Talbot Started and Alpine Indicators back (for now)

After doing a Web page for Chris's Rapier I thought I'd better get on with the real work so I started by warming the Talbot on the fan heater for an hour while I got the Alpine letters replaced.

However I found the alpine sitting in a pool is water from the rain getting into the bubble. So that cleaning out again. The car was hard to start but it started - eventually - it's gone quite cold as Autumn has arrived.

Then as I backed out the dials failed - that's another electrical gremlin. I suspect the whole loom needs replacing. Then I got a message from Roberto - the Ferrari is ready - oh no. 

Back to the Alpine. Testing showed no power through the secondary (top) fuse. A bit of a tinker, a replacement 50 amp fuse and we're back in business.

So now for the job I was going to do. The letters came off ok but the new ones are not quite the same - not that you will notice. The fishing wire under them worked too.

Although it took a bit longer than I had hoped it was all done by 11:45 and I could try and start the Talbot. 

I used the process I had planned. Prime carb a few times until you can hear fuel in it (well a noise anyway). Turn over to raise oil pressure - three times. Put on the hand throttle. Try getting oil pressure again. Finally pump the pedal a few times and she started to catch, a bit more pumping some hesitation with the odd knocking noises and then she caught.

I noticed the ignition light was not on at 800 rpm but it is at 600. Glad to see no smoke from the exhaust when I backed out and only limited oil on the floor. All three god points.

I ran a short while to warn it up on the drive and then the rain came - so back into the garage we went.

I got a bit carried away after lunch and decided to look at the Alpine indicators. All in all quite frustrating and some times I just went backwards as things failed which had been working before. I ended up taking the indicator switch off and then taking it apart - finding some of the parts are quite small.

This tiny spring pushes a copper bar onto the contacts. It was very greasy so I cleaned it - in hindsight probably it was supposed to be lubricated... It seemed to get more dismantled as I went but I kept going.

Anyway at the end of the day having fixed the rear o/s light we had all four indictors working - one set flashes a bit faster than the other - but at that point I noticed we had no repeaters in the speedo and rev counter any more. Oh and the Ammeter panel light seems to be on with the ignition !

In the end though I traced the power and everything was OK at the switch so I put it all back together and tidied up.

Another few hours but we might be back on the road. Time will tell.