Project Memoirs from the Hard Shoulder: bASeman's Spot of the Year award.

[BorniteIdentity]

I'd be fekkin annoyed with him, tbh, same the world over, give certain men a badge of power and they become very official.

 

So you've coated the underside of the car with old engine oil to preserve the structure, and age old method. If it din't drip on the floor whilst in there it ain't a leak, certainly not a serious leak.

Meh. I think there’s a great danger that the afternoon’s events end up overblown. The tester did everything he felt he could; not failing the missing headlight bulb included. However, there has clearly been a misunderstanding with regards to the oil leak (of which it is, undeniably, a leak). I think I would be able to argue the toss on that front almost immediately . However. there is also a very apparent difference between the colour of the two brake lights, and the emissions are too high.

 

I’m forming a plan at the moment, but it involves spending money I simply don’t have - which is frustrating. So for the time being I’ll be doing nothing, and look to get the oil, filters and plugs done when time allows. If I can sneak a pass next month then great, if not I’ll need to save up for a Weber at £200.

[lisbon_road]

My MOT tester told me recently that there has been a really large number of changes put through at the same time.  He said he's no issue with the changes in general, but the number of changes in one go makes it hard to keep up.  He's quite kind to me but always fails stuff like cut out DPFs.

 

Fine old car, good luck sorting it.

[PhilA]

I put red Osram LED "bulbs" in mine for similar reasons. 1) picked them because they have a very similar light output on tail versus brake as a 5/21W lamp, double benefit 2) the light they emit is already the correct color.

 

Made my brake lights go from a sun-faded orangey red to a nice deep crimson red.

 

Unless retrofit LED bulbs are a fail.. isn't red tape over a lamp still a pass?

[worldofceri]

+1 on red bulbs. I put red and amber (filament) bulbs in the back of my Beetle years ago as the lenses have faded. Keeps you safe and legal whilst retaining the patina innit?

[plasticvandan]

My tester moaned to me as he was testing my Mz that the test now is more environmental,rather than safety,he said he's meant to fail on oil leaks,but if that were the case every two stroke with a dribbling silencer would fail.

[BorniteIdentity]

‘Man from the Ministry’ time for the PaedoBus.

 

 

I’ve done precisely nothing about any of last years advisories, other than remove two child seats.

 

It’s 50/50 tbh!

[BorniteIdentity]

Incredible! Clean Sweep!!

 

#SelfHealingCar

 

[Felly Magic]

Phew, I bet that was a huge sigh of relief 

[BorniteIdentity]

Phew, I bet that was a huge sigh of relief

Genuinely, yes. Not only is the ‘Dingle Bus’ the only thing all of us fit in, but it’s also the only tow vehicle on fleet - and I’m currently renovating the house.

 

I would like to get a towbar for the Sierra at some stage too though!

[BorniteIdentity]

10 days ago I took the Sierra for an MOT. It (unfairly) failed on an oil leak (it didn’t disgrace itself during the test, just signs of a leak on the engine.) It also failed because the stop lamp was too white (cured with a red bulb) and the emissions of Carbon Monoxide was too high.

 

Being an arty media type, it knocked the wind properly out of my sails and so I shoved it in the garage - slammed the door and left it to think about what it had done.

 

Buoyed by a clean pass on the Van, I decided to attempt again with a more... errr... understanding tester elsewhere. Alf892 and I did the plugs filters and wound the mixture right back on the carb until it was barely running, and I sent it in this morning for a fresh test.

 

Fail.

 

The VV carb is simply fucked. Fair enough, 34 years 11 months and 2 weeks is a good innings. However the clutch has also started to slip a bit and this oil leak means the car stinks of 10w40 almost constantly.

 

I’m going to think about it for the rest of the week, but I can’t afford to keep chucking money at it. I’m not a skilled mechanic like so many, and I’ve not the time or inclination to become one. At the moment there are three options I can see; all have their merits.

 

1. Wave goodbye to the Sierra. It’s been here two years and I’ve made some memories in it that will last forever.

 

2. Stick it in the garage, revisit at some stage in the future. Old Fords are better than money in the bank innit.

 

3. Stick it in the garage for 5 years. Drive out on its 40th birthday and forget anything happened.

 

Dunno.

 

It’s not the car’s fault - it’s mine. Having no ability, no time and little money.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Give yourself a shake man. There's no way you are getting rid of the BASE! wash your mouth out at once.

[sierraman]

The Sierra is a very simple machine, get your tools out and have a go. The clutch won't be dear like on a Mondeo for one of those, ideally done on a ramp should be a few hours labour then its good for another 50k or so. Oil leak could be easily remedied depending on where it is.

 

Swapping the carb shouldn't be a massive ball ache though will want setting up properly otherwise you'll be in no better position.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

You'll regret selling it. If you have space in the garage I would shut it away until next summer.

 

It won't lose value sat there like most cars do, and shouldn't deteriorate much if kept indoors.

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

[sierraman]

The leak could well be the rocker gasket, I had a sierra years ago that did that. New cork gasket and a pleasurable half hour fitting it with some blue hylomar. Easy job.

[Captain Furious]

Getting the gearbox in and out of a Sierra is an absolute doddle compared to say, a Mk3 Mondeo - which is an absolute colin hunt. 

 

If the oil leak is the rear crankshaft oil seal then its probably the cause of the clutch slipping and you can kill two birds with one stone.  If it isn't, do it while the box is out anyway.  The worst case is probably the sump gasket, which is a nasty, but not necessarily difficult job. 

 

The emissions are annoying because most home mechanics don't have the equipment to check that its right before presenting it for retest.  Usually setting it back to the baseline settings would be sufficient to pass an MOT unless you have worn needles\jets.  Paying for a 'tune up' shouldn't be too financially disastrous though.

 

Overall, they're a pretty favourable set of problems to have, much more easily tackled than a load of welding and bodywork.

[Split_Pin]

Agree with the above re crankshaft seal as I recall the clutch recently being replaced.

 

Definitely dont get rid though. Putting it away and fettling it over the winter worked for me when I got hacked off with my cars.

 

All easier said than done though, regularly been there this year with my cars, but having said that Ive still got them all!

[captain_70s]

Being a Sierra is there not some other "bolt on" carb which has a chance of being less shit?

[sierraman]

Could stave off the crank end seal with a can of Wynn's Stop Leak, always worked for me. But it inevitably comes back 6mths later, buys you a bit of time.

 

Webber might do a carb straight swap as a kit. Failing that you could spend an evening overhauling the VV with an overhaul kit.

[BorniteIdentity]

Being a Sierra is there not some other "bolt on" carb which has a chance of being less shit?

A Weber. £200 plus probable requirement for a manifold. And a tune up. Plus it’s not original to the car, which I was romantically hoping to maintain.

[oldcars]

Garage and 5 years your a winner. That would be what i would do. I feel for you, i'm shit at mechanical stuff (not saying you are) and the money i have spent on stuff is eye watering. Don't get rid, from memory your son loves it too.

[adw1977]

I'm confused. I thought the Sierra was owned by a consortium of five shiters?

[somewhatfoolish]

Unless there's a mythical cupboard in a ford fondler's stockroom with a stack of VV carbs still in waxed paper waiting for you to beat down the door clutching the worn and stained original, a Weber is not in any way a failure and barely qualifies as a non-original modification; people have been swearing about shit VV carbs more or less since Ford started fitting them, throwing money at Weber, Nikki and other less reputable alternatives in despair of ever obtaining a mixture approaching stoichiometricity.

[BorniteIdentity]

I'm confused. I thought the Sierra was owned by a consortium of five shiters?

No need for confusion. The Sierra was bought by 5, 3 still have a financial interest (of which has one has no interest at all) and I’m 1 of the remaining 2. The agreement is that should the car be sold, any overage would reimburse and be shared.

 

I’ve not added up my ‘investment’ over the last 18 months, but it’ll be in the order of about £1000 when you add up doors, bodywork, steering rack, wheels, tyres, MOTs etc blah.

 

Obviously it’s confidential what everyone paid in initially (it varied greatly) but the accounts are all here.

[SiC]

If you want original, why not get the Weber and keep the VV if you or anyone else in the future wants to go back original. Like in 5 years time when MOT exempt.

[Honey Badger]

I think you are overreacting a tad here Bornite, close the door on the garage, sort the house out and come back to it when you have less on your plate.

 

You have sold a few cars then regretted it soon after, just let it sit for a while and return to it at a less stressful time, this will cost nothing but time.

 

Regarding the Weber conversion, it's almost a rite of passage to bin off the VV and fit something better and having the car usable is much better than keeping it as standard.

[somewhatfoolish]

Cross your legs, fingers and any other available limbs; an actual recon FoMoCo VV carb in a box, complete with label and the patina of 25 years sat in a slightly damp shed.

[sierraman]

That will be for the 2.0 Pinto???

[somewhatfoolish]

Wasn't the P100 engine a low-comp unit for pulling heavy things and burning old socks, therefore possibly the same carb as a 1.6 bASe? I may be clutching at straws, but that's what the listing implies.

[Felly Magic]

What about that breaker at Red Lodge? Surely he will have carbs for £not a lot. I sacked off the horrid VV carb on my mk2 Fiesta 957 for a Weber, and it did improve it a lot, I know it's not original, but for the sake of your sanity it is the correct thing to do

[sierraman]

Wasn't the P100 engine a low-comp unit for pulling heavy things and burning old socks, therefore possibly the same carb as a 1.6 bASe? I may be clutching at straws, but that's what the listing implies.

I don't know but some of the 2.0 fitted in Granada's and Transits had a different one to the Sierra. Try somebody like Sheffield CortinaCentre, if somebody would have a idea what to do it would be him.