Hi Paul

I think your device might do the job a lot better, so I'll probably get one myself but where the heck can you get one of those for £2-50!

 

OB,

I got mine many years ago at one of the usual car shows and bought both a large and small one. However, a quick google search and that price I mentioned isn't that far off..

BOA Baby Boa Constrictor Strap Wrench Capacity 100mm

Cheers

Paul

 

 

It's worse than I thought . . .

Best wishes mate,

Ken

 

OB, just a quick stupid question, don't you have the car manual which was sold with the car? I'm not talking about a workshop manual but the standard normal 'how to use' manual?

 

Not a Jaguar over-engineered thing at all OB: Standard Ford column as fitted to all Mondeos etc etc! Never occurred to me you were pushing not pulling. Love it. What a girl, she will never let you forget it, either!
Greg

 

Hi Daim

I've just found the manual for my 1990 and on Page 32 it tells you:

To adjust the Wheel you need to PULL the Lever! Doh!

The thing I think that threw me, was the Lever had so much slack, that I thought the mechanism might be broken.

When I did pull it back, the Lever seemed to hit the buffers and come to a Stop.

With the benefit of hindsight, I didn't pull the lever hard enough.

The Word you might be looking for is 'Dunkopf'

 

Hi Greg

I never knew that!

Just wondering if the Mondeo version is cheaper?

I've just found the Handbook, which I couldn't find at the time and on Page 32 it tells you to PULL THE LEVER! Doh!

And you're right! The GF won't let me forget this for a long time.

So fully deserving of a Certificate of Mechanical Incompetence.

But looking on the Bright side if there is one, I managed to fix the Speedo (properly this time!)

The Contacts were covered in Varnish (don't know the Technical Term) and one of them was starting to go green.

Full details and Photos to follow on my 'Cherry Blossom' restoration thread.

 

 

Yay!!! I'm aware of the female issue. dumkopf, eisenkopf, steinkopf,
heard 'em all. I earned mine by not adding gas when I should. Ran out and had to push more than once. It took decades to overcome. Not done that one for a spell.


Treat her to a nice dinner out. She just might give you a pass.


Carl

 

Hi Carl

I'm not surprised She solved the problem by pulling the lever back, as some Women always seem to do the opposite of what you are expecting.

So a nice meal out does seem to be the least that I can do.

 

I couldn't face trying to get the stereo back into the slot--with all the wiring back there, it's a fiddle. So I simply removed the right fuse from the aerial fuse box in the back. That way, if I decide I do want to listen to the radio, for whatever reason, I can simply slot it back in. I'd prefer to remove the entire thing and fill up the hole, mind....

 

Well done on the speedo thing. Did you try adding an extra earth as people like Grant often urge?
I like your non-magnetic screw holder--very clever.

 

Hi Someday

I wouldn't be too hasty in taking that Aerial Out, if its made by Hirshman they are around £75 and I had to pay £11 for the Rubber Grommet that seals it into the Wing!

As for me I quite like the Aerial, as it gives the Car a bit more understated 'Bling'

 

Be very careful when refitting the stereo in a pre 1993, the centre vent and recirculation vacuum solenoids are very close to back of the stereo, if the insulation is damaged on the connectors these can short on the back of the stereo and blow the AC ECM as happened to me.

 

Glad you got if fixed OB.

Just for future or anyone else reading this, a good way to clean up these type of connectors is with a soft pencil eraser, NOT the rough sandpaper type. I have used this method for cleaning contacts for 30 years and it works extremely well.

 

Another reason not to fiddle with the insides any more than I have to....
JapThug has an interesting how-to guide about making a manual recirculation switch which I am interested in trying out one of these days. It's not great to sit in traffic with the a/c on and have exhaust fumes from the car in front blown into your face....

 

Hi OB,

Good to hear that your minor clean-up of the cluster seems to have cured the problem.

Don't feel too bad about getting caught out by the GF. When I was in my 20s, I spent a whole weekend swapping out a broken gearbox in my then-girlfriend's Morris Ital 1.7 and replacing it with one that I then took out of a scrap Morris Marina 1.8TC. 48 hours of frantic work culminated at 9pm on the Sunday evening. I proudly stood back after finally refitting the gearlever, carpet and centre console. I then looked down and saw about 5 or 6 small nuts and bolts that were still in the plastic storage tray where I'd been putting all the bits as I'd removed them. (Isn't that always the way?!) I comforted myself that they definitely weren't out of the bellhousing, gearbox mount or gearlever mechanism, so were probably something to do with the centre console or other trim, and the car could safely live without them.

I then called to my girlfriend to come and see the fruits of my labour. She came out, looked at the car which, in fairness, looked exactly the same as when she'd parked it 48 hours earlier, then said with rather muted enthusiasm "Oh, thank you darling, it looks..er..great." She then looked down at the storage tray and the remaining nuts and bolts , thought for a moment and said "Is that what caused the problem - they'd put too many of those metal things in it originally?" I could still her laughing quietly to herself as she walked back into the house...But she still married me. Although we separated in 2006, presumably because the arrival of Canbus systems in Jaguars meant I was now beyond the level of my usefulness in fixing her car....

So don't worry. Your GF will soon need a plug fitting on her hair-straighteners or similar and you'll be the main man again!

Paul

 

Hi Paul

On the Test Drive the Speedo worked perfect and the Miles on the real time LED were in Sync with the Milometer and the Cruise is also working.

If only I'd found the Handbook, it very clearly tells you to pull the release catch back but without that the amount of slack in the lever had me thinking

that something had broken inside.

I don't begrudge the GF a Victory like, as its only a matter of time before She Screws up (again!) and I have to go to the rescue.

 

Hi Someday

Without wishing to tempt providence, I really think I've got it fixed this time, where the problem seemed to be some sort of a

Coating (like brown varnish) on the Multi Plugs.

As for the Printed Circuit, that part looked in 'as new condition' where as such I was very reluctant to touch it.

Because it's so easily damaged and I have read a few stories of people doing exactly that and ending up with a Speedo that doesn't work at all.

As it's so easy to take out if it goes on the 'Blink' again, then I would certainly think about fitting an extra earth wire.

But since it's working as it should, then I think that it's best left alone.

As for the Screwdriver Gadget, putting those Top Screws in would have been a much more difficult job to do without it.