My latest toy.

The bellows is there just to protect the joint from dust. If you see oil in there is because the internal seals have failed. You can replace them easily if you take the tube apart.
 
I didn’t realise that there were seals inside. I think my vigorous jacking must have seen them off. I don’t really understand how the de Dion works. I know what it is supposed to do, but I just don’t get its purpose. I haven’t driven the p6 yet.
 
I have always been under the impression that the De-Dion rear suspension managed to get the best bits of a solid axle, and the best bits of an IRS. The tube keeps the wheels upright, but the diff isn't un-sprung weight. This is the reason why you don't change the wheels from front to back on a P6 like you did with many cars back in the day (the rear wheels wear flat and the front ones wear rounded)

Also it has to slide as the wheels move up and down with fixed length half shafts thereby making the rear track change.

There's probably more to it, but it certainly works well.
 
I didn’t realise that there were seals inside. I think my vigorous jacking must have seen them off. I don’t really understand how the de Dion works. I know what it is supposed to do, but I just don’t get its purpose. I haven’t driven the p6 yet.
Did you jack it on the De Dion tube?
 
Did you jack it on the De Dion tube?
No, I used the rear valance jacking point, then axle stands on metal rods through the sill jacking points. It was at the limit of my 3 ton trolley jack before the wheels left the ground. I have bought an old side jack off eBay, my trolley jack is too heavy to carry in the boot.
 
Last week whilst I had the rear wheels off I had a good look at the tyres. They have plenty of tread, but the codes on the side suggest one was over 20 years old and the other 37 years. I took the wheels my local tyre depot. I paid £155 for 2 budget tyres. I had to leave the car on axle stands on the driveway over night. The front tyres are in a similar state, plenty of tread but loads of cracks between them. This time I decided to try an on the drive service. I went on line and paid £115 for exactly the same make and size of tyre. They are being fitted tomorrow. I like to support local traders but I am not happy paying £40 of my money to do so.
 
Bad day yesterday, whilst waiting for the tyre man, I decided to change the oil. Used my oil filter removal wrench, but new filter was wrong size. I didn’t want to leave the car on the drive whilst I ordered a new filter so I put the old filter back on. Little did I know I had punctured the old filter, so when I put the car away I left a slick of dirty engine oil on the drive!!! What a clown.

The tyre on the drive man did a good job, he found one wheel had an inner tube in. The new tyre went on ok and a test with soapy water didn’t reveal any leaks. He told me of a local company who deal in part used tyres. He said a lot still had the stickers on. I have mixed feelings about part used tyres, but I realise every time a used car is bought it will probably have part used tyres. Most people accept them and use the car without a second thought.
 
Maybe you can get e very good deal with a "part worn" e.g. an unused spare from a damaged vehicle, though you'd need to check the age. Other used tyres will obviously have come off different vehicles, with different weight distribution and wear patterns, and after such use may not respond so well on yours. Just check very carefully. Mind you, what are the chances of recently-made 185.14 or even 165.14 H rated tyres coming up second hand?
 
Since I have had the car I am sure it doesn’t run on all 8 cylinders, especially when cold. 2 cylinders on the passenger side bank are the culprits. I have done a compression test and they are all right. I have replaced the distributor cap and ht leads, with little improvement. The plugs aren’t the correct number for the car, so I have ordered some Champion ones. I expected the plugs to be long reach but the ones in the engine are not. Am I right about the long reach plugs?
 
New set of plugs fitted back on 8 cylinders. There were 3 different numbers on the plugs I took out. They varied in ages as well. It looks as though PO changed them piece meal!!
 
Thanks, I just fitted Champion plugs same as in Haynes manual. Champion plugs seem to have mixed reviews, but I have used them for over 50 years. They were one car part that stayed the same price for years and years.
 
I must admit Champion are not my favourite plugs, having nothing but problems with them even when fitted as original equipment . I use them in the chain saw but not anything else . Are you referring to when they were 5/- each?
 
I must admit Champion are not my favourite plugs, having nothing but problems with them even when fitted as original equipment . I use them in the chain saw but not anything else . Are you referring to when they were 5/- each?
Yes, the ones in the car were unipart, not a name to give me much inspiration.
 
Back in the day I used Unipart plugs and never had a problem with them. I was probably fitting about 50 a week.
 
When I bought the car the PO said he had fitted a new bigger alternator. I have suspected that the car isn’t charging, this was confirmed on drive it day when it wouldn’t start due to a flat battery. Using search and my multi meter, I checked the system. I found there were 3 connections to the alternator in a plastic plug. There was a brown wire with a sheathed spade connector dangling loose. I checked the three connections in the multi plug. The 2 large brown with white stripe showed 12 volts which I expected. The smaller brown with black stripe was dead. The loose brown wire gave 12 volts.
I decided to join the 2 small wires and connect them to the small connector on the alternator. I then had the car charging. My solution has thrown up another problem, the alternator is getting warm with the engine off. I also realised that the light I thought was the ignition light is in fact the oil light so I don’t have a warning light for the ignition.
Any ideas please,
 
Disconnect small brown and tape up. Not needed on reco alternator. Connect the other three to alternator. Hope you haven’t damaged it.
 
The small brown wire is for a battery sensed alternator. It joins to the stud in the driver’s footwell is permanently live. This allows the alternator to measure the voltage at the battery, and compensate for any voltage drop there might be in the battery cables. Most replacement alternators are now internally sensed, and don’t have a terminal for this lead. For those that do, the terminal is separate from the main plug, through one of the holes in the rear cover. If your alternator doesn’t have a terminal for this lead, it will work fine without it, but as said above, make sure the loose wire is well insulated.

Your alternator probably isn’t charging because the charge light bulb has likely blown. The circuit to excite the alternator runs through the bulb. If the bulb doesn’t come on when the ignition is turned on, before the engine is started, then the alternator won’t work.
 
The small brown wire is for a battery sensed alternator. It joins to the stud in the driver’s footwell is permanently live. This allows the alternator to measure the voltage at the battery, and compensate for any voltage drop there might be in the battery cables. Most replacement alternators are now internally sensed, and don’t have a terminal for this lead. For those that do, the terminal is separate from the main plug, through one of the holes in the rear cover. If your alternator doesn’t have a terminal for this lead, it will work fine without it, but as said above, make sure the loose wire is well insulated.

Your alternator probably isn’t charging because the charge light bulb has likely blown. The circuit to excite the alternator runs through the bulb. If the bulb doesn’t come on when the ignition is turned on, before the engine is started, then the alternator won’t work.
I have never seen the ignition warning light, when i had the dash apart I tested all the bulbs, I don't understand the warning light set up on the P6 my other classics just had a wire direct to the warning light. The wire to the small connector on the alternator is dead, is that correct. is the round can in the drivers side cubby anything to do with the warning light. thanks in anticipation.
 
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