Recently I blew the ZF auto box in the Peugeot V6. It had never been right and I'd never been satisfied with it. This failure was the last straw. Out it came. In went a manual transmission. The car drives very nicely now. It is impressive just how flexible that V-6 Peugeot engine is. It has plenty of torque. The auto trans muted it so you never knew what an eager engine it actually is. Now there is one issue I have not resolved. It is the reversing lamps. When I select reverse gear I need the reversing lamps to come on. This function has yet to be enabled. Can anyone advise the best way to do it? What needs to be done?
Transmission swap- auto out, manual in
- Thread starter Ratu
- Start date
What model Peugeot is this for? rear or front wheel drive?
Not being an expert on these cars but with a little guess I would say that the reversing lights were activated from the T-bar.
If you look on the side of the gearbox (not sure which side) no doubt there is a switch for activating the reversing lights.
You will need to run wires from where they are below the old T-bar shifter to where the switch is on the side of the gearbox.
Not being an expert on these cars but with a little guess I would say that the reversing lights were activated from the T-bar.
If you look on the side of the gearbox (not sure which side) no doubt there is a switch for activating the reversing lights.
You will need to run wires from where they are below the old T-bar shifter to where the switch is on the side of the gearbox.
Hi Col
Thanks for such a fast response.
Car is a Peugeot 406 with V-6. Originally it was fitted with the ZF four-speed automatic. I think it was a 4HP20. The new box is a five speed manual with hydraulic clutch and cable shift mechanism. Car was and remains front wheel drive.
Thanks for such a fast response.
Car is a Peugeot 406 with V-6. Originally it was fitted with the ZF four-speed automatic. I think it was a 4HP20. The new box is a five speed manual with hydraulic clutch and cable shift mechanism. Car was and remains front wheel drive.
gearbox reverse light switch needs to be connected like all manual gearboxes
Good effort there. Just out of interest, did you have a spares car in the paddock for all the extra bits for the conversion e.g. Clutch pedal? I may be doing a similar thing to a different brand soon.
Thats the best way to do it because all the parts that you need are there, saves a lot of chasing around looking for the appropriate parts.
I did an auto to manual conversion on a Renault Virage about 15 years ago which is fairly straight forward.
The Pug 406 would of been a little more involved most likely due to the more complicated nature of modern cars.
the kill switch/ignition wiring ,so the auto doesn't start up in gear, must have been modified, either on the t bar or the box ,some wiring is also required to make the reverse lights operate ,
DId you change the dash as well ?
Tell me how did you get around gettng cruise to work again
Tell me how did you get around gettng cruise to work again
The reverse light switch on your manual gearbox should be on top of gearbox about 60-70mm back from clutch slave cylinder.should be two wires one being ignition and other feed to reverse lights which should have been on your inhibitor switch wiring plug.I did have an old auto box here but can’t remember whether it was on selector shaft on gearbox…jim
Out of curiosity, how many K's on the clock when it died? Had it had the fluid changed regularly? You are correct the V6 cars had the ZF4HP20 transmission. "sealed for life' and internal filter that you can't get at and a dodgy cooling system where the transmission fluid is cooled by boiling hot cooling system water.
All true but they are a simple box to rebuild and very 'mechanical'for an auto
They aren't supported by ZF anymore so parts are hard to come by. AB Automatics in Dandenong said they couldn't help me if mine needed a rebuild. Luckily it was just the XYZ switch. Salmon replaced it gave the box a complete flush and fitted a Land Rover style trans cooler. I got him to fit an inline filter too. Its as good as new now. Had only done 116,000Km. Just about due for its 5000Km service now.
Good Morning! Sorry for the tardy response. I've been on vacation, out of range of internet (sometimes advantageous!).
It is a long story. The wagon car was a parts car with a failed transmission. It was parked at a Peugeot specialist's yard and was destined to be parted out. I was after a V-6 engine and asked for the engine from the wagon. At this point the wagon had a non-functional auto-transmission. It was missing the electronic box of tricks that lives behind the glove-box and sends signal to the speedometer. It had no wipers, a cracked windscreen, no drive shafts and a missing RHS tail-light. The owner of the Peugeot specialist agreed to sell the engine to me for NZD400 landed and strapped on a pallet, complete with engine management system and without the transmission. Perfect!
Before I could go over to collect the engine, he called me to report that he'd been forced to sell his business and he couldn't pull the engine. He'd sold the business after so many years due to failing eyesight. Gradually it had become more and more difficult to work on cars. He knew he had to give it all up and that time was ticking. An opportunity arose which allowed him to release his capital in the business. He needed to do it. Sometimes these things don't come around twice. He knew it and acted promptly. Fair enough. The new owner, also a good man, did not want to keep a yard of cars to scrap out for parts and so all the parts cars had to go. The 406 wagon with the V-6 engine was one of these. So the deal was altered. "Come over and take away the whole car", he said. So I did.
When I got the car to my home I intended to pull the engine and whatever useful parts I could remove as bonus, then sell the rest for scrap (and get my NZD400 back). When I inspected the car I found it to have working HVAC, working power seats and a good sound system. All the power windows and locks operated. The seats were in a biscuit leather and were in fine shape. The more I inspected the car the better it looked. It was only missing a few components and had a failed transmission. I decided it might be a good car to return to operational condition. A quick visit to Pickapart in Mangere and I had everything I needed. In went a replacement transmission and drive-shafts (I kept the V-6 engine it came off as a spare for later rebuilding for the original project). On went the missing tail lamp. I replaced the cracked windscreen with a good one. Wipers were fitted. Electronic box was installed behind the glove-box. Car started up and drove AOK. At this point it had completed some 86,000 kms.
The car ran reliably for almost exactly a decade. I was never fully satisfied with the downshift from 2 to 1 though and never was able to get that perfectly smooth. One day the car failed to proceed. My wife was driving and had it towed home. I diagnosed a failed transmission. At this point I decided to do a through service for the entire car and away we went.
I dropped the front sub-frame complete with suspension out. The rack went off to the specialists for a rebuild. New bushes were fitted all round. Down came the engine and transmission assembly and off came the transmission. It went into a corner ready for later inspection. Meanwhile out came the door cards since they looked tatty and needed some work to restore. Out came the centre console in order to get to the shifter mechanism. Accessing the shifter mechanism also demanded that the heat shield and exhaust be removed from under the car. Of necessity out came the pedal box as well. By this stage the car began resembling a unit of Pickapart stock! Oh dear.
All the while I'd been checking Pickapart to see what they had. No luck there this time. Eventually, after a few months of looking I found a donor 406 at Mannheim Auctions. I bid on it (the auto bid facility is most useful and very customer friendly- recommended). and won it. That car was a 406 V6 D9 but the wagon is a D8. No matter, it had a manual transmission along with most of the other bits I needed (pedal box, clutch master and slave cylinders with correct fluid reservoir to suit, hydraulic line, gear shifter and associated mechanism, shifter cables, flywheel, correct trim for the centre console and so on. Now things got interesting and certain decisions had to be made. There were choices as to how to proceed and what to do next.
Meanwhile I noticed that the sunroof didn't operate. That would need to be addressed as well.
The story continues.....
The choices were
1/. Replace entire drivetrain with D9 set-up. Replace dash with D9 set-up. Rewire rest of car to suit. Call this the CANBUS-all-the-way option.
2/. Fit manual transmission from D9 donor car to D8 engine and install in wagon. Figure out how to modify/amend engine/trans/instrument electronics to suit/compensate.
I picked option 2.
So, the mechanical work proceeded as follows.
Fit manual pedal-box. This was a pain, as I was unable to figure out how to fit the manual car assembly with both pedals (brake and clutch) attached. It just would not fit through the hole in the firewall. In the end I demounted one of the pedals and remounted it once the pedal box was cinched into position. Then it was a case of refitting the brake master cylinder assembly and fitting the hydraulic clutch lines. I hooked up the brake system, bled the lot and all that was ready.
Next a new clutch was purchased from the decent professionals up at Sterling Brake and Clutch. The flywheel from D9 got fitted to D8 engine. Then the new clutch was fitted. Manual transmission received oil change and was fitted to back of D8. Slave cylinder fitted. Engine/trans assembly fitted to wagon (from below). Sub-frame assy refitted. Tried to hook up power steering lines only to discover that the auto-trans power steering line differs from the manual-trans power steering line. Also D9 manual line does not fit D8 engine. Botheration! I had to make up a power steering fluid line to suit. To ensure reasonable steering performance this needed the minimum amount of flexible hose (just enough to allow for differential movement between engine and subframe) and the maximum distance in hard pipe. Job done. Nice and tidy.
Next job was to install the manual shifter assembly in the cabin and refit the centre console. The exhaust and its heat shields were refitted and the shift cables routed and hooked up to the transmission. Then the clutch was bled (surprisingly easy to do despite all the tales of woe I'd been told). All good.
I disabled the starter interlock by working out how the starter system was disabled when the auto-trans was not in P or in N. There is a rotary switch on the auto-trans. Using a multi-meter set on DC Volts and rechecking with the meter set to Ohms revealed which circuits were closed when the auto-trans had been in P or N (the auto-trans was dragged out from the corner for inspection). I fitted a bespoke socket to the plug (which normally would have been received by the socket on the auto-trans). My socket has been made up with an internal circuit which emulates the auto-trans being in N. Easy enough to do since all you are doing is connecting certain pins while isolating others. I modified a standard plug for this since that way no dust and dirt and water etc. can get in. Engine starts and revs perfect!
New issue was flashing warning lights in the instrument binnacle. All the selector lights (PRND etc.) were flashing. The snow/sport lights also flashed. That was no good. I never did solve how to stop them. I eventually took the transmission control module out of the car altogether, but that didn't stop them at all. At this point I thought I would need to find a D9 car with a manual transmission and get the binnacle from that. What were the chances? Daughter came to the rescue. She discovered that Pickapart could help. They had a V6 manual car of the correct vintage in their Wellington yard. Now the trouble with that is Wellington is some 600km from where I normally reside. That meant only one thing. ROADTRIP!
See how these things escalate?
More to come.....
1/. Replace entire drivetrain with D9 set-up. Replace dash with D9 set-up. Rewire rest of car to suit. Call this the CANBUS-all-the-way option.
2/. Fit manual transmission from D9 donor car to D8 engine and install in wagon. Figure out how to modify/amend engine/trans/instrument electronics to suit/compensate.
I picked option 2.
So, the mechanical work proceeded as follows.
Fit manual pedal-box. This was a pain, as I was unable to figure out how to fit the manual car assembly with both pedals (brake and clutch) attached. It just would not fit through the hole in the firewall. In the end I demounted one of the pedals and remounted it once the pedal box was cinched into position. Then it was a case of refitting the brake master cylinder assembly and fitting the hydraulic clutch lines. I hooked up the brake system, bled the lot and all that was ready.
Next a new clutch was purchased from the decent professionals up at Sterling Brake and Clutch. The flywheel from D9 got fitted to D8 engine. Then the new clutch was fitted. Manual transmission received oil change and was fitted to back of D8. Slave cylinder fitted. Engine/trans assembly fitted to wagon (from below). Sub-frame assy refitted. Tried to hook up power steering lines only to discover that the auto-trans power steering line differs from the manual-trans power steering line. Also D9 manual line does not fit D8 engine. Botheration! I had to make up a power steering fluid line to suit. To ensure reasonable steering performance this needed the minimum amount of flexible hose (just enough to allow for differential movement between engine and subframe) and the maximum distance in hard pipe. Job done. Nice and tidy.
Next job was to install the manual shifter assembly in the cabin and refit the centre console. The exhaust and its heat shields were refitted and the shift cables routed and hooked up to the transmission. Then the clutch was bled (surprisingly easy to do despite all the tales of woe I'd been told). All good.
I disabled the starter interlock by working out how the starter system was disabled when the auto-trans was not in P or in N. There is a rotary switch on the auto-trans. Using a multi-meter set on DC Volts and rechecking with the meter set to Ohms revealed which circuits were closed when the auto-trans had been in P or N (the auto-trans was dragged out from the corner for inspection). I fitted a bespoke socket to the plug (which normally would have been received by the socket on the auto-trans). My socket has been made up with an internal circuit which emulates the auto-trans being in N. Easy enough to do since all you are doing is connecting certain pins while isolating others. I modified a standard plug for this since that way no dust and dirt and water etc. can get in. Engine starts and revs perfect!
New issue was flashing warning lights in the instrument binnacle. All the selector lights (PRND etc.) were flashing. The snow/sport lights also flashed. That was no good. I never did solve how to stop them. I eventually took the transmission control module out of the car altogether, but that didn't stop them at all. At this point I thought I would need to find a D9 car with a manual transmission and get the binnacle from that. What were the chances? Daughter came to the rescue. She discovered that Pickapart could help. They had a V6 manual car of the correct vintage in their Wellington yard. Now the trouble with that is Wellington is some 600km from where I normally reside. That meant only one thing. ROADTRIP!
See how these things escalate?
More to come.....
I figured that if I was going to drive to Wellington for an instrument binnacle from a 406 V6 manual sedan, I ought to get hold of some other parts from the car as well. One never knows when such pieces may be necessary for a project or a breakdown repair or whatever. As is well known by all right thinking people, a road-trip is supposed to have a rationale or reason- a motivational goal if you will. While it is not strictly necessary for such a justification to be provided, good form demands one at least have a semblance of a reason. Mine was that not only was the binnacle required, but also many other components could be recovered. Additionally it is indeed correct that there are many good restaurants and bars and pubs in Wellington (and in many locations along the route). Call that Reason "B". Also the weather was predicted to be good.
Since the justifications were all figured out it was time to set off. For the purpose a forward control van was hired. It was white and had a 2.2-litre petrol engine. Nice part was that it was a manual transmission vehicle. THIS was a good omen, a sign of good things to come!
We departed Auckland on a Friday afternoon. The van seemed to have a happy pace at about 115km/h. It had an unusual ride, not harsh or anything like that, just different. Perhaps it was being positioned right atop the front wheels that gave the impression. Driving one of these forward control vans generates a faint feeling of paranoia. If there is an accident, you are going to be the first one to arrive on the scene. There is not much between your legs and the very forward edge of the van. Your legs are part of the crush structure. Best not have an off then.
Instead of taking the direct route we went via Rotorua. This is a city known for its tourist attractions. There is much to see here. For example, plenty of geothermal activity (geysers, boiling mud pools etc.), the lakes, fishing, the luge, pubs and bars, scenic flights over the lakes and the dangerous Mt. Tarawera, the Buried Village, safari park, miniature steam engine rides, pubs and bars, Redwoods forest, fine dining experiences at places like Eat Street, really most excellent hot pools, bush walks, waterfalls, gorges, pubs and bars. We stayed the night there and moved on first thing Saturday.
To cut a long adventure story short we arrived in Wellington (Lower Hutt actually) at lunchtime Saturday. The final part of the journey is via a new highway known as Transmission Gully. This is a huge piece of civil works. Getting a multi lane highway through this rugged and wet country was controversial and expensive, but well worth it. It is going to make a big difference for the people of the entire Wellington region. It was impressive to drive this new route and view the extraordinary steps they've had to take to deal with drainage and ground stabilisation in such a difficult locale.
After a good feed we went up to Pickapart Wellington yard. This is located high on the hillside above the Hutt. The view is outstanding. Worth it to just stand there for a bit and take it all in. There is a good range of cars on offer for parts (it is a big yard). The staff are super helpful (very good people here). It took a good five or ten minutes to locate the car of interest. Once there it was time to work off the good lunch and expend some effort. Out came the tools.
Parts removed included
Engine transmission assembly
Drive shaft
Portions of wiring loom
Sundry special fasteners
Various 'lectronic boxes (including that speed sender- a new replacement is eye wateringly expensive in NZ).
Gear shifter and cables
Pedal box
Radio head unit
HVAC condensor
Radiator
Power steering hydraulic lines
Moulded rubber hoses for coolant
Floor mats
Door handles and lock tabs
Sundry bits and pieces and bits I don't recall at the present moment
And, oh yes, the instrument binnacle. Got that one as well. Justification "A" satisfied!
Most of that load of loot went into the van, but we couldn't get it all in there. Disaster! Since it was already 17:00 and the staff needed to close the yard we planned to come back the next day and try rearranging the van to get the rest to fit. The ladies at the yard put our excess parts and assemblies into storage and off we went to find a motel and then a place to lurk for the rest of a fine Saturday evening.
All went well and the next morning we were back at the yard after a decent feed in a small cafe run by a gentle Chinese woman from Shenzen. She was a great chef and happy to converse about her childhood and her family the adventures that bought her to NZ. Boy, she could rustle up a meal. I had the traditional big breakfast. Three eggs, toast, hash browns, sausages, bacon, mushrooms, spring onions, tomato, regular onions, coffee, orange juice.....and more. My wife had a Chinese meal which she said was really good. Then we were off to Pickapart again.
We got there mid morning and managed to find the time to get some more parts off the target car. Then came the attempt to make it all fit. Not going to unfortunately. So, we asked for the yard to look after the engine/transmission assembly until we could come back again. The ladies said that would be AOK and they phoned the senior manager at his home to inform him of what was up. No problem, all good with him.
So back on the road we went.
We travelled North, making reasonable time. Eventually we got to the Central Plateau and traversed it, viewing the three snow-capped volcanos (Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe). Further on we travelled through the three sisters gorges and on to the town of Turangi. At Turangi we stopped at a gas station to gas up and then parked the van so we could go in for a meal and some hot drinks. It was now very cold outside.
After a 30-minute stop it was time to resume the driving. By the time we got back to the van it was really cold inside it. Those things are ice boxes. There is no insulation in there whatsoever. No matter, once we got the engine started it would soon be possible to warm the interior back up again. But....
....the engine would not start. Turn the key and nothing. Sure the lights came up, but no starter. She no go. We stuck. And now it really was cold. As cold as you feel when your engine won't start and its cold outside (cold inside too).
Are we there yet? Not quite. There is yet a little bit more to relate. Nearly there.....
Since the justifications were all figured out it was time to set off. For the purpose a forward control van was hired. It was white and had a 2.2-litre petrol engine. Nice part was that it was a manual transmission vehicle. THIS was a good omen, a sign of good things to come!
We departed Auckland on a Friday afternoon. The van seemed to have a happy pace at about 115km/h. It had an unusual ride, not harsh or anything like that, just different. Perhaps it was being positioned right atop the front wheels that gave the impression. Driving one of these forward control vans generates a faint feeling of paranoia. If there is an accident, you are going to be the first one to arrive on the scene. There is not much between your legs and the very forward edge of the van. Your legs are part of the crush structure. Best not have an off then.
Instead of taking the direct route we went via Rotorua. This is a city known for its tourist attractions. There is much to see here. For example, plenty of geothermal activity (geysers, boiling mud pools etc.), the lakes, fishing, the luge, pubs and bars, scenic flights over the lakes and the dangerous Mt. Tarawera, the Buried Village, safari park, miniature steam engine rides, pubs and bars, Redwoods forest, fine dining experiences at places like Eat Street, really most excellent hot pools, bush walks, waterfalls, gorges, pubs and bars. We stayed the night there and moved on first thing Saturday.
To cut a long adventure story short we arrived in Wellington (Lower Hutt actually) at lunchtime Saturday. The final part of the journey is via a new highway known as Transmission Gully. This is a huge piece of civil works. Getting a multi lane highway through this rugged and wet country was controversial and expensive, but well worth it. It is going to make a big difference for the people of the entire Wellington region. It was impressive to drive this new route and view the extraordinary steps they've had to take to deal with drainage and ground stabilisation in such a difficult locale.
After a good feed we went up to Pickapart Wellington yard. This is located high on the hillside above the Hutt. The view is outstanding. Worth it to just stand there for a bit and take it all in. There is a good range of cars on offer for parts (it is a big yard). The staff are super helpful (very good people here). It took a good five or ten minutes to locate the car of interest. Once there it was time to work off the good lunch and expend some effort. Out came the tools.
Parts removed included
Engine transmission assembly
Drive shaft
Portions of wiring loom
Sundry special fasteners
Various 'lectronic boxes (including that speed sender- a new replacement is eye wateringly expensive in NZ).
Gear shifter and cables
Pedal box
Radio head unit
HVAC condensor
Radiator
Power steering hydraulic lines
Moulded rubber hoses for coolant
Floor mats
Door handles and lock tabs
Sundry bits and pieces and bits I don't recall at the present moment
And, oh yes, the instrument binnacle. Got that one as well. Justification "A" satisfied!
Most of that load of loot went into the van, but we couldn't get it all in there. Disaster! Since it was already 17:00 and the staff needed to close the yard we planned to come back the next day and try rearranging the van to get the rest to fit. The ladies at the yard put our excess parts and assemblies into storage and off we went to find a motel and then a place to lurk for the rest of a fine Saturday evening.
All went well and the next morning we were back at the yard after a decent feed in a small cafe run by a gentle Chinese woman from Shenzen. She was a great chef and happy to converse about her childhood and her family the adventures that bought her to NZ. Boy, she could rustle up a meal. I had the traditional big breakfast. Three eggs, toast, hash browns, sausages, bacon, mushrooms, spring onions, tomato, regular onions, coffee, orange juice.....and more. My wife had a Chinese meal which she said was really good. Then we were off to Pickapart again.
We got there mid morning and managed to find the time to get some more parts off the target car. Then came the attempt to make it all fit. Not going to unfortunately. So, we asked for the yard to look after the engine/transmission assembly until we could come back again. The ladies said that would be AOK and they phoned the senior manager at his home to inform him of what was up. No problem, all good with him.
So back on the road we went.
We travelled North, making reasonable time. Eventually we got to the Central Plateau and traversed it, viewing the three snow-capped volcanos (Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngauruhoe). Further on we travelled through the three sisters gorges and on to the town of Turangi. At Turangi we stopped at a gas station to gas up and then parked the van so we could go in for a meal and some hot drinks. It was now very cold outside.
After a 30-minute stop it was time to resume the driving. By the time we got back to the van it was really cold inside it. Those things are ice boxes. There is no insulation in there whatsoever. No matter, once we got the engine started it would soon be possible to warm the interior back up again. But....
....the engine would not start. Turn the key and nothing. Sure the lights came up, but no starter. She no go. We stuck. And now it really was cold. As cold as you feel when your engine won't start and its cold outside (cold inside too).
Are we there yet? Not quite. There is yet a little bit more to relate. Nearly there.....
Last edited:
A correction to my message of 3:03pm today. I wrote,
Apologies for the confusion.
It ought to be "D8". See corrected version below.
Apologies for the confusion.
So it's cold and the van won't start. Now what? I tried a few obvious checks.
I figured that since all the dash lights came up the issue might not be battery. A tell was that there was no clicking when I tried for a start (clicking would indicate not enough battery voltage to hold the starter solenoid and turn the starter simultaneoulsy). Perhaps the starter was jammed. It got a few good blows with a hammer. No luck. Still wouldn't go. Then it was time to try turning the engine with a power bar and socket to unjam the pinion (assuming it was jammed). Engine rolled OK, but still not any starting action when we tried. By then, working in the cold on an engine which was not mine and would not go was getting past the stage of botheration. We called the hire company. They sent a contractor to come see. He got there after an hour or so and went through the van top to bottom. No start. He rechecked the battery again. Looks like a tow it would be. We gave it one more try just for luck since the next step was to push it backwards so the tow wagon could get to it. Turned the key one last time and bang, the blasted thing started as if nothing had ever been wrong. We all decided that the trouble had to be in the ignition switch on the steering column. The decision was made to carry on travelling and not under any circumstances turn the engine off until we reached home. Hours of freezing, lying on the ground, hanging upside down in the engine compartment, frustrated at this horror show and it was all about a switch (for which no-one had a spare, at that time and place anyway). We thanked the tow truck driver, said our farewells to the technician, packed all the tools, re-stowed much of the the cargo (we'd had to get it out of the van to allow the engine cover to be opened) and headed back out on the road.
It was good to be moving and the cabin soon heated back up again with the blower on full bore and the HVAC set to MAX red. We'd lost a lot of time though and it was well late. I increased the pace as far as was prudent, but the van had its happy speed and beyond that it tended to sway and wander a little. Also the engine sounded less relaxed at the higher rpm. Cornering was not the van's forte either. It was OK until you got to about 7/10ths then it started getting messed up- reasonably safe, but unpleasant and it was clear that there wasn't a lot of mid-corner adjustability. I let the van fall back to its happy pace and left it at that. Going faster added a lot of work-load for the driver. No point chancing it for the hours of journey still to go.
Soon we got well north of Turangi and the effects of the bitter cold and mechanical frustration faded. We arrived at Hampton Downs at 1am in the morning to find all the northbound lanes of the motorway closed. The adventure was not yet over. There were signs and cones and road workers guiding all motorists off the motorway and up a slip road where everyone had to stop.......and wait. The plan in place was that some of the southbound lanes were to be used for the northbound traffic. Trouble was we'd arrived right at the time when two house moving operations were bringing their huge cargoes through. Both buildings were being moved south and they needed all of the width of the southbound lanes. So we had to wait until they got through.
It is amazing how efficiently these guys move entire houses and the like around the country. On the flat open roads they can go surprisingly quickly. When they are in tighter quarters they have to proceed very carefully and much more slowly. The area where we were was tight. They could not get under the bridge above the motorway so they had to come off the motorway, up off-ramp and then back down the on-ramp to rejoin the motorway again. This was tight with trees, shrubs, lighting stanchions etc. to be avoided or got around everywhere. We waited. When they were clear we were signaled to proceed.
As we headed north along one of the lanes used for southbound traffic it was clear that all the northbound lanes were being repaired. The seal had failed. That seemed odd since this area had been resealed only a few months ago. I later discovered that since the Marsden Point oil refinery was shut much of the road material is now imported. This imported stuff aint well suited to the job of being a decent road. It is meant to be greener though and, according to some, better for the environment- but it just does not last. There is a lot of this going on. Pot holes are opening up all over the show and it seems to be allowed to get even worse on rural roads. It's green and gooderer for the environment, see. That makes it all good- not.
Not too far on we came across another house being moved. This one was heading north. Before it could be passed the dreaded road cones, flashing lights and road workers appeared. We were directed along an alternative route through Drury, then Papakura and finally Takanini before being able to rejoin the motorway. Luckily we didn't need to stop and although we could not pass the house movers, they kept up a good pace. The house movers did not continue past Takanini, but pulled in to a stop before the on-ramp. So we were up to speed and off again. Soon we were approaching home and some well needed sleep.
It was 3:20am when we arrived at home. There was still more work to do though. As the van had to be returned by 9am it needed to be unloaded and cleaned. That had to happen before sleep. It had been a long day. Never again!
.....yet the engine/transmission assembly were still in Wellington. We'd need to get those. Moral of the story is that one ought not to say, "never again".
The next day I went off to work, but after that it was time to get to work on the wagon. Now at this stage of the story the wagon was no longer at home. It was at my friend's workshop. Remember that the sunroof was jammed and would not move. While I had the chance I'd decided to fix that. After getting the engine and transmission swapped and getting the engine running it was time to deal with the sunroof. That turned out to be an adventure all of its own.
Story continues. Stand by......
I figured that since all the dash lights came up the issue might not be battery. A tell was that there was no clicking when I tried for a start (clicking would indicate not enough battery voltage to hold the starter solenoid and turn the starter simultaneoulsy). Perhaps the starter was jammed. It got a few good blows with a hammer. No luck. Still wouldn't go. Then it was time to try turning the engine with a power bar and socket to unjam the pinion (assuming it was jammed). Engine rolled OK, but still not any starting action when we tried. By then, working in the cold on an engine which was not mine and would not go was getting past the stage of botheration. We called the hire company. They sent a contractor to come see. He got there after an hour or so and went through the van top to bottom. No start. He rechecked the battery again. Looks like a tow it would be. We gave it one more try just for luck since the next step was to push it backwards so the tow wagon could get to it. Turned the key one last time and bang, the blasted thing started as if nothing had ever been wrong. We all decided that the trouble had to be in the ignition switch on the steering column. The decision was made to carry on travelling and not under any circumstances turn the engine off until we reached home. Hours of freezing, lying on the ground, hanging upside down in the engine compartment, frustrated at this horror show and it was all about a switch (for which no-one had a spare, at that time and place anyway). We thanked the tow truck driver, said our farewells to the technician, packed all the tools, re-stowed much of the the cargo (we'd had to get it out of the van to allow the engine cover to be opened) and headed back out on the road.
It was good to be moving and the cabin soon heated back up again with the blower on full bore and the HVAC set to MAX red. We'd lost a lot of time though and it was well late. I increased the pace as far as was prudent, but the van had its happy speed and beyond that it tended to sway and wander a little. Also the engine sounded less relaxed at the higher rpm. Cornering was not the van's forte either. It was OK until you got to about 7/10ths then it started getting messed up- reasonably safe, but unpleasant and it was clear that there wasn't a lot of mid-corner adjustability. I let the van fall back to its happy pace and left it at that. Going faster added a lot of work-load for the driver. No point chancing it for the hours of journey still to go.
Soon we got well north of Turangi and the effects of the bitter cold and mechanical frustration faded. We arrived at Hampton Downs at 1am in the morning to find all the northbound lanes of the motorway closed. The adventure was not yet over. There were signs and cones and road workers guiding all motorists off the motorway and up a slip road where everyone had to stop.......and wait. The plan in place was that some of the southbound lanes were to be used for the northbound traffic. Trouble was we'd arrived right at the time when two house moving operations were bringing their huge cargoes through. Both buildings were being moved south and they needed all of the width of the southbound lanes. So we had to wait until they got through.
It is amazing how efficiently these guys move entire houses and the like around the country. On the flat open roads they can go surprisingly quickly. When they are in tighter quarters they have to proceed very carefully and much more slowly. The area where we were was tight. They could not get under the bridge above the motorway so they had to come off the motorway, up off-ramp and then back down the on-ramp to rejoin the motorway again. This was tight with trees, shrubs, lighting stanchions etc. to be avoided or got around everywhere. We waited. When they were clear we were signaled to proceed.
As we headed north along one of the lanes used for southbound traffic it was clear that all the northbound lanes were being repaired. The seal had failed. That seemed odd since this area had been resealed only a few months ago. I later discovered that since the Marsden Point oil refinery was shut much of the road material is now imported. This imported stuff aint well suited to the job of being a decent road. It is meant to be greener though and, according to some, better for the environment- but it just does not last. There is a lot of this going on. Pot holes are opening up all over the show and it seems to be allowed to get even worse on rural roads. It's green and gooderer for the environment, see. That makes it all good- not.
Not too far on we came across another house being moved. This one was heading north. Before it could be passed the dreaded road cones, flashing lights and road workers appeared. We were directed along an alternative route through Drury, then Papakura and finally Takanini before being able to rejoin the motorway. Luckily we didn't need to stop and although we could not pass the house movers, they kept up a good pace. The house movers did not continue past Takanini, but pulled in to a stop before the on-ramp. So we were up to speed and off again. Soon we were approaching home and some well needed sleep.
It was 3:20am when we arrived at home. There was still more work to do though. As the van had to be returned by 9am it needed to be unloaded and cleaned. That had to happen before sleep. It had been a long day. Never again!
.....yet the engine/transmission assembly were still in Wellington. We'd need to get those. Moral of the story is that one ought not to say, "never again".
The next day I went off to work, but after that it was time to get to work on the wagon. Now at this stage of the story the wagon was no longer at home. It was at my friend's workshop. Remember that the sunroof was jammed and would not move. While I had the chance I'd decided to fix that. After getting the engine and transmission swapped and getting the engine running it was time to deal with the sunroof. That turned out to be an adventure all of its own.
Story continues. Stand by......