Back to steam power

Sometimes, you think a return to steam would be so much simpler - electrics are a PITA !

So, after my rewire of the aux panel, weird things have happened. First, the starter motor seems to be turning over very slowly, as if the battery is flat. Then, the motor seemed to stop disengaging, so after the engine started, it was being spun round with a high-pitched wail for a second or 2.

Then, the starter motor gave up totally! I took the dash all off again, rewired my immobiliser switch in the starter motor circuit and it seems to be ok now - I must have dislodged the wire connection while doing the distribution box.

Part of the rewire included a replacement USB socket which includes a voltmeter display. Since the rewire, that display has been fine but the voltage gauge in the dash has been under-reading. But when I plugged in a mobile phone, the volts gauge started working properly again!

Wouldn't have this problem with a boiler and tender.

Anyway, despite the weirdness, I couldn't miss out on the stunning weather this weekend and dragged myself out at an ungodly hour (6.30am) to meet up with the SKCC club for a run. I've been given a radio from a club member who emigrated, so I was able to listen in to the banter on the run - really makes a run out even more fun and very useful to be told about a horse rider round the corner, for example.

The run ended at a cafe at an old train station which, ironically, had steam engines!

A great turn out with about 10 kits, wonderful scenery and, thanks to the early hour, little traffic. As always, not a run for the faint-hearted and Zedster performed well, despite probably being the most standard car there and with me as a driver :-)

 

A great run and I'll have to keep an eye on the electrics over the next few days/weeks.

Back to the Garage

This is actually the first time I've done some proper garage work on Zedster in a few months - by 'proper', I mean unbolting major parts and getting into the hidden depths that don't normally see the light of day.

The wiring behind my aux panel was always a mess - I'd added a few switches over time and just spliced extra wires in to existing plugs (because most things behind the panel need a switched live from the ignition). It all worked but I always had the niggling feeling it could go wrong at any time.

So, time to use a distribution box - one positive and live in from the ignition and 6 separate positive and negative terminals for various switches - all neat and tidy (in theory).

The problem with wiring is that there is little to show for your efforts, so here's a before:

...and an after:

Dull, huh? Ok, yes but trust me, it will be much more reliable than the previous setup.

Annoyingly, one of the switches seems to have broken - it's only a switch, how can it stop working?! Cheap rubbish is why - problem is, I'm not sure where to get a decent quality one from.

UPDATE: actually, the switch was fine - it was a dodgy spade connection.

I also took my centre tunnel panels off to get to the speed sensor above the propshaft but it looks fine. I've been getting occasional sporadic readings on my speedo so I assumed the sensor had moved but no. Bit worrying - I hope it doesn't mean the sensor itself is failing?

I might re-cover my tunnel panels - it's worn through on one edge and I've got lots of vinyl left over from when I did my armrest.