Practically Classics Forum

Weather put paid to having the brakes apart - too much rain!! Planning ahead meant that, apart from two occasions (both when another vehicle just decided to stop in front of me - I assume they no longer teach new drivers to allow for older vehicles without brake servo's) gentle braking worked well.
Still - the first long run in the UAZ is now complete - it drove down to W&P the long way due to Operation Stack and home the short way today. Tomorrow it's get the pressure washer out and get the mud off of it, the Landie, the Rangie and the Citroen.
One of the good things about a wet W&P is that it shuts up the tree huggers who moan about a garden full of 4x4's in an Outer London Borough.
The UAZ behaved well at the show - especially after I worked out with instruction the method of engaging low ratio 4WD.
It spent the week trundling around in the dust and then the mud quite happily. A few lesson were learnt though:

• * In future I won't unbolt the roof from the front of the windscreen but will just fold it on top of the dropped windscreen. The book says the holes in the hood should just fit over the securing bolts apart from the outermost one on each side. We had to remove every bolt to get it off so when it decided to rain heavily it took a while to get it back on.
  * Need to find some way of water proofing the seats. Every time after it rained anyone sitting inside the vehicle got soaked - from below (which I admit is most unusual!!)
  * Still need to work on the front brakes - hard braking gets a severe pull to the right, so severe you wind up facing oncoming traffic!
  * The speedo has a plus or minus 10 kph reading when cruising along!! Its impossible to hold a set speed because you have no idea how fast you are going. I got bawled at by a new show marshal for not going at 5 mph - which turned into an apology after I sat him in the passenger seat and let him see the needle jumping from 0 to 25 kph irrespective of actual speed. I will be fitting a 12v power socket so a sat nav can be plugged in and I can get an accurate speed reading off of that.
  * I will be glad when the new doors arrive from Tarmot - the drivers door flew open a few times on the way home because the door is basically falling apart from rot.

Overall I was very happy with the performance of the vehicle.

Well - I spoke too soon!

Went to go to a show in Wiltshire a couple of weeks ago - got 5 miles from home and a high pitched squealing started coming from somewhere in front - that got louder as time passed. I reached the Dartford Crossing and it was loud enough to turn heads so with over 100 miles stil to run I thought "this is too risky", turned around and went home. Next day I borrowed the Daughter Mk 1 and went for a spin around the block whilst she listened and located the source of the noise. She said it was from behind the instrument panel. That could only be the speedo cable - the only rotating part under the IP so I disconnected it and went for another spin. No more noise!!
A new cable was ordered and fitted just in time to attend the Red Oktober day at the Ace Cafe. As soon as I reached 20 mph on the Sat nav a new noise started - a rasping sound that got worse and worse. I noted that as it got worse the speedo readings got quite erratic. At one point on the A406 the sat-nav said I was doing 40 kph - whilst the speedo was reading 120 kph!! Wasn't much I could do so I carried on and got there OK. ON the way home I was looking at the speedo to see if there was any change when the instrument face began to rotate before my eyes!!



Again I got home OK and ordered a news speedo head - that arrived today so next job is to fit the new one.

What a bizarre fault, I've never even heard of a speedo cable spinning the face on the dial, let alone seen pictures of it.

vulgalour wrote:What a bizarre fault, I've never even heard of a speedo cable spinning the face on the dial, let alone seen pictures of it.

Bizarre pretty much describes most things UAZ related!

Well - we had some decent weather at last so I finally got the old speedo out today - not the easiest job on a 469 and went to fit the replacement. And - of course - there is a problem!! Wouldn't be a UAZ if there wasn't.....
The fittings for the panel light and high beam light are totally different to the old one (see the photos below) I've e-mailed Tarmot in Poland (big UAZ parts supplier) to see if they have either the new style bulb holders and bulbs or failing that a replacement old style speedo head.

Old type speedo - BIG bulb holder fittings


New type speed0 - small bulb holder fittings that are proud of the casing

These newer lamp fittings look exactly the same as standard Lucas-style ones as found in many's a BMC or Reliant product of the '60s, '70s and early '80s, so if they are, the bulbs that go in there are available in factors here in the UK.

JPB wrote:These newer lamp fittings look exactly the same as standard Lucas-style ones as found in many's a BMC or Reliant product of the '60s, '70s and early '80s, so if they are, the bulbs that go in there are available in factors here in the UK.

That's what I am hoping. If I can get the holders and at least one bulb I can go to a motor factors and match it to a standard part.

Measure the diameter of the spring loaded sleeves and I'll measure some holders from a Reliant speedo to see whether they'd do the job. If they would, and in the event of your not finding any fresh ones elsewhere, let me know and I'll send a handful your way at postage cost. The bulbs that go in the ones I'm thinking of are spherical envelopes with a screw cap in early examples and capless, one piece lozenge envelopes in later ones but if my memory serves me properly, the holders for each type fit the same size sleeves and as such can be interchanged.

Thanks John = will have a measure up tomorrow Speedo are out in the UAZ right now

I/D of the new bulb holders is a nominal 11.6 mm John. How does that stack up against what you have???