So we move two steps forward, one slight shuffle backwards.
The pile of boxes in the back of the Landy get ever bigger, and virtually everything is now here. The other day, I pulled the alternator off to chuck a set of brushes in, see if that would get it charging... It didn't. But it DID get me VERY, very greasy indeed.
Hey-ho. A quick rummage found that EuroCarParts' ebay brand - CarParts4Less - was flogging 40A "D90/100/Jag XJ" alternators on eBay for £35, delivered, no exchange required. Seems rude not to take advantage of that.
So this morning's seen the engine bay pressure-washed, and the beginnings of a good service done. Except the new rotor arm seems to have hidden somewhere. And the old one didn't seem to like the new dist cap. Or the old one any more.
Finally, it fired again - and the charge light's off - but it doesn't seem to idle quite as smoothly as it did. The anti-run-on solenoid doesn't seem the best of fits into it's thread on the carb, and disconnecting it doesn't stop the engine. Still, it's running well enough to get a bit of warmth into it, to help drain the oil - at which point, I find out that there's more in the sump than'll fit in my drain tray. Filter off, and the can was full of a lot of thick gungey sludge. Then a ten-minute battle to get the new O-ring to sit and stay in the groove, which ended with the dawning realisation that the old one might still be in there. It was. Refill with oil, move it to drip on the grass... and now the starter's decided to stick and just spin without touching the flywheel. <sigh>