PicantoJon

With a fully charged battery I was able to do some tinkering last night.
the parasitic draw is 30 milliamps which I think is reasonable? I tried all sorts of scenarios (doors locked, doors ajar, rear central locking unit in/out, main locking switch in locked/unlocked position) and it always sat at 30 milliamps.
I then gave up, refitted the battery leads and went to investigate how the liftgate central locking unit works. It looks like I was wrong, it's not a magnet in there - you can hear gears turning if you move the pin backwards and forwards. I've unplugged it for now and I will drill the rivet out and investigate what its guts look like, as it's obviously fucked currently so it's not like I can make it worse. Probably.
My thoughts then moved to interior lighting, for which I would need my power probe... Could I find it? Could I fuck. I spent about 30 minutes looking for it, at which point I decided it would be better* to just order another one rather than spend more time looking. Multimeter it is then.
I checked the offside door switches and they are all ok, couldn't check the nearside as the Lexus was blocking the door. I forgot to check the tailgate, which having been disturbed a lot recently is probably a worthwhile place to start looking.
Seeing as I wasn't going to get anywhere fast with just the multimeter, I decided to start on another pressing job - the info screen in the roof storage console.

I can't see that it tells you much of use, but I'd like it to work for reasons.
Like all roof mounted things in old vehicles, it looks like water is the enemy.

The roof panel above makes incredible amounts of condensation. Come the apocalypse and the water mains turning off (unless you have a green godess; available from a shiter near you) then I'll be alright, the Pontiac will provide. This is a nuisance currently though, as it's dripping onto the circuit board.

It's starting to look like my ballbag, wrinkly and green. I'm not sure if this is alright?
This definitely isn't alright:


3 capacitors have shit their pants. I'm fairly sure the magic juice they contain is bad for circuit boards? I'll have a bash at replacing them though, they're all 100uf which I think is a fairly standard component.

Some corrosion as well, but if it's better than the Land Rover and we all know how well* that came back up.
Not pictured: I did break a couple of bits of brittle plastic. Luckily they are hidden, and they also responded well to a dab of super glue. I didn't even stick the broken bits to my hands, which shows that my skills are definitely improving.
For now I'm going to fit the console back in the roof, and get on with enjoying driving it.

Surely the correct solution to this issue is to purchase another car, which you will tell yourself will be the reliable car that just works while you fix everything else.
... which quickly becomes another project car, as it "just needs ..."
 

Here's one from this morning! May it waft for many more years to come.

As you would assume. Completely mental. It’s a car designed for larger families and it kept up with an S3… THE FUCK?? As much as I enjoy the whole concept of having that much power in a 7 seater, whoever pitched the idea initially hopefully has since been sectioned. 

Fuck sake lads. Excrement work!
The worst 5 series, and an understeery missile*
Cap doffed!

Maybe not a good time to say that I saw one of those on fire on the A5 last Monday...

I'm sort of awake.
PC 1
Breakfast 

Time to hit the road to Bristol.
Flying solo on this trip, and breaking out the Big Boy trailer! 

Oh, just went to post on this thread and see I was having issues with the starter three years ago, it's not a new thing.
It did it last week too. Could've just looked on here to know whats wrong. 😂
Anyhow, as mentioned on the news 24 thread, I decided to sort out a bit of rust today. This required me removing the o/s wing. 
In order to get to one of the bolts, I needed to remove the bumper. 
Unfortunately, once I had got the bumper off I found this. 

Taken quite a whack that. 
Its not actually attached on the o/s mounting, it had completely rotted through. The bolt was still attached to the car when I took it off. 

Once I got the wing off I was greeted by this:

It ain't meant to be see through. 
Left a bit if a mess on the floor. 

All in all though, its not bad. There are a few bits that have gone rusty where the rust protection has cracked but on the whole its not bad. Imagine all of it would be rotten if it wasn't for someones hard work covering it in this sticky shit. 

Bit here at the end of the sill will need doing too. 

So on this side, its just the bit next to the light, the sill end, bit on top of the inner wing behind the light and a couple of bits at the bottom of the inner wheel arch. 
Could be worse. 
Lobbed some rust inhibitor and painted it later on once I'd dug around and prodded everywhere. 

Currently sat like this waiting for me to fire up my welder. 

Front crossmember is rusty but salvageable, will just give that a sand and a lick of paint. 
Weather looks gash tomorrow, so I'm probably gonna go for a bike ride round Gisburn forest instead of this but if we get a good run of weather, I'll hopefully be able to crack on with this fairly quickly. 
ImpJr is expecting it as his first car in 9 years time, so I'd best get on with it. 

Open wide and say WOOLLARD
 

I think we can upgrade the risk of stroke to at least triple, maybe quadruple if each tab is washed down with a can o' spam.
Chodspeed.

So this is my daily now, after the Fabia's choice to eject some coil spring the other day there.
Quite enjoying driving it still, seeing anything between 30 and 38mpg depending on usage, which isn't bad going at all. Managed to get just shy of 42mpg out of it on a decent run too. It's a very willing car, and just keeps going.
I've got all the servicing kit here, I'm just waiting for a dry day (a bit of an ask in Scotland in July, never mind November) so I can get servicing it, since I'm outdoors (sans garage) and a bit of a fair-weather shiter, in many senses.
Oh, also, I got a new phone, which means better camera. Always a bonus. So what's a man to do? Take it to somewhere rough looking and get photies. More photos can be found on my Flickr, in this album.
 
 
 
 
Above, some may notice a change in head unit. Which, if you know me, is nothing new. However, this is due to the sudden and unfortunate death of the original Car 400 unit (it requires belts and motivation to change said belts - I have neither). I've kept it, and will put it back in for shows and suchlike, but yon Alpine will do the job nicely for now. My Dad had a similar one in his Celica back in the day, which is nice.
Below, is a period sticker I got from a chap on eBay, along with a few others, which I've yet to fit. I'll get around to it eventually. In the meantime this'll do.
So yeah, still well pleased with this. It just does the "an car" things really well. I also now have a deadline to fix the Skoda, as it'll be required for the dreaded OMGWEEGIELEZ next month (and the Vectra is going to get the rust patch dealt with properly), but at least I have a car in the meantime. Just washing it regularly now, and it's been well sealed, which should help keep as much of the Scottish Vehicular Plague at bay as humanly possible... hopefully. 🤞

I had far too much fun with the button on mine the other day.


 
No button to raise unfortunately. Probably fortunately for my passengers as I'd be irritating the heck out of them with it otherwise. 

Until you found it didn't work, so you had to 'enjoy the silence' 🤨😃

GOOD NEWS
🤣
 
Hi Darren,
I have some fantastic news for you!
(while we have a skip on site) Your car has been selected for the Land Rover VIP RENEWAL Express Programme!
I can see we have you booked in with our Service Department on: Monday 7th August.
Whilst your car is here with us, I would be delighted to get a part exchange valuation and help find your next perfect Land Rover.
Due to the micro-chip shortage a lot of our customers are finding their vehicle valuations extremely attractive.
*We offer exceptional values on unique bespoke specifications*
This could make it the perfect time to change and take advantage of the current market.
 
 
If you change/order with us here at SYTNER Land Rover this month, you will receive:
 
 
 
Access to Exclusive VIP Express Reserved New & Approved Stock/Allocations An Exclusive invitation to a complimentary half-day Land Rover Experience A Model Specific VIP Express Recognition Gift

When someone on the forum has fulfilled a long time wish by buying an old Fiat with no MOT or any discernable service history, you know its alive and well!

Yep, we are on a fully laden single decker from which very little of the countryside can be seen.
Highlights so far include the man wearing a dust mask  and the older lady loudly dropping the f-bomb because it isn't a double decker.

What was the next move though, thats what we all want to know, edge of our chair and all that, better then soap operas these sort of long drawn out autoshite tension moments

How not to break down:
While away for a week with my housemate and both of her dogs (in a very nice Air B&B, as hosted by @mat_the_cat) the merc decided it was going to start playing silly buggers.
Having started to run the OM606 on Veg (as was always my intention) it started to gain some rather irritating leaks in the fuel system.  For anyone who has run Veg in an older car, this is quite common.  Veg is quite a good fuel system cleaner, and will clear years of built-up crap.  Unfortunately, it also will highlight any weaknesses in the tightness of the system, and old O-Rings that have gone square and hard will suddenly start to leak like a sieve.
On an OM606, the lift pump and injection pump are both higher than the fuel tank, meaning any leaky O-ring, even if it's on the pressure side of the lift pump, will let air back in when the engine is off, allowing fuel to drain back to the tank.  This is even worse on an S210 (rather than a W210) as the fuel tank on the estate is under the floor, rather than the saloon where it's vertical behind the rear seats, so there is more height to promote drainback, and you can never fill the tank high enough to prevent it.
... which is exactly what was happening.  So, the fix is to park facing downhill.  If you do so, the problem can be reduced or even completely eliminated.  So I was doing so.  At least most of the time.  When you can't do so, the car was taking quite a bit of cranking to start, bringing the battery down quite a bit.  It tended to recharge ok though, but it was noticeable that voltages were all a bit lower than normal.
Then on Thursday a bit of an oddity:  While driving, the charge warning came on, and the voltage dropped away to off-charge.  Curious.  1 minute later, it's back on charge again.  Ooookaaaayyyy.  Not ideal, but being 250+ miles from home, not a lot I can do about it.  It then did it again that evening.  Oh well, we're off home tomorrow, I'll worry about it when we get back.
Start the journey back, and sure enough within no time at all, it's off-charge.  Then back on charge.  Then off.  For the first 50 miles or so, the car was on charge about half the time.  It is of course raining and dark, so it's essential to have wiper, lights and interior fan on, all of which together, including the current needed for the ECUs and other permanent circuits means when it goes off charge, the voltage absolutely plummets.  It doesn't help that the battery has been working quite hard recently, and is by no means in it's first flush of youth.  Within minutes the voltage is down to below 12V, and it got perilously close to 11V at times.
Going round Shrewsbury, the voltage gets to 10.8v  Not good at all.  I know the engine starts to splutter at about 10.5v., so it's time to pull in.  Various twatting of the alternator in the hope that it's worn out brushes and I can get a bit more out of them prove absolutely fruitless.  Tried a massive engine rev, and sure enough it comes back on charge.  Great, get going again.. we've still 200 miles to go.
Predictably, within a few miles, it's off charge again and the voltage is dropping like a stone.  Even with wiper off, lights on sidelamps and fan on minimum, we're losing volts fast enough that I have maybe 10-20 miles to make a decision.
It then starts absolutely chucking it down.. Wiper needs to be on full speed, headlamps are essential, and we're beginning to fog up.  This is becoming unsafe.  Also, if I break down on the side of the road, we've got a real problem.  So, the decision is taken to stop at the next services so that we're somewhere off the main road and safe.  Telford services is next junction.. we're going there.  No amount of revving the engine is putting it back on charge, and as we pull into the services, I'm down to 10.6v.  Not good.
So Ash (housemate) goes into the services to have a break, and I sit there 180 miles from home, knowing that my breakdown cover has expired, and wonder what the next move is...

My helper is dressed and ready, and even has appropriate trousers (spoiler alert, we haven’t bought ‘that’ fire engine. Or the other one.)

He’s already getting into the spirit of things and has upped the PC to 2. Teach them whilst they’re young.
My mrs is also properly excited about a new car coming home:

That’s us ready to go then.

It’s that time again.
Breakfast:

PC: 1 - the mild anxiety of a collection had the morning logs leave like they’d been fired out a rail gun.
Weather: shite
Spare battery: Charged
It’s all coming together.

So you may be hoping for a welding update on the Proton. I was too. But sadly I've been kicking the can on that one.
So have some clutch related updates instead.
Despite replacing and bleeding the slave cyclinder, the clutch biting point was still wank. It was right in the floor, and the pedal felt like it had a lot of travel before the hydraulic system worked. Engaging gears was an arse clenching experience. I bounced it off the owner's group and got a fantastic selection of exciting scenarios; fucked release bearings, shagged master cylinders, wrong slave cylinder, poor pedal adjustment.
Now why didn't I think of that?

The lock nut shows how much I had to adjust the rod by. I may dial it back in a tiny bit.
I can't photograph a biting clutch, so instead marvel at the three identically shaped pedals.

The biting point is where you'd expect it to be now, if not a little high. I think dialling the rod back a few mm will get it perfect, as I don't want the clutch to slip.
Either way, I'm glad it wasn't a huge job. It did require one of my least favourite activities though - going upside down into the footwell.
I'm running out of small jobs to do on this car, and will have to weld it up soon. Fuck.
*Edit:
I forgot to add this enormous job that was crossed off the list. Originally, the emblem on the steering wheel was taped on. I found this out when I removed the tape, as I wasn't sure why it was there.

After raiding the drawer of unloved fasteners, we had this:

Sorting the important jobs out as always.

Rownhams services achieved,  PC still zero for me, although there's one in the oven. Not wagging my tail yet.
@nev_jrutilising his Thundercats flask.
 

Fuck me, that's 7 of your 5 a day.  
Salt
Processed red meat  
Sugar (wait. It's zero sugar, so only 6 things bad for you) 
Caffeine 
Fat
Tar
Nicotine 
Chod speed.  May the gods of chod travel with you and you see your enemies defeated in your mirrors on the return leg. 
 

Used the most appropriate vehicle for the weather conditions on my commute this morning, obviously