereso looks like a genuine mistake.

Rear arm kits and brake hoses now ordered, oh well, it'll be good when it's finished...

RxBX · Post by **RxBX** » Tue Oct 12, 2010 12:53 am

mat_fenwick wrote:I've sorted it out with the seller and she was very apologetic - they've now been relisted as front kits hereso looks like a genuine mistake....

Hi Mat,
Maybe you should inform them (The Lady) that the 'VKDA13003' as stated in the SKF catologue states that that kit is only suitable for BX's manufactured from:- 09.82 —> 09.85 !

Therefore this kit is only suitable for the early MK1's which had the tapered roller bearing's (as can also be seen in the E-Bay listing photo) which was fitted into the sub-frame mount/housing's and which also had the smaller 14mm dia. spindles, so this kit will be no use to anyone even with a late MK1 which had the revised sub-frame/mounting with the larger 16mm dia. spindles as was fitted to all MK2 BX's.

E-Bay Seller wrote: FRONT WISHBONE PIN KITS
MADE BY SKF PT NO....VKDA13003
TO FIT ALL CITROEN BX MODELS ......1982-->93

If you need/want to check it out, it's all in the BOL ('Haynes' Chapter 13 Supplement pages 396/397) which was printed with proper paper rather than the revised BOL which was printed with re-cycled loo paper !

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:56 am

Good point, I had actually misread the catalogue too

First frost this morning - winter is drawing closer. Brrrrrr!

electrokid · Post by **electrokid** » Tue Oct 12, 2010 10:34 am

First frost this morning - winter is drawing closer. Brrrrrr!

Winter drawers on

Glad you got an MOT pass Mat

Boilers..bowl of contention in this house, bloody damn thing only ever packs up when it's cold...

This time of year a friend of mine usually emails me to say HELP the boiler's not working - so he brings the control PCB around and I resolder the joints on the connectors that look bad and it all starts working again. Use a decent flux on each joint to make sure of it and if the joint really won't solder then use Arax solder - it has an acid flux so clean it thoroughly afterwards - and look forward to re-soldering it again next year because it's not always reliable.

Post by **docchevron** » Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:53 pm

It's always the thermal switch that packs up on this thing, keeps tripping the bloody thing out.
Although I've had it running a few evenings recently, and thus far it's been fine.
I do often wonder if it's the fluctuating power supply that buggers things up round here.
Vary's wildly and we forever get power cuts when the sub station blows up, which it does, a lot, usually when it rains heavily.

electrokid · Post by **electrokid** » Tue Oct 12, 2010 7:12 pm

Things that can throw the thermal trip - not enough bypass flow - temp setting too close to the trip temp.

If all your rads have thermostats then there needs to be a rad or a valve that allows flow if all the rads shut the flow off. If you have a rad as the bypass then open it's taps slightly.

Turning the temp down a bit on the boiler may stop it getting too close to the trip temp.

Post by **docchevron** » Wed Oct 13, 2010 12:50 am

it's more that it keeps failing!
I've replaced it three times in 5 years. Along with the cut off valve thing (dont know the actual technical term!) and the PCB after it melted following prolonged use.
I think the boilers just a tad gash really.

electrokid · Post by **electrokid** » Wed Oct 13, 2010 11:21 am

I think the boilers just a tad gash really.

There's quite a few designs like that - I had to replace the PCB in mine a couple of years back because it no longer responded to fettling - found there had been 5 new designs of PCB for that boiler since it was built - all of them completely different - the manufacturer trying to fix faults that weren't there and not realising the problems were due to...

Poor build quality
Board runs too hot - too close to burners
Board exposed to damp when boiler not operating
Vibration causing dry joints on connectors
Electrolytic caps drying out due to heat

The original design of PCB works fine - just suffers from the above problems until it can't take any more !

Along with the cut off valve thing (dont know the actual technical term!)

It's called 'the cut off valve thingy'

Post by **docchevron** » Wed Oct 13, 2010 1:02 pm

electrokid wrote:
Along with the cut off valve thing (dont know the actual technical term!)
It's called 'the cut off valve thingy'

ahh yes, that one!

Post by **mat_fenwick** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 12:34 am

Boiler now back up and running, lovely and quiet!

It's a (rare!) pleasure to work on something that seems to have been designed for ease of maintenance - the only tools I needed were two allen keys and a spanner.

I also picked my chainsaw back up today after a bit of work on it - I was getting very little oil on the chain, as it turned out the casing had distorted so the oil pump seals were allowing air to be sucked into the oil pump. They adapted the casing so a different seal could be fitted, changed the fuel filter and the handle mounts - and the total cost was only just over £40 including parts. Here's to another 13 years!

scarecrow · Post by **scarecrow** » Thu Oct 14, 2010 6:12 am

Well I put my old Husqy into the menders a week ago and whilst showing them the parts I needed I noticed the fuel line had broken. When I touched it it had the consistency of a half-sucked fruit pastille! Left it for a service and I've not heard much since. I did ask the chap to quote me for a new replacement saw and very quickly I decided to get the one I already have fixed!!!!