Datsuncog's Heaps: Sept 2023 - Another Year's T-Met Exemption Certificate...

[Dyslexic Viking]

You were lucky with the new droplinks that they came assembled, the ones I got were not and were just a pile of parts in a box. Which was a fun puzzle to figure out and had to resort to pictures online to find out how they should go together.

[Datsuncog]

13 hours ago, High Jetter said:

I see what you did wrong there, you marked the wrong month. I make a calendar entry for 1 month before, so in your case on July 30th it would have said 'Yaris MOT 30/8'.

Oh, my sweet summer child... that's a good plan, an excellent plan, but I don't think it would have helped as sadly my brain only recognises two states of temporality - NOW and LATER.

I knew the MOT was due at the end of the month, and had set myself periodic reminders in my working diary as well as the calendar - plus MrsDC had reminded me only on Saturday that the MOT was forthcoming on Wednesday, and I had nodded agreement and said that yes, that's fine, I'd get everything sorted.

But on Saturday, MOT day was still apparently classified as LATER, and so there seemed like lots of other things between now and then (the house is a total bombsite, with two rooms currently ripped back to just the wooden framing). So it wasn't (yet) a pressing concern.

Only at about 3.30 yesterday afternoon did the MOT tick over into the NOW category, and so my motivation went from ZERO to PANIC in a matter of seconds.

It's weird, and very annoying, and I've always been like this. 

I used to regularly pull all-nighters to get school and uni work done, as I seemingly couldn't settle to begin an essay or project until about 11pm the night before it was due. Didn't matter how much I tried to prepare or pace myself in the weeks leading up to it - unless I have a critical time pressure, I just can't engage those parts of my brain that deal with executive function.

But - now I'm procrastinating...

[Datsuncog]

Okay, so - second verse, same as the first.

The link on this side is undoubtedly in a heinous state, but not yet utterly ruined.

And on this one, it's vaguely reassuring to see that the lower cup washer is sitting at about the same angle as the one I fitted last night.

It's not quite equal all round, with the front raised up anyway.

Right. MOT is in about ten hours. Time to focus...

[grogee]

You have the collective will of AS behind you. The last-minute element just adds to the drama, like some second rate reality show. 

'MoT Maniacs' ITV4 at 9pm. Three blokes who can't read a calendar attempt to ready an oxidized hatchback for its annual safety inspection. 

My Maestro has a similar style of drop link but they are unobtainable. However some bright spark has bodged in some VW Golf ones but they need a cylindrical shim. I'm really looking forward* to that voyage of discovery. 

Good luck noble spannerman. 

[Datsuncog]

And so, despite a fairly upbeat weather forecast...

It's now started lashing out of the heavens.

Work involving electrical extension reels and angle grinders is hereby postponed until dryness resumes...

I fear another bout of arse-sogginess is coming my way.

[Datsuncog]

Still raining.

Have some music while we're waiting, sure.

 

 

[grogee]

Can you give us a live countdown, eg:

JOBS OUTSTANDING: 1

HOURS UNTIL TEST: 6

 

 

[Datsuncog]

Good idea.

JOBS OUTSTANDING: 8

HOURS UNTIL TEST: 8

[chaseracer]

1 minute ago, Datsuncog said:

Good idea.

JOBS OUTSTANDING: 8

HOURS UNTIL TEST: 8

You still here? 😉

[somewhatfoolish]

Will Datsuncog procrastinate past his deadline? Will it make an amusing "wooosh!" noise as it goes by?

 

[grogee]

1 hour ago, Datsuncog said:

Good idea.

JOBS OUTSTANDING: 8

HOURS UNTIL TEST: 8

Sack the last two off. Live a little! It'll make you feel so ALIVE (until you're not) 

[Datsuncog]

By way of a 2pm update:

JOBS OUTSTANDING: 8

HOURS UNTIL TEST: <6

DIGITS MASHED: 3

NEW SWEAR WORDS INVENTED: 76

[bunglebus]

Maybe put the expiry date in your various calendars -1 month for a next year?

Does NI have the same thing of being able to test a month early?

[Rust Collector]

Have you done the bit yet where you give up on the idea of the rain stopping, go and lie in a puddle whilst doing the work, get soaked through but finish the job, then get out from under the car and the sun comes out?

[beko1987]

That's how my 1st attempt on my car went! Drove 90 miles to my dad's in beautiful weather, kicked the kids out the car when we got there and got straight to it. Got the front wheel off and it chucked it fown for 3 hours! 

Carried on a d just as I gave up soaking wet (my stepmum made me take my clothes off before coming in the house...) it stopped and the sun came out and it was glorious weather! 

You've just got to get soaking wet. The car will thank you for it! Got a garden parasol to keep the worst off? 

[hairnet]

3 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

 

NEW SWEAR WORDS INVENTED: 76

theres only toy

fek and aff

how aboyt noy

[rusty_vw_man]

I have never before felt so invested in someone else’s MOT! 

I love the description of ‘now’ and ‘future’ - I’d not seen how I operate written down before!!

Hope it went well….

[egg]

I've heard of Shade Tree Mechanics, and now we have a CogTree (copyright @flat4alfa) one...

[Datsuncog]

Right... so where are we?

JOBS OUTSTANDING: 0.5

HOURS UNTIL TEST: <2

DIGITS MASHED: 4

NEW SWEAR WORDS INVENTED: 122

TEXTS FROM MRSDC ASKING HOW IT'S ALL GOING STRATEGICALLY IGNORED: 1

The other droplink is finally on.

I mean, it probably needed doing.

But for much of the afternoon, I've been kicking myself for managing to immobilise the car completely by carrying out work that wasn't strictly essential, thereby jeopardising the whole MOT.

Things started off fine, cutting away the old bits of rubber to make it easier to get the angle grinder in there.

I find it a bit more awkward working this way round, for some reason, but progress was being made.

And then, of course, the rain started up again.

Marvellous.

HSE APPROVED TO IP65 STANDARD M8

Much sparkage, and plenty of acrid rubbery smoke later...

Well, good stuff.

And a bit of jabby-jabby with the pliers persuaded the rest of the rubber to come on out.

Getting at the lower end of the link was more of an annoyance - the car wasn't lifted particularly high, and I had to get my face rather closer to the spinny blade of death than I otherwise might like.

MOAR PPE NEEDED

I'm quite sure this forestry mask wouldn't do a lot to help in the event of white-hot bits of disc shooting out at me, but it felt like the more layers between me and instant maiming, the better.

So that came off too, with somewhat less effort, and in the event no-one was maimed.

Grim.

Still, that was the hard bit. Getting the new link on was the easy bit.

Or so I'd thought.

For some reason, pulling the ARB up to give clearance to the link spindles was rather harder than it had seemed yesterday.

Levering it up resulted in the lifting bar slipping just as I was easing it into position (mashed finger #2), and this jolly game continued for rather longer than I'd have liked.

A short bar couldn't give enough force to lift the arm high enough, while a longer bar hit the ground before clearance was achieved.

Eventually, I was forced to return to the exciting pics from last night to figure out what I'd done.

Ah right.

Apparently jamming the rubber end of an extendable wheelbrace is the way to do it.

And it did it.

The scent of victory now in my nostrils, all I needed to do was whack on the locknuts, add the wheels and drop it.

Top nut was fine, but the bottom nut...

No.

Not having it.

I just couldn't get enough threads on the lower half exposed to get the locknut to catch. I spent hours trying to compress it, trying to soften the rubber bushing in hot water, attempting to press the nut up tight to the threaded shank using the trolley jack beneath a wrench (hey, I was getting desperate).

Still the damn thing wouldn't catch.

I stamped, I swore, I threw things.

I watched a plethora of YouTube videos showing smug, dry people with tidy garages just popping the nut on by hand and giving it a quick spin before taking a ratchet spanner to it. Easy as that.

But it was not easy.

There just wasn't enough shank protruding out from the sandwich of two metal cup washers and a thick rubber bush.

My efforts became more unhinged.

More and more tools became drawn into the campaign, tools that had no business anywhere near a car - plumbing wrenches, woodworking clamps, tiling tools.

Still the bugger would not catch.

It was like the shank was too short.

But then - the other side went on okay.

You'd almost think there was something different about this side.

Like someone had driven it at low speed into a verge one snowy morning in 2014, doing some damage which didn't look that bad but had creased a few vital things.

But of course, that had never happened.

Eventually, while yelling like one of those World's Strongest Man competitors, I managed to compress the rubber bush with my mangled fingers just enough to get the end of the nut to catch.

Nearly sobbing, I nipped it up until the nyloc bit in.

Yeah, that took me about three hours.

These jobs should not be so difficult.

I chucked the wheels back on, dropped it down off the axle stands, and nipped the wheelnuts up good and tight.

An inspection at ground level indicated that they were actually fairly level.

I used my torque wrench to try to set the accessible lower nut to 13Nm, but couldn't get it to register and was worried about damaging the rubber through overtightening.

The YouTube smugglets didn't mention torquing it up, anyway.

Other side done, and we were finally going for it!

I checked the lights - all working, seemingly for now.

Really, all I needed now was the tyre pressures checked and a test drive - and I could do both up at the BP garage half a mile up the road.

So, leaping in and - oh, you bastard.

The EML's back.

Unlike before, it's not staying off for a while after being cleared.

[Datsuncog]

Right, so - we're just under twenty minutes from test time.

In a rare deviation from my customary leave-fifteen-minutes-for-a-twenty-minute-journey, I'm actually over by the test centre already.

The EML did not illuminate this time when I got into the car and drove off for my date with destiny.

This is good.

I also remembered to clip the seatbelts in at the back, since I get a feeling this somehow curries favour with the tester - as they don't have to guddle around down the back of the rear squab for the lap belt clip, and get all covered in grot and old sweetie wrappers.

I believe this to also be good.

I'd intended to use this extra time to punt the Yaris through the car wash up at the nearby BP garage, in an effort to scrape the worst of the clabber off it.

However, the car wash machine was out of order.

So that's less good.

While trundling over to Mallusk, I was also aware of... noises.

Sorta tap-tap-tap noises, coming from the back end, in line with a rotation of a wheel.

Stone in the tyre tread? Could be. I don't see one, though.

And other noises.

Groans. Creaks.

Hey, it's an 18 year old car - I don't normally listen that hard, and I usually have the stereo cranked up.

But yeah.

I do get Teh Fearz quite a lot now when I do anything with cars.

Well, it's in the lap of the gods now...

I'm headin' in.

[Datsuncog]

It's happening...

Tiny bit early, but I don't think I can take the pressure of not-knowing for much longer.

I'm sure you can't, either.

The tester did pip the horn on the way in, and it worked - which was good, as I hadn't checked it earlier...

[Datsuncog]

EML still was still remaining OFF when I hopped out... but is this an auspicious mileage?

😬😬😬

[Datsuncog]

Pre-Covid, you used to have to go through the test centre with the tester - them driving, you in the passenger seat like a muppet. Then you got to go and sit on a little chair at the side while they hoicked it up on a ramp, and all the testers gathered round to laugh heartily and knock bits of car off onto the floor.

Actually, that last bit was usually just my cars.

But now the punters have to stay outside, in a Greenhouse Of Shame, to prevent spreading lurgee.

There was an 02 plate Volvo V40 in just before the Yaris; and it's just come out.

It had a two-page fail list.

Oh lumme.

I'm next.

[Datsuncog]

INCOMING

Daaaah.

Okay, not ideal.

But not too bad.

The bloody EML must have popped back on during the test. Shitbiscuits.

The brakes at the back are binding, hence the imbalance.

I swear I had the back brakes fully rebuilt not that long ago, with new drums and everything, so I dunno what's going on exactly.

But then that could have been five years ago...

Meh. But still - coulda been worse.

Home to lick my wounds, then...

And then - I get to do all this again in a fortnight's time! 

[egg]

Well done for the story telling. Not so bad then! At least it gives you the chance of a happy ending in a couple of weeks.

[beko1987]

Wow what a roller coaster. Well done! 

Hope it's a dry weekend for you and you cna use the grinder to un-imbalance the rear wheels. 

[Shirley Knott]

Those drop links look pretty similar to those found on the Aygo/C1/107 trio.

When I did our old one (C1) I literally unbolted my vice from the bench, took it over to the car and used it to pull the ARB and the wishbone together so I could get the nuts on the ends of the drop links!

Commiserations on the fail, but either way that doesn't look like a bad little list really.

 

[SiC]

On the P0117 error code, what is the reading given by Torque? Presumably it is correct?

Googling says these are the reasons it throws it on:

So either wiring shorting or the sensor is dodgy.

[High Jetter]

Mother In Law malfunction? Why did the tester get so SHOUTY AT THE END?

[bunglebus]

Dunno what the parts manufacturer situation is like for Far Eastern jalopies, but I've found Febi stuff to be bang-on for my VWs