Six Cylinders Motoring Notes - The BIG news of the day is I have driven my own Mini Mayfair for the first time!

[Nick57]

12 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

I think you need a Citroen CX Safari, 76.7 Cu ft!

Peugeot 505 Estate trumps it at 79.1cu ft i believe

[IronStar]

On 15/10/2024 at 22:29, adw1977 said:

65.3 cubic feet, apparently. 

67.8 for a Superb, so pretty close.  And the Superb is the largest load capacity estate on sale in the UK. 

TIL that Superb has bigger cargo capacity than absolutely cavernous BX Break. Wow. 🤯 

[ProgRocker]

Love the Carlton. My dad wanted one a post 1986 ones (so long as it was at least GL spec) but had to settle with a Rekord based one. The Omega based ones were commonly high mileage ex company car fodder. 

[ianbmw]

Good news @Six-cylinder, I’ve found my box of old radios! So the 1.8 GL could have a lovely period radio.

[Six-cylinder]

22 minutes ago, ianbmw said:

Good news @Six-cylinder, I’ve found my box of old radios! So the 1.8 GL could have a lovely period radio.

Philips DC751 was the upgrade for early Carltons, but I can't find the standard model number.

[High Jetter]

That Radiomobile one brings back memories? 

[ianbmw]

8 hours ago, High Jetter said:

That Radiomobile one brings back memories? 

Yours if you want it! Just pay postage

[Six-cylinder]

Back to the Mini yesterday to dispel some of the electrical gremlins.

Yes, indicators work, wipers work. Hazards don't. I have been told I need a new fuse box and Hazard flasher unit. We never got round to the headlights that have stopped working.

[Six-cylinder]

The ZX came home yesterday  so it can go off for MOT. 

The battery was so flat it would not start from the jump pack and  @Talbot had to pump electricity in it from his Mercedes.

[High Jetter]

5 hours ago, ianbmw said:

Yours if you want it! Just pay postage

Very kind of you but I have nowhere to put it.

[Surface Rust]

5 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Back to the Mini yesterday to dispel some of the electrical gremlins.

Yes, indicators work, wipers work. Hazards don't. I have been told I need a new fuse box and Hazard flasher unit. We never got round to the headlights that have stopped working.

Hazard switches on minis are pretty notorious for failing, they usually respond to a clean of the contacts, just in case it's as simple as that!

Likewise the headlight switch. Used to be routine servicing when I daily drove old minis.

[richardmorris]

6 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Back to the Mini yesterday to dispel some of the electrical gremlins.

Yes, indicators work, wipers work. Hazards don't. I have been told I need a new fuse box and Hazard flasher unit. We never got round to the headlights that have stopped working.

Lucas, Prince of darkness!

 

• Recommended procedure before taking on a repair of Lucas equipment: Check the position of the stars,kill a chicken and walk three times clockwise around your car chanting:" Oh mighty Prince of Darkness protect your unworthy servant.."

https://www.mez.co.uk/lucas.html

[Six-cylinder]

22 hours ago, ianbmw said:

Good news @Six-cylinder, I’ve found my box of old radios! So the 1.8 GL could have a lovely period radio.

We have this one fitted to one of our cars.

[adw1977]

23 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Philips DC751 was the upgrade for early Carltons, but I can't find the standard model number.

DC752 was standard on L and GL, for some reason the higher number was more basic!

[Six-cylinder]

Today I collected our 200TE from service with a fresh MOT.

I had forgotten what a delight it is to drive. We have had it over 10 years now.

[hairnet]

mañana?

[Six-cylinder]

The big news of the day is it is alive!

 @juular & @MrsJuular have worked tirelessly today to get the Saab 95 we bought 3 years ago finally up and running. They completed a short test drive and returned unaided!

Still a few bits to finish up before it can be put into regular use but we are on the way.

[LightBulbFun]

4 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

The big news of the day is it is alive!

 @juular & @MrsJuular have worked tirelessly today to get the Saab 95 we bought 3 years ago finally up and running. They completed a short test drive and returned unaided!

Still a few bits to finish up before it can be put into regular use but we are on the way.

that is genuinely awesome to see! I am very pleased to see the Saab move under its own power! I know its been a fair bit more of a project then initially hoped/anticipated, so I am very pleased to see you all have managed to come out on top and get it running and driving  

I am looking forward to seeing the chippy run done with it  

[ianbmw]

Isn‘t it great to see these old cars just coming back to life.  They don’t need to be concourse or perfect, but just work and raise a smile.

 

There is a huge sense of satisfaction in being something back from the dead.

[brownnova]

Truly great news! These Saabs are awesome things! 

[juular]

Just for record keepings sake, this is what was done.

No spark was fixed with a new dizzy cap and rotor and a set of fresh plugs. It took us a while to get the right firing order (should have taken a picture last time!) resulting yet again in impressive flames leaping from the carb. It's not obvious and it's different from the workshop manual diagram. Once sorted it fired right up.

I tried to time the ignition but I couldn't find the TDC mark on the pulley. It runs nicely though and I think I set this last time I was there.

Stuck rear left brake was a case of bumping it back and forward on the starter till it stopped leaving divots in the ground.

Stuck clutch plate; I drove it back and forward a bit, trying to shock it free but there wasn't enough space to get some speed, hence resorting to this:

80mph whilst stationary! Located far enough from rev so that I didn't wipe that and the barn out if things went wrong..

That was enough to dump the clutch and brake at the same time resulting in a nice pop and a free clutch.

Electrics were mostly dead, but a wire brush and some cleaner into the fuse box got almost everything working again.

Unfortunately there's an odd problem with the headlights in that they sometimes work and sometimes don't. The main beam flasher relay seems to be the root cause of this.

Similar problem with the offside indicators which although are getting power it's low voltage and intermittent.

Also, we fitted the bonnet release mechanism, but embarrassingly it won't open the bonnet again. Sorry!

Still, it was lovely to bimble around the back lane in this with the very odd V4 soundtrack.

And yes, we got stuck in the field again..

[wuvvum]

2 hours ago, juular said:

Unfortunately there's an odd problem with the headlights in that they sometimes work and sometimes don't. The main beam flasher relay seems to be the root cause of this.

My Volvo 164 does this if it's been a while since the lights were used - usually it'll switch on main beam but if I try to dip the lights they go out altogether, sometimes it's the other way around and occasionally they won't work at all.  That's the relay at fault - normally if I cycle it enough times it'll come back to life.

[ianbmw]

I mean, given the Saab awesomeness……so feel an update on the nosiest starter motor in the world is a little dull! But here we go!

New fuel Pump relay lasted all of 8 miles before we conked out…..it’s never conked out, but it had failed to start…..so that’s a new one. Thankfully, it’s a Sunday morning and as a non church goer, I had time to sit in the lay-by I coasted into and go to work. U plugged the relay and it clicked and the fuel pump ran for a second…a little wiggling and a iffy connection obviously was the issue. Squirt of contact cleaner and a wiggle with a flat head on the + wire and we are back in business .

So I managed to go to tool station, breakdown, conduct repairs and get home before my family even woke up.

but once awake, as station commander, the troops had their jobs to do…..we needed to go to the tip, emptying the spare room in readiness for it to become a bathroom.

After that, the weekly shop and then onwards to the garden center to hire a rug doctor.

 

before returning to the village on the World Rally Stage roads of

Tasks for this week. Removed the starter and see if some oil, WD, grease or something will shut it up……it sounds horrible and lets the car down.

replace iffy rubber fuel hoses which were advised on the MOT

Then me and the wife will attempt to try and stick the headlining back up.

 

return to @Six-cylinder!

 

miles since MOT 241.

[hairnet]

chris you shoulda done this

[Six-cylinder]

1 hour ago, ianbmw said:

I mean, given the Saab awesomeness……so feel an update on the nosiest starter motor in the world is a little dull! But here we go!

New fuel Pump relay lasted all of 8 miles before we conked out…..it’s never conked out, but it had failed to start…..so that’s a new one. Thankfully, it’s a Sunday morning and as a non church goer, I had time to sit in the lay-by I coasted into and go to work. U plugged the relay and it clicked and the fuel pump ran for a second…a little wiggling and a iffy connection obviously was the issue. Squirt of contact cleaner and a wiggle with a flat head on the + wire and we are back in business .

So I managed to go to tool station, breakdown, conduct repairs and get home before my family even woke up.

but once awake, as station commander, the troops had their jobs to do…..we needed to go to the tip, emptying the spare room in readiness for it to become a bathroom.

After that, the weekly shop and then onwards to the garden center to hire a rug doctor.

 

before returning to the village on the World Rally Stage roads of

Tasks for this week. Removed the starter and see if some oil, WD, grease or something will shut it up……it sounds horrible and lets the car down.

replace iffy rubber fuel hoses which were advised on the MOT

Then me and the wife will attempt to try and stick the headlining back up.

 

return to @Six-cylinder!

 

miles since MOT 241.

Thank you.

I am still thinking you need to do another 241 miles Without a breakdown before I am comfortable with it.

[Six-cylinder]

2 hours ago, ianbmw said:

 

 

Did you frighten the Calton taking it to a rubbish bin!

[Yoss]

I do wonder how loud this starter motor actually is. As owner of a FWD Triumph with exposed starter ring and motor at the front of the engine bay it might sound completely normal to me. 

A few years back (in fact was 9 years ago, blimey) we had a gathering in a pedestrian precinct in Coventry as part of Coventry Motorfest. There were over 20 cars there. 

And at the end of the day all 20 odd started up within about a minute of each other to go and do a tour of the ring road together before going our separate ways. The sound of all those exposed starter motors ringing around a confined concrete arena will stay with me forever. 

We all gathered on the slip road whilst waiting to be released on to the ring road. They had been using it for other events all weekend as can be seen by the slalom barriers in the distance. . The whole city centre had been taken over by Coventry built cars

[hairnet]

cuvventroi..?

 

[ianbmw]

Oh it’s loud, it sounds like the bearings have been stolen from the titanic, so I’m hoping some cleaning and oil will bring it back to full health…..that said, it works!

[ianbmw]

1 hour ago, Six-cylinder said:

Thank you.

I am still thinking you need to do another 241 miles Without a breakdown before I am comfortable with it.

It may go to Worcester before it comes back……that’s over 200 miles in one hit!

It’s as exciting as watching paint dry to drive, you fear the Pizza delivery moped challenging you at the lights…..but it plods on with a sense of robustness and resilience to its task.

 

Glad it’s back and alive again, certainly deserved more than the field had to offer it.