So a quick update. No pics yet as we haven't sorted them out yet. Since leaving the UK on the 30th May we've done around 1400 miles. Crossed at Dunkerque and headed into Belgium. Paid our respects around the battlefields of Ypres and then headed south to Paris to pick up my son Josh from Charles De Gaulle airport. We've bummed around for the last week through the champagne region of eastern France. We're now just over by the German border having driven north alongside the Vosges mountains just up past Strasbourg. The bus has behaved impeccably but I've had a niggle over the trip that something wasn't "quite" right. We were getting around 19-21 mpg and whilst smooth and powerful, this wasn't what I expected. A couple of days ago I actually took out the points (having previously adjusted them twice) to find the middle had dropped out of the lower "point" electrode thing! Replaced them and we are now at a more acceptable 24-25 mpg. Oh, and the fuel filter was totally blocked with crap. It was a job I'd mean't to do at TE, never got round to it and then kept putting off coz it's a pig. Took a breath and changed that after a little starvation misfire the other day. I'm ashamed of myself for the neglect, but happy we're rolling on. Germany tomorrow and some pics next time. Keep well all, BM & Mrs BM
Those of you who've done the trip across the pond will know it's a tight fit on the ferry ramps! We purchased the book from Vicarious publications called all the Aires in France from a bloke in the pub for a round of drinks! The aires have grey and black waste disposal points and fresh water for drinking containers. As a consequence, camping has cost nothing apart from one aire that we had to pay for in a medieval town called Provins. Worth the 8 euro though as it provided secure parking overlooking the old city walls. Anyway, this was Hondschoote aire, a stones throw from the French/Belgium border and where we based ourselves for a couple of days whilst exploring the fields of Flanders. We went into Ypres. This beautiful town was reduced to rubble in WW1. A strategic point for both sides it was held by the Allies from 1914. The infamous third battle of Ypres was Passchendale where after 100 days of fighting the allies had advanced just 8 km at the cost of over 250,000 casualties. We bought a guide from the museum in Ypres which takes you round a 70 km trip along the front-line, which circled the town, and takes you to the most tragic but interesting sites. The Menin Gate, Ypres. 54,896 names of soldiers who have no known grave are commemorated here. They ran out of room............... Langemark German Cemetery. 44,304 burials, most as multiple burials. 24,917 in this space. 7,575 are unidentified. Those who are, are commemorated on the somber stone tablets ringing the grave. This incredibly moving memorial marks the place where chlorine gas was used for the first time. It drifted across the lines and the panic and chaos caused an 8 km breach. 2000 Canadian soldiers sacrificed their lives to regain the ground and this memorial commemorates those men. The statue faces the direction from which the gas came. And lastly, for this part of our trip, Tyne Cot Commonwealth Cemetery. The largest British war cemetery in the world. It contains 11,956 Commonwealth dead and 4 Germans. The German Command bunker lies under the Cross of Sacrifice and other bunkers are scattered around the site. It was the focal ridge during Passchendale. 34,957 names of missing soldiers for whom there was no space left on the Menin Gate are also remembered here. This was a moving part of our journey but one we felt was necessary. Lest we forget........
Last week we drove south from Lille to Paris. A couple of leisurely days cruising the A roads and stopping in the free aires. From Paris, we collected Josh and went east to the Champagne region. Unfortunately Josh had picked up a bug on the plane and was laid out for the first 3 days or so. As a consequence we traveled little, just trugging around a rough circular route, dodging fantastic thunder storms and soaking up sun. Hair wash day Nearly time to get the trivial pursuit out Nice lunch spot Acres and acres of vines. Moet anyone? Cool hat in small town France Terminal 2D Charles De Gaule chaos. I spent every Monday and every Friday evening here some years ago for six straight months. It still brings out a cold sweat! Up to date. Wash day at Campinplatz Adam in Oberbruch. It's a beautiful location, just over the Rhine on the borders of the Black Forest. Two days here to sort admin, clean up and re-group. Tomorrow sees us off, heading south east for the Austrian border. Zwei bier bitte
lol, one of two I'll have you know Herr Dicky. (see what I did there) Design fault actually and one of those things on the list of changes when we get back. The shower pump was supposed to fit into the water container. I forgot to check before we bought the containers. It doesn't so it's a faff with the bowl
Hey Clive, sorry for the delay but we've avoided tinterweb for the last few days. Specifically, the panels are performing superbly. We have a very needy (amp wise) absorption fridge which still continues to make ice despite higher ambient temperatures. If you can get yours working on gas, that is the way to go for longer periods as ours is still heavy on the battery and the option to switch to something other than the battery or mains electric would be ideal as cloudy days are a problem. However, we've learn't to manage on the dull days by flicking off the fridge for periods if we are not travelling. The milk can go sour for me but I need the tunes..... The down-side is that they make the roof harder to deploy. Mel could just about pop the top before but now she has to leave it for me . Despite being relatively light, the extra 15 or so kg makes a difference. I will be looking into fitting gas struts or something similar when we get back. Secondly, whereas we used to look for shady spots we now find ourselves aligning the bus with the path of the sun. Ideally with the roof facing west when popped so we gather the last remaining watts from the panels in the evenings. I thought this would be an issue with the heat but in fact it's not been a problem so far as the bus is cool inside. In conclusion, they were worth the cost for us as we have only been on 4 campsites in 32 days, mainly to catch up with washing etc. We stayed for free for 5 nights in Trieste in a car park in the beach resort of Barcola with no electric services and could have been there longer if we hadn't decided to get a ferry to Greece! Hope all is well, Neil
Excellent! Happy to hear you are all good! My motor has dropped a valve so its currently in bits,the respray will have to wait which is ok! This motor ive got planned is goint to be a lovely piece of engineering! Mr Weeding has been offering some good advice as usual! Off back to work in 8 days... Keep well
Gythio, the Peloponnese. Hephaestus was in our engine bay last night, along with both Thor and Vulcan. It sounded like all the Gods had been on the retsina so we pulled into one of those "interesting" Greek petrol stations/garages, popped the top, ate chocolate, phoned the insurance people & waited for the garage to open this morning. 9.45 the dudes rolled in, we got the phrase book out & Stavros (seriously) took us & the bus at full speed round the local hairpins. Nothing! The bus pulled like a train on the test and sounded smooth. We checked the g.box oil, he tugged the drive shafts and poked the axle, I changed the engine oil (nothing too shiny in it) & now we're at Camping Mani just outside the town. So what do you reckon people? The knock got progressively louder and varied with speed. When I depressed the clutch it stopped, coming back when the box was engaged. I suspected the bearing/clutch plate was breaking up but as I say this morning the bus has taken us 10 miles or so to the campsite with nary a hic let alone a hup. We're on the site, chilling out for a few days as this may be the end of this particular road. They don't "do" the Type IV engine in Greece and the FI kit baffled the mechanic this morning, he didn't really want to go there! Any suggestions would be appreciated...................
Thrust bearing got a bit of crap in it and has now freed up? A bit of plate came adrift and is now happily in dust form?
Nothing springs to mind. If summats gonna break it will eventually. Maybe you have a self repairing bus. Im after one of those!
Something gearboxy, but I reckon you should just keep driving it and see what develops. You have to get home somehow might as well head towards this way and see what happens. Maybe head towards Germany?
Drive shaft CV joint needs grease. Next time it happens, nip under and slide the driveshaft to and from which will spread what's left of the toffee-like grease around enough to get you another 20-30 miles. If that works it confirms the prognosis. You prob just need to whack some more CV grease into the joint. Stavros did the same while under which is why the noise had gone away for your test drive.
Ok then what explains the disapearance of the noise when the clutch pedal was pushed? Load on the driveshafts?
