Traction will select a gear… Sometimes.

I had the traction towed home a week ago as I was unable to select a gear despite the clutch being fully depressed. I didn’t think anything was seriously wrong, as I had been driving fine around that time. After doing some research on the Traction Yahoo Group, and looking carefully at the linkages, I was able to determine that they sometimes bind when I am moving from the 1/R side to the 2/3 side or vice versa. You can eventually free it, but every now and again it sticks. I don’t think I have fully fixed the problem yet, […]

JDCA run to St Albans

Today the JDCA organized a run up to St Albans, which is just north of Sydney. I hadn’t had a chance to take the E-Type on a long run, so thought it would be a good opportunity. It was one of the biggest car club runs I have been on with nearly 100 sign ups and at least 20 E-Types joining in. E-Types ranged from early 3.8 flat floors right up to late S3s, with most of the major variants covered.

The run started in Glenorie (I took Galston Gorge which is a far nicer drive in an E […]

Top Gear should finish with the departure of Clarkson

There have been some rather amusing columns written over the last few weeks that the departure of Jeremy Clarkson somehow paves the way for a ‘kinder, gentler’ (read more PC) Top Gear. More reviews on affordable cars; more eco friendly; no off colour comments. What a lot of rubbish. Nobody wants to watch a programme like that. How many teenage boys have a poster of a Toyota Camry about their bed? Or a Prius? Who even aspires to drive a car like that? Sure they are sold in large numbers, but that is because they are practical and serve a […]

Traction won’t select a gear

Today I was planning to change the oil in the engine and gearbox of the Traction. I took it for a drive to heat up the oil so it would drain out nicely. It was a lovely evening and I was enjoying the drive, then all of a sudden, the Traction won’t select a gear. Despite pushing the clutch to the floor, I was unable to engage any gear.

The car was running nicely, so I don’t think the fragile Traction gearbox has given up. My assumption is that the problem is to do with the gear linkages or […]

Replacement accumulator fixed heavy steering while parking

Last year I replaced my accumulator sphere on the DS. The main driver for this was that I was getting short ‘cycle’ times. (i.e. the hydraulic pump would kick in very regularly to maintain system pressure, which puts stress on the system). At the time, I did get an improvement in cycle time. Secondarily I was hoping to cure a problem where the power steering would get very heavy while parking. My theory was that there was not enough reserve pressure, which meant that the power assist was not working as well as it could.

However, the good news is […]

Minor repairs to the Traction

This evening I spent some time looking over the traction. One of the things noted in the condition report was that the number plate lamp was inoperative. After eliminating it was not the blown fuse, I took the light apart, and the problem was that it was just dirty. A good clean and the lamp was working again.

I also polished the front grille with some Autosol. I wasn’t able to make that much improvement as much of the grille has lost the chrome coating and is down to the base metal, but i was able to clean it […]

Dawn drive up the Putty road with the Citroen Club

Despite my overheating problems last year, I had enjoyed the Citroen Club drive up the Putty road last year, and was keen to have another go in the DS with a new water pump and flushed radiator. This year was the same format, drive up for breakfast at the cafe halfway along the Putty road, Lunch at one of the wineries and then drive back through Wollombi.

Given the problems I had with overheating last year, I was rather dismayed that at 5:15 this morning, my temperature gauge was not working. Turns out the flying lead had become wrapped around […]

The NSW CMC stance on historic registration is disappointing and short sighted

Today I read a report from the NSW Council of Motor Clubs about their stance on historic registration. (It was published in the Magazine of the Jaguar Drivers Club of Australia). Basically their stance is to support the status quo (with minor amendments for street rods) and so NSW continues to have the worst historic registration system in the country. Obviously the final decision rests with the NSW Government, but in order for the Government to act, the CMC would need to support change. I find this stance disappointing and short sighted.

As I understand it from speaking to people […]

Traction Avant – Further evaluation

This evening I went over to the garage to look at the Traction in more detail. Overall I am still very happy with the purchase. A couple of things that I noticed:

There was a frayed wire in the boot for the number plate light. I used electrical tape to ensure that it does not touch the metal. Not sure if this is the cause, but one of the two fuses in the car was blown, so I replaced that with a 20A, which was what was in there. Net result was no ascertainable difference. Number plate light still didn’t […]

New Addition: 1954 Citroen Light 15

Today I went and picked up the latest addition to the garage, a 1954 Citroen Light 15. Being a Light 15, this car is a Traction Avant and was built in Slough, UK.

I don’t have a lot of history for the car, but it has been registered in NSW since 1984 and recently had $18,000 of mechanical work done by European Autocare in Penrith (a well known Citroen Specialist). The previous owner has spent quite a bit of money on this car and it shows.

There are still a few things that need putting right, but for the […]