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Managed to get some spanner time on the car today and discovered/confirmed that the Aircon pump is siezed solid but I've turned the engine using a spanner on the crankshaft pulley nut at least 120deg which I hope is enough to assure me that there aren't any dropped valves.

So far the battery is refusing to take much of a charge so it looks like I will be getting a new one of those. Currently fitted is a 60AH job which I think is too small. Any advice on the correct capacity would be appreciated.

The pump is will be coming off shortly then it's a search for Aircon Pumps 'R' Us to see if a refurbishment is possible or if a new purchase is necessary.

If anyone knows of any reputable Aircon places in the Middlesex/Surrey/West London area please don't be shy about making suggestions.

Yes and no...... I tracked down the Filter/dryer/receiver from firm in Yorkshire at the very reasonable price of £38 incl, delivered. I've sourced a good guy who, upon an in-depth quizing, obviously knows what he's doing to flush the system and fit the new parts. The current problem is that there are 3 types of expansion valve used in car a/c systems and guess which one the Mantis uses? Yes, it's the least popular one which he doesn't carry as a stock spare so he's trying to get hold of one for me. If he hasn't succeeded by tomorrow (today as I write this) I'll be sourcing my own. That's the 'no' bit.....

The 'yes' bit is that the pump is fitted and the aux drive belt is back on. With the pump both electrically and hydraulically disconnected, the car's a runner again. The pipes have a home manufactured hardwood block sealing their ends against the ingress of road muck and the pump has a cover plate on it to keep the oil in.

I took it down to Goodwood yesterday to the supercar breakfast meeting at which I met Bmarti (see seperate thread) and it is running fine.

One cause for concern is that the belt which the French mechanics removed was equivalent to a Gates 2460. This was arrived at by direct measurement and comparison with the Gates product. When I came to fit it, there was no way I could get it to stretch over the pulleys. Under the carpet in the boot was a part worn belt on which, I believe, could be read the legend Gates 2478... this represents a difference of 1.8cm as the numbers are the millimetric size. This belt fitted with very little trouble but now I have an issue with a slight screeching and chirping from the belt which usually indicates slippage.

If anyone knows what the correct size should be, please let me know (I'll trawl the forum later for the info but as this is a stream of conciousness post I haven't had time to look yet).

It could be that I've misread the lettering on the belt and that it is actually 2470 so this needs some more investigation before I purchase a replacement.

Also, if the old belt was too short, what damage has been done to the other ancillary equipment bearings by running the belt too tight? Am I about to suffer an alternator etc failure? Who knows.... it may be an interesting summer.

For those of you waiting for the pictures I said I would post... there's a couple more things to be done to the airbox before I've got a complete story to tell so you'll have to wait a little while yet.

Thanks for the figures, I have located a source of the 2480 length belts and will be investing in one within the next couple of days and, yes, my Mantis is a plain vanilla (never thought I'd say that!) non-supercharged version.

Good news on the aircon.... the expansion valve is expected in the next couple of days. Apparently it is a Heller unit and the magic words used to identify it are 'internally equalised' which is what makes it one of the less common types. It was also used on older Jaguars, so that may be a source worth pursuing. When the old unit is removed I'll post some photos and any visible part numbers.

Couple of inaccuracies... It was £41.40 delivered and came from Derbyshire..... DOH!

This is what it looks like



It is identical in all respects (apart from the number on the big white sticker which is the retailer's stock number) to the filter which is fitted at present, although that's no guarantee that it is the original filter from the date of manufacture of the car. It is billed on the invoice from Autokool Ltd as a 'Universal Receiver Drier' with a stock code of AK311043 and here's the link to their site...



Q. Did I read somewhere that you were building a file/list/database of useful part numbers and their vendors... or was that just wishful thinking on my part?

Sure is...

And this is where it lives, just beside the nearside internal 'mudguard' mounted on the front engine bay cross member


The remaining piece of the jigsaw is the expansion valve, seen here as the bit which ends with the circular pressure capsule visible in the middle of the picture


It is connected to the heat exchanger living under the airbox cover which is positioned above the passenger footwell


When the expansion valve is delivered I'll be able to get the system flushed properly pipe by pipe then get the new bits installed prior to a refill. At this point the modifications to the flow inside the airbox can take place..... nearly there.... honest!