Six Cylinders Motoring Notes

[wuvvum]

A T plate S40 would have been a T4 rather than a T5. 

[/pedant]

[Wibble]

On 05/11/2023 at 17:05, Six-cylinder said:

Today was a yellow day, a drive out in the MG TF to Milton Keynes Classic breakfast gathering. A wide range of cars and dry weather made it a very pleasant trip. A good showing of Vauxhalls with 2x Cavalier MK3, 2x Calibra, Monaro and a MK1 Astra, plus an Opel Manta. The car I most wanted to drive home apart from mine was the MK1 Astra.

2nd pic, a Mk5 Cortina, 1982 1.6L in Caribbean blue! Oh, the memories of my first car:

[Six-cylinder]

27 minutes ago, Wibble said:

2nd pic, a Mk5 Cortina, 1982 1.6L in Caribbean blue! Oh, the memories of my first car:

The only Cortina I have owned was a 1968 MK2 1600 Super 2 door dressed up to look like a GT.

[hairnet]

8 hours ago, Wibble said:

In Caribbean blue!

Enya will be kicking your arse for copyright

[Six-cylinder]

Yesterday evening @Andyrew and I went to move his Allegro and my Sigma off the grass before it rained again at the FoD.

The Sigma started well and I added petrol as I knew it was very low, but it had a flat rear tyre. I decided to drive it flat and still get it off the grass because I have new tyres for it anyway.

The Allegro started without much bother but only ran for a short time and would not restart. Investigation showed the petrol pipe had been nibbled and was leaking. It seemed that they liked the braided hoses best as both had been eaten but not the plain rubber.

Round two to follow if it stops raining later.

[hairnet]

Sadly wasn't interesting 

[Six-cylinder]

Today was a one step forward, one step backwards day.

@Andyrew repaired the fuel pipe on his Allegro so it runs again and moved it to the yard. He closed his boot and one of the reversing light lens fell on the ground.

I then reversed the Sigma into a post, scratched the off side rear and broke the light lens. Somebody then stole the wheels off it! Not realy Andyrew kindly took the wheels off so he could take them away fit the new tyres I have for it. I now need a replacment offside outer tail lamp.

 

 

 

[hairnet]

7 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

 

@Andyrew

 

Stop doing a Mr Magoo

clumsy old fart

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/123724144748

[Six-cylinder]

Tonight with the help of @Andyrew the new lights and grill have been fitted. They all work now and I am very pleased with the way the grill looks.  A minor problem with corroded wires into terminals on the car meant we had to replace them. There was also a minor problem with two grill body mounts have enlarged holes due to rust.

Wheels have been refitted with replacement tyres Andyrew fitted, also new wheel centre caps and badges.

[hairnet]

paint the grille white?

or would that be too 90s??

[Six-cylinder]

8 hours ago, hairnet said:

paint the grille white?

or would that be too 90s??

Not to my taste.

[Six-cylinder]

Today was collection day for the Volvo 480ES, I known it is traditional to announce a new car the day you get it and I blurted it out a week ago. In my defence I was excited about having another 480 and I had paid for it, the V5C was transferred into my name on line and I had the keys even if it was still parked on the sellers drive.

I am grateful to @Prince_of_darkness91 for coming with me and driving it 67 miles home for me. What we discovered was the car runs very well on city streets, the M1 Motorway and in queuing traffic on the A5 all with no hiccups.  OK it has faults it a Volvo 480, electrical gremlins include central locking not working, dash computer does little and it is damp inside and mists up when parked. But all in all I am very pleased with my purchase.

What car do you take to collect your Volvo, another Volvo of course this time a V70 that Mrs6C has had since 2006.

I got you a petrol station first fill shot.

Yes the pop up headlights work perfectly.

[RichardK]

So much nostalgia, my white K-reg 2.0 auto was 18 months of post-breakup adventures and I always loved these, but I've held back on going this route again because the maintenance they usually need is rust related.

[Six-cylinder]

Bad today and Good today.

The 480 refused to start today, there is a click when you turn the key but that is it. I have put the jump pack on it and that made no difference.

I now have the use of @Andyrew black Astra again so it is going to be a very economical winter’s motoring as uses less fuel than my Seicento.

[hairnet]

youve upset it?

 

[Zelandeth]

2 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Bad today and Good today.

The 480 refused to start today, there is a click when you turn the key but that is it. I have put the jump pack on it and that made no difference.

I now have the use of @Andyrew black Astra again so it is going to be a very economical winter’s motoring as uses less fuel than my Seicento.

Sounds familiar.  Friend of mine had one and it used to semi-regularly require percussive maintenance in the starter motor department. The odds of it being needed usually seemingly being directly proportional to how wet and unpleasant it was outside.

[Six-cylinder]

5 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Sounds familiar.  Friend of mine had one and it used to semi-regularly require percussive maintenance in the starter motor department. The odds of it being needed usually seemingly being directly proportional to how wet and unpleasant it was outside.

It is the weather forecaster’s fault they said it would not rain until 3pm and then it rained at 10am!

[Six-cylinder]

I have been outside to try and start the 480 this evening as its dry now and only down to 9° C. I have cleaned the battery terminal and clamps. I also clonked the starter using a 2 foot heavy solid bar. I connected my HD jump pack and turning the key it clicks loudly and the lights dimmed significantly but the engine does not turn.

I guess the next stage is to find somebody to take the starter motor off.

[richardmorris]

2 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

It is the weather forecaster’s fault they said it would not rain until 3pm and then it rained at 10am!

Yes, forecasters today were way off. Light showers at 1 pm turned out to be horizontal heavy rain at 10am.

[richardmorris]

33 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

I have been outside to try and start the 480 this evening as its dry now and only down to 9° C. I have cleaned the battery terminal and clamps. I also clonked the starter using a 2 foot heavy solid bar. I connected my HD jump pack and turning the key it clicks loudly and the lights dimmed significantly but the engine does not turn.

I guess the next stage is to find somebody to take the starter motor off.

Clonk harder? Honestly I have no sympathy- you bought a car known far and wide for electricity gremlins, redeemed solely by pop-up headlamps. All cars are better with pop-up headlamps. Just give it a big smack. 
having said that, you mentioned it being damp inside. Perhaps that’s related?

[EyesWeldedShut]

15 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Clonk harder? Honestly I have no sympathy- you bought a car known far and wide for electricity gremlins, redeemed solely by pop-up headlamps. All cars are better with pop-up headlamps. Just give it a big smack. 
having said that, you mentioned it being damp inside. Perhaps that’s related?

See that wee screw off isolator in the photo? I have had one of those go bad in the past - just try taking that out of the equation (not sure if it matters with the JumpStart pack but maybe worth a try)

[richardmorris]

17 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

See that wee screw off isolator in the photo? I have had one of those go bad in the past - just try taking that out of the equation (not sure if it matters with the JumpStart pack but maybe worth a try)

Same here, I have it in a box if anyone wants it - it wasn’t a great idea I had. I got fed up of forgetting it was there and blowing the low amp fuse when it worked and annoyed about having to clean the contacts when it didn’t.

 

 

 

[Six-cylinder]

29 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

See that wee screw off isolator in the photo? I have had one of those go bad in the past - just try taking that out of the equation (not sure if it matters with the JumpStart pack but maybe worth a try)

I have tried the jump pack both sides of the isolator and it made no difference.

When I had this Galaxie 500 in my care the isolator played up and it would not restart blocking the A413, it took a Rugby team to push it out of the way slightly uphill!

[Six-cylinder]

Back to school for me today!

Today I was part of the 9 car display of classic cars for a primary School laid on by Milton Keynes Classic Car Club. I am guessing there were 60 kids all over the cars and keen to blow the horn. I caught one trying to release my handbrake on the MG TF and the Escort Cabriolet owner found two in his boot when he turned his back. Some pretended to drive the MG and take it to MacDonald’s while others pretended to take their order, what is wrong with being a racing driver! All in all a good natured experience.

Not many photos for obvious reasons.

[Six-cylinder]

@Andyrew  came to collect his Allegro today and I gave him a jigsaw puzzle to do, the broken Sigma rear light but he had come prepared with lens repair tape. The Sigma is now back together and ready to try for an MOT.

[chaseracer]

Nice job, @Andyrew 😎

[Six-cylinder]

@Andyrew helped me with the tests to check if the starter motor on the Volvo 480 could be made to work. He ended up taking it off and the result of bench testing is that it’s buggered! I need to get a new one and there seems to be some available, I guess because it is a Renault engine used in several applications.

[hairnet]

beast 

(andy too)

[Six-cylinder]

Back at the beginning of October I took our MG Metro to a photo shoot for the MG Car Club, but was asked not to talk about it.

The word is out now, it was about photographs to promote 120 years of Rovers and 100 years of MGs for next year. The shoot was at Studley Castle now a hotel in Warwickshire and a lovely setting. The problems were three fold, they had underestimated the time it takes to set up group shots, the sun was behind the building/cars instead of on them and the hotel was trying to operate with us cluttering up their entrance area.

I still enjoyed the outing and meeting the other Rover/MG owners.

[beko1987]

You kept it clean long enough for the shoot then 👌