Bolly Dolly - Now boringly reliable - snoooooooooze

[Guest Breadvan72]

Just back from Judge-bothering in that London.  I was going to go for a blat, but there is OMGSNOKAOS here.

[Rocket88]

You could rent out the space left to 'shiters .I'm sure SWMBO would understand how that would massively increase the value / desirability of Breadvan Towers........................

[OwdChina]

 Judge-bothering

LoL.

[Guest Breadvan72]

SNOTERRAR

 

[Guest Hooli]

OMGZ SNOKAOS! time to panic buy!

[pompei]

What is under the cat-piss-tarp?

[Guest Breadvan72]

A shagged XJS.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Viz:

 

 

[Six-cylinder]

Have you shown it to your new mobile mech yet?

[Guest Breadvan72]

He is going to look at the Shaggedoutyouare on his next visit.

[Six-cylinder]

Good, if it needs a Jaguar specialist then EE in Milton Keynes did a good job on the Sov S1. I think Helpful Hirings in Thame have a trailer that will take it and I can give it a tug with my Range Rover if needed.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Cheeharze.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Hmmm, I think I am getting clutch slippage, most noticeable in top gear, and there is a clutchy smell.  I have a spare clutch in the shed, and it might soon be time to get this put on.

[Skizzer]

What you need is a nice reliable 1970s Lancia.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Don't those have removable gearbox tunnels ? GR8 4 DIY !

 

Edit : Have you checked that the clutch hydraulics work properly ?

[Guest Breadvan72]

I wouldn't know how to.  The fluid level is correct.   The car had a new slave cylinder a year or so ago.

[Yoss]

Don't know how it is on the bigger engined cars but I did my 1500SE many years ago and it's a lovely job compared to most clutches. As Sigmund says massive removable gearbox cover inside the car. Once you got the propshaft off from underneath you could sit inside the car and pull the gearbox back with it still sitting on the subframe. And again said subframe meant no trying to balance gearboxes on trolley jacks type malarkey when trying to get it back on.

 

That said, the 1500 had a smaller engine, smaller gearbox and no overdrive so I don't know if it's as simple on the Sprint. Nothing else is.

[Yoss]

What is under the cat-piss-tarp?

A shagged XJS.

Brilliant. Everyone should have a shagged Jag under a tarpaulin.

[Six-cylinder]

Repair manual

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=14&ved=0ahUKEwjKxtTf_YrSAhViCMAKHZwhAy8QFghhMA0&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftecb.eu%2Fonewebmedia%2FDolomite_Sprint.pdf&usg=AFQjCNF0NdIzDmkW2BHEcww7kjKGqpk0dA&bvm=bv.146786187,d.d24&cad=rja

[Guest Breadvan72]

I have one of those, but it is for the use of mechanics, not me.

[Six-cylinder]

I tend to agree these days, but it is not difficult.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Brilliant. Everyone should have a shagged Jag under a tarpaulin.

 

 

What's wrong with the Jag?

[Guest Breadvan72]

See from page 12 here -

 

http://autoshite.com/topic/21240-shagged-xjs-got-the-moves-like-jaguar-now-with-horrible-mismatched-colour-scheme-ratluk-yo/page-12

[Guest Breadvan72]

Dolly at local heap-friendly car fixerage depot for clutch checkage and, hopefully, fixage.

[Guest Breadvan72]

The car now has a new clutch.  It's very light and doesn't have much feel, but I am getting used to it.

 

The rev counter on this car borked about two weeks after I bought it  For over 18 months it has remained broken.  The mobile mech dude has taken the instrument to his place and reckons that its chip is knackered, whatever that means.  NB the car has electronic ignition (whatever the fuck that is), and there are therefore some changes to the operation of the rev counter, so I gather, but frankly this stuff might as well be in Chinese, for all it means to me.

 

Anyway, I have bought from eBay an allegedly functioning re-manufactured tacho of supposedly the right kind.  I have a numpty guide on how to fit it, and am going to have a go at doing so, probably tomorrow.  There is no way in which this can end well.  The average shiter could do this job in approx five minutes without even putting down his or her tea.  It will take me all morning, will involve swearing of unusual witless crudity, and the best possible outcome is that the rev counter (a) won't work, and (b will fall out.  The more likely outcome is that I will be electrocuted, and/or that I will set the car on fire.

 

Predicted verdict: Omnishambles.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Have I mentioned that this car has been slightly Barried, with coilovers (no,I don't what they are), asjustable shocks (I have a vague notion of what those might be), and possiby some other shiz?

 

I do not know if these make the car better than a standard Sprint, or are just for Barry effect.  The car has been slightly lowered.  It had an exhaust specially made for it by someone or other, but this (1) bumps against something underneath, and all attempts to stop it doing so have failed, and (2) made the clutch change a pig to do, apparently, because of how the exhaust is connected to the noisy and oily thing at the front, which I gather may be known as an engine.  

 

The garage that did the clutch is, in my experience, both honest and competent, and usually charges me fuck all for doing what seems to me a lot of work.  They are familiar with Dolomites, because one of the mechs there has had several, and they have two other customers with Sprints, or so they say (I have never seen these cars in the shop).  I trust the dudes, and was surprised that the bill for the clutch was so high.  Apparently they had to cut and then seal up a bit of the exhaust for some reason.  I still trust the dudes, and would recommend them to anyone in the area, but I was glad that some scoundrels that I represented early last year finally paid me this week .so that I could pay some bills (like all small businesses I am a free bank for my clients, who are often loaded, but take months or even years to pay, the tossers).

[Guest Breadvan72]

Tachometer fixage progress report:  Big fat zip nothing happened.  Also Jack, bupkiss, nada, and sod all.  I went out driving in the car, couldn't be arsed even to try any fixage, and then had to drive off somewhere else in my modern and supposedly sensible vehicle. Probably a good thing, on balance, as at least I didn't make anything more broken.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Various ups and downs

 

Ups - new tacho working well.  Also a new voltage stabiliser and a better alternator connector.  New tacho came with classy bling chrome bezel, but will switch back to old black one to match other clocks, though am tempted to shop for chrome bezels for all of them and go BLLEEEEHANGG.  

 

Downs - the water pump is leaking, so losing coolant, heater not working properly and so on. Hopefully will just need an O-Ring, but might need new pump.

 

Clutch - not sure yet whether fixed properly or still has a problem, possibly based on old bodges to clutch mechanism. For example, mechanic wonders if the actuator rod has been heated and  bent to take up some slack, or if the cylinder pushrod been elongated?    Will get water pump sorted first, then check further.  At least the engine itself seems OK.   Needs a new air filter and maybe time for an oil filter too.

[Guest Breadvan72]

Water pump needs a rebuild or replacement, hey ho.

 

May degrease and paint engine if CBA.

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest Breadvan72]

Bits now back together, all working pretty well.  A few snags still to be sorted out, but nothing too horrid.  One of the back doors has decided to get stuck shut.

 

Fresh oil and filter, new K and N air filter, fresh coolant, and so on.