A Highland Z3 1.9 roadster

[Pls]

A nice evening after a days work, so we went out to road test the new tyres! I'm no expert, but I'm sure that they felt smoother and quieter and hugged the road better! I don't think I've ever bought four in one go before! So it was out to the chippy by the shore at Avoch.



Then, back home at half past eight we found that the crofter had started harvesting his barley in his field next to us.



He'll be at it till two or three in the morning - the weather and the availability of combine harvesters, even an old one, means that small crofters often take in their crops at night. The grain will soon be off to the whisky distillery across the firth once it's malted. And in a dozen years time, some of it may make its way back here!

Cheers

Paul

 

[Pls]

More tyre testing this week with a birthday run to Muir of Ord, Glen Cannich and Contin. First the woods above Glen Ord distillery,



Glen Cannich, between Glen Affric and Glen Strathfarrar,



The Mullardoch dam, supplying hydro electric power for sixty years, at the end of a nine mile single track no through road,



Which contains the ten mile long Loch Mullardoch,



There were some cows on the way home,



Another great zedding day, and the tyres were good!

Cheers

Paul

 

[Pls]

With some days of the best Highland weather since April, my Z3 (christened 'Ratty' as in the cultured, dependable character of 'The Wind in the Willows', not the condition of the bodywork!) has been out on some excellent runs. On Saturday we joined the first day of the Scottish Run 2019 around Skye, and yesterday we drove up to Durness, on the far north west coast of Scotland, just along from Cape Wrath. Reports and pics are elsewhere.

However, Highland potholes had resulted in not just punctures but terminal damage to two people's alloy wheels on the Scottish Run. Foam puncture repair kits had not been of any use, and space saver spare wheels were required. My car had neither spare wheel nor its cover when I purchased it. So I had obtained a new wheel on eBay. And this week I found a plastic cover, again on eBay, for £15 plus p&p. It arrived today and is in good condition.





So I cleaned it up, removing some green overspray with Nitromors.



The metal spare wheel cradle on the car had been bent out of shape, presumably having been caught on something when the car was moving, and I had straightened it out. So I was surprised and delighted when the cover fitted in the cradle perfectly. To help the whole thing slide into position, I found it helpful to apply some silicone 'Back to Black' to the top of the tyre and the underside of the cradle's round metal discs which the fixing bolts are attached to.





A short flexible tube and valve provides the facility to check and top up the spare without taking it out. This seems to be in good condition, but I shall keep a check on the tyre pressure.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Pls]

Yesterday we went for a run to check the spare wheel cover installation. Any excuse!
We drove along the Nairn and Moray coast to Banff, having stopped to watch the seals at Portgordon on the way.



The spare wheel cover didn't rattle or otherwise misbehave, but on returning home, I realised that we had a leak in the fuel line.

So this morning, reckoning it was best not to drive the Z3, I fetched Ray's ramps in the Volvo.



Sure enough, a joint in the fuel line was weeping. Two degraded pieces of fuel pipe had previously been cut out and replaced with new rubber pieces, where they come down from the tank.



A joint on one of them was leaking a bit, but by disassembling it and carefully reseating it, the leak was fixed.

While I was under there, I took the opportunity to drain and replace the diff oil with new 75/90. I didn't have new washers, so I may have to drain and replace it again in due course if it shows any sign of leaking.



That's it full. The car was a bit tipped up, but having sucked as much of the old oil out with the syringe, it took 1.2 litres, which I think is it's capacity. As we worked, the Pink Footed geese were taking advantage of the barley harvest, having arrived from Iceland to winter here.



Cheers

Paul

 

[IainP]

Paul the leak could be partly caused by the fact some of those worm clips look to be the wrong size. That type of rubber pipe generally comes with just a pair of correct size clips, most likely the ones at your hand, there isn't much excess worm drive. The others seem to have quite a lot of excess. The body of the drive section is sized for the arc of the diameter the clip is appropriate for. Using a larger clip results in lots of excess drive, but it also means the clip doesn't grip evenly, you can have two points next to the body where the rubber is actually under very little, if any, pressure. The cut ends wont have any flares, so you potentially have 6 points that could leak there. Always scares the hell out of me when I see big clips on fuel hose, I've seen lots of leaks caused by that.
Eurocarparts do them in boxes of ten but you have to ask, not on their website.

If you do try to flare that pipe, clean it thoroughly, right back to bare metal, otherwise you tend to just push the pipe through the flare tool.

Iain

 

[t-tony]

Agree on flaring the old steel pipe, but, I would scrape it clean rather than use emery paper. It does make a difference.

Tony.

 

[Pls]

Paul the leak could be partly caused by the fact some of those worm clips look to be the wrong size. That type of rubber pipe generally comes with just a pair of correct size clips, most likely the ones at your hand, there isn't much excess worm drive. The others seem to have quite a lot of excess. The body of the drive section is sized for the arc of the diameter the clip is appropriate for. Using a larger clip results in lots of excess drive, but it also means the clip doesn't grip evenly, you can have two points next to the body where the rubber is actually under very little, if any, pressure. The cut ends wont have any flares, so you potentially have 6 points that could leak there. Always scares the hell out of me when I see big clips on fuel hose, I've seen lots of leaks caused by that.
Eurocarparts do them in boxes of ten but you have to ask, not on their website.

If you do try to flare that pipe, clean it thoroughly, right back to bare metal, otherwise you tend to just push the pipe through the flare tool.

Iain

Agree on flaring the old steel pipe, but, I would scrape it clean rather than use emery paper. It does make a difference.

Tony.

Thank you, I understand exactly what you mean, and I shall source the correct size clips and fit them a.s.a.p. Is there a more suitable design of clips available which apply a more even pressure? And point taken on flaring the pipe ends.

Cheers

Paul

 

[t-tony]

The best type of clips are the ones with 2 "Ears" which you crimp with end cutters or Old school woodwork "Pincers" will work. They are a one time use but usually give best results. You do need to use the closest size for these though. I can post pics if you're not clear on what I mean.

Tony.

 

[Pls]

The best type of clips are the ones with 2 "Ears" which you crimp with end cutters or Old school woodwork "Pincers" will work. They are a one time use but usually give best results. You do need to use the closest size for these though. I can post pics if you're not clear on what I mean.

Tony.

Yes please Tony. I'll need to shop around the auto parts emporia in Inverness with a piece of rubber pipe.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Pls]

Tony, i've found them - zinc plated o clips.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Mint]

Great thread Paul, just read it all. Some great pictures of your runs out

 

[Pls]

Great thread Paul, just read it all. Some great pictures of your runs out

Thanks Dave, most kind. We've certainly been having a ball revisiting the superb Highland scenery around us in the Z3, and recording it. We've counted this last week off DIY as our summer holiday!

In the search for more suitable fuel pipe clips, I had a look around a number of the auto parts places in Inverness this morning, including Eurocarparts, and eventually found some at Halfords:



Having had a read around, either these or the double-eared crimped clips recommended by @t-tony seem to be specifically for fuel pipes. I've certainly seen this sort on old motorbikes, and I think that my old Alvis TD21 had this design fitted too. They may have been replacements though. Anyway, thanks for the heads up @IainP . I shall get these fitted.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Pls]

Following a very active zedding week, we had a weekend involving much garden work before the winter, with associated Volvo runs to the dump. But today I took the opportunity of a run into Inverness to confirm that the Z3 fuel leak was fixed, at least until the next time the car is up on Ray's lift, when I shall install the preferred hose clips. All was well. I like to think that the diff was different with its new oil, but obviously I couldn't tell!

Anyway, we visited Kilmuir on the Black Isle (there are a number in Scotland), a quiet hamlet several miles down a no through road near North Kessock and the A9 bridge. It had once been a fishing village, with a C15th church, near this old farm steading, overlooking the shore.



Cheers

Paul

 

[Pls]

Today the sun shone, and with rain forecast for the next week, Ratty was out again. And getting together with Ray's 1998 Z3 1.9 which yesterday passed it's MOT after 18 months off the road; and first go too, with just two straightforward advisories A just reward for all the hard work that has gone into the car. So celebrations started at Slaughterhouse Coffee by the ferry slipway at Cromarty:



Neither car was running or had an MOT when Ray bought them, and now they have both been saved from scrapping and are again the source of a lot of pleasure - a really good result. I've done 4000 miles around the Highlands in my black one since mid June



On its first proper run out after the test, his blue car behaved well, with just one minor clicking sound which was traced to a loose handbrake shoe retaining spring, which was quickly fixed when back home.

So the two of us can now go cruising the Black Isle and beyond, with Sara and Margaret!



The Comarty - Nigg ferry has stopped operating till the spring. So we drove round to Nigg to see the new aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales arrive in Cromarty Firth to berth at Invergordon for some additional work as part of her fitting out.



Cheers

Paul

 

[t-tony]

Great news on Ray's car Paul.

Tony.

 

[Pls]

With Ray's Z3 on the road, perhaps this thread should be retitled 'A Tale of Two Black Isle Roadsters'.
Whatever, various useful work has been done over the last few days.



My black car had it's engine oil and filter changed, with a Wynns engine flush first. Then I used our oil service light reset tool, as learnt on this forum:



In hole number 7 (the lower outside one between 6 and 8!) It didn't work first time, but by scratching the clip and wire on their respective connections, for ten seconds with the ignition on, all the green lights came back on.



Great. We then addressed Ray's leaky screen/roof problem. Again, we read the 'how to' on here, and cleared the rubber channels, using a syringe to add water to check the flow when it was clear.


Then sealing the 'bungs' back in with some sealant.



The blue car had footwells and carpets full of water when acquired, but has been under cover most of the time since then. So if this fix has solved the problem, it can now become a daily driver.

Recently, I had become increasingly annoyed about a gentle rattle which seemed to come from behind the dash somewhere to the right of the steering wheel, and has been getting louder. Not knowing what to expect under there, I undid the screws that seemed to hold the lower part of the dash in place.



No great surprises, except a pile of white powder. Either the remains of some illicit cargo, or more likely the result of some corrosion originating in the light switch immediately above. Sure enough, operating the switch vigorously produced a little fall of more white powder, so renovating that switch will have to go on the to-do list. I gather that they have been known to catch fire.

Anyway, I felt around and wiggled all the connectors and heater pipe etc, then firmly refixed the panel. This evening we went out in the car for a takeaway, and there was no rattle at all. Result!

I should say that when I arrived, Ray had been hard at work - I found the floor clear, the bench surface visible, and the wood burning stove lit! We had finally cut the hole in the car port roof for the chimney the other day.



All looking very tidy, with a Z3 on the lift. The Kawasaki in one of the side garages belongs to one of the offspring, while the rocking chair is for us oldies!
So, some more good days in the Black Isle ZedShed!

Cheers

Paul

 

[Pls]

The hood on Ray's car merited some cleaning and protection, now that the drains in the screen pillar rubbers are unblocked and it's not letting water in.



It was pouring with rain today, and the farmers are busy getting the tattie harvest in, so the roads are incredibly muddy! So keeping the car clean is mostly about jet washing the mud off!



We had also had fun with a new C110 OBD scanner, as reported in more detail in the Z3 Knowledgebase area.



The wooden stick was to clean the 20-pin socket holes to enable it to communicate with the car.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Pls]

By strange coincidence, after Ray's car had a handbrake shoe retaining spring let go last week, yesterday mine decided to do the same, evinced by a grauchy rattling sound coming from a back wheel. So, I checked both sides and had a look at the handbrake shoes as well. The handy thing about this job is that you only need to undo the two caliper carrier collar screws to detach the whole caliper assembly complete with pads, and swing it up out of the way.



The n/s was all as it should be, albeit covered in rust and dust. However, when I took the o/s drum/disk off, a shoe retaining spring fell out. On inspection, it was clear that the slot in the back plate had corroded and enlarged and would no longer the hold the retainer thingie.



One day I may replace the back plates, however in the meantime an alternative fixing was required. So we searched every nook and cranny of the the Black Isle ZedShed, and there are many of them, and eventually came up with what may be 'coach bolts' or roofing bolts. They had broad flat heads, wide enough to cover the end of the spring, with cruciform slots for a flat blade driver, and a length of smooth shank before the M6 (?) thread started.



With a flat washer to go behind the back plate and a nyloc nut, we tried cutting several bolts to length before one was just right. Using Ray's manner of getting a nut in an awkward space,



the nut was attached. I was worried about the temperature rating of the nyloc nut. It turns out that it's just 250°F, but the back plate is some way from the disk and pads, and as I shan't be doing handbrake turns, the shoes shouldn't be getting too hot, not being be in contact with a rotating drum.



Job done. The shoe can still move to and fro. I'll keep an eye on it, but it should be ok. Clearly the shoes will need replacement in due course, but having adjusted both sets of shoes with the wheel adjusters, the handbrake is now magnificent! Then with the torque wrench on 75 ft-lbs, the wheels went back on and normal service was resumed.



Till the next thing! Then the jet wash came out again!

Cheers

Paul

 

[Scooblitz]

As always, great work @Pls and your mate too. Is he on Zroadster.org? Some lovely pictures to add to the Journal and the car is looking very smart. I think i might need to fit a spare wheel also. If the skye trip has taught me anything.

 

[Pls]

As always, great work @Pls and your mate too. Is he on Zroadster.org? Some lovely pictures to add to the Journal and the car is looking very smart. I think i might need to fit a spare wheel also. If the skye trip has taught me anything.

Thanks. I know that Ray lurks on the forum!

The spare wheel was one of Sara's pre-requisites when we got the car, along with the roll hoops and a brand new PaynGo basic Nokia 105 (£15) which lives in the glovebox fully charged! Oh, and the tea-brewing kit!
We used to get a puncture on the Volvo on average once a year for the first few years driving on the potholed Highland roads. But now we just don't drive through puddles!

We went for a drive over the Struie hill road yesterday, to test the handbrake, and visited some 9th century Pictish stones at Edderton and Ardgay, on the south side of Dornoch Firth. Edderton (puddle alert!):



Traffic was quiet on the bit of the A9 we had to use, and the car is just silky smooth at 70 on the newly surfaced stretches. And at 3000 rpm it feels as though it's just ready to get going properly - it's so tempting to accelerate up towards 5000 rpm! Heaven forbid!

Cheers

Paul