mpbarrett
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cars, folk music, electronics
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interesting, makes you want to take a PC with you so you can check what that the ECU is seeing. it would have been easy to bodge the temp readings. I did fit a Pi dashboard into the glove box. It was very geeky but realised the screen was too small to see what was going on so took it out as the glove box was more useful as storage rather than a screen! But I will take a PC with us when we do the 10CR later this year but this is the first failure since 2018.... mike
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So the problem was the temperature sensor. I use the original Triumph one in it original position and then added a second sensor for the dash temperature gauge, for some reason it has failed in that its resistance has doubled (or more) that has caused the EFI to think the engine was cold and then made the mixture rich which soaked the plugs so it would not start. Got a new sensor, calibrated it and put the data into to CPU, put it into the car and it all works again. Surprising that a simple passive sensor can cause problems. But I think this was the original Triumph sensor so could be ~ 56 years old (the Herald was built in 1968) so I guess I should not complain! Still not 100% sure the car is happy and every thing is fixed but will take it out for a drive tomorrow and see how it goes. Mike
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I had heard car insurance had gone up this year but just got the quote for our Golf GTE last year £430 this year £818! No claims but have just turned 70. This is thru Saga. In shock mike
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good news. Our first basic pump on our CH system (no electronics) lasted ~ 25 years, we are now into our second 'smart electronic' pump, the life seems to be about 4 years once they added the smart electronics,,,,,, but it does have a nice display, to show how little power it is using, and some buttons to press...... mike
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We have an Evo system, its very good, installed myself. Means we can have complete control of each rooms temperature. . Just need to change the batteries in the radiator valves and tank sensor every 18 months.. We have had problems with one of the smart pumps running in auto mode. New boiler started to cutout with overheating errors. As it was a new boiler (18 months old) got the engineer out to check the error code, he diagnosed overheating and then asked if we had a smart pump and what mode it was in as it is apparently a common problem for some reason the pump reduces the flow (to save power) and then the boiler overheats, even when it worked before. He set the pump to manual mid flow rate and everything has worked since.
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it was working but was running rich, and not closing the idle valve, I plugged the PC in and realised the Mega squirt through the temp was 30C instead of the real 70C. Stopped to check the temp sensor wiring, all fine, but would not start again, plenty of fuel but no spark. I think there is something strange with the wiring/earthing. I have found all the cct diagrams I made when I installed it and will start to thru the system tomorrow. I need to look at the trigger signal but I wonder if I have lost an earth connection. The trouble is it has just worked since I installed it so need to get my head around it again! mike
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My wife has an old Creda spin dryer that she uses for drying fleece (she is a spinner) after it has been washed. Worked perfectly for the last 18 months. Yesterday she used it and it was fine and then after she left it (off but plugged into the mains) there was a loud pop noise and lots of smoke. I assumed it was the starting cap that had failed. Unplugged it and put the fan on in the utility room to get rid of the smoke.... After a few mins thought this is strange the smoke is still there. Looked at the spin dryer and realised it was still smoking lifted it up and there flames underneath. Suddenly it all became a bit more serious. Took it outside and threw some water over it, to put the fire out. Basically the safety micro switch had failed shorted to ground and then sprayed hot plastic onto the plastic cover over the switch, this caught alight and then burnt thru the plastic interlock parts and dropped hot burning plastic on the base which started to burn..... Glad we were around otherwise it could have burnt the house down! before fire (from the replacement dryer) what was left of the switch and the interlock mechanism. in close up Wasn't sure what was there before it burnt away. Could not fine any spares but found a charity selling a working dryer for £5.95 and few miles away. So brought it, replaced the micro switch with a brand new one (just in case) tested it and Jane is happy again having a working spin dryer! All a bit scary, simple electrical fault and almost a serious house fire. Oh I have broken my Herald, had EFI since 2018 and always just works but today wont start... Mike
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Stelvio is just too busy these days to really enjoy, too many bikes and campervans! Just had a very significant birthday and my daughter, Libby who did some 10CR's with me in my Herald, GT6 and TR6 made this wonderful cake for me.
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have you tried Solid edge community edition? I know learning another CAD package is a pain but might be worth a look Free CAD Software for Hobbyists and Makers | Solid Edge | Siemens
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thats very bad luck. Its the down side of adding electronics to old cars, it can fail complexly and the car is unusable. Have you got a normal distributor to put back in the car? If not I have one from my Herald you could use (complete with Petronix electronic points). mike
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What to check/prep on an unknown engine ?
mpbarrett replied to egret's topic in Engine and Ancillary talk
Um that might have been me (1500EFI Herald) and Toby (Ford engined spitfire Hurricane). I like the MS, once setup it works very well. Just need to be careful with the supply, earthing and wiring, worth follow the instructions on how to wire it up. happy to help if you go down that route.... mike -
the VW make it look easy, helps having the engine in the back over the rear wheels...
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Difficult, impossible repair. No chance of getting cct diagrams, no spares, almost impossible to replace highly integrated SM devices (although a hot air soldering station can help). And if there is any programmed devices on the board, almost certainly, you wont be able to get the code to reprogram them. All you can do is to clean the corrosion off the connectors, PCB and pins and hope that nothing has been killed on the board due to the water. Unfortunately typical modern electronics. mike
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What to check/prep on an unknown engine ?
mpbarrett replied to egret's topic in Engine and Ancillary talk
have to ask is that Impington in Cambridgeshire? I am in Histon! -
I changed the hood on my Herald last summer, it had shrunk but was 10 years old, Brought one from the TSSC shop that has a zip out rear window, rather nice on very hot days. Also makes folding the hood easier. I spent a lot of time sorting out the hood frame, realigning it and sorting out the seized hinge joints, broken pivots etc. I also replaced the header rail, I had fitted a NOS one but it never fitted properly which is maybe why it was never used! The frame design is very clever with a lot of joints! I had a spare frame that I used bits from so was able to make one straight frame from. Makes it much easy to raise and lower it. But still not a perfect fit, very difficult to get the tension right all across the hood. good luck, you do need a few days of hot sunny weather to do it or a very warm garage! mike