Daphne: 1974 D Spécial purchased October 2016

We did discuss moving the temp gauge, but as we've installed an after market temp gauge that's more informative, I'm happy to consider parting this one out.

The other difference is that the new speedo is in miles only - who can tell me when they went to split/metric?

And I don't think jersey velour was a DSpecial option?

This car was owned by Jerome Navaud, whose father - a French-born French car mechanic in Melbourne, owned it before him; they did the engine rebuild and gearbox transplant. I didn't get his first name when he helped us with getting it started, but I wonder if it might be Guy, from the research I have done online. Is there anyone who keeps records of old Citroens in Australia? The classic Rover club does.

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hi melanie

if you want to sell the temp gauge count mr in. Maybe pm me and let me know how much you want
 
hi melanie

if you want to sell the temp gauge count mr in. Maybe pm me and let me know how much you want

Wiring it in is dead-nuts easy. In fact, 814 gives the exact spec on how to do it for the LHD cars. Just add a bit more wire to reach a RHD cluster.

Oh- and you will need the sender. That one is located at the water pump. If the wire still exists, you can use that.
 
The speedo is cable driven i.e not electric in any way. Have a close look at the cable to what condition its in, particularly the connector just above the exhaust manifold. The crimped on connectors seem to part company with the ends of the cables and could result in an intermittent speedo. I believe the speedos were either miles or Km, officially we went metric in 1974. Swapping the speedo over is a matter of loosening the two screws on the back.

Intermittent tacho could be a broken wire. It is powered by a wire coming from the coil which appears at one of the middle pins of the yellow connector.
 
Wiring it in is dead-nuts easy. In fact, 814 gives the exact spec on how to do it for the LHD cars. Just add a bit more wire to reach a RHD cluster.

Oh- and you will need the sender. That one is located at the water pump. If the wire still exists, you can use that.

thanks for that. If I can get it I can’t seeing it as much of a challenge. Glad you confirmed
 
Mel, when I picked my wifes Dspecial up from Qland the following 2 days were plus 40 days and the temp never moved on the drive to Sydney. When I finally cleaned the cooling system it was full of gunk. I couldn't believe the amount, I've also replaced the pump so it wasn't even working efficiently so there must be something wrong somewhere.
 
Mel, when I picked my wifes Dspecial up from Qland the following 2 days were plus 40 days and the temp never moved on the drive to Sydney. When I finally cleaned the cooling system it was full of gunk. I couldn't believe the amount, I've also replaced the pump so it wasn't even working efficiently so there must be something wrong somewhere.
That would have been a challenge to drive in those conditions. Good to know about it being uncommon - I'm learning that cooling issues are a problem with Rover P6es, so I thought it might extend to Ds!
 
Cooling issues on DSs can be very frustrating. Mine will overheat if doing lots of low speed maneuvering but will happily drive around town all day long. As others have said before, the big problem seems to be getting heat out of the engine bay. There is nothing wrong with the factory system but it does require everything to be perfect. A while ago Pottsy tried to improve on the factory system with electric pumps and fans only to revert back to the factory setup as it performed better.

A stocking in the top hose does wonders for catching all manner of crud floating around the system. Just remember to change it frequently otherwise it can compound the issue.

I would also recommend backflushing the radiator and engine block if you haven't already.
 
You'll find that a D is very much like an older Mercedes, in that it's an attention hog. One of those cars that will serve well over a long period, BUT YOU MUST maintain it. The cooling system on Lasya's car is instructive here. [emoji632]

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Cooling issues on DSs can be very frustrating. Mine will overheat if doing lots of low speed maneuvering but will happily drive around town all day long. As others have said before, the big problem seems to be getting heat out of the engine bay. There is nothing wrong with the factory system but it does require everything to be perfect. A while ago Pottsy tried to improve on the factory system with electric pumps and fans only to revert back to the factory setup as it performed better.

A stocking in the top hose does wonders for catching all manner of crud floating around the system. Just remember to change it frequently otherwise it can compound the issue.

I would also recommend backflushing the radiator and engine block if you haven't already.

intersting... I"ve never found flushing a radiator does anything. You need to get them "rodded" out. I've tried flushing radiators that have been 90% blocked, and they seem to flow HUGE amounts of water. yet the flushing does nothing. I've then pulled the tanks off to try and "rod" them and found I couldn't get rods through the tubes. The "growth" in the tubes was like concrete. if you forced the issue, you split the tube :eek:

seeya
Shane L.
 
A stocking in the top hose does wonders for catching all manner of crud floating around the system. Just remember to change it frequently otherwise it can compound the issue.

A couple of points with the stocking...
Double the stockings up - that is put one inside the other.
Push the full length of the stocking into the top tank through the top radiator hose hole.
This gives a large area for water flow and can accommodate more junk than you would believe.
I've seen people just put a piece of stocking across the radiator hole and put the hose on - that will block up very quickly.
Cheers,
Mark...:)
 
I took the end tanks of some old Xantia radiators recently because I can use the tanks on the wider XM radiator core. One had strands of red goop inside, so someone had used too much sealant somewhere and it had broken off and found it's way into the radiator. A flush wasn't going to remove them easily. Be careful using these products as the extra stingy bits break off and end up in either the sump or radiator.
 
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Can anyone recommend a treatment for the rusted chrome headrest rails? They don't need to be like new, but I'd like to see a considerable improvement!
 
They must be some of the few items that are plated and not stainless. Try cleaning it and coating with clear. A $10 spray can of acrylic clear will go a long way here. Very fine steel wool can help with bad chrome, but you always risk adding little scratches everywhere. Polish like Autosol only goes so far with rust pinpricks in chrome, which where the steel wool can work well. So-called 'Chrome' paints are improving all the time, so they may be worth trying and let you avoid the silverfrost look. Rust converters may discolour the surface, so choose something to dissolve the rust, but not convert it. Then you may have clean bright steel to paint clear over instead of rust.
 
Another approach might be to use superfine steelwool to remove the rust then use some oil or Canubra wax rubbed in to seal it, make sure it is totally dry when applying, this is what I am thinking of doing when I get round to fixing mine in 2032.
 
Another useful abrasive medium if one is wanting to remove rust etc without doing much damage to surrounding metal is Scotchbrite - one can get at east three grades, from coarse to fine ( red, grey, green ) Auto paint suppliers and good hardware places have them

Andrew

Another approach might be to use superfine steelwool to remove the rust then use some oil or Canubra wax rubbed in to seal it, make sure it is totally dry when applying, this is what I am thinking of doing when I get round to fixing mine in 2032.
 
Melanie,
I have the same headrests in the same color. The chrome is in slightly better condition and the fabric is fine
I think I would take the chrome off (how ????) and then spray with clear so they would look like stainless steel
They are yours if you want them
Cheers
Ian
 
Another useful abrasive medium if one is wanting to remove rust etc without doing much damage to surrounding metal is Scotchbrite - one can get at east three grades, from coarse to fine ( red, grey, green ) Auto paint suppliers and good hardware places have them

Andrew

Red (brown) is medium, grey fine and green coarse.

Brown is fantastic for cleaning cooking pots -because it really "bites" into the food and doesn't scratch the pots. I've used it for years.

Genuine 3m scotch brite is far better than the copies.
 
Melanie,
I have the same headrests in the same color. The chrome is in slightly better condition and the fabric is fine
I think I would take the chrome off (how ????) and then spray with clear so they would look like stainless steel
They are yours if you want them
Cheers
Ian
That's a very kind offer, thank you, and I may well take you up. But, I think I'll see if I can get the chrome off, and go from there. At the least, it will give me a chance to learn about the process, even if it doesn't work out.

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Do the rusted chrome parts completely remove from the fabric? If so, you could try simple electrolysis to remove the rust. Google it. Plan B would be to dissolve the chrome off using a chemical. Again, several household chemicals can apparently do the trick (never tried it myself, though i do extra-plate parts and have used electrolysis to remove rust).
 
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