Hillman Imp

[AnneCook]

to each their own !!

there are a lot worse cars than imps, the ones I've known have been neat and nippy

G

[BrianS]

Hi Nicky

I've been away for a few days and am just catching up! It's great to hear a bit more about the Chamois and it sounds as if Steve is well into maintaining it for you! At the time your little car was made I would think that most cars had manual chokes but different makes didn't necessarily react in the same way - you had to get use to the behaviour of your particular model. I believe that the Imp and its relatives needed a little more finesse than some others. I guess it's just a case of getting used to it!

Gerald had mentioned the starting handle. You are lucky to have this useful extra, it may never be needed for starting the car but it's a clever trick to be able to use it should the necessity arise. Much more a case of knowing how than needing lots of muscle power as Gerald has indicated.

It's fantastic isn't it to have a car like yours that turns people's heads and encourages folk to talk about it. I hope you have lots of fun with your Chamois.

Brian

[NickyJ]

Thanks Brian and everyone else who has commented about my car. You're right Brian, it is lovely to own a car like this, it's amazing how many people talk to me about it and look as I drive by. I am getting along with it really well now, I do stall it occasionally, usually first thing in the morning but it always starts again with a little choke and I think it's just part of the cars cheeky character!
One thing I am a bit worried about though is that the last couple of mornings when it's been a little colder and damp with dew, it steams up a bit, especially the back window, and not having a window heater is a real pain, you just take things like that for granted on a modern car. My dad says you used to be able to get a kit that stuck on, but we have been everywhere we can think of today and had no luck, does anyone know where we might be able to get one? It will be a real nuisance when the really wet weather comes.

Nicky

[BrianS]

I have to admit Nicky that demisting is one area on classic cars where the modern car proves its superiority! Luckily for me now it's not often I have to take the 2CV out in the early morning and I can be a bit selective about the weather I drive in. However when I was regularly commuting in it the lack of good demisting was a real frustration!

Those stick on kits were popular at one time but I guess that there are now so few cars around that need them that maybe they are no longer made; however I have come across this on the internet: http://www.gbdriver.co.uk/index.php?mai ... ucts_id=68. I've not had any dealings with this company but it's good to see it is UK based and with a 'mugshot' of a technical guy who you (or Steve!) can contact about your car's particular problem. Hope this helps.

Brian

[NickyJ]

Hello again Brian, thanks for giving me that lead, the electric demister looks like it could be a solution to my problem, I have believe it or not found an original stick on kit on e bay which has never been used, so I will give that a try - if it doesn't work I will use your link, thanks again. It's really only the back window that bothers me when I have to park against the curb outside the school, I am terrified I will bump the car behind because I can't see it, my little ones can't quite reach to clean it for me so I do struggle a bit.
I can wipe the front ok and the demister does eventually clear it, usually just as I arrive back home!
I didn't realise you had a 2cv, I really like them, they have a real personality all their own just like my Chammy, modern cars just don't have that. You've probably realised by now that I really love my little car and wouldn't swap it for the world.
You are right about the choke thing, it is quite temperamental but I have got the hang of it now, this morning it was really quite cold and foggy here, but I didn't stall once so I was quite pleased with myself!

[BrianS]

Hi Nicky, I don't know why but I just get this feeling that you kind of like your "new" car!!! It's great to hear that you have found an unused 'stick on' kit on EBay. Brilliant. Any number of drivers bought them in the 'old' days. At least when the Chamois came out basic heater/demisters were more or less standard - I can remember riding in the back seat of certain cars with a rug over my knees, no such thing as a heater. And in the fifties of course boys didn't graduate to long trousers until they reached their teens!

Success with the choke too then! It is largely a matter of experience but don't be disheartened if it still does stall occasionally!

Brian

[Kagirl]

Reading Nickys' posts about her car reminded me of when I first started driving in my mums' imp, I actually took my test in it and then it was my first car. I remember it was quite difficult in the winter when it would stall sometimes for no reason i.e halfway round a roundabout when I was changing gear, or in a queue of traffic, this was usually on a cold frosty morning and was really annoying! I also remember how it used to get steamed up inside, it was pouring with rain the day of my first test and I was a bit panicky to say the least, it got really badly steamed up and then I stalled it on the hill start, I was almost in tears and needless to say I failed!!
As Nicky says it's ok wiping the front windows but trying to park when you can't see out of the back is really difficult, I remember bashing into one of the gateposts at our house once because of that, dad went mad
I never had any money to get it serviced or anything either, as long as it would start I just drove it, it only ever got any attention when it wouldn't go, and then probably from someone who didn't really know what they were doing (sorry dad) which probably didn't help.

[BrianS]

Stalling, when you have 'L' plates on your car, must be one of the most embarrassing motoring experiences I think!! It was certainly rotten luck to have had bad weather and steamed up windows for your first test - I'm guessing that you had the same car when you did pass and, hopefully, better weather!

Brian

[NickyJ]

Hello Kagirl, it's nice to hear from someone else who has owned an Imp!
I drove mine in the rain for the first time on Wednesday and have to say with 2 adults and 3 kids in the car it did steam up a bit and it must have been pretty horrible for that to happen to an inexperienced driver during her test! I now have one of those demist pad things in it (I pinched it out of Steve's car)
My heated window kit has arrived so he now has a job for Saturday morning
As for stalling mine is a little sensitive to the choke and often stalls as I back out of my drive, I think it's because I put the choke in too far before I move off - I don't really mind as there isn't usually any traffic. Once it warms up though it's fine and goes really well.
It's great for shopping - just open the back window and put the bags in, it's surprising how much you can get in.
Take care, Nicky

[Kagirl]

How are you getting on with your Imp with all the rain we've been having? it seems like ages since we had a nice bright day!
Hopefully you've got your window heater working now so you can see out of the back?
If your Imp is anything like mine was you will find that the stalling thing gets worse as the weather gets colder, on a frosty morning, I used to start mine up 10 minutes before I wanted to go or it would be a real devil, hopefully yours is in better condition so won't be as bad.
Take care and let us know how you're getting on.

[NickyJ]

Kagirl - (sorry, I don't know your name) Thankfully we did get the hrw kit fitted and I have certainly tested it the last few days, I now give a lift to school to one of our neighbours and her daughter each day so have a full car every day. It has been going really well through all the rain and I am so glad to have my little car, I love driving it and even though it is old and sometimes a bit difficult I think it's great!
I did call it a few names this morning though, it was pouring down and I stalled it in the usual place, just backing out into the road. I pulled the choke right out and forgot it when I stopped just up the road to pick Sarah and Lauren up and then it stalled while they were getting in - too busy talking to notice It started again once I remembered to put the choke in a bit but I did think for a minute that it wasn't going to, Steve says I probably flooded it whatever that means! (don't like to admit I haven't got a clue what he's on about)!
It seems like it is worse when the weather's bad so could be fun when it's colder as you say but I don't mind, I'll just come out and start it a bit earlier so it can warm up a bit, I can't wait!!!

[BrianS]

Nicky, it's great to hear that you are still having fun with your car! A lady "too busy talking to notice" about pushing the choke in - I couldn't possibly make a comment about that!!!

Serious stuff now. Trying not to be too complicated the engine in your car works by burning a mixture of petrol and air in the engine - the proportions need to be just right. When starting from cold you need more petrol in relation to the air and this is what your choke does (Actually it restricts the amount of air going in the mixture which has the same result). Leave the choke out for too long and the little engine gets swamped with neat petrol and will stop working. This situation where you get a marked excess of petrol is what Steve meant about flooding it.

On older cars especially it is important that the ignition parts such as the distributor and spark plugs are in good condition for winter motoring. If it is taking a ridiculously long time for the engine to start and the choke is out then the problem of "flooding" is likely to arise, very often you can smell the excess petrol. Fortunately it seems that Steve understands classic cars and will I'm sure keep everything in tip top condition. But it is a learning curve with an older car when you realise how much you may have to vary the choke use depending on the weather.

That's really good news about your HRW by the way. Is there a warning light to remind you to switch it off when you leave the car?

Brian

[NickyJ]

Hello Brian, You made me laugh with your comment about me being too busy talking to think about my choke - you obviously know us girls pretty well!!
Thank you for explaining about the flooding, so basically pulling out the choke puts more petrol into the engine and makes it stop, that explains a lot. I do find that my car is very sensitive, a tiny change to the choke is the difference between stalling or not and it is very easy to move it too far one way or the other, I am learning to recognise the signs now but do sometimes get distracted and forget!
I was so glad to have the car in all that rain last week, previously we would all have got soaked walking to school, and I even have a couple of regular passengers now who are equally happy to be in a dry car.
Steve has fixed the window heater so that if I forget to turn it off it goes off when I stop the engine, it does have a red light on the switch as well. Steve told me not to leave it on for too long as it could make my battery go flat so I am very careful about that, he is talking about taking off the generator and fitting an alternator (?) which will help stop the battery going flat - I told him I am happy for it to stay as it is, I have not had any trouble with the battery but he seems adamant that we should do it, I wondered what you would think about it?
Thanks again for all your help,

Nicky

[BrianS]

Hi Nicky, yes you are discovering how much finesse the choke needs on your car! The Imp /Chamois models seem to be a bit more challenging than some others in that department. It's a good job that Steve has arranged things so that the rear window heater will go off when you stop the engine - I thought that he would do that.

The question of whether to retain the standard generator (more often referred to as the dynamo in my experience) or swap it for an alternator. That's a tricky one. Dynamos are relatively simple and reliable over long periods but the downside is that they are not so good as alternators at keeping your battery charged if you are doing lots of short trips at relatively slow speeds and with a lot of electrical equipment working. So on a dark winters morning you may have lights, wipers and HRW all on for the school run. I can see Steve's concern that the dynamo might not be able to charge the battery enough when the HRW is used as well, and the standard heater that comes with the car is also on, almost forgot that.

If your battery did start going flat so that one morning there wasn't enough urge to start the car then you might find yourself on a very fast learning curve on how to crank the starting handle! Your success at that would certainly impress the neighbours! For the moment though I would certainly heed Steve's advice about turning off the window heater as soon as practical rather than leaving it on regardless.

Brian

[BrianS]

Hello again Nicky, I've just been thinking that I ought to enlarge on my previous post. It's about the little question of whether you ought to have an alternator on your car. I'm wondering if the rain has been bad enough for you to have used your headlights as well as heated window and wipers when driving to the school and if you have seen any flickering of your red ignition warning lamp particularly when going slowly.

I can understand you not wanting to change things under the bonnet (go from dynamo to alternator) if everything seems just fine. If the battery were to begin to fail I don't think you would necessarily conk out somewhere, more likely I would have thought for the wipers to slow right down and the headlights to dim a bit. The really obvious evidence of the battery going flat is when the starter is turning the engine too slowly for it to start because the starter needs much more current than anything else. So although it's a very big current that amount of electricity is normally only required over a very short time.

What I'm trying to say then is that it's that moment when you go to turn the key in the morning that is most likely to tell you whether or not the battery has had enough charge from the last run. As I hinted before you could always have a go with the starting handle if the worst comes to the worst and that is easier than you might think. But as to changing to an alternator I'm afraid I'll have to stand on the sidelines and not try to influence you (mustn't come between wife and husband!!)

Brian