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You might get more heat from the manifold, directly on the metal, rather than over the vee.
Anyway, you asked, and Wikipedia answered: "The phrase al fresco is borrowed from Italian for "in the cool [air]", although it is not in current use in that language to refer to dining outside. Instead, Italians use the phrases fuori or all'aperto. In Italian, the expression al fresco usually refers to spending time in jail."
So yeah, don't go to Italy and say "Can I go al fresco?".....
Indeed, the V is actually a lot colder than the exhaust areas... The V actually cools itself when running above idle, as the air rushing through it cools it nicely down... Not an awful lot but enough.
Your post reminded me of that show I loved to watch.
I remember an episode where they tried to cook a Thanksgiving turkey while driving a car...(Not XJS though, as far as I can remember)
Hi V1roc
I think I saw an episode once but cannot remember what Channel it was on
The only reason for doing it was to try and answer one of lifes unanswered questions while the Bonnet/Hood was open to let the engine cool down, as even the edge of the Bonnet/Hood, had got so hot that you could hardy touch it
Although trying to Cook a Turkey might be a 'bridge too far'
If the bonnet/edge is too hot to touch after a run, you might need to look into your cooling a bit more. When I first got Lady Mary, I had to use a towel around my hand to unlatch the bonnet when the engine was hot. Now, after sorting out the cooling, it's certainly quite warm to the touch, but I can touch it.
Indeed, the V is actually a lot colder than the exhaust areas... The V actually cools itself when running above idle, as the air rushing through it cools it nicely down... Not an awful lot but enough.
Nothing wrong with the System 'Cherry B' normally runs as Cool As She Looks, its just that this was straight back from her MOT Test, where her Engine was running while She wasn't going anywhere
After which you get 'Heat Soak' when the Engine is turned off, so I just couldn't wait to get out of that Shop and get her back in the Fresh Air
Ah, right. Gotcha. Not hot after a run, but after lots of idling. That's a lot more reassuring....
I once got thermal heat labels and stuck them around my engine--a definite increase in heat from heat soak, but not in the vee, but the water rails and that area.
Homemade Low Profile Angle Drill To Try And Remove Broken Rear Brake Bleed Nipple On 'The Ice Princess'
As some of you may already know, I have been trying to remove the Broken Rear Brake Bleed Nipple that Snapped off on 'The Ice Princess' rather than having to drop the Cage, as on this Car all the running gear seems to be in very good condition
And though I may end up dropping the Cage I am doing everything that I can do to avoid it, in the event that there may be an easier way
What I really needed was a Low Profile Angular Drill and since one of these might cost megabucks and might not even do the job, I decided that I would try and make one from stuff I had laying around
Using one of my Favorite Tools the Air Wrench, which I've had for about 3 years and has come in so useful for all sorts of Jobs, so the first thing that I needed was a Broken Drill Bit and I have got plenty of those
And one or two half inch Sockets that I'm always picking up at Auto Jumbles and Yard Sales, where making my Low Profile Angular Drill was a Breeze!
I just Welded a couple of Nuts on the end of the Broken Drill Bit and that is really all that there was to it! except of course I got carried away and made a very similar thing to hold an 'Easy Out' and a 'Torx' Bit etc
In Tests it was Amazing! with plenty of low down Torque but whether or not I am able to get out that Broken Bleed Nipple, we will have to see, although in any event I'll be using it for lots of other jobs, where there is no room for a big drill
I stand in awe of your inventiveness OB! I wasted my money on one of these:
The question is, though, what condition will the calliper threads be in when you have finished? I feel your system needs a counter clockwise drill, and with luck it might twist the remains of the nipple straight out. Buy a CCW drill that is not as thick as the nipple (say 2/3 as thick). Somehow centring the thin will be the problem, but with luck, and a narrow enough drill, the hole down the nipple should keep the drillbit centred.
Greg
Last edited by Greg in France; Jun 30, 2018 at 06:18 AM.
The one you bought looks a little bit more expensive!
If I can get it to drill some sort of a Pilot hole, then I can try a CCW drill bit as for the Tenner I spent on that Air Wrench, it also works in reverse, as you would expect for that sort of money (Lol)
Long time no contact! I've been out of action for a while but hopefully back on the scene now.
I've taken out a few seized bleed nipples before. The challenge as Greg has said is that because of the hollow thin-wall nature of the nipple, it's really easy to irrevocably damage the caliper thread.
However that hollow construction means that you can carefully run in a counterclockwuse bit that's only fractionally bigger than the hole and slowly wind out the nipple. I've done it twice with an Easyout turning slowly with a very small spanner on the end.
I wouldn't use a power drill at all unless you've completely exhausted attempts by hand with a counterclock bit of some sort.
As a matter of fact I have been missing you Big Time!
Glad you are back on the Scene but I can't get the hang of those 'Gizmos' because its a Taper Spiral going into a Straight Hole, so it only grips where it touches if you see what I mean, unless that is the way those things are supposed to work
Though sometimes it just doesn't grip at all
Maybe its me? maybe I'm doing it wrong?
One of the Biggest problems is I can't see what I am doing, which really isn't helping matters at all
But I had an idea, that I would like to run past you
Do they do a Thread Tap with a left hand thread?
Or could I use a normal Thread Tap but put Locktite on the Thread of the Thread Tap and then when it sets wind it out (hopefully) complete with the broken Brake Nipple
That Locktite stuff is so good that it once took me 3 days to get the Nut off the Top of a Front Shock Absorber
First of all, I think you'll find that the small calibre Easyouts have a less severe taper so they tend to be much straighter in profile. Yes, they are tapered to some degree, but on the small ones such as you'll use for a bleed nipple, I think you'll find you can get quite a few turns in giving you a greater contact area and then it will turn out. It's worked well for me in the past.
As regards using taps, it's very easy to find left hand taps, which might also work. I wouldn't use right hand taps and loctite. Just my opinion.
Just got back from Reims in France with my XJS. Great trip!
Reims sounds nice and glad that you had great time!
XJS very nearly caught fire when a leaking FPR dissolved all the Wax in the Thermal Hot Start Switch, which in turn then decided to drip all over one of the Injectors (here's a photo just in case you missed it)
XJS very nearly caught fire when a mixture of Wax and Petrol dripped all over one of the Hot Injectors but Hey! that's just 'another day at the Office' even though that problem took a long time to track down
Anyway lest I digress, I'll give the easy-out a try but do agree a left hand 'Tap' could be the way to go, as they come in sets of 3 which also includes a Plug Bottom, so it won't cut all the way down past the end of the Broken Bleed Nipple
Where a drill it probably would, so theoretically a left hand Tap will cut its way down to the bottom of the Broken Brake Bleed Nipple till it can't go down any further when it hits to the bottom of the Brake Bleed Nipple
At which point it should have cut itself a good grip inside the Wall of The Broken Brake Bleed Nipple and with any luck the Broken Brake Bleed Nipple will undo and unscrew, where my only concern is that I haven't seen this Fix on YouTube
So could use a bit of moral support on using this idea from Engineering Genius's like Yourself, Greg-Grant-JigJag-Warrjon-Doug-Bladerunner-Ronbros. (apologies if I may have left any other Genei (is that a word?) out)
Who I'm hoping will be able to suggest which size to use because a full set of these can cost Megabucks and with any luck, I will hopefully never need to use it again
Last edited by orangeblossom; Jul 2, 2018 at 01:32 AM.
apols if u missed it earlier but has the head of the nipple sheared off? If not I'd be tempted to weld on an oversize nut and then use a bigger spanner, plenty of penetrating fluid etc.
But if it has sheared, I'd try the Easyout first. You want to get as little swarf as possible in there and Easyouts have a coarse taper thread that should catch within 1/2 - 1 turn. A counterclock tap has very little taper and i think you'll generate far more swarf as it embeds itself. It's the taper on the Easyout that means it gets so tight it then generates the force on the nipple to turn itself out. I think a counterclock tap will just keep cutting down and won't generate the counter turn on the nipple itself.
But now we've got an even bigger problem, as the hole in the Broken Brake Bleed Nipple is blocked up and I don't know how that happened, as I haven't attempted to drill it at the moment
As instead I was just offering up one of my 'right hand taps' to get the right size for a 'left hand tap' I wasn't even attempting to try and screw it down
So maybe a bit of Swarf from somewhere, has become dislodged and fallen down the hole, so now I've got to try and find a mirror on a stick to have a look
I did try Welding on a Nut a few weeks ago but I think that the Bleed Nipple may have been made from some sort of alloy material, as I couldn't get it to Weld
I'll probably end up having to take the Cage out but one of the first things I'd need to do is to take out the Speedo Sensor from the IRS which looks deceptively easy to take out
If only they'd left it on the gearbox like the earlier Cars!
The Speedo Sensor looks deceptively easy to take out, the only problem being that it looks an almost impossible job to try and get your hand in there with a spanner
it is possible to get to the sensor but it's definitely a fiddly job. As you pull the sensor out, be very careful as it's really easy to catch it on the hole and chip it. Also carefully remove the shims as the Speedos are really critical on having exactly the right air gap.
as regards the nipple, you're right, you really need to get any blockage out of the hole before you insert the Easyout.
I've never done inboard XJS brakes in situ, but they sound an absolute pain!
I needed a 1/4 Ratchet to turn the drill bit, so because I haven't got one, I borrowed one from a mate which was great but the Ratchet on that Ratchet kept on slipping
For which I can only blame myself, as I should have asked him to lend me one that worked!
But I managed to drill out the blockage, which has taken me 5 Hours! and now I've got to drill down even further, so now I am going to buy one, as I need to get a decent Ratchet for that
The Problem with getting the Sensor on the Speedo out, is undoing the bolts that hold it in and while they look easy to reach they are anything but
Its a bit of a 'Catch 22' As You cannot get the Cage out until you've got the Sensor out and you cannot get the Sensor out until you've got the Cage out!
The whole thing feels like something from a Science Fiction Movie!
And there was me thinking replacing the Spark Plugs was the most difficult job!
If only they had fitted these Cars with a removable Plate in the bottom of the Cubby Box like on my MGB, then I think that this would have been a breeze!
very sorry to hear of your troubles. An innocuous little job often turns out to be the most difficult one of all. Three thoughts:
I'd definitely still be going down the Easyout route first as you could do this with a small spanner, it shouldn't need many turns and, IMO, has a greater chance of succcess.
I've had the Speedo sensor out quite a few times. Can't remember if I used spanners or sockets with wobble bar, extensions etc but I've definitely managed it without too many issues.
if you really do have to move the cage, why not just carefully lower it a fraction to give requisite clearance for bleed nipple and leave sensor in place?
