Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Explaining the Centa Compensator in French?

I was trying to explain the Bleasey version of the Centa Compensator to a French friend who speaks no English. He used to be a keen motorcyclist, so I thought the best analogy would be to the "Cush Drive" in the rear hub of a motorcycle. The problem I then came up against was what was the French for Cush Drive. I thought it would be "Entrainement Amorti" or alternatively Motrice Amorti, which both translate as "damped drive" literally but that seemed to ring no bells with him. Eventually I drew a motorcycle rear hub cushioned drive on a bit of paper, and the light went on. Sadly he did not know the correct word for it in French and said as far as he could recall, it was called "Le Cush Drive".

Any good French speakers out there know what the correct word for a vibration damping element in a drive line should be? I am going on a French rally next Sunday, which I have been on previous years and no doubt some will be asking me; "What broke this year", so I will need to declare, The Centa (Entrainement Amorti), Clutch spring finger (Embrayage - doigt de ressort), Clutch release bearing (Rouleau relache d'embrayage), Clutch master cylinder (Cylindre d'embrayage hydraulique à la pedale), Petrol tank (Reservoir d'essence) and just three weeks ago, wing mirror (Retroviseur).

Wilson

French was never my strong suit. I would try something like La Poubelle avec Caoutchouc Circulair pour le Voiture Moins Une Roue...

Many many distant years ago when driving in France I hit an object in the road and it ruptured the fuel line, having pulled over and plugged the leak I wandered to find a phone (non cell phone years). Having located a shop with a phone I proceeded to call the breakdown service speaking with my school boy French. The lady asked me to explain the problem I could not think what burst pipe was so in the end said "Le peep poof", she understood me!!!

I'm afraid I can't help with cush drive, but I think master cylinder is simply maitre cylindre. Is the French Rally by any chance Arts et Elegance at Chantilly? If so, I'll see you there with the other Morgan Club de France members.

This is a charity supporting rally based around Draguignan organised by the Lions Club there, called "Retrolions". Sadly forecast is not looking great for Sunday. If it is bucketing with rain at 07.30 when I have to leave to drive to Draguignan for 8 o'clock kick off, I will probably wimp out. My health is rather fragile at present and driving soaked for a day would not improve it.

In the mid 1990's, on holiday in the south of France with the family in my e34 M5 BMW, the clutch master failed. It was peak August holiday season in France and many dealers were closed. When I did get through to an open one, "Maitre Cylindre" did not seem to ring any bells, so I changed my request to "Cylindre Hydraulique de l'Embrayage à la Pedale", which they did understand. I failed to find one and decided to try and drive back to the UK through the night without a clutch, which could be disengaged. I gave up about halfway, as the starter motor was beginning to object to starting the engine in first gear, which on the M5 is quite high. We left the car, with all our luggage at a French BMW dealer in Lons-le-Saunier and took the train back to the UK. To add insult to injury, I was pickpocketed in the metro going from Gare de Lyon to Gard du Nord in Paris. Not one of my better trips.

Wilson

Try getting a dynamo for a MK2 Cortina in Auxare in 1980 with schoolboy French...... Not easy.

Found a scrap yard though and took one off a Renault I think, didn't fit the Cortina but it did when we had finished.

Soon after my wife and I got married, we bought a house in Essex (all we could afford within commuting distance to London). I had a BMW 2002 with quite high mileage and it needed a new water pump. My local car accessory shop which was at the end of the road we lived in, phoned to say the refurbished BMW-ish water pump had arrived. I had already taken the old pump out. I walked to the shop, picked up the new pump, left the old and walked back, probably taking around 10 minutes in all. As I was coming back, I saw a scruffy old Leyland van drive off from the front of my house and wondered what they were doing. They were obviously scrappies as when I got back, I found they had picked up and stolen the radiator, which had been sitting on the drive. A replacement radiator in 1972 was over £100 from a BMW dealer, which just was not in that month's budget. I put in a radiator from a rolled Escort RS1600, which was about the same size and worked just fine in the BMW. From memory, it was £8 from the local scrap yard. I asked if they knew who the scrap thieves with the old Leyland van were. Their reply was: "yes we know them and would not mix with them, as you are likely to get the sharp end of a knife".

Wilson

CSE, O-level or A-level French?

Engaging in the usual TM thread drift.... Not easy trying to find the word for grease in Pisa for ones +8. In the off chance you get similarly caught out the word is Grasso.. It was the most expensive grease i ever purchased... But arguing the point seemed fruitless, as the old thing was in dire need as it was steering like a boat.

CSE, French wasn't my strong point.

I was more of a technical drawing and metalwork kind of a guy, still am.