3 Dec 2007 – Annoying Little Jobs

I replaced the oil and filter on the 12J engine today, even though I hope it’ll be coming out soon, as the 109 has now racked up 5,000 miles since the rebuild (I service the engine every 5,000 miles and the whole vehicle every 10,000). It shouldn’t benefit me too much , but should help preserve the engine’s good health for the next owner, if I can sell it.

It’s a horrible enough job to do on the driveway at the best of times, but today the frustration was added to by the discovery of a failed union on the engine end of the oil pressure gauge’s capillary tube. The securing nut has been overtightened at some point in the past, and age and vibration have taken their toll. The top of the nut has split, and the pipe union was not being held tightly in the brass T-piece. The weep was small, but could obviously let go at any moment, so the pipe and T have been removed and the warning light pressure switch refitted in the standard manner until a new pipe and unions arrive (ordered today).

While removing the capillary tube from the back of the instrument, for which the centre console had to be removed, I decided to have a poke around the instrument lights. The Voltmeter’s glass becomes hot to the touch after several minutes of having the lights on, and some of the instruments illuminate slightly yellower and brighter (volts and 3-in-1) while the oil pressure gauge and speedo are dimmer and bluer. I checked the bulbs, but all are correct and identical 2.2W screw in types. I’ll try 2W bulbs in the voltmeter and 3-in-1 gauges to try to even them up a little, and may try to get some green bulbs to match the gauges to the Carling switch lights and cigarette lighter rings. That should at least mask the blue and yellow tinges too, which I think are due to the newly built gauges having a different shade white paint inside. I also found that the heated fuel filter has blown its fuse and is showing a short within the filter. It may be a piece of metallic debris inside, but I’ll probably be removing it to fit the donor Discovery’s standard filter housing when the engine transplant occurs as the coolant based fuel heater makes the electric filter heater redundant.

I also made up a number plate for the back of the Sankey trailer, since I’ll be using it to collect the engine tomorrow. It’s just a 7.5″x 14″ plate of marine aluminium alloy off-cut from when I replaced the 109’s rear tub floor, covered in black plastic film with white stick-on numbers/letters from an auto-factors. The shape is non-standard because the Sankeys’ brackets are made to take military 6-digit plates. I’m sure the authorities won’t mind, under the circumstances.