Why or what makes these new motors so quiet on tick over and why do the mercs sound like there’s something wrong when they pull away ?
Punchy Dan:
Why or what makes these new motors so quiet on tick over and why do the mercs sound like there’s something wrong when they pull away ?
Because they’re merc heaps of !
I view my 2000 ■■■■■■■ as modern but I think my neighbours would prefer these hair dryer type engines in a morning .
Punchy Dan:
I view my 2000 ■■■■■■■ as modern but I think my neighbours would prefer these hair dryer type engines in a morning .
I remember the joys of waking up in a truck park surrounded by 180 and 240 Gardner engined ERFs, Atkinsons, and Fodens, the starters turning over for about 60 or more seconds and when they gradually and eventually fired up, the clouds of stinking reek hanging in the air and getting into your cab and you coughing your guts up, worse on a cold damp morning. 
Then setting off towards central London from Aldgate, no ■■■■ ‘emission zones’ 
in those days.
My first year on artics, night out at Crawford Arms, sharp frost next morning i’ve wandered over and found me old Foden and eventually coaxed the old Gardner into firing up.
Like lighting the blue touch paper and retiring, there we are about a dozen drivers stood upwind well away from the bloody things for about 15 minutes till the fog of white smoke eventually cleared enough we could find our motors again…it was like that every morning in the yard too, after about 15 mins of smoke out you could then start to clear the ice from the insides of the windows… 
If a lorry were to make a noise, and you were not there to hear it - did it make a sound? 
robroy and Juddian… memories are made of this. Wish there was a coughing and spluttering smiley.
Juddian:
My first year on artics, night out at Crawford Arms, sharp frost next morning i’ve wandered over and found me old Foden and eventually coaxed the old Gardner into firing up.Like lighting the blue touch paper and retiring, there we are about a dozen drivers stood upwind well away from the bloody things for about 15 minutes till the fog of white smoke eventually cleared enough we could find our motors again…it was like that every morning in the yard too, after about 15 mins of smoke out you could then start to clear the ice from the insides of the windows…
So are you embracing the progress there then?!!
robroy:
Punchy Dan:
I view my 2000 ■■■■■■■ as modern but I think my neighbours would prefer these hair dryer type engines in a morning .I remember the joys of waking up in a truck park surrounded by 180 and 240 Gardner engined ERFs, Atkinsons, and Fodens, the starters turning over for about 60 or more seconds and when they gradually and eventually fired up, the clouds of stinking reek hanging in the air and getting into your cab and you coughing your guts up, worse on a cold damp morning.
Then setting off towards central London from Aldgate, no [zb] ‘emission zones’
The f10 & f88 were the worst offenders for turning over and smoking or on par with the poxy Gardner .
Punchy Dan:
robroy:
Punchy Dan:
I view my 2000 ■■■■■■■ as modern but I think my neighbours would prefer these hair dryer type engines in a morning .I remember the joys of waking up in a truck park surrounded by 180 and 240 Gardner engined ERFs, Atkinsons, and Fodens, the starters turning over for about 60 or more seconds and when they gradually and eventually fired up, the clouds of stinking reek hanging in the air and getting into your cab and you coughing your guts up, worse on a cold damp morning.
Then setting off towards central London from Aldgate, no [zb] ‘emission zones’The f10 & f88 were the worst offenders for turning over and smoking or on par with the poxy Gardner .
I don’t remember them being as bad as the Gardeners, it sounded like the guts were about to drop out of the motor when the starter was doing it’s long turn over.
The 88 and especially the F10 was like comparing a garden shed with a luxury flat to the old Brit motors.
I done it arse about face, came off a brand new F10.as an employed driver, and bought an Atki Borderer as first owner driver motor, now that WAS a shock to the system.
This is turning into ‘All our yesterdays’ 
Never locked yer doors.
Went for a pint and a meal and still enough change for the bus fare home out of a fiver.
I remember as a young kid in my Dad’s truck, watching drivers burn rags under their diesel tanks!!!
eagerbeaver:
I remember as a young kid in my Dad’s truck, watching drivers burn rags under their diesel tanks!!!
Another trick to stop the diesel freezing was put a couple of gallon of petrol in the tank with the diesel, which was ok,…unless of course, a driver tried BOTH methods together.
eagerbeaver:
I remember as a young kid in my Dad’s truck, watching drivers burn rags under their diesel tanks!!!
would that have been the 1979 winter? I had just started driving and can remember seeing people with fires under the trucks to combat the diesel waxing. I had a Ford ‘A’ Series at the time and I was adding petrol trying to keep it going - that would never start at the best of times, always had to park it on a hill.
Presumably modern diesel have additives that stop it waxing ?
Sounds about right Bluey, although thinking about it, it must have been 1980 because my dad had just bought a brand new Merc 1617 GEK 164V. It was a day cab 16 tonner, and god knows how but he had a bunk which hinged down onto the little seats in that bloody cab!!
Used to love watching him rope and sheet. Now and again we would be going down the motorway and all of a sudden, he would pull over onto the hard shoulder and disappear out of the cab. 2 minutes later he would climb back in clutching a nice new rope with a big grin on his face!!
" These buggers aren’t cheap Son!! " Tight old [zb], lol!!
eagerbeaver:
Sounds about right Bluey, although thinking about it, it must have been 1980 because my dad had just bought a brand new Merc 1617 GEK 164V. It was a day cab 16 tonner, and god knows how but he had a bunk which hinged down onto the little seats in that bloody cab!!Used to love watching him rope and sheet. Now and again we would be going down the motorway and all of a sudden, he would pull over onto the hard shoulder and disappear out of the cab. 2 minutes later he would climb back in clutching a nice new rope with a big grin on his face!!
" These buggers aren’t cheap Son!! " Tight old [zb], lol!!
1980 fits better with me too, I’m confused; I looked up hard winters and it says 78/79 but I didn’t get that A’ Series thing until the summer of 79!
As for sleeping in a day cab, I had something similar, several years of being away a couple of nights a week sleeping in Leyland Riever, no night heater, didn’t even have curtains, just a sheet of plywood to lie over the seats a roll up camping matress and a little gas stove … doesnt seem real - must have been a dream - LOL
Punchy Dan:
Why or what makes these new motors so quiet on tick over and why do the mercs sound like there’s something wrong when they pull away ?
The old engines would inject the fuel all in one go, modern common rail engines pulse the fuel in to increase efficiency with pressure of up to 2500 bar and exhaust gas recirculation the new mercs sound awful but are excellent on fuel also there is a great deal of sound proofing around the engine bay, I would prefer the new engines the smoke and fumes from old trucks was truly epic.
All these newbies eh ROB ! theyre now talking about how quiet the new motors are, FFS ,its a lot better than having the engine in the cab with you, and by Christ some were noisy, and talking about not locking the doors, some of the old motors never had keys to lock em anyway so we had no choice, thank god for the brome brake eh ! at least it helped disperse the fumes and exhaust gases ha ha , some of those old Albions, and Atkis were a sight to see first thing in the morning in a truck stop ( not really it was a bomb site in the centre of town ) ha ha
truckyboy:
All these newbies eh ROB ! theyre now talking about how quiet the new motors are, FFS ,its a lot better than having the engine in the cab with you, and by Christ some were noisy, and talking about not locking the doors, some of the old motors never had keys to lock em anyway so we had no choice, thank god for the brome brake eh ! at least it helped disperse the fumes and exhaust gases ha ha , some of those old Albions, and Atkis were a sight to see first thing in the morning in a truck stop ( not really it was a bomb site in the centre of town ) ha ha
As were most caffs and lorry parks back in the day… not to mention most yards.
Its because your ears have had it with all the old engines and the sheer amount of noise they produce.
Colin_scottish:
Its because your ears have had it with all the old engines and the sheer amount of noise they produce.
Much truth in that, you had to have the drivers window open near enough permanently on the old motors or the engine in the cab would cook you…the same engine that couldn’t produce any heat worth mentioning in the winter mind
I’m considerably more deaf in me right ear than t’other and have been for over 30 years and am sure this is why.