Cambelt chamber, and some nettles...

I've been meaning to post a picture of what a Tdi timing case looks like for ages... note the lines and tooth counts on the cam pulleys, so I get the timing right when the new belt goes on.

Meanwhile, the undergrowth around Bitsa's itself continues, maybe I should rename her "Nettles".

Its the nesting season...

... and the blackbirds have taken up residence under Bitsa's bonnet. Looks like I'll be doing even less to her for the next couple of week, than normal.
I've also done a little more to prepair the 200di lump for life under the bonnet of a IIA. The top hose connection on a tdi points in the wrong direction for a series, but fortunately its possible to fit a 2.25 top hose fitting in its place, all that its needed is to cut two of the securing bolts down a little.

Talk about a nice supprise

I was cleaning the block on my 200di in preparation for painting last Saturday, and got bored. I had cleaned off most of the passenger side, was running out of clean rags.

I occurred me that while the starter motor was off, it was worth jamming the flywheel, and trying to remove the front pulley to fit a new cam-belt. Changing the cam belt is reputed to be a killer job, but not on this engine. I just couldn't believe my luck.

The pulley bolt cracked off with a moderate heave, the pulley that should need a puller came off with nothing more than a tickling from a crowbar behind it. (Incidentally, should you feel the need to try doing this, remember that you are levering against a fragile timing case cover - do not get a scaffolding pole in there and heave, or its highly probable a new timing case cover is going to be on your shopping list) All the timing cover bolts came out as well. Its a while since a job has gone quite this well. Next mission is to get a new timing belt, as I'd not been planning on doing the job when I left home that morning. Then I can put it all back together.

I suspect that the reason it was all so easy is that the P/O has been a good bloke and looked after the engine, including changing the belt at the required intervals. Probably the belt that is on there is actually a recent one. But, safety first, and a new one will go on anyway...

In other news, I collect a Reliant Rialto Estate from Oxford tomorrow. Its going to be a bit of a culture shock, having been used to driving nearer 2 tons than half a ton. But with the price of fuel, a cheep commute mobile is in order. And while people may call me mad, they cannot deny that (like just about every car I'd had) its "interesting".

Hopefully it will be well behaved, or it may find that its back on eBay where it came from... I'm not going be becoming a Reliant restorer (if I can help it anyway).

Now dumped on all good kitchen tables...

...is a tdi exahust manifold. In my case, because I'm trying to make some drawings for my replacement 200di manifold. I'm rapidly concluding that the whole business is a conspiracy to frustrate, not least as the more I measure, the more complex the thing appears to be. I've done the easy bit now, the twin port centre plate. Its the weird sightly offset end plates that are driving my round the bend. Still, I'll figure a way of doing them at some point. Probably tommorow night.