Peelies travels

  We returned to Peter Biroth on Thursday morning. He is at BA Automotive in Bieblesheim ( www.bs-automobile.com ) and as before, he was very helpful even though two mechanics were away. What’s really nice is that he didn’t push me out of the workshop; instead I got in the way and helped discuss the potential problems. As I thought, they suggested changing the ball joints in the steering, well three of four. I could only feel play at one. I really don’t think that ‘Alex’ (not his real name) or Slavo could feel play at the other two but they wanted to fire new parts at them. They did say that the hub bearings at the front right wheel might need changing because I’d had to adjust twice this year. It looked as though nothing would get done until Monday. Friday is booked up and t oday is out, as two cars have the TÜV inspections and there’s the two guys off. Maybe he took pity on us as he asked if we could get in for 08:00, to which we said yes but need to find a campsite. He then got ...

The  barges continued to and fro but somehow didn’t disturb our sleep on the little bit of dry land we were on. We looked forward to a slow wake up after the rude breakfast alert of Tuesday morning at 07:00 (that felt like 06:00). Unfortunately the work nearby must have needed a pile driver as that was Wednesday’s wake-up call, at 07:15 (that felt like 06:15). No matter, we need a good start and now are awake, let’s crack on. We therefore download a few essential episodes of The Archers, which takes a few mS because, yes you’ve guessed it, they have wifi backed with super fast fibre. The speed test proved it. We spend a few minutes reviewing how to pay for our night. It seems that we will get a month-end invoice! How very business-like. It seems as though we campers are treated like the marina boat owners. So we leave the parkplatz and they leave everything to trust and about a thousand photos they’ve taken of us and the Landy, from every angle. They know who we are. So it’s back o...

It started on the last trip. A little flicker of the charge light on the dashboard. Of course I was quick to deal with it and because it also came with an alternator voltage flicker, I started to ‘question’ the alternator regulator. After some good sleuthing I was nowhere nearer finding a replacement. That was until I contacted Namesh at Greens Starters and Alternators in Leicester. He was able to point me to the exact replacement regulator that is manufactured by AS in Poland. Before I knew it, a new one was in the post. A few days later, having removed the alternator, I swapped it over in the laboratory. All was fine after that. I even fitted a new solar panel of 175W, to give us an extra 75W of DC, and also a proper 16A AC hookup power connection,  until sometime after that, the engine wouldn’t turn over, as the battery was low. I gave it some help and put the event onto the list of ?s. Then a few days before the next trip, it did it again. Another flat battery. So what have we ...

I seemed to spend all of January, February and a lot of March, in the garage. Following the last trip, I did say that I’d sort a couple of issues. One was excessive engine oil ‘consumption’ and the other a drivetrain clunk. I was perhaps not quite expecting to almost-but-not-quite-strip the engine but that’s what happened. Very fortunately I have the old CRV with the side-hung rear door. This happily swallowed the block and I took it to Sheffield Engine Services for a cylinder bore hone. Once back home it was fitted with new piston rings to all cylinders  and plenty of care and attention. Quite a few oil leaks were addressed and I hope that I can run-in the rings and get good ring fit to the bores. Only time will tell. Then it was onto the clunk. I believe that this is from the rear axle. Unfortunately by prying yet again on the suspension mounts, I discovered that the brackets on the axle tube were crusty. This needed a purchase from YRM of lovely new ones and also a suitable weld...