How many perfectly working spark plugs have we discarded?

Needless to say I bear a lot of guilt on the subject..
The video underneath from ElectronicNmore  show us how to determine whether a spark plug is a working one or not.
Just about time!
Big thanks to you ElectronicNmore guys.

Cure to the frustration of rounded bolts and nuts!

Yet another life-changing tip from Scotty Kilmer (his website) in one of his videos.
Personally I never had many good tools to work on mechanic "projects" and when I started to get a handful of decent ones I still couldn't get my head around this frustrating situation of a rounded nut or bolt, whether on bicycles, cars, vans or whatever that's held with nuts & bolts.
This is like an epiphany to me! That tool's inventor I want to hug!
Check out the video below to know the full story.

Thanks a bunch for that one Scotty Kilmer. Here is Scotty's video channel. Some people comment that they can't take the way he speaks. I only see a lot of life, positivity and no nonsense in his tone (which I like it if you asked me but you didn't) and it also comes from the video editing that is fast and furious. He also does Live talk as mechanic online.
As a film-making enthusiast I ought to ask him who is the videographer behind the youtube content and how they work together on the script!

How to deal with rusty stuck bolts - Tips from a mechanic

Almighty ever energetic Scotty Kilmer gives out a great tip for LDV vans DIY owners in his video!
He uses heat from a torch!
Check it out!
Are you asking yourself why I am using so many of those these marks !!! at the end of my sentences!!!?
WELL THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU WATCH A FEW VIDEOS OF Scotty Kilmer's videos!!!

I am a fan!!!

(I couldn't resist drawing that one for my cartoon and caricature blog.)

New LDV files website and forum online

Here the link to the new LDV Files website that also have a forum announced by Michael Mc Donald who runs the LDV Files group of fb. The new website front page reads as follows:

"Welcome to Ldv Files - We have workshop manuals for the Pilot / Convoy & Maxus as well as a forum where you can discuss , the sherpa , 200 , 300 , 350 & 400 , Pilot and Convoy & Maxus.

As well as all this you can browse videos , your vans , self builds , selling page and a lot more ( even camping recipes ) 

Click here to go to the FORUM"

Long live to this new forum.

The LDV Sherpa II forum remains available.

Conversion tool for your mileage and more motoring conversions UK, US

Look no further and try this converter site. It works well for me (found one eventually).
Plain and simple mpgtokpl.com.
Handy to figure out your fuel consumption if you are going on a journey.

LDV Pilot van - Squeaking serpentine belt

Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
My current unresolved problem probably caused by (me)splacement and probably misalignment too which happened I presume when I replaced the belt.
This video from the Dayco videos serie is helping me out.

So far, I took the belt out and re-placed it but to no avail. I noticed a wear on one side, edge of the multi grove belt (referred to as sidewall wear in the video). Some of the worn out rubber seems to have accumulated in and around the alternator too. I cleared it out.
I check manually that all pulleys, discs were sound and to the right tightness. It feels steady but probably needs better checking but no wobble.
I also noticed that on the tensioner roller I can see misalignment of the belt and can't do a thing about it.
My next step will be to take the belt of and listen and I will need to take the brake vacuum pump (shorter) belt to do that.
My guess is that my tensioner is worn someone. Let's see.

Review your belt and pulley basics with Eric the car guy's video and understand why, although it doesn't stop you from using your vehicle, it's not a good thing to use it with a noisy belt for too long as it directly can affect the timing of your engine resulting in more consequent and costly damages to essential parts of the engine like the camshaft itself.

and this is from Chris Fix which I will need in case my "diagnosis" (guess) is correct. That's another belt and tensioner replacement cost.

(Let me transcript this last video bit as it's too fast spoken for me to get it clear)

Diagnosing with water bottle spray

• Run engine (keeps your fingers, limbs, hair, loose clothing away!)
• Spray a little water on the inside rib of the belt (direct to pulley's groves)

If noise stops - the belt is still moving, the pulleys are still moving:

• NOT a bearing problem.

If the noise does NOT change:

• A bad bearing in a pulley

If the noise gets LOUDER:

• Belt tension is too tight or too lose
• which could be due to a bad tensioner pulley
• or could be due to a worn/stretched belt

LDV Pilot with a DW8 pug - A silent video on changing a head gasket

It is not the best tutorial (also because it's subtitled in french) but it gives you a good idea of the amount of work involved to change a head gasket on a DW8 peugeot engine.

LDV Pilot van - Engine oil leaks? Viscosity, Honey and Water on the menu

I finally managed to get enough little coins to do an oil change to my dear LDV Pilot van.
And since I'm getting bigger oil leaks. One around the head gasket, two around the gearbox...
Here's a video from Eric the car guy that explains what's happened.

He speaks about the difference between liquid flow rate and viscosity; and about the mix of oil and combustion gases that wear the gaskets, rubber joints and metal parts. Those are the main culprits!

His very articulate way of sharing his knowledge and experience through talk and video works very well for me, it might as well for you.

Looks like there a gaskets replacement session ahead!

Engine epihany and anatomy with a very instructive video on the basic of engines parts

Recently I'm having an epiphany. I am starting to understand how engines works (it's about time).

That's thanks to a lot of hours reading, listening and watching as well as keeping my nails dirty.
It's not like I have a choice; I got two engines (diesel and petrol) and no money to pay for a mechanic and do my Qigong routine each morning to nurture my self-confidence and solution finding mindset as opposed to giving in to despair and disproportionate amount of colourful language.
This formula seems to work with lots of advice and guidance from anywhere I can get.

Now I am re-watching the video below from Eric the car guy (who's on that big online social network) and it's making sense (!). I can feel the shifts in my brains when I hear camshaft and timing belt. Enough about my godly revelation, here is the video:

(Thanks for all the work you put in doing these videos Eric.)

Gearbox - How does a manual transmission clutch work?

What is a manual transmission clutch and how does it work?

If you are like me you can drive for years and have a 'feel' or a basic understanding of that is a clutch
but you still don't understand what it really is on a vehicle and how it operates.
I'm done with daily use of things I don't understand so I looked on the net for readings and among others, I found this article and very straight to the point video from Howstuffwork.
It tells and shows the various parts flywheel, crankshaft, input shaft, pressure plate, clutch disc and explains how friction is used to connect elements and get power to your wheels for spinning.

So now you should know what is really happening when you hear a horrible grinding noise:
it's the sound of the friction between the flywheel and the clutch disc which is made of ceramic based materials in today's cars (asbestos in some older cars).

If you still don't get it, have a read of this article about transmission on Howstuffwork
and watch more videos.

If you prefer real images to animations, watch Ericthecarguy's very articulate take on the topic

What is the difference between a Petrol and Diesel Engine? - Just a reminder

Just a reminder to self:

"What is the difference between a Petrol and Diesel Engine?

Petrol engine:

• In petrol engines fuel is mixed with air
• then forced into the cylinders
• where the fuel-air mix is compressed by the pistons
• and ignited by spark plugs.

Diesel engine:

• In a diesel engine the air is compressed before the fuel is added to it.
• When air is compressed it heats up. This means that when the fuel is added to the compressed air it is very hot and the fuel-air mix ignites automatically. (So there are no spark plugs in a diesel engine as pressure is used to ignite the fuel-air mix.")

source

Brilliant animated demonstration of the working of a diesel engine on Thomas Schwenke online channel

Nothing to do with a LDV van? Baddie the Pirate talks LED lighting for your motorhome too.

This is the simplest and clearest explanation I found on the net about electricity.
How does it relate to LDV vans? Pilots and Convoys are often purchased for camper conversion!
Having been at the school of "nothing hands-on" I've struggled for so long at understanding what Volt, Watt, Amps etc relate to and how they work together. Thanks to the school of "nothing hands-on" I can read and write well enough so I'm gonna share what I found with you with no further adue!

Source: Baddiethepirate

"MATHS

The units that are used to measure electricity are:

• Volts:  Electrical force of pressure behind the electrons in a circuit. Like water pressure or PSI for air. (Usually 12v on a narrowboat). 
• Amps:  The number of electrons flowing past in a second. Like litres per second in a pipe, it defines the electrical current in a wire. 
• Watts:  Total amount of electrical energy, per second.

The formulae to work them out are: 

• Watts = Volts x Amps 
• Volts = Watts divided by Amps 
• Amps = Watts divided by Volts 

For example: a 20 Watt light bulb in a 12 Volt system:
20 Watts divided by 12 Volts = 1.66 Amps"

Baddie The Pirate is a small website/business that sells "LED lighting for boats. motorhomes, caravans and chicken sheds."

LDV Pilot van - Hardknott Pass video!

Watch this for a nervous laugh but a good one!

LDV Pilot and Convoy vans - Basic advice on replacing the kin pins

How and what tools do you need to replace the king pins on a Pilot or a Convoy LDV van?
In 2 posts, quoting from auto banter:

Paul[_5_] external usenet poster Posts: 70

LDV pilot - convoy Whats the going rate for a king pin change - mine needs doing and I swore blind never to do another myself ;-) Also, is front axle same off convoy, can get a complete one with new pins for £100.. seems like a much nicer option!

#4 (permalink)    October 12th 09, 10:32 PM posted to uk.rec.cars.maintenance

Paul[_4_] external usenet poster Posts: 41

LDV pilot - convoy Pins are only £29.. which makes up for the fact you either take the axle off and take it somewhere with a press, or spend three days with a sledge hammer beating the fcuk out of it...

(3 days? Some say a week)

#5 (permalink)    October 14th 09, 11:53 AM posted to uk.rec.cars.maintenance

Mrcheerful external usenet poster Posts: 1,691

LDV pilot - convoy a big air hammer takes them out in seconds.

(Don't forget to grease them well)

LDV vans forum - Alive and quicking!

About 3 years ago when I got my Pilot I used to look up two forums set up by LDV vans, sherpas etc owners and lovers. These were the only forums available online and were very useful.
Unfortunately soon after I joined they all disappeared. I took up the task to set them back up and archive some of the best tips and most useful conversations on the then newly set up fb LDV groups.
My archiving was slow as it takes a lot of time to search on the fb group page for posts that keep disappearing in the scrolling down system (*#@%$?!!!).
However few admins from the ex-sites took over and slowly but surely new members registered.

I was delighted today to see that it's well alive and quicking!

LDV lovers, Join up our forum!
http://ldvsherpauk.prophpbb.com

The advantages over fb is that you can look up the infos without having to scroll down for ghost-posts (I'm gonna call them that), it's always there for you. The search option is much easier to use than fbook.

Thanks again to the admins who are taking care of the forum.

Why driving on the left? or on the right?

That is ze question.
I always wondered the reason why different countries would have a different system on the road.
Apart from the usual frog/rosbeef jokes no one ever could tell me.
Thank to the instructor in the bicycle mechanic course I undertook this month,
I now know and thanks to internet I now can tell and share.
In this article, it explains why do the British drive on the left?

in brief this is why:
"In the Middle Ages you kept to the left for the simple reason that you never knew who you'd meet on the road in those days. You wanted to make sure that a stranger passed on the right so you could go for your sword in case he proved unfriendly."

In France Napoleon's successful attack strategies and his massive ego are responsible for France and its colonies to have kept the driving on right system.

LDV vans Sherpa Pilot Convoy - No MOT etc - Don't scrap them!

Yet another post on our dear Club LDV social network group from Matt who writes:
"Going to the scrap yard in the sky on Saturday its a shame other than the rust not much else wrong with it but cant afford to keep it on the road any more 😢 "

Please! Dont scrap!

Save the parts for us! We ll make them last another half century!!

And surely you'll make more than this ridiculous amount of money due to the crash of metal s worth itself due to speculative (capitalist) fuckers in power all around the world. Scrapping means sending this good steel to China so it comes back in the form of utterly useless items of miserable quality (otherwise called shite).
Come on! Make a few quids, bypass "supporting already rich fuckers" and recycle the good things for the people who take care of it, make it last and therefore make our planet and life sustainable! (uff I needed to say that).

Come join the Club LDV group and get recycling!

Diagnosing head gasket symptoms - Head gasket failure types

Someone I know was worried the head gasket in their car had blown.
That's usually a right reason to worry as this gasket plays a major role in the running of the engine and usually entails costly repairs.
I look for some informations as to how to understand why it happens and how it happens.
This link explains the various head gasket failure types and this one gives infos about blown head gasket symptoms.

Hope that helps!

How a car works guide!

Here is a good guide on how a car works with 24 articles on the basics of car mechanic, body work and everything you need to know about your vehicle if you want to learn or try a little or a lot of DIY repairing!

There is also many more articles (288 in total) accessible for free from the front page of the howacarworks website.

You can see them all at a glance on this page.

Enjoy!

Gypsy Roma Traveller Police Association

An initiative to fight against discrimination of travellers I found online:

"The GRTPA is a support network for Police Personnel who are from a GRT background. We are a National organisation but our reach is international as we aim to link in with our Police colleagues from around the world.

The GRTPA’s main aim is to unite and support all Police Officers and Staff who are from GRT background. We will do this by promoting equality and fairness and by providing a support forum where members can share and discuss the issues which affect their working life.
Intrinsically linked to our main aim is the desire to foster good relationships between the Police and GRT Communities. We aim to do this by facilitating discussion, negotiation and co–operation between UK Police Forces, GRT communities and organisations. In doing so, we will establish a platform for sharing good practice in working with GRT Communities."

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