Where’s the Spark gone?
June has been a time to catch up with maintenance, but the Waterside Weekender Recce didn’t go to plan.
With no real events to go to in June, I decided to do some much-needed maintenance. Minty my 109” has been a trooper for a number of years, but he desperately needed a full fluid change. The driver’s door was past its best, with the glass falling out every time you opened the window, and the rear door was starting to fail due to the weight of the spare wheel. Then there was the others. Eeyore needed a coolant flush and a refill, Timmy is still nothing more than a chassis with a half built front axle and finally Terry who is looking incredibly forlorn awaiting me to find some time to get him back on the road.
So, over the course of the June, a list was made, work progressed and several activities were crossed off. Now, being completely honest, I didn’t get into Land Rovers to spend hours on end up to my elbows in grease and oil. I enjoy driving them. So, towards the end of June, it was time to give Minty and Eeyore a good run out.
With the Waterside Weekender just around the corner, we decided it would be a good idea to check some of the lanes, so with my good friend John driving Eeyore, I pointed Minty in the direction of Edale and we set off. Meeting up with some of the LRL crew, we met at the campsite and soon we were on our way. John had jumped into Minty this time, and I took the helm of Eeyore.
After a few lanes, and only around 6 miles as the crow flies from our start point Minty ground to a halt. Then refused to start. At all. Spanners out, the usual diagnostics were carried out and long story short, the spark was getting into the distributor but refusing to leave and go to the spark plugs. Swapping the dizzy cap and rotor arm from Ben’s Landy to Minty solved the issue and further checks showed the Rotor arm was at fault. Luckily a new one was sat in Marks Barn, and after he went to fetch it we were back on the road again. And that in part is part of the story when you go greenlaning in 60-year-old vehicles, and the moral of this story is to carry spares!
The Waterside Weekender is shaping up to the best one yet, and if you wish to join us you are running out of time. Click the link below for more details. Booking closes Sunday 5th July.