andym

A fully charged conventional flooded lead-acid battery should be around 12.7V open circuit. The grey Hawker batteries are slightly higher, at 13V. Andy

Hmm - 11.9V sounds rather low. Are you sure the 434 is charging them properly? With the engine running at anything above tickover there should be 28.5V +/- 0.5V across the batteries. Andy

I alerted Terry when this thread first appeared. From what I've seen in Windscreen, the MVT are very proactive when dealing with the authorities and are unlikely to take this lying down. Andy

I couldn't have said it better - The latter point is a particularly important issue. Can we please keep this discussion on-topic? Andy

:shocked: Andy

That's not entirely fair, it depends on who you talk to. If you talk to a paper-pusher you will get a paper-pusher's answer, but don't forget it was MOD civil servants who invented radar, Chobham armour and most of the other military technology we take for granted today. However, I agree entirely with you on the legislation question. There needs to be an outbreak of common sense for vehicles that can't easily be modified to comply with CUR without completely altering their appearance but are run by competent enthusiasts with a very low annual mileage. Otherwise we'll forever be dodging the latest clever idea from Brussels. Andy

The previous Ark Royal, but don't forget who invented the steam catapult in the first place and then handed the idea over to the US .... Andy

The CVFs were always designed with conventional aircraft in mind, that's why they're as big as they are. The ship size is determined by the length of flight deck, which in turn is determined by simple schoolboy mathematics given a known takeoff speed and the maximum force you can apply to the airframe without it breaking. The carriers are currently fitted "for but not with" catapults and arrester gear. It would seem rather retrograde in an All-Electric Ship to fit boilers to generate steam for conventional catapults, but will MOD take the risk to go for electric catapults? There's already a UK electric catapult under development, by the way, so we don't need to buy American: http://www.janes.com/news/defence/jni/jni100726_1_n.shtml Andy

Whilst Para 2.A.8 talks about reducing Challenger 2s and AS90s, I can't see anything in the SDSR that suggests a decrease in the numbers of FV432s other than overall troop reductions. In fact they're probably needed as a stopgap until FRES (UV) comes along. Andy

These vehicles are probably old enough to date back to the days when MOD was the Design Authority, methinks. But as I said above, it would be interesting to know exactly what advice was sought and given. Andy

I suspect the "strategic decision" regarding the new carriers would have looked somewhat different if BAES hadn't been so crafty with the cancellation clauses in the contract! :cool2: Andy

... and of course, terrorists would be careful to ensure that their vehicles were fully road-legal before mounting an attack? :nut: I suggest that the answer is in the statement that "I have been informed by DfT that the Ministry of Defence have advised that the vehicle in question does not meet the full requirements of the Construction and Use Regulations 1986 and the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989." I'd go back to them and ask to see exactly what that MOD advice was. Andy

They should be marked with an arrow which points to the front of the vehicle when the bar is inserted with the arrow at the top, but just in case .... :-) Andy

Just beware (if you don't already know) that they're handed left and right ... Andy

Ouch indeed! If there aren't any leaks and the fans are running I'd suggest either a faulty thermostat or water pump. There isn't much else to go wrong as far as I can see. Andy

Depending which one it is, there are also access plates in the hull floor which may help. Andy

That's a very good question. I haven't seen one in the flesh, but it's supposed to be bolted to the front of the tank and accessible through a hole in the bulkhead. The pump is identical, but has a different outlet pipe arrangement, which may perhaps explain the different size fitting that was supplied with my pump? Andy

This is a quick word of warning for those fitting exchange fuel pumps to their FV430s. I've been caught out by this and Chas nearly has too, so it's probably worth repeating. Beware that exchange pumps may either come without the double-ended fitting for the outlet side of the pump, or, as mine did, with the wrong fitting. The fitting is the one you can see near the base of the pump in the picture above. I strongly suggest that anyone buying an exchange pump remove the fitting before returning the pump, especially if the supplier wants the old pump back before they send the new one! Andy

A quick silly question - you haven't done anything to disturb the airflow like leave the covers/piano boards off, have you? A sealed engine compartment seems critical to keep the cooling going. Andy

I'd also be interested in the practical experience of someone like Iain (Sharky) who's probably changed a few in his time and will tell us if anything dreadful happened afterwards! Andy

You make costumes out of it. I'm waiting for someone to ban fake barbed wire in case some numpty uses the real stuff instead ... Andy

The repair manual contains dire warnings about not disturbing the adhesive between the adjuster bracket and the hull. If you do, you're supposed to ensure that the adhesive facing and paper gasket aren't damaged when the bracket is removed. If it is damaged, there's a long and complicated procedure to replace it, including manufacturing guide studs out of steel bar and a metal pressure plate to clamp the new gasket and araldite to the hull, where it's supposed to be left to set for 24 hours. It all seems somewhat OTT to me and I don't understand what's wrong with just ensuring clean mating surfaces and bolting it all back up. Andy

Yes, Tesco have it too! Andy

So, out of interest, did you go through the whole brown paper/araldite procedure or just bolt it on? If my seized left-hand adjuster won't succumb to Sharky's lots of heat and grease idea I may end up having to change it .... Andy

Luckily at the moment "Historic" trumps most legislation ... Andy