Eureka!

I was playing out on bikes last weekend so could do nothing with Degsy however through the week I bought a coil, £24.I have found a place in Coalville that is up my street. A bit scruffy but knowledgeable blokes. They seem to be able to get anything by 3.30pm the next day.

I set up Saturday morning for Degsy time. I have been out for a drink with allotment buddies on Friday night so it was not an early start. I had a bacon and egg butty and a brew to set me up. It had snowed overnight so Degsy was covered in a three inches layer of the white stuff. I got in Degsy, choke out and turned the key a couple of cranks and he fired up. I warmed him up just in case. I popped up the bonnet and with a long rope tied it right back. I took the steering wheel off which seemed liek the first step in getting the dash off. After twenty minutes the dash was not loose even though I had a handful of screws. I decided that this was the wrong thing to be doing so I put everything back the was I found it if a little cleaner. I decide to fit the new bits. The coil came off the bulkhead quite easily just a bit of WD40 to ease the screws. I fitted the new coil having first cleaned the contacts on the earth strap and resistor. I had a good look at the connectors onto the coil from white wire, which comes from the ignition switch, and the wire from the condenser on the distributor. Both were corroded so I cut them off and refitted new spade connectors. Now they are a very tight fit. I checked the dizzy. It was still tight. You might remember it has a talent for coming loose.

Since the job only took half an hour and I given over the whole morning to Degsy I look round for other dodgy connections. I had a bash at making the air hose to the carb better fit. It is better than it was but not as good as I would like. I gave the accelerator and choke linkage a good dosing with WD and a rub with the tooth brush. I also moved the linkage through their whole range of movement to make it as free as possible. I am not sure it did any good but I felt better about it.

I decided that I could do not more and started Degsy. He started straight away and when I booted him he revved hard and blew out some black soot through the exhaust. He even did a really good back fire which I put down the the repaired vacuum pipe not doing a proper job of advancing the spark. I let him settle down into a really nice tick over which he kept up whilst I loaded him for the allotment. I even had time to find an "R" clip of the right size to replace the rusted old split pin that retained the washer that retained the bottom of the bonnet prop. I went to the lottie and back including a bit of messing about at the lottie without missing a beat, in fact running really strongly. A bit like a terrier trotting along on it's toes and chin up.

I got back about five and decided that before the sun went down to reposition the steering wheel which was off by an eighth turn. I bagged the sockets and drove Degsy to a straight bit of road and when dead straight stopped to remove, reposition and retighten the steering wheel. This done I set off to drive round the block back home. Degsy started playing up again exactly as before. So it was not the coil. It conked out again and again. Whilst sitting there trying to figure out what could be causing it. I turned the key ready to start then hauled on the steering wheel to pull myself up in the seat.......the oil and charge lights went off! I turned the steering wheel left and right to no avail, no lights. I heaved the steering wheel back the other way against the steering column......the light came on. I heaved the wheel back and forth and was able to switch the lights on and off at will. It was as I had suspected, a loose connection on something connected to the steering column. I got Degsy home using this new knowledge.

I postponed what I was supposed to do on Sunday and resolved the take the dash to bits. I had snowed again but the sun was melting the snow fast and shining warm on my back. I did not even bother pop the bonnet. The steering wheel came off again. Then the instrument panel. Then the cover round the ignition barrel. The wiring was a mess. There were power feeds everywhere. I untangled the wires and used a bungee to keep the dash out of the way. I figured the white wire from the ignition switch was the wire the track first as it was the positive feed from the ignition switch to the coil. I figured the negatives were sound since the lights worked. With the key turned in the ignition switch I could make the dash light go on and off so it was definitely on the white wire. I thought the wire might trapped and chaffed through. I tracked the wire to the end of the ignition barrel to check the connector. Whilst exploring the connector it came off in my hand and with the slightest pressure the negative tag on the base of the ignition came away too. So that will be it. The hard ride and corrosion did for the connector tags. It did take 30 years though. Pity it was on my watch.

I figured if I could get the ignition barrel off I might be able to fix the tags. I cleared the wiring back even further. I got he retaining screw out from the side of the barrel facing me. The other side was impossible. I could not see it but did manage to get the screw loose but I could not withdraw it. I would have to remove the ignition switch completely. That is easier said than done. The shear bolts, which secure the ignition barrel clamp to the steering column, had done their job and sheared the hex head of the bolt off so I could not get a socket on the bolt. I got the drill and stud extractor from the garage. I drilled the pilot hole in the stud and inserted extractor and with infinite care and good dose of WD built up the pressure on the extractor until the stud came free. Then I had to repeat the job on the other stud. That came away a bit easier as is usually the case. With the ignition barrel/steering lock in my hand I prized out the electrical switch from the base of the unit. The tags were well and truly broken. I considered a bodge but thought better of it. I made a brew and consulted the Internet. I could get the switch for less than a tenner. It was not worth the bodge.

Since I was ordering I made a list.

1. Ignition switch
2. Vacuum tube
3. Washer bottle cap
4. Points and condenser [for spares]
5. Dash bulbs
6. Choke cable
7. Shear bolts for the ignition barrel bracket
   

When I got Degsy the owner told me choke was in an odd place. It is down on the bulkhead by the gear levers. I thought it odd but accepted it as the choke worked. With the ignition barrel in my hand I could see why when the original cable snapped the new one was fitted elsewhere just for ease of fitting. Since the ignition barrel is out I will replace the original cable so I can have the choke pull by the steering wheel where it should be. The dash lights have never worked. I had a look at the bulbs and found that one of the filaments had blown. That is an easy fix. The washer bottle never had a cap so that will be a nice up grade.

There was nothing more I could do so I tidied up the tools. The picture above shows Degsy looking poorly but is not as bad as it looks. It only cost a few cuts to my knuckles but there is a sense of achievement in analysing and diagnosing the issue, proving the analysis then taking action. lets hope all the bit come and it goes back together. Roll on Saturday.