N.O.S.

I've just been talking with a local farmer who was told by his fuel supplier that biofuel hasn't been added to any low sulphur diesel yet - not sure I'd believe that!! - and that he'd costed additives out at around 4p per litre of fuel. That is not cheap. He has a full tank of old style diesel in his combine so doesn't need to decide what to do until afer harvest. Sorry for straying away from the main subject of the thread, but it does illustrate what a dog's dinner it all is Dish of the day at the clubhouse canteen is Winalot and Mash.

An interesting and useful discussion. There seem to be two sets of problems/issues here - 1) USE IN ENGINES 2) BULK STORAGE OF FUEL (either in vehicle tank or in bulk tank) If you run through a tank of diesel before laying up you have then reduced whatever % biofuel mix you were running on down to anything up to 15% biofuel mix, - which is what low sulphur diesel can be now - which might still be likely to cause storage problems?? Draining the fuel system on every vehicle which needs to be parked up for a long period of time is going to be a pretty frustrating exercise. There are plenty of farmers and plant operators out there who are going to have serious diesel bulk storage problems, regardless of older tractors /engines leaking dieel out of old type seal systems. It would seem that conflicting advice is being given by fuel suppliers concerning how to store fuel. The best suggestion being to make sure additives are used (not just to minimise problems in common rail engines but also to help minimise tank storage issues). Interestingly these bulk storage issues don't affect farmers in mainland Europe, where they mostly fill up from garages with white diesel and then claim back the rebate (for red useage) (it would seem that in the not too distant future it is planned to do away with any form of rebated fuel for farming use so costs will escalate). Here in Blighty of course we have to store red seperately ourselves, with all the issues that is now going to bring. Low-sulphur diesel - anyone wondering where all the sulphur has disappeared to? OK some of the reduction is from mixing biocrap in, but I would imagine what is happening is that the grade of diesel has been modified during the refining process causing the sulphur content of heavier oil grades to increase - so it is still going to be burned isn't it? No, the powers that be really haven't thought this through. In an ideal world we'd probably just get away with it, but in reality I suspect there wil be untold problems. Be prepared for a multitude of trucks to start breaking down on the road system, and for plenty of crops to be ruined by combines lurching to a halt at the wrong moment. I really do despair - we don't even seem capable of saving ourselves at the moment, let alone the planet. Me? I'm still at the headless chicken phase of wondering how on earth I will cope with storage of the new diesel and infrequent use of several red diesel-powered machines, and I need to decide quick as the tank is getting low. :angry :banghead: :goodidea: :nut: :banana:

And if it happened to be one still under warranty you'd find using anything over 10% bio could invalidate any warranty claim (Denso injection equipment) :shocked:

If I get organised with some pieces of big tube, we can use the old 200 ton WW1 tyre press - but there's 20 to do in all :shocked:

Thanks for the advice on comparison. I'll try one and also get a price for the X2, as like John says it will be convenient for 24v vehicles with batteries in situ. Your point about monitoring voltage is very valid - and is I guess really the only way to understand if a battery recovery operation is heading the right way!!

I think I need what you're using Andy :blush: - what make/model are you using please? edit: Hang on, is this the Xtreme xharge unit you're talking about? You say it is similar to the Optimate 6: their guy says other chargers of this type are sometimes described as Pulse type although that is not strictly correct - the short end-of-recovery cycle behaves like a pulse charge but the main recovery cycle is not. I'm not sure I can get ny head around this at the moment, but if you believe the two chargers are similar I'm tempted to try a couple of Optima 6, or maybe one and one Xtreme? Maybe I'm not giving them enough time to recover - tried one for about 10 days and no sign of increased capacity (tested on a start cycle - I must confess I haven't been monitoring voltage).

Yep, their technical guy said the 6 is good at monitoring how the battery absorbs the charge, and so they will automatically regulate the charge rate if charging a very small battery thus no damage.

And do please learn from my mistake - if I had kept these batteries on maintenance charge I would probably have a full house of good gel batteries (only 7 chargers and far too many batteries - kept forgetting to alternate the ones on charge!!).

OK I've just been talking with the distributor, and the chargers are not a pulse type. A better option from this manufacturer for heavy gel batteries would be http://www.optimate.co.uk/optimate%206.htm Apparently some battery manufacturers are not happy about long-term use of pulse chargers for maintenance, as they are shown to reduce battery life?? Note two websites - www.accumate.co.uk and www.optimate.co.uk These chargers were recommended by the OPTIMA distributor as they give the slightly higher voltage settings required for gel type. What a minefield...... P.S. Just missed your post, Andy. I think the desulphation cycle is only on the Optimate models, not Accumate as I posted. Optimate are only 12v at the moment, but more models are in the pipeline. So is the verdict still to go for a pulse type charger?

This is a switchable 12/24V charger, but I'm not sure it is a PULSE type. :??? http://www.accumate.co.uk/it010004.htm I'm using this and several 12V Optimate ones for the gel type OPTIMA batteries (which I think are basically same technology as the Hawker batteries?). But recently I've had problems with a few of these batteries exhibiting signs of sulphating up, after standing around too long and these chargers are not doing what I thought they would :-( Can anyone advise if these chargers are pulse type, and if not what I should be looking for (other than new batteries :sweat:)?

Yes, it was in the old timber yard at Needham Market. There when I took the photos and posted them. I think it has been sold now. There were two for many years in a garden behind the church just up from Easton's yard at Bunwell. Then there was one, and now there are none. Maybe these are the ones you were thinking of? Do you still want those new RL rims? Of course we were both much younger then - time moves very slowly in these parts as you well know :-D

Looky here: http://cars.minimodelshop.co.uk/diecast-model-car/mercedes-benz-g4-six-wheel-staff-car-with-figures-1938-diecast-model-car-signature-38202 Well you need to start planning for Xmas in good time!!

And interestingly these tanker trailers were being refurbished by a contractor at Preston in 1957......could have been en route from contractor to new base?

Make sure you check this thread out, and stock up on weedkiller...... http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?22530-New-Ultra-Low-Sulphur-Red-Diesel-from-01.01.2011

Well thanks, Jack - and about bloody time too!!! Hobnobs - anyone remember that brilliant ad when they launched the chocolate version - "Chocolate now has Hobnobs underneath"

I'm sure between us we could find some suitable cammo netting to chuck over those non- U.S. issue tents :police: :cheesy: Alternatively Joris could pitch his tent in the back of a GMC and Jack could just kip on the back seat of the Chrysler?

Won't take him long to do the rounds with that high speed dustcart...

All I can say is that I've just done two renewals with the 'X in the box' for no mot, and no problems - this from the same P.O. where I have had to show a V112G previously. This is because the renewal form has recently been altered and no longer specifies that a V112G should be presented.

Here's a Norwich-based company which extrudes rubber sections for windscreen surrounds/frames - they work with several classic /vintage vehicle clubs and have around 1,000 extrusion dies. If you need a specific rubber section for your vehicle, then if they can't already match up what you need they will make a die for between £100 and £160 to do the job. Pretty cheap if spread over several vehicle owners! I've used them for many years and can highly recommend them. Just send a sample section or an accurate scale drawing them: info@walker-rubber.co.uk or tel. 01603 415044

I think the V112G has become a victim of government cut-backs, as my renewals this month only require a X in the box and there is no mention of V112G and no notes on the reverse at all. You are still liable for false declarations, so you need to be sure your vehicle IS exempt!

There is some good info on Wikipedia, and I've lifted some out here. Note the bit in red, which caught my eye and may give a clue as to the source of your problem Clive? Fluid Drive is the trademarked name that Chrysler Corporation assigned to a transmission driveline combination offered from 1939 through 1953 in Chryslers, 1940 through 1953 in Desotos, and from 1941 through 1954 in Dodge models. The fluid drive element was a hydraulic coupling inserted in place of the flywheel, and performed the same function as a modern torque converter, only without torque multiplication. A conventional clutch and three-speed manual transmission was installed behind the fluid coupling, although a semi-automatic was optional from 1941 for Chrysler and DeSoto and from 1949 for Dodge. History The fluid coupling and torque converter was invented by the German engineer Foettinger in the early 1900’s. For non-marine applications he licensed the development of the fluid coupling to the British engineer Harold Sinclair and his Fluidrive Engineering Co Ltd (now part of Voith AG). Following the development of the fluid coupling, Sinclair in turn licensed the fluid coupling, now also known as ‘Fluidrive Coupling’ to many companies including the Chrysler Corporation. Many automobile historians confuse Chrysler’s Fluid Drive with the Corporation’s so-called semi-automatic M5/M6 transmissions, which were marketed under various names as “Simplimatic” (Chrysler), “Tip-Toe Shift” (DeSoto), and “Gyro-Matic” (Dodge). Unfortunately, Chrysler itself contributed to the confusion by referring to both the standard-shift fluid drive and M6 installations indiscriminately as "Fluid Drive" in much of their marketing and sales literature. General Motors also used a fluid coupling for the full-automatic Hydramatic transmission, introduced for 1940. Configuration The standard Fluid Drive configuration consisted of the fluid coupling and a manual transmission and clutch in tandem. If the Fluid Drive was mated to a manual transmission, the driver still needed to use the clutch to shift between any of the gears. The presence of Fluid Drive, however, prevented the driver stalling when taking off from a dead stop. The driver could also come to a stop in third gear without using the clutch and proceed without downshifting. It must be emphasized that Fluid Drive was not a transmission, only a fluid coupling between the engine and clutch. Fluid Drive could also be mated to the semi-automatic transmission, which was not automatic in any way and should not be confused with Fluid Drive. With the semi-automatic transmissions, the driver shifted manually, selecting reverse or a low range and a high range. Each 'range' had two speeds. To shift between them, the driver accelerated then released pressure on the accelerator. In high range, this shift point was about 23 mph (37 kmh). The transmission shifted into high speed range, the driver then depressed the accelerator pedal, and continued accelerating. The solenoids on the transmission connected to the carburetor and ignition system and momentarily interrupted engine operation to allow trouble-free shifting. The driver could down-shift for passing by fully depressing the accelerator. The clutch was needed to change between low and high range. The fluid drive system allowed the driver to stop at a light or in traffic and remain in gear without depressing the clutch. The driver could, if not concerned with fast acceleration, drive the car all day long in high range, stopping and starting, without ever having to touch the clutch pedal or gearshift lever unless faster acceleration or reversing was required. For this reason, DeSotos and Dodges were favored by city cab companies from the mid Forties to early Fifties. The semi-automatic came under a variety of names - Vacamatic, Prestomatic, Fluidmatic (Chrysler), Simplimatic, Tip-toe Hydraulic Shift (DeSoto) and Gyromatic (Dodge). A Fluid Drive Dodge with Gyromatic was far cheaper than a Hydramatic-equipped Pontiac, and had the effect of making city taxi-driving far easier. In 1950, a Dodge Coronet, which had Fluid Drive standard, offered Gyromatic for $94.60, while Hydramatic was a $158.50 option on Pontiacs. M4 and M6 transmissions Main articles: Vacamatic and Presto-MaticThe fluid drive fluid coupling was also used in conjunction with Chrysler’s M6 Presto-Matic semi-automatic transmissions. The M6 was in reality a two-speed manual transmission with a conventional clutch mounted behind the same fluid coupling unit that was installed in straight Fluid Drive cars. The M4 Vacamatic had two speeds in Reverse. There was a manual Pull-Cable to lock out the underdrive in the early models. From 1949-1952, Dodge models with the conventional 3-speed Fluid Drive carried front fender emblems that said “Fluid Drive.” The M6 Models had emblems that proudly proclaimed “Gyromatic.” In the 1941 brochure for Chrysler automobiles, a silhouette of the car's drivetrain was depicted against an outline of the car body, with the astonishing caption of an arrow pointing to the transmission: "Miracle Happens Here"! The transmission shown was an early variant (M4 "Vacamatic") of the later M6 transmission and was marketed to compete with the new Oldsmobile fully automatic, clutchless Hydramatic transmission, introduced in the fall of 1939 on 1940 Model year Oldsmobiles. The Hydramatic was embraced enthusiastically by consumers, and was installed in 45% of 1941 Model Oldsmobiles.

That link Richard is a page taken from the either the 'Motor's Auto Repair Manual' I mentioned above (which has apparently just been returned to its foster dad by a policeman? - what is going on - does it now have an ASBO stamp on the flyleaf?), or more likely the New Thompson Repair and Tune-Up Manual (see below) - as page layout style is same as the truck vol.2. I've had a 1957 copy of Motor's for a long time - but it only covers 1949 through 1957, so I managed to pick up an earlier edition which covers all ww2 era vehicle mechanics. It really is a great 'bible' for U.S. vehicles, a sort of condensed repair manual which gives the essential bits of info. Useful snippets of info like - from the 1957 description of the Fluid Drive trans (a later 4 speed version? - or should you have another gear Clive? We need to look at those manuals I think!) - " The main thing to remember is that the transmission electrical system is used to keep the trans. in third or first speed gear depending on gear shift lever pos., and that the hydraulic control system is used to keep the trans. in second or fourth speed gear, depending on position of gear shift lever" I also have one for trucks 1940 through 1949 called The New Thompson Repair and Tune-Up Manual' Vol 2 (Vol 1 was passenger cars) - this covers engines, transmission, axles, steering gear. I can highly recommend these, not just for a specific vehicle, but as a good read - a fascinating insight into automotive engineering practises of the era (when most of the main truck manufacturers were building their own engines). Seems they were printed every year and covered a 10 year span of vehicle models.

OMG there's even a support group out there!!! http://www.imperialclub.org/~imperialclub/Yr/1941/41FluidDrive/Page06.htm

Room for a little one? (Clarkat B) And another 353?

Just look at how complex that flow chart is :shocked: But they do say all you need for diagnostics is a test lamp and a pressure gauge Could be changing gear through either oil pressure (should be 40psi at 15mph - pump driven off gearbox mainshaft so no vehicle movement = no oil flow) or faulty electrics(solenoid breaking down etc). Can't advise more without the manual. Let's hope Richard is on the money!