Share your knowlege

[flowergrader]

Good news, well done.

bob

[Ali]

I drove a double decker once on Pembrey racing circuit ..... on oil and water .... ooo now that WAS fun

[Deleted]

Sept 3, 2014 17:43:26 GMT 1 Ali said:

I drove a double decker once on Pembrey racing circuit

I ate a Cadbury's one once.....does that count?

[JohnP]

Sept 3, 2014 17:43:26 GMT 1 Ali said:

I drove a double decker once on Pembrey racing circuit ..... on oil and water .... ooo now that WAS fun

I always wanted to go on the skid pan at Chiswick but sadly when I joined London Buses in the late 80's it was no longer used and was closed.

[JohnP]

Finally obtained the Carte Grise for my tractor after the third attempt. So I am now venturing onto the road with my flashing orange beacon and shiney new number plate Still doing a lot of tinkering, quite a bit of re-wiring, freeing up siezed bolts and adjusters and greasing. Fitted a posh new seat which has some padding and suspension, new front tyres and in between, grass cutting, hedge removal and digging up next years veggie plot. loads of fun!

[lib]

Enjoy it JohnP, give it some welly from me.

[Ali]

Well done JohnP

[tinkerbell]

Busy chap and sound a happy one.Well done

[JohnP]

Question: Anyone know about diesel thermostarters?

Being a direct injection engine in my tractor, it does not have heater plugs for cold starts. It has a device called a thermostarter which is a heater coil fitted into the inlet manifold. This heats up a bit like a car cigarette lighter then a small quantity of diesel is dripped onto it which burns and provides the heat to start the engine.
My problem is that this device has been disconnected at some point because it wasn't working. I have ordered a new one and fitted a relay and push switch to connect the heater coil but there is no obvious connection for the small pipe which supplies the diesel. My instincts tell me it should connect to the tank return feed but there is no provision for it. Maybe it should have it's own supply in the form of a small bottle of some description....anyone any experience of these things?

[lib]

Hi JP,

I have no direct experience of Renault tractors, but do know some thermostart installations.
The ones I have come across over the years and the one i had on a old diesel electricity generator we had, where all gravity fed from a small reservoir.

These have been the type, where when stripped down, have a feed tube with a small ball in the tube with a tiny screw to adjust the fuel drip. So when the element below the feed tube heats up the feed tube expands and allows the ball to let a tiny amount of fuel to drip onto the hot element.

If you strip one or fit a new one they will not work unless you cycle them to get any air out of the tubes. You would need to by pass the thermostat to do this or do it below around 2 degrees air temperature, total pain. Only bothered once years ago, life to short, took about 30 cycles if i remember properly.

After saying all the above I only have seen need for the starters in very cold conditions and most of those i have seen were not working. Without starting problems on the engines concerned.

I can understand you want to have a 'correct' restoration but I always thought a can of ether and a good squirt down the intake worked wonders .....

apart from a very old fordson we had, with a very well worn engine, only used for odd jobs and snow, then a nicely burning oily rag placed in the intake never failed to wake the old girl up.

Edit .... Just been thinking, I remember being told to mix a little paraffin in with the diesel in the reservoir, by an old guy 'cos of waxing in cold temperatures .... no point having having a cold start device where the fuel wouldn't drip ......
Probaly very old advice now seeing that there is anti waxing in modern diesel.


ps wonder if adblue would work??