As I was saying a short while ago, the reason I got into such a big mess when my XJS broke down was basically all my fault, for which I can only take the blame for nearly being the Architect of my own downfall

Where my Number One biggest mistake was not taking 'Greg's' advice and changing all the drive belts, the reason being that I didn't think that anything (that bad!) would happen if one of them snapped

Unless you want to factor in that having one of those drive belts snap, could very easily kill you!

Especially if that drive belt hits the Crank Position Sensor underneath and then turns off the Engine while you are in the process of overtaking a Truck!

And while its rare for that to happen, that is what happened to me though thankfully wasn't overtaking anything at the time, praise be to 'The Jaguar Gods!'

If you can Survive that breakdown and pull off the road to somewhere Safe, then the worst could be over and if you have Breakdown Insurance and unless you can fix her yourself, then now could be the best time to send for that Breakdown Truck

Which now brings me onto my Next 'Big Mistake' and I don't mean not having any Breakdown Insurance (at least not yet!)

As very unusually for me, I left 'Orange Blossom Towers' so ill prepared for what could happen that I Hate Myself!

(1) Convinced that I was Paranoid, I left all my Tools at home except for the wheel jack, with not a single spanner or screwdriver

(2) Thinking that I would only be a couple of hours, I didn't bother charging up my Cell Phone (only 7% Charge Left) and barely enough for one Text and I didn't have my In-Car Charger with me!

(3) Thinking I'd only be a short while, I didn't bother telling the GF where I was going

So now with my lifelines exhausted I was really up the Creek without a paddle

I could go on but I think that you've got the idea

Thankfully the GF got my Text for help and came to the Rescue and since we'd both had nothing to eat, I stayed behind in this Compound to keep an eye on our Cars, while She went out to get us both 'Chicken and Chips'

Except it wasn't over yet! as unbeknownst (is that a word?) to me, Security came round and locked the Compound (like they do when you're having a really bad day!

And all you need is something to make it a little bit worse and it was also raining and starting to get very dark!

So when She came back, She could not get in and I could not get out! (Think Prisoner Cell Block 'H')

It was absolutely hilarious and we were laughing till we cried our eyes out or was it the other way round?

Having a Crisis like that one can really bring people together but all the same be careful what you wish for!

So maybe not surprising that as soon as we got home, I decided to join a Breakdown Service, which with the benefit of hindsight was a bit of a 'knee jerk' reaction on my part

As it wasn't very long before I realized that I was about to start Hating Myself All over again!

So Now it was time for Plan 'B'

To be Continued.........

 

OB,

I'm very much enjoying the internal dialogue that has been going on in your head!

I have a degree of empathy for the view that cars only break down if you don't maintain them, or that if you can't fix your car at the side of the road then you don't deserve to own it. BUT, I've gradually become realistic enough to know that often the cause of a problem is nothing to do with regular maintenance. Or that sometimes a breakdown is so significant, major broken part etc, that it can't be fixed roadside. Or even that one is unfortunate enough to have an accident (As happened to GFs car last year.

So overall, I decided it was sensible to keep it going. As others have said, just one flat battery, puncture or accident, and you'll be pleased you did it and it will have paid for itself. The concept of insurance is risk vs likelihood vs consequence. I bet you have house insurance and I bet you haven't claimed on that in the last 10 years. But we still keep it going for the one potential disaster that might happen.

I'm heading out to France & Belgium tomorrow with a few mates and our cars. I'll have my European breakdown insurance certificate in my wallet. Will I need it? Hopefully and Probably not!

Looking forward to the conclusions of your deliberations!

Paul

 

Hi Paul

According to the GF who of course is always right! apart from a Fully Charged Mobile Phone and an in Car Charger as a back up, the One Vital Piece Of Equipment that I should always Carry with me is a Yellow Pages Type of Phonebook

Which would be so much easier than having to Trawl through loads of stuff on the Internet on a very small device like a Mobile Phone, where together we hatched something that I can only describe as a 'Cunning Plan'

Where before we left to go on a Trip. which we haven't done so far for many and various reasons, we would phone round from the Landline to get quotes for recovery from some local operators in the area we were visiting back to 'Orange Blossom Towers'

No hanging around and no waiting just load up the Car and get home, where I would then be able to fix the Car in my own time which is where the GF explained the importance of 'Networking' which I have really never been into before

Although when it comes to Contacts, the GF is a real 'networking guru' with that sort of stuff, so basically I leave all that to her and who can get me Factor Prices for all sorts of stuff and so for just that reason alone She's worth her weight in 'Gold'

Where She's already done some Phoning around, which has been producing some spectacular results, as the most we have been quoted is £100 and She is now in the process of compiling a list

Of Friends of Friends who have got Car Trailers, who would come and rescue us for almost next to nothing and if a roadside fix was possible could also bring whatever may be needed

But that was not in itself the reason I cancelled my Breakdown Insurance, as the Breakdown Saga rolls on a bit further than that

To be Continued...........

 

Now don't get me wrong but Breakdown Insurance can be a great idea in the event that you are not Mechanically minded, or else just want that peace of mind, of knowing that someone will be there to catch you if you fall

Where as I found out for myself when you drive an XJS anything can happen!

As the very last thing I expected, was to have a drive belt snap, which then hit the Crank Position Sensor, which in turn switched off the Engine and immobilized the Car

Which could then have resulted in a major accident, had I been in the process of overtaking something at the time, though somehow against all the odds and thanks to 'The Jaguar Gods'

I managed to get away with it and walk away unscathed and in the event you can manage that, then the worst could be over, at which point you then start thinking what the hell do I do next

Where so shaken by the experience of what had just occurred, my legs just turned to jelly and my brain just turned to mush, as in desperation or maybe just blind panic, I tried in vain to work out what to do

As I had no tools with me, except for a mobile phone that had almost no charge left to try and get assistance from somewhere, so having Breakdown Insurance could have come in rather handy at that very time

But then decided that the GF could well be my best bet, to use up the last of the battery to try and send her a text, although She must have had her phone switched off which was very unusual for a Text Junkie like her, or maybe on a call to someone else

Although which ever way you look at it, this was not my day as everything that could go wrong went wrong, in a one thing after another sort of a way

Though after it was all over and thanks to the GF having finally made it back to 'Orange Blossom Towers' my knee jerk reaction was to join a Breakdown Service, which I subsequently cancelled

As after having had time to think it over, I came to the conclusion that maybe I didn't need them, as much as I first thought because before I joined the Forum I knew nothing and didn't even have a Socket Set

Though learning to fix an XJS was such an irresistible sort of challenge, that my desire to fix my Car no matter what went wrong, started as a Hobby and turned into an obsession

Where with vast amount of ongoing help that this Forum provides, I soon found out that someone knows the answer and sooner or later whatever turns up in the way of a problem can sooner or later be fixed, providing the desire is there to do it

So basically if I ever broke down on the road somewhere, unless its something very obscure then I like to think that I can fix it, or if not have the Car Taken Home

Which could prove a problem with an XJS because although you can put her in Neutral to disconnect the Engine from the Gearbox, you can't disconnect the Gearbox from the rear Wheels, unless you undo the prop shaft and tie that out of the way

Where should you wish to have her Towed, using something like a Spectacle lift, then in the event you don't do that, then it could result in damage to the gearbox

And while of course that can be done, it isn't exactly the kind of job that you may want to do by the side of the road, without a proper Trolley Jack and Set of Axle Stands

So bearing all of that in mind, the very best option appears to be, having her taken home on the back of a Car Transporter or Trailer, where in either case you could do with a rapid response

Where to this end the GF and me are now in the process of compiling a list of all of those who can provide that Service, in the area where we are going at very short notice and then very quickly get us home, so that I can fix the Car in my own good time

Which also means that in the event that the Fuel Pump went down, that I could get one of ebay or somewhere like that, for no more than around £30 as these pumps are Generic and fitted to lots of Cars

Rather than having to have to pay out for OEM prices that could be around £200 or more, as opposed to be taken home by an independent Contractor for around £100 or maybe a lot less

Where since a Breakdown Service, is something we may never have to use, we have come to the conclusion that this would work better for us

Not to Self: In future, don't go anywhere without your Tools and a Fully Charged Mobile Phone

Just in case the worst should happen just like it did to me!

 

No problem I thought, I will get on the Phone and let the Breakdown Service know what I thought was wrong, as most of these Breakdown Companies carry a host of Spare Parts with which they are able to fix most common problems

Where seeing that the Fuel Pump for the XJS is common to many makes of Car, I thought they're bound to have one, which in the Scheme of things could be quite an easy fix, as I've done it myself in an hour

But although the labour to fix it is Free, you do have to pay for the Parts, which is quite fair enough especially if you consider that you could be back in the game and on your way home, or continuing your journey to wherever you are going

And while on Paper that sounds great, I do have an affliction to paying OEM prices for certain types of Components, especially if its in the case where an Aftermarket Part, will do the job just as well

Where just to illustrate that point and also give myself more peace of mind, I've just ordered a New Fuel pump with a 2 year Guarantee for just under £30 which I know I can fit myself as I've done that before

Which then had me wondering how much a Breakdown Service would charge for a New Fuel Pump in the event this was supplied by them

As a Brand New OEM Fuel Pump could easily be in the region of a couple of hundred pounds, where bearing in mind that this 'could' be the case, I would rather put on my New £30 Pump and then carry the old one as an emergency spare

 

As you may already know, when the Alternator Belt Snapped on '50 Shades' my Grey XJS the Crank Position Sensor got hit by the flying belt, which instantly killed the ignition

Where had I been overtaking something at the time could have caused a major accident but Thanks to 'The Jaguar God's' that didn't happen and I have since replaced all of those drive belts with Brand New ones

But even so yesterday, when I was on my way to the MOT Garage, my heart was in my mouth for the whole journey, as I was once again travelling down that very busy road, which it has to be said is a bit of an Accident Black Spot

So not exactly the ideal place to have the Engine cut out on you without any warning and virtually zero places where you can pull off the road and as such is one dual carriageway, that is best avoided

Although I had no option, as that was the only road you can take to get '50 Shades' to the Garage for her MOT where having managed to get there without any problems at all, She Passed her MOT with Flying Colours

Where once having done so She also drove like a dream on the way home and so at least I now have one XJS I can use, or at least I would have if only it would stop raining!

Which will be my other XJS 'Cherry Blossom' which has a small but tricky little problem, as one of the Number Plate lights isn't working and not because of the Bulb this time, as the Bulb Holder is broken

Basically there are two brass spring clips either side of a piece of a Fragile Plastic and it's this piece of plastic that's broken, where as such its hard to think of a worse design for this application

I took the two off my Parts Car and they are broken as well!

But they will need to be working when I take 'Cherry' for her MOT and so I am looking to find a Quick Fix, where originality doesn't bother me, in the form of something that will fit inside the holder, regardless of whether its a Festoon Bulb or not



The Broken Festoon Bulb Holder Made Of Very Fragile Plastic



I Just Need Some Sort Of Light That Will Fit Inside This Enclosure Before I Can Take 'Cherry Blossom' for her MOT

 

OB,

Could you take the holder out of the boot light and use / amend that to fit? It's a similar festoon bulb on late cars, so I expect the same on earlier cars

I took the boot light out completely some years ago and taped up the wires as its one of the biggest causes of unwanted battery drain.

You won't miss it anyway!

Cheers

Paul

 

Hi Paul

Good idea!

But what I did instead was to use a Hot Melt Glue Gun to glue the Copper Terminals onto the ends of the broken plastic and so far it seems to be working!

 

Owing to the blinking awful Weather we've been having in the (UK) as unbelievable as its sounds, we haven't been out for a Trip yet because its either been raining or blowing a Gale

And though I usually Tax the two Cars that we use in the Summer at the beginning of April, it just hasn't been worth it and now we're very nearly at the end of June, where so far it's been one problem after another

Where first of all the Brakes completely failed on 'Cherry Blossom' which I thankfully noticed, when I was taking her for a drive round 'Orange Blossom Towers' which I fixed or think I did by swapping out the Accumulator Ball

Except She hasn't had a road Test Yet, though having said that the Brakes do feel ok but the good news is She's now Taxed for the road, so I can drive her over to a disused Car Park to try them out for real

The only bad news being that She's due for her MOT in a couple of Weeks, where with the best will in the World anything can happen and with me, it usually does, so I'm hoping the MOT Tester is at last feeling full of the Joys of Spring

Or should that be Summer? as it still isn't anywhere near warm enough for that, where this time last year it was so hot that you could hardly walk out of the door

And then of course we come onto the Saga of 50 Shades, where the alternator belt snapped and hit the head of the Crank Position Sensor, which instantly killed the Engine and could have caused a major accident

On the one and only time that I went out leaving all my Tools at home but not anymore, as having survived the Trauma of what could have been, Paranoia has returned to once again set in

So I for one have decided that I will never leave the house, not even for a pint of milk unless I have enough Tools on board to hopefully cope with whatever life may throw at me

But first there is that MOT Test to pass!





Like 'Liberace' reputedly said, 'Too much is never enough'

 

With 'Cherry Blossom's MOT only days away, I gave her the best possible chance with a thorough check over but 'Sod Law' decrees that if some can go wrong it will

Where this time one of the Number Plate Lights wasn't working and as a result the Fault Light on the Dash would not go out and then on further inspection, I could see that the 'Festoon Light' had come loose in its holder

And this was very much worse than it looked, because the Fragile plastic inside had broken but this was not a problem 'or so I thought at the time' as I could take a spare one off my Parts Car

Which just goes to show how wrong you can be, as they were both broken as well OMG! and so it was off to ebay, to try and get one off there, where even a Secondhand one is eye wateringly expensive (iro £15!)



The Broken Number Plate Light

There was only one thing for it and that was to try and repair it and so I got out the Glue Gun, to see what I could do and made a start by tacking the contacts in place with droplets of Glue



Tacking the Contacts in place with drops of Glue

Although that on its own might have been enough, I wanted to make sure that it was stronger than the Original and so I then added more Glue



Looking OK so far but I wanted to make absolutely sure that it would never fall apart again



That's a lot more like it!

Since this light was going to get quite a lot of rough handling, when putting it back in the Car, which would be due in no small part to the Number Plate Wires being only 'Just' long enough to Clip on

I encapsulated the whole thing in a Solid pool of Glue, where I'm very pleased to say that it is now as Solid as a Rock!

 

The Good News is that 'Cherry Blossom' passed her MOT and then I bought a 'Light Sabre' which could come in useful for looking underneath the Car and Stuff like that







Light Sabre Worklight Torch 'Thingy'

 

Although the Weather has been too bad for any serious 'Tripping' 'Cherry Blossom' has been driving like a dream! up until the moment that She passed her MOT

Where on the way home I noticed that the ABS Light was intermittently coming on, although the Brakes were working perfectly with no fault lights coming on

Which at the time in question, I felt may have been caused by the Tester putting too much pressure on the pedal, although I really do not know for sure

And so the following day I took 'Cherry' on a short trip round the block just to see if that problem may have cured itself and was pleased to find that everything seemed ok (Big Sigh of relief!)

Except that my sense of euphoria was very short lived, as the moment that I drove 'Cherry' into the Garage to put her away for the night, out of absolutely nowhere, all Hell suddenly started breaking loose!

As the first thing that I heard was the sound of an almighty roar like you might get from a Rocket taking off!

Very loud and very sustained, as even with the ignition off it seemed to go on for ever! though probably lasted 15 to 30 Seconds, which I can assure you, was more than enough to really Freak me out!

But that was only the start of it as then things simply went from bad to worse, as a big cloud of Mist came out of the sides of the Bonnet/Hood and then it came out of the front of the Grill!

At first I thought the Rad had gone and what I was seeing was Steam but when I opened the Bonnet/Hood that was the moment I realized that this was in fact Brake Fluid! which had been jetting out from somewhere under immense pressure

There was Brake Fluid everywhere! not only all over the Engine but also over the Paintwork and if that wasn't bad enough the whole of my big Garage, was hanging heavy with Brake Fluid Mist, just like you had punctured an Aerosol can or something

Without a single second to lose, the GF and I grabbed hold of a couple of Buckets, then quickly filled them with Water and literally drenched 'Cherry Blossom' just as quickly as we possibly could

And then as soon as things calmed down a bit, we switched to Soapy Water (Car Shampoo) but as the 'Mist' of Brake Fluid was still hanging in the Air, we decided to cover her up while She was still Wet

Which under the circumstances was the best that we could do and also gave the Engine Compartment a bit of a Wipe down by hand, although because of the 'Misty Atmosphere' we really didn't want to hang about

Although a quick look under the Bonnet/Hood revealed, that Brake Fluid had been jetting out, under pressure underneath the Accumulator 'Black Ball' where it goes into the Brake Pump

Then last night 'Thunder and Lightning' until about 4am and Today it hasn't stopped raining, so not the ideal time to Check anything out, except we are hoping and praying that the paintwork may have survived

But then until we take the Covers off, we will never know

The Strange thing is She was perfectly fine before her MOT with the ABS Light staying off and all the Brakes were working perfectly as was also confirmed on the 'Rolling Road' Brake Test

Very strange and as of now I've no idea at all what may have happened



The Accumulator 'Black Ball' was Covered in Brake Fluid which went everywhere!



Sluicing down 'Cherry Blossom' with Buckets of Water because the Hose wouldn't reach!

 

After the disaster of the MOT where the ABS Accumulator was Spraying out Brake Fluid all over the Engine, due to a ruptured Bladder inside the Ball

We went to see our 'Kit Car' friends, who said that this may have been caused by a combination of pushing the Pedal far too hard in a 30 year old Car, which then ruptured the Bladder inside the Ball

Which in turn then released the Nitrogen Gas at around 2000 psi, which then broke 'The Sealing 'O' Ring' and Sprayed Brake Fluid everywhere at a very High Pressure

Though this is pure conjecture and as such we'll never know for sure, although there was no doubt at all, the one thing that we needed now was a New Accumulator Ball

And this is where the GF's Contacts come in very handy, as they 'gifted' us a 'Black Ball' from a 'Kit Car' they had just dismantled where this Accumulator Ball had only been put on this 'Kit Car' a couple of weeks ago

So near enough Brand New as makes no difference



The Accumulator Ball for a Teves ABS System (as near enough Brand New as makes no difference!)



According to our 'Kit Car' Friends, that little hole is important, as if some 'numpty' is daft enough to try and unscrew the Ball, that hole can release the Pressure to prevent the Ball from taking off like a Missile and making a very big hole in your Bonnet/Hood!



When the Bladder Ruptured inside this Ball, the pressure was such that it tore that 'O' ring apart, which then Sprayed Brake Fluid all over the Engine at High Pressure



With Paranoia setting in I surrounded the New Ball with a Towel as I screwed it in, not sure why as at this point it wasn't under any pressure at all!



Just before I switched on the Ignition, I covered the Ball with a bag, just in case the worst decided to happen, which it very fortunately did not

To say that I was nervous was a bit of an understatement, as having just fitted the New 'Black Ball' I turned on the Ignition and waited to see what would happen

As the Brake Pump started to run, 30 Seconds later the ABS light went out and in a Total of 45 Seconds the Brake Pump also cut out, which was about as good as it can get!

So while I'm very tempted to say that 'Cherry' lives to fight another day when we filled up with Petrol, as we left the Garage the Brake Pump light came on and stayed on for about 2 minutes, which was a bit concerning

But after that it went out and stayed off all the way back home to 'Orange Blossom Towers' and while I'm Cautiously Optimistic, that She's now back in the game

Tomorrow I'm going to Bleed the Brakes, just to make sure that no Air has got into the System during the time that everything went wrong



'Cherry Blossoms' 'Almost New!' Accumulator Ball

 

ABS is 'Marmite' it's either something that you Love or Hate and having had many major problems with the ABS on all my XJS's including losing all the Brakes on more than one occaision

Or having one of the Valves go wrong in the Master Cylinder Actuator which very nearly spun me off the road and then the latest incident where the Bladder in the Accumulator decided that it would burst

And then once having done so sprayed Brake Fluid all over the Car, it was at that point I decided that this was one of the reasons that the ABS has to go

Where in case I forget to mention it, on all of my Cars fitted with ABS the Brakes have a very strange feel, which is not the Case with my XJS Coup, that has the Brake Booster System as when you hit the Pedal you know She is going to Stop

And unlike my Cars with ABS has a very positive feel to the Pedal and while some say that the ABS can out think your reactions, that is only providing that you hit the Pedal Quick enough, or no amount of ABS will save you!

The GF has a mass of Contacts in the Industry and a few years ago, we got to know these guys that build Kit Cars to Special order, who are always doing Mods and often Tear them down as fast as they build them 'Just Because!'

Where over the years we have known them and have them over for Parties at 'Orange Blossom Towers' they have been a constant source of 'Nearly New' Spare Parts and recently gifted me a 'Black Ball Accumulator'

To replace the one where the Bladder got torn apart inside and while it is still working very well at the moment, on the way home from her MOT the Brake Pump got so Hot you couldn't touch it

And unless you are an Expert, if it goes wrong and burns out, they are almost impossible to repair as when I cut the last one open to see what was inside, it was just a molten mess of Plastic

Round the Back of their Kit Car Shop they had an 87 XJS that was sitting there rotting away but this one had the Old Brake Booster System and after the GF had turned on the Charm or should I say turned the 'Flirt Switch' right up to the Max!

They Said we could have the Booster for nothing, providing that I was willing to remove it myself which was pretty generous of them and since there are just 4 Bolts holding it in 'I mean how hard can it be!'

The Answer of course is a 'Nightmare' of Epic Proportions! (or at least the way that I was doing it was)

The First Two Bolts on the Mounting Plate came out dead easy but the other Two you cannot really get a Spanner on, as the bolts are tucked under the Booster

So the next thing I did was to try and separate the Booster from the Mounting Plate, where once again the First Two Bolts were easy, except the other Two were underneath the Dash and almost impossible to get to unless you are a Contortionist

Which didn't leave me with much choice but to get back under the Bonnet/Hood and try and Tap the Nuts round with a FBH and a Chisel and the first one came off fairly easily

And in the process leaving only one Nut to undo, which was the point at where the 'Nightmare' began, as no amount of Tapping with the FBH and Chisel, would shift the Blinking thing, so I decided the only way was to cut the bolt off with a Hacksaw!

Which sounded good on Paper but there was no room to get a Hacksaw in there, as this Bolt was tucked under the Corner of the Brake Booster

Where with no room for a 'Dremmel' the only way around it was to use a Hacksaw Blade just on its own, which because of the lack of Space made that job more difficult than you could ever imagine and it took Two Days! to Saw that Bolt right through

So now with all the Bolts removed, the only thing I've got to do is pull it out and remove it, where early indications seem to say to me, that this will not be exactly a 'Walk in the Park' but we will see!





I had to try and cut the head of this Bold off just using a Hacksaw Blade



Even with a Pad Saw Handle it took me Two Days to cut off the Head of that Bolt!

 

As some of you may already know a few years ago I bought myself a Car Lift, from a very nice Lady who just happened to own a Circus! 'like you do' complete with Clowns and Jugglers and all sorts of Variety Acts, for which of course you need a Great Big Top!

And Yeah! She did have one of those as well, together with all the other stuff you need to run a Circus including it seemed a Car Lifter which was somehow Surplus to requirements, perhaps She bought a New One I don't know!

But as this was something that I always wanted I just had to have it and since She was only asking £250, it had to be the bargain of the Year! as if you do a lot of work on your XJS it can be just as essential as the Car itself

The only problem being was how could I get it home, as I only had my Long Wheel Base Land Rover but as this was such a good deal or should I say a great one, there was absolutely no way that I would be leaving without it

At which point I suddenly found myself surrounded by Circus Performers and Clowns, who had somehow convinced me that it would go on the buck and then picked it up as if it was light as a feather and loaded it on my Land Rover that promptly sunk down on its Springs

Where then once having done so, this very helpful bunch of Guys had to go away to do their Show, while I was stood just standing there, with this massive Car Lift on the back of my Land Rover and wondering how the hell I'd drive it home!

The answer being 'Very, Very, Slowly' as it took an Hour to get there but Four Hours to get back! where I arrived home at 2AM in the Morning and then of course the Hedge was in the way, or at least it was until I got my Chainsaw, which of course did not impress the Neighbours!

But it was well worth all the hassle, as I have to say that Car Lift has been an Amazing piece of Kit, until a couple of years ago when the Electric Motor that is used to power the Hydraulic Pump burned out

And so in order to fix it I managed to find another Electric Motor and then rigged it up to the Pump, only to find that the bearings in the Pump had seized, which was probably the reason that the Motor burnt out in the first place

Which seemed to mean I really wasn't having any luck, as if ever I needed a Car Lift it was now, as I wanted to drop the IRS Cage on my XJS 'The Ice Princess' where although I could have done it with a Trolley Jack, having a Car Lifter, comes in really handy for that sort of thing

At which point I figured out that my only option was to buy a New Motorized Pump for my Car Lift, which if nothing else only goes to show just how wrong you can be, as when the GF saw what I came home with She 'Freaked Out!'

OMG! what is that, where did you get that thing!

To be Continued...........

 

That 'Thing' my Little Princess, is not a 'Thing' its a 'Hiab'

"A What Ab?"

A Hiab! You know a Truck Mounted Crane!

"You're Joking"

No I'm not!

"What do we need a Crane for"

We don't although it's bound to come in Handy!

"Handy for what, exactly?"

For Lifting Stuff of course

"What sort of Stuff?'

Well you err know just 'Stuff' but that's not why I bought it

"Well why did you buy it then?"

Because it's got a massive Hydraulic Motor and with any luck I can take a Pipe from the Hiab to the Car Lift and then get that working again!

"Does this 'Hiab' thingy work?"

It will do

"You mean you bought it and it doesn't work!"

It just needs some modifications

"How much did you pay for it?"

A 'Grand'

"What!" You paid a 'Grand' for 'That!' and it doesn't work!"

But it will do, I've just got to fix the Stabilizers and the get a couple of Pipes made up and then it should be ok

"What do you mean 'Should' admit it you bought a Lemon! why did you not just buy a New Pump, like you said you were going to do?"

You're asking a lot of Questions, 'Is this some sort of a Quiz?'

Don't worry I can fix it and you'll wonder what we ever did without it!

"In other words another 'Big Boys Toy' for you to play with!"

"OMG! I really think I'm losing the will to live!"



Isn't She Lovely? I've always wanted a Hiab but it's really the Hydraulic Power Pack I'm after

Except of course there's a problem, as one of the Stabilizer Pads is missing and so one of my first jobs is to get that fixed



It's good but it ain't right! It needs to have a much bigger Pad in order to stop it digging big holes in the Lawn

So I decide to make one out of an old Rotor that I had laying around



Ok it might look a bit Rusty but this will be perfect for the job



After a bit of Sanding you could almost eat of it now!



Getting the Rotor lined up before Welding it on



Having Welded on the Rotor that was one very awkward little job out of the way!

Next: Connecting the Pipes from the Hiab to the Car Lift and hoping it works

To be Continued...........

 

Another 'Big Boy's Toy' eh!

She certainly wasn't wrong there! although this one has got has got another very useful purpose, which was to use its massive Hydraulic Power Pack to get my Hydraulic Car Lifter working again

On Paper it looked dead easy, just run a couple of pipes from one of the Hydraulic Rams on the 'Hiab' to the Ram on the Car Lift and then away we go!
As all the Rams on the 'Hiab' are Double Acting, which just in case you didn't know, means that they use Hydraulic Pressure to both Expand and Contract them, where a Single Acting Ram, only expands under Hydraulic Pressure one way

And guess what the Ram on the Car Lift is a Single Acting Ram! at which point I'm thinking, that I have just blown a Grand on the wrong piece of kit but having said that then surely their must be a way to make it work somehow

Except that the thought of losing a Grand for a Bargain Hunter like me just made my Brain Freeze! leaving me standing there unable to think!

"Darlink I've brought you a Cuppa! so drink it before it gets Cold"

Thanks my little Princess, that's just what I could do with!

"Well"

Well what?

"Well lets see it working, lifting the Car up an down"

I don't know how to say this but I think I've hit a little bit of a snag!

"What you are really trying to tell me, is that this 'Hiab' 'Thingy is a Dud! a Lemon like I said that doesn't work!"

No, its not so much it doesn't work, as it does but it also doesn't, if you see what I mean

You probably won't understand this but all the Rams on the 'Hiab' are double acting but the Ram that's on the Car Lifter is a Single Acting Ram and I'm not sure how you join the two together, as I haven't got a Masters Degree in Hydraulics

"Show me how this 'Hiab' Thingy works"

Ok I show you on one of the Stabilizers, right ok now, if you pull the Lever down, the Stabilizer goes down but if you Push the Lever up then the Stabilizer goes up, providing that its not already up 'if you see what I mean?'

"So how does the Car Lift work?"

Well before the Motor Burnt Out, it had a Hydraulic Motor on the end of it, that would Power the Hydraulic Ram so it could lift the Car up in the Air but this is a Single Acting Ram that only goes one way and that is Up!

"So if it only goes one way, then how do to get the Car back down again?"

You just undo this Pressure Release Valve and then the Oil drains out of the Ram and the Car comes back down

"So where does the Oil that drains out of that Ram end up?"

It drains into a built in Tank by the side of the Ram, so that you can then use it again to Lift the Car up again next time, its sort of like a Circle of Oil that just goes round and round

"Well I don't see the problem, that looks dead easy to me!"

"All you've got to do it get a long piece of High Pressure Oil Pipe and then take One of the Pipes off the Stabilizer and then replace it with the very long pipe, which will then connect to the Big Ram on the Car Lift"

Yeah! but that's only one Pipe!

"You only need one Pipe"

What do you mean?

"If you pull the Lever down, the Stabilizer goes down, Right?"

Err Yeah!

"But if you take the Pipe OFF the Stabilizer and replace that with a Single Pipe to the Ram on the Car Lift, then instead of the Stabilizer going DOWN the Car Lift will go UP!"

Errm Yeah! but what if you push the Lever the other way?

"You don't! you only ever push the Lever One Way! and when you do the Car Lifter goes up!"

How would I Stop it going up?

"Just let go of the Lever and it will go into neutral and Stop Pumping"

But how do I get the Car down?

"Open that Valve you told me about and then the Oil will drain out of the Ram and the Car will come down, exactly the same way it did when your Car Lift was working"

Yeah but you're forgetting something

"Like what"

The Oil will just drain back into that little Tank by the Ram

"In that case just cut that Pipe off and put another Long Pipe on, so the Oil will drain back into the Hydraulic Tank of the 'Hiab' Thingy"

At this point I am starting to feel that She's onto something and almost find it impossible to try and 'Style it out' and just to make matters worse my Teas gone Cold!

Do you really think that its going to work?

"Course"

"Just tell me how much Pipe you need and what sort of fittings and I'll go and get it now and then you'll see"

OMG! I think She's right and if it does then She'll be gloating for ever and a day, like when She fixed the Speedo on my Car!

To be Continued..............

 

Alex
Just give her the car and it will be fixed by Friday!

 

Hi Greg

Let's not encourage her Lol!

She's bad enough as it is, as underneath her 'kookie' persona, is a devastatingly clever straight line thinker who is very good at solving problems, though thankfully after all this time she still can't work me out, which seems to be the glue that holds us together

But as of now I'm following orders and sorting out the return pipe to the Oil Tank and though its only just one pipe, or at least it will be when she brings one back, this is already turning into a Nightmare!

Because before I put the New Pipe on, I've got to unscrew the old fittings from the Car Lift and these are not only awkward to get to but also seized rock solid, which will require the Services of a FBH and only hope that I don't break it off, as I think its made of some sort of Alloy

I'm also toying with the idea of fitting a quick release connection, like the one I've got on my Compressor but as this is only for Air and not Oil, I don't know if it will leak, as it's one of those Euro type connectors but as this will be on the Return Pipe which is very low pressure it might be ok

Not so with the High Pressure Pipe, that is going to need a proper High Pressure Connector, so I'm doing nothing to that side until the GF gets back with some High Pressure Pipe, as the Hydraulic Pressure on this Hiab is 127 BAR!

Which is shall we say a little bit more than the 'Wimpy' Electric Oil Pump that was originally fitted to the Car Lift and so just to be on the Safe Side, I've told her to go and get Oil Pipes of a Pressure Rating of 300 BAR

So apart from getting the Old Fittings off, there is not much more I can do until she gets back with the Pipes

To be Continued.............

 

With the GF sent off to The Hydraulic Shop to pick up some High Pressure Hoses, I made a start by removing all the Old Fittings as we decided that it would be best to renew everything we could see

As having the Car Lifter come crashing down for the sake of a New Piece of Hose, with 'The Ice Princess' on board was not an option that I could ever consider

The only problem being that this was not as easy as it looked, as the fitting that carried the Low Pressure Pipe was very hard to get to, as well as corroded in place, which required a Chisel and a FBH to even get it to move!

But eventually I got there at about the same time that the GF turned up with the Pipes which we had made up in 4 X Twelve foot lengths, as after I had managed to get my head around the way that the Hydraulics worked

We could use the other Tubes for making a Log Splitter if I could pick up a Two Stage Ram from the Scrap Yard, which could also work off this machine



'The Ice Princess' my XJS V12

A nice car but nothing but problems, with a 'Burned Out Brake Pump' and a 'Broken Off Bleed Nipple' in the IRS which will mean dropping the Cage and one of the main reasons for getting the Car Lifter working once again



Cutting off the Low Pressure Oil Return Pipe, that was fairly easy but removing the fittings was not as I was now intending to do away with the Reservoir Tank on the Car Lift and instead send the Oil straight back up to the Main Reservoir on the Hiab

The Hiab has lots of levers and pipes to take Hydraulic Power from, although we found that the best of the bunch was to disconnect one of the Stabilizers and then connect to that, as the Levers that operates these are separate from the others and easy to get to



These Two Levers operate the Stabilizers on the Hiab, where in this case we decided to use the one on the Left as it would give a much better view of the Car Lift



Although I understand it now, at first look it was really making my head spin, as somehow I had to find a way of connecting a Double Acting Ram to a Single Acting Ram on the Car Lift

Where to give her Credit where its due, the GF came up with the obvious way to do it, which was to disconnect the Stabilizer and then connect the New Pipe to the Top Half of the Ram (The Red Cap was where the Stabilizer was originally connected)



24ft of High Pressure Hydraulic Pipe with quick release fitting although this Pipe was going on the Low Pressure end, where when you Lowered the Car Lift the Oil from the Car Lift Ram would drain back into the Main Hydraulic Oil Tank on the Hiab



The Main Hydraulic Reservoir on the Hiab, when the Car Lift is Lowered by means of undoing a Valve on the Car Lift Ram, Oil is forced back down the Hydraulic Pipe and into the Main Reservoir of the Hiab (its just a bigger version of what used to happen before with the Tank on the Car Lift)



The Pipe with the gauge is the Low Pressure Return Pipe, where when that Turnbuckle Valve is undone Oil is then forced back down that pipe to the Main Hydraulic Tank on the Hiab

The reason I put the Gauge on was just to keep an eye on the return pressure, as if I Lowered the Car Lift too quickly, it might blow the connection apart of where the Pipe is connected to the Main Hydraulic Reservoir on the Hiab, which was done with a Hose Clip as I hadn't got the right Connector

And now the part I've been waiting for, which is will it actually work?

Where I'm pleased to report that the result was Amazing! and will lift the Car a lot faster, than is shown in the Video and gives me 38 inches of ground clearance under the Car, although the height is restricted by the Canopy

If the Canopy was removed then the ground clearance would be in excess of 5ft although I'd rather leave the Canopy on for the Winter, if I don't get her working before

The Noise you can hear in the Video is the Diesel Engine of the Hiab and Not the Car!