RETURN TO THE D10 - A LEAKY PASTIME!
During my 'Wilderness Years' (not that I have a lot in common with Churchill) I had often wondered how the love of my life (not forgetting the ever-forgiving Mrs.P) i.e. the D10 was behaving, or not. The more junior members have often complained that the 'Dreadnought' - the title bestowed on it by Lloyd Penfold in its early days - had rarely been seen on the road in recent years. Inspired by the magnificent repaint by Kevin Hill and the words of another well known local author "…it was purchased for continued preservation by the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Trust where it remains, albeit not as active as perhaps the initial enthusiasm exhibited at the time of its purchase might have first suggested', I volunteered (was cajoled) into returning it to Class V status in readiness for the July Midland Red Centenary Open Day. Thinking that if I started on it in February, after sorting out various hydraulic leaks on the Bristol FSF, I should have plenty of time, having remembered some of the faults it had when last used in the early 1990s. Moral of the story; look at the bus before promising anything!
First job for 'he of blackened fingernail' was to replace a leaking power steering ram, with one that leaked slightly less but should not have leaked at all! Through the good contacts I have now established in running the 'Alternative Midland Red Spares Dept' a reconditioned ram was soon obtained and fitted. Now the D10 for the first time in years had featherlight steering. Numerous other little jobs were completed including a thorough clean of the fuel system. It is not the most convenient of vehicles to repair its fuel system by the roadside; I know from experience! After cleaning the underside and silvering - thanks Kevin, you can now see the leaks as they occur! - it was presented for Class V Test. I use the word 'presented' because this was the hottest day of 2005 and on its way to test it gradually lost braking effort. It also suffered another embarrassment in breaking its no.1 injector pipe. The slowly disappearing brake pedal, which recovered when cold, was worrying for it is the first time I have encountered mineral oil brake fluid vaporising! Following a master cylinder change and fluid renewal - I now suspect a dodgy batch of fluid around 1992, it boiled at a lowish temperature on the stove of 87 Fordhouse Road - a new no 1 injector pipe and a thirty-odd mile test run on a similar hot day with plenty of brake applications, no problem at all!
So, off to real test no.1, it failed with a leaking injector pipe - the one that had been changed! The next day or so was spent studying the finer parts of injector pipe olive development over the years. It now didn't leak but no.5 injector pipe felt left out and started to weep in sympathy. Avid aficionados of D10s (are there any?) will realise that all but no.1 and no.6 pipes are somewhat inaccessible at the cylinder head end (which is why 4944 had an 'unapproved' access floor trap over the cylinder heads). Between Peter Murphy and myself a 'special' spanner was contrived and that leak was subsequently stopped. A few days later there ensued a successful retest.
The rest is history and she formed the highlight of the Midland Red day. Like any vehicle that has been laid up too long, the leaks continued (sounds like the present Government?) and recent weeks have seen new oil seals in the brake hydraulic CFS pump (the gearbox now has to survive on its own oil rather than enjoying a perpetual top up from the brake system!), new rear axle pinion oil seal (requiring yet another contrived spanner) and various power steering hoses. We might even tackle engine oil leaks (only joking!). The winter will hopefully see repairs to the passenger doors (who's been fiddling with the wiring?) and perhaps a tidy up of the lower saloon, funds (and Kevin) willing.
Jeremy Price
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
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