well, my trusty old 90 townie failed it's mot this year.

first time it has failed with anything more than a blown bulb in five happy years.

i need to have a front balljoint replaced and a few minor things, i can't remember at the moment. (old age)

on the test it was noticed that there was diesel dripping from the pump area. they have had a closer look and no matter what they do they cannot get it to leak? they think it is coming from the spindle o rings on the injector pump. they say that if the leak re-occurs, the pump will need replacing.
they also pointed out that the viscous fan has seized solid, so it runs all the time. that would explain why it runs cooler than it did during the first few years. i was thinking it was a thermostat stuck.

my wife drives the townie and she will grieve badly if it goes.

i have authorised the work required to get it through this mot. not the pump unless it re-occurs during the remainder of the test / work, and then they must contact me first.

i have always said that when my beloved townie reaches the stage when repairs begin to mount up, i will get rid, so this will probably be the last year of ownership. :(

i personally now drive a new zafira estate, and really appreciate the quiet engine and better performance, but there will always be a special place in my heart for my townie.

it has taken me around europe twice, and has never ever let me down, no matter how hard i pushed it.

pass me a tissue............
- (#2019) Steve, 30 Jun 05 04:46

I have just read on here that the pump can be overhauled by a diesel speciaist.

Can anyone give me an indication of how much that would cost me?

- (#2019) Steve, 30 Jun 05 05:52

Steve,
Not to sure of the "Spindle" your talking about.
I wonder is this a case of it leaks when cold and not hot.- You know - it was leaking but now its not !
Check for leaks cold and if you find any see do they disappear as it warms up. If so, I suspect it's probably the thermo wax unit ( found below the idle up - mid mounted on the side of the pump - big spiral spring in the middle of it ).
I just replaced mine as it had these symptoms - £15 second hand unit.
Hope this helps.

- (#2019) stephen judge, 30 Jun 05 16:38

throttle spindle, Stephen. Steve, both throttle spindle seal, and the top cover gasket, are common leak points. As Stephen says, the thermo wax and timing covers are also leak points.

How much? depends what he charges. A couple of quid for whichever seal, and an hour or so's labour to install. they can be done in-situ, no need to remove the pump.

- (#2019) David Miller, 1 Jul 05 00:48

So we are not talking big money then!

Hmmm, maybe my Townie will go on for a few more years yet.

My wife will be very unhappy if I get rid of it.

- (#2019) Steve, 1 Jul 05 03:02

Well, my Townie has now had the work done to pass the mot.

A new ball joint on the front and the rear anti roll bar had come away from it's moorings.

They could not find that diesel leak again so had to allow it a pass.

So, obviously it is something that I am going to have to watch out for, but is it dangerous?

i was under the impression that diesel only ignited under pressure. If this is true, how can it be dangerous?


Advice please.

- (#2019) Steve, 7 Jul 05 06:05

it'll ignite on a hot surface too. but you're talking hot...

- (#2019) David Miller, 7 Jul 05 09:06

So how concerned should I be about this?

At the moment, it is NOT leaking, but I dare say it will re-occur.

Should I get it sorted before that happens, bearing in mind that I don't know exactly where it was coming from?


- (#2019) Steve, 7 Jul 05 14:26

I had a diesel leak. After a couple of weeks I fixed it with an O-ring for the "throttle" lever shaft on top. A diesel specialist sold it me for £1 after a quick look at the symptoms. In fact he sold me a selection for that price, saying that one of them would be the one I needed, but his first choice was right.

The downside was that it was very fiddly to get the top back on to that bit of the pump, with the springs and the black plastic a/c switch - which I think kills the a/c if you floor the pedal. I had to do it several times to get it right. I would've happily paid someone £30-£50 to do that, provided I was sure they knew what they were doing.

Dangerous. Well it would be foolish to say "No" and then be proved wrong but even when there was a drip of diesel fuel every few seconds I wasn't bothered because there's nothing very hot immediately under that area and in my opinion the risk at speed from the odd drip blowing back on the exhaust system is small enough compared to all the other risks we take in everyday life - provided that the tactic is to wait for the symptom and then get it fixed without unnecessary delay.

- (#2019) Dave Mason (Sussex), 11 Jul 05 03:13