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Jifflemon

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  1. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to Rust Collector in I'll get round to it at some point - Everything is Broken: the sequel   
    The family visit got pushed back slightly so I thought fuck it, it’s time to break something.
    Persistence with the welder has begun to pay off.


    That’s one out. One left to go.

    And let’s not think about how much heat I’ve put into a machined aluminium face that needs to seal watertight.
  2. Haha
    Jifflemon reacted to cobblers in Tools you've found at the roadside...   
    My uncle knobhead bought my nan a starter pistol back from France in about 1995,  I remember him showing her how it works and shooting in in the garden of her house.
    She kept it under her bed til about 2016, when she decided she wanted rid of it. So she put it in the car and went down to the police station in Rotherham, then drove in past several "NO ENTRY POLICE VEHICLES ONLY" signs into the inner compound bit, parked her fiesta outside the first door she saw and hopped out with the gun in a carrier bag and banged on the door telling them she had a gun.
    We found out about this a few days later when she was complaining to us that they had been very rude to her.
  3. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to Zelandeth in Zel's Motoring Adventures...Peugeot, Renault, Rover, Trabant, Invacar & A Sinclair C5 - 25/03 - Trabant back in action...   
    Tentatively calling this one resolved.
    Had a look earlier on today and there was definitely an eccentric on the cam, and it looked to be intact from what I could see.
    The arm on the pump looks to be fine.

    Bit of wear but nothing I'd expect to cause issues functionally.  No plastic end piece or anything on here on any of the new pumps I saw on sale so I don't think anything is missing.  I do wonder about a spacer on the block as it really would help with heat management, but looking at how the rigid fuel line lines up it doesn't look like there was ever one there.  Plus I can't see one in any of the diagrams I have.
    A bit of experimentation continued, and I discovered something.  The pump would expel fluid through the outlet with great enthusiasm - however what it wouldn't do was suck anything in through the intake.  Leaky valve...
    Said valves were changed when the pump was rebuilt - that was a pig of a job without a vice to hold the pump body in as removing the old ones eventually required quite a bit of violence.


    What did I eventually discover on closer inspection?
    A bit of bloody dog hair wedged in the suction side check valve.
    I blame my "helper" who was assisting me during the rebuild process.

    With said hair removed, the pump reassembled (again), and refitted (again) I'm glad to report that we had a proper flow of fuel at the outlet again.

    Everything was connected back up sans any bodgery from yesterday.

    and I went out for about half an hour of driving around in circles without any incidents.  Right up to the point where the car which had been running flawlessly cut out without any warning - halfway around a dual carriageway roundabout.
    Mercifully I was pointing downhill at the time so was able - amid much honking of horns, wound down windows, hurling of profanities and rude gestures at me - to slowly roll out of harm's way.
    And people ask why I want to move.  
    Positive wire to the coil has come off.  The connector was quite a loose fit so gave it a nip up with the pliers and it now stays in place properly.  I will probably replace all the connections to the coil in due course as a couple aren't pretty.
    The coil etc needs some attention anyway.  Now I know I've got the Pertronix Ignitor setup in the distributor, that changes a couple of things.  For a start it's designed for a coil with a 1.5 ohm primary resistance (which this isn't), and shouldn't be run via a ballast circuit (which this is).  So I'll need to look at sourcing an appropriate coil and removing the ballast from the circuit.  That may well go a good ways to explaining why the spark isn't quite as lively as I'd expect from a system like this.  I also need to gap the pickup properly as it's currently far too close to the magnet.  Just realised I'd meant to do that this afternoon but managed to forget.
    Despite that minor hiccup, the car seems to be running fairly well again.  I've tweaked the kickdown cable a bit again so it now will actually drop into 3rd when just bumbling around on idle in residential areas rather than being totally absent until over 40, but still changes at sensible seeming points when actually under load.
    Getting there.  
    Given the time of year, next up on "broken stuff I really need to sort" is likely to be the heater blower, as being able to demist the windscreen on demand would be nice.  Hopefully that's not just a solid block of rust.
    Also hopefully I don't need to dismantle the entire car to get to it...
  4. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to Zelandeth in Zel's Motoring Adventures...Peugeot, Renault, Rover, Trabant, Invacar & A Sinclair C5 - 25/03 - Trabant back in action...   
    For the cleaner the answer I'd always go for is "the biggest one you can afford." I think this one was two litre - but I really wish I'd gone at least one size up.  Though it still does the job thanks to the brilliant tip I was given to cut the top off a 5 litre bottle, stick that in the cleaner and fill the bottle with your cleaning solution.  Just then add enough water to the thing to fill the gap.
    Works like a charm, and makes emptying/cleaning it way easier too.
  5. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to 808 Estate in On a Mission - Hilux Surf - Oh no, someones stolen all the electricity!   
    Took the beast camping in the Lake District with some friends.
    The camp



    Tarn Hows

    Sensible Advice

    Walking The Hill Behind The Camp

    View From Wrynose Pass


    Cairn At Hardknott Pass

    The Beast At Hardknott Pass

    The Road Back Down

    The Steam Launch


    Passenger Lounge

    Some brave soul taking a vintage MG over Hardknott Pass.

    We crossed Wrynose & Hardknott Passes in both directions. By the time we got to the bottom of Wrynose the second time, the brakes were smelling smoky and had the consistancy of a large marshmallow, despite being in low gear. Admittedly, we were 4 up with 2 dogs on board.
    During the week there, the Toyota averaged 22 mpg. We were driving almost always on small backroads and did a couple of minor offroad tracks. On the motorway there and back, I averaged 31.9 mpg.
  6. Like
  7. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to Dyslexic Viking in 1963 Mercedes Benz 190DC Fintail. New charging system.   
    Yes, it is entirely possible that I still have charging problems. And I had thought a bit about a grounding cable but forgot about it.
    But it looks like the battery is being charged now. 
    But I will leave it for a short while as I plan to replace the alternator with a new universal one and have found one that I think will fit. The reason for changing the alternator is that the one that is there is unknown and the wiring situation is a mess and the tensioner is  homemade and bodged and looks bad.
    So with a new alternator, I can clean up the wires, get a new tensioner and have a new alternator which should work properly, look good and be reliable. 
  8. Like
    Jifflemon got a reaction from Dyslexic Viking in 1963 Mercedes Benz 190DC Fintail. New charging system.   
    Couple of things..... I think you may still have problems. Anything lower than 13.5v isn't really charging. In fact, I bet if you checked the voltage directly at the alternator with those loads on, you'd see something like 14.2v.

    The fact that the alternator was rubber mounted would mean you're going to need an earth strap between it and the engine/Body. Secondly, if you've got some more of that cable, add a second positive line - If it can carry more current, it'll easily carry less. 
  9. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to Andyrew in Battery quality?   
    Pretty much, 
    From what im seeing in the motor parts flogging trade m8, is now the name is irrelevant to be honest, trusted names now stuck on cheaper brands product etc etc.  The money you pay just seems to reflect what colour box you get the part in. 
    I know for sure that some Large battery brands if they cant keep up with one particular size or model of battery they just buy them from another producer and label it up as theirs, so depending on who it was outsourced to that month depends on the quality of battery you actually get. Pot luck really.
  10. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to bunglebus in Lemon Lupo - cracking up   
    It's not a bodge if it works. 2nd sheet of perspex cut for the inside, some window draught excluder stuff and some bolts (just off to get two more).

    At least she can drive it again now

  11. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to inconsistant in Audi A2   
    A bit of progress with the A2...

    I had a go at soldering in a bit of temporarily ABS wiring in the drivers wheel arch to see if it was the chaffed wiring that was the problem.


    ABS light still on. Our ever helpful neighbour has a fault code reader so he plugged it in to have a look at what was up. Lots of codes showing so reset and had a look at what came back. Code for mechanical failure of the drivers side ABS Sensor showing so that will need replacing to hopefully put that light out and get it MOTed. Other fault codes related to the EGR stuff so not sure whether the EML is on because of the Oil Level Sensor or whether it's something EGR related.


    I had a go at the paint on the spoiler. Rather than doing what you're supposed to and check the results of the paint stripper on a tiny bit that is out of sight I merrily slathered the stuff all over, waited, repeated, waited and hosed off.
    I mean, I couldn’t make it look any worse could I?

    Oh, yes it appears I could.


    Going to leave it as it is for the moment while I either work out a plan for refinishing the spoiler or I find a cheap replacement tailgate the same colour to maybe do a swap (the spoiler is bonded onto the tailgate).
    Someone on the A2oc site noticed from one of my pics I had the wrong jack.


    Correct jack now bought, the old Lupo/Polo/Arouser one available for cost of postage if anyone wants it. 

    Managed to empty my first tank of fuel, and according to my calculations it’s managed 33mpg, which has been mostly local driving and a couple of train strike day commutes into London, including my first visit to the multi story car park in Penge. What a place. Very relieved to be in a small manouverable car!

    Last week it went to the mechanic for new ABS and oil level sensor, and a general check over. He cleaned out the EGR flaps and pipes and stuff I don't understand. Came back with no warning lights on and he'd even put it through its MOT which was due next week, so it's got a fresh MOT! Hurrah!

    I can now spend some time and effort fixing some of the other low level niggles. Looks like it’s a keeper and will remain in the fleet for the time being, so I thought I'd introduce it to the 924, both cars were built in the same ex-NSU Neckarsulm factory 21 years apart!



  12. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to Zelandeth in Zel's Motoring Adventures...Peugeot, Renault, Rover, Trabant, Invacar & A Sinclair C5 - 25/03 - Trabant back in action...   
    Yeah, our lot take great pleasure in finding any possible way to be awkward.  Including refusing me entry first time I turned up there with it, refusing to open the barrier.
    There is no turning area on the outside of the barrier.  I had to make a whole load of people behind me in the queue back up so I could do a 39 point turn to leave.
    Still pre-booked entry only - in 15 minute slots.  May the gods have mercy on your soul if you're not out of there by the time your slot is over.  Despite making you pick every single bit of card they deem to be paper rather than cardboard out of what you had put in the cardboard bin having wasted about 13 of those 15 minutes.
    Then the council seems baffled as to why our area has an utterly massive fly tipping problem...
  13. Haha
    Jifflemon reacted to cobblers in 'just bloody scrap it' - the eBay 'fuck me, what were they thinking' thread   
    Fuck my arse, can you imagine what "major" repairs look like to this lad?
     


    Money well spent!, maybe you could "press" them over the massive gaping holes where there should be metal all over the fucking bodyshell
     
  14. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to Twiggy in Motoring news from well known motoring publication   
    If the government is serious about saving the motorist money, then the simplest way of doing it would be to reduce the level of duty on fuel.
  15. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to Zelandeth in Zel's Motoring Adventures...Peugeot, Renault, Rover, Trabant, Invacar & A Sinclair C5 - 25/03 - Trabant back in action...   
    A substantial looking box arrived this afternoon.

    Which somewhat usually in my experience for a box from a car dismantler turned out to contain a couple of items that were exceptionally well packed.

    After nearly an entire recycling bag of unwrapping later the contents were revealed.

    The steering rack was a bit of a shot in the dark as they were listed specifically as LHD - though visually I couldn't see any obvious differences - and at €35 I was willing to take a gamble.
    The tail light on the car had a pretty substantial crack in the top so obviously needed replacement.

    What I hadn't realised was quite how knackered it was!
    Yeah, that had seen better days.  New one looks far better.

    There is a tiny chip out of the one corner but it's not massively obvious once on the car and is definitely a huge step forward compared to what was on there.

    It wasn't in the photo the seller listed though, so I'll give them the opportunity to replace it if they wish.  I'm not particularly worried either way.  This is far better!

    Next task... steering column.
    The one this car came with had been damaged by a previous (as far as I can tell eventually unsuccessful) attempt to steal the car.  The take away message from that seems to be that Renault steering locks are formidable adversaries if you don't have the keys.
    I meant to take more photos, but the process is basically:
    [] Remove steering column top and bottom cowl (two screws - one in my case as the offside one wouldn't go in because the ignition barrel was the best part of an inch too far forward).
    [] Remove lower dash cover.  Two screws in the top edge then it unclips downwards.
    [] Unplug and remove the indicator and wiper stalks, two screws on the underside of each.
    [] Remove the ignition barrel.  There's a position between the accessory and ignition positions marked by an arrow at which the retaining pins can be pushed in allowing it to just be drawn out of the housing.  

    If you're smart (unlike me) you realise that the wiring connector is actually a few inches down the wire and don't waste ten minutes trying to work out how to separate it from the barrel for no reason.  It's these two beefy looking connectors down here.

    Renault even have helpfully staggered them in such a way that they don't try to bind up on each other during feeding through the housing.
    With the ignition barrel out precisely how much of a go at taking it out someone had had before.  What a mess.

    [] The sensible next step (I missed this initially) would be to undo and remove the pinch bolt holding the upper and lower column together.  Note the body of the bolt also acts as a safety device locking the two together as well as the tension - so it does need to be totally removed.
    I forgot about this step so wound up having to do it while the whole lot was hanging off the car.  Oops.

    This also shows you a glimpse of the violence this column has been subject to.
    Note the bracket that the rear column mounting bolts (well...they're studs that nuts attach to actually).  This should be LEVEL and FLAT.

    Yeah.  Though given that they had managed to bend the actual STEERING SHAFT ITSELF that doesn't really surprise me.  This is relatively thin sheet metal, and likely is designed to deform in the case of an impact.
    [] Once that pinch bolt is out, then the four 13mm nuts holding the column on can be removed.  At which point the whole assembly should just drop out.  There was one little plastic clip guiding a cable over the top of the column, but that was the only other thing I found that needed to come off.
    [] I actually chose to leave the steering wheel attached to the column as it gave me something to get hold of to manhandle the assembly by.  It's quite awkward to hold onto otherwise.  
    Though it would normally be important to crack the steering wheel to shaft join before removing it from the car as it can be a bit of a struggle.  Except here it isn't!
    Renault have been really considerate here - in the block that secures it, they have provided two threaded holes into which you screw the mounting bolts to act as a puller.  I like that.

    What I didn't like was that I then utterly failed to get that bloody circlip off.  A set of circlip pliers is something I lacked, and I couldn't get by this time.  I decided to just come back to that later - putting the wheel back on could be left to literally the very last step without causing any problems.
    So, column off, let's take a look at things.
    New next to old.  Aside from some slightly more flexible looking mounting holes (the donor is off an earlier car), they look to be identical.

    This is good, as the replacement was specifically listed as for LHD cars (I've not seen a RHD one listed since I got the car).  
    While the sheet metal I'd seen bent in the car wasn't massively substantial (and I was able to more or less bend it back into shape with my much abused Saab toolkit pliers), the column itself is quite beefy.  Nevertheless, it's taken a heck of a beating.  

    Looking up the column from the base makes the scale of the damage really obvious.

    The top of that column should be level.
    Yeah, there's only one place for this, and that's the scrap bin.

    The metalwork under the dash has been more or less bent back into shape.  It's never going to be perfect, but it's a lot better than it was.

    To to more with that would require at least the instrument panel to come out.
    Reassembly is as the Haynes manual loves to say, reverse of disassembly. 
    Only thing I'll say though is to reattach the lower column pinch bolt before anything else.  As you need to get things lined up right, laterally and obviously you can't really move things once the column is bolted in.
    With everything bolted/screwed back together this was the result.

    First thing that's obvious is that the ignition barrel is actually in the cutout in the cowl, whereas it used to be displaced about an inch forward and down.
    It is still clocked very slightly anticlockwise, but only a tiny bit.

    "Before" photo for reference.

    Now it should have been a simple matter to swap the wheel over, I just needed to grab a set of circlip pliers.  As I was passing by Halfords while running other errands in the afternoon I thought I'd grab some there.  This turned out to be a mistake...the only ones they had were cheap and nasty in the extreme.  I wasn't exactly filled with confidence by the packaging!

    Yes, that is a Halfords tag stapled to a nameless OEM card package...and the tool in it broke the first time I tried to use it.  So my steering wheel is still in the boot, which is frustrating!
    Hopefully get this finished off tomorrow afternoon though.  Will be nice to have a steering wheel which actually rotates around the centre and doesn't press itself into my left knee at one point in each rotation.  I'm also no longer slightly worried that the wheel is about to snap off in my hands due to the trauma the steering shaft has been subject to.
  16. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to Robin in My MK1 espace problem.   
    Been a while! The funny red and silver car has passed an MOT with minimal fuss and is due to be rehomed very soon. 
    I have two more on the hit list that I am organising to view, which no joke are almost 800 miles apart. That'll be a very busy day for my maroon espace running me about. 
    In the meantime, number plate acquired. What a pillock. 

    Deciding which car to put it on but if my 800 mile day proves fruitful then this one might have to wait a while... 
  17. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to bobdisk in Zel's Motoring Adventures...Peugeot, Renault, Rover, Trabant, Invacar & A Sinclair C5 - 25/03 - Trabant back in action...   
    I use a bit of the outer insulation of a 3A 3 core cable to remove the bulb.  It usually fits over the bulb and inside the switch. Pull the bulb out, put the new one in the insulation, then insert into the switch,  and gently wiggle it off the bulb. 
  18. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to Noel Tidybeard in Transit Jumbo Camper capers…SOLD M8   
    ...unless of course you paint the indented area black to match the window
  19. Haha
    Jifflemon reacted to Junkman in My, how you've grown...   
  20. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to Zelandeth in Zel's Motoring Adventures...Peugeot, Renault, Rover, Trabant, Invacar & A Sinclair C5 - 25/03 - Trabant back in action...   
    Well the oven is still working so hopefully I have got to the bottom of the issue with it.
    I had really hoped to get quite a few things done today as our guests headed home in the early afternoon so I could quit the awkward socialising.
    Then the weather absolutely nose dived.
    I eventually gave in after about half an hour of trying to ignore the sleet.  
    Only thing I managed to achieve was replacing the bit of tape on the R25 airbox with some chemical metal.

    Will slap a bit of paint on it once the rest has been cleaned, will be less obvious then.  Also swapped the 10mm nut holding the lid on for a thumbscrew so I no longer need tools to open/close the air filter housing.
    There's a local classic car show on the morning of January 1st which I'm going to take the Renault along to.  I'd *really* like to have at least had the opportunity to have washed it before then...
  21. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to BorniteIdentity in The Autoshite holy grail is now one of us!   
    Unforgettable. 

  22. Haha
    Jifflemon reacted to meggersdog in eBay tat volume 3.   
    The car really drives well and goes extremely fast.

    A three speed autobox
    https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204110693155?hash=item2f85f20323:g:n6MAAOSw9OZisxwC
  23. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to richbraith in I bought a Vauxhall Carlton and called it Vanessa, naturally.   
    I've been having a love affair with the mk1 facelift (this bit is important) Vauxhall Carlton for a very, very long time. 

    Two of my dad's mates owned CD spec versions in the late 80s and early 90s and I fell for them, they were so wafty and comfortable.  One of them was my transport to see Tina Turner at Gateshead Stadium in July 1990...,my folks went on the bike so I was left as a 14 year old at the mercy of four 'big boys' and their Carlton, which probably endeared them to me forever.

    Anyway, a 2.0 CDi model with a slushbox came up on the 'bay, B plate like both the ones I remember were, in gorgeous Anthracite.  The funds were there and I almost broke my typing finger messaging the seller.   The price seemed almost too good to be true...less than 24 hours later I'd dragged my stepson down to just outside Mansfield and the thing really was as good as it looked, with a new, advisory free MoT.  I couldn't believe my luck.  Of course, it came home. 

    And yes, she's called Vanessa.  What else can you call a Carlton?






  24. Haha
    Jifflemon reacted to Asimo in Speedometers   
    Don’t understand the question.

  25. Like
    Jifflemon reacted to Lacquer Peel in Speedometers   
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