The new news 24 thread

[Six-cylinder]

BL day is on Sunday so I dusted off the Metro yesterday evening and swapped it with the Senator.  I was interested to see the size difference so parked them side by side.

 

20160803_203301 (00000002).jpg

 

Quite a lot as you'd expect.  Despite being sat for over two months it started fine and even had a quarter tank of pez in, so I went for a 40 mile drive to act as a loosener, but also to cheer me up as I've been feeling a bit miserable lately.  Old chod is such a tonic!  I must do it more often.

I am planning to take my Rover 114 SLi as I don't have an older BMC car.

[oldcars]

 why are all the best shows so far away. Would love to go to this.

[vulgalour]

I have run out of brain to figure out why the Renault won't fire.  I've got spark and fuel, I've got the timing set as per the book and the plugs in the order the book suggests. Cranking nice and happily but it won't catch.  Is there something daft I'm missing?  I just feel like I can't see the problem for looking now.

[trigger]

These are my BL day photos from last year.

 

http://autoshite.com/topic/21327-bl-day-reportage/

[panhard65]

I have run out of brain to figure out why the Renault won't fire.  I've got spark and fuel, I've got the timing set as per the book and the plugs in the order the book suggests. Cranking nice and happily but it won't catch.  Is there something daft I'm missing?  I just feel like I can't see the problem for looking now.

You have timed it with number 1 at the flywheel end ? Also check the distributor to make sure which way it rotates. These are really easy to set up and get going as there is nothing to them. Whip the rocker cover off and rotate the engine until number 1 is firing (no4 valves will be rocking) Check roughly where the rotor arm is pointing and make sure it points at number 1 plug lead. If the spark is good and you have a bit of fuel it will go. They are so easy I can normally get one thats been sat in a field for years going in about half an hour.

[Eddie Honda]

Is there something daft I'm missing?  I just feel like I can't see the problem for looking now.

Did we ever settle the matter about an taking an actual picture of the spaghetti nest of HT leads?

[Eddie Honda]

You have timed it with number 1 at the flywheel end ?

Because French.

 

check the distributor to make sure which way it rotates.

Clockwise.

 

They are so easy

Indeed. Vulg, your making a right meal of this - get it fired up now!

[vulgalour]

Hey, I'm just as frustrated as you :<  I'm baffled as to why I can't get this engine running, I'm being a right tool about it.

[dollywobbler]

I assume you've reset valve clearances?

[vulgalour]

When the engine was fitted the valve clearances were done, they should be fine.  Wouldn't hurt to recheck I suppose.

[trigger]

Your using new old stock, it's possible something has broke down from age whilst in storage?

[MarvinsMom]

i'll bet its sommat stupid like the ht leads been in the wrong order, or the cap been out of place like 90 degrees or the points not opening up.

 

why do i know this?

 

these are all thing wot i've had wrong on marvin when trying to get iot running after "servicing" having it in bits and finding that the engine won't start....

 

good luck, am also looking forward to this car starting!

 

also BL day isn't just a show, well it is along with plenty of autojumble, but the chance to see so many of BMC/BL/ARG/MGR's finest all in the same field, on the same day.

 

we are going too, and are hoping to take the Metro down, though this may, or may not be joined with the Mini depending on how we feel.

[xtriple]

Are them Renoes one of the fancy sods wot are timed from the rong end? Yu know, cyl 1 is not where it should be but down t'other end!

[danthecapriman]

Last time I had similar trouble it was the condenser, eventually found out what it was and put a new one in and that was duff straight out of the box. This initially threw me off the scent but eventually came back to it. They are absolute shit quality these days. Out of the three I had to hand, the old one and one new one were totally dead, the other worked for a little while then died. Electronic ignition got it going in the end.

[MarvinsMom]

we've had the same problems with points, the new ones are made of chocolate. in the end we ended up putting the old ones back in.

 

why, just why is everything these days just made of crap??

[dollywobbler]

Condensers are now utterly, utterly dreadful. Had one fail on the Dyane after all of about 8 miles.

[Eddie Honda]

You got 8 miles? I think I got about 28 seconds out of a Valeo one when I was last playing withe GS.

[loserone]

 I expect she'll be swearing about the steering, but this is entirely normal when she encounters power assisted steering. Fair to say she's not a fan.

 

I know just the thing, and it's not a blue AX.

[RobT]

I'll see you Sunday then Rob!

Great, glad other shiters are going! Wasn't sure if you'd be there after all that's happened Trig, but some hardcore BMC/BL action should help restore your mojo. I might treat* myself to a cheap local B&B Saturday night rather than leave at the crack Sunday, haven't decided yet.

[purplebargeken]

What is an AX?

[anonymous user]

What is an AX?

In some dialects it's a question, as in can I ax you something? Often it's an axe with a bit missing, or it could be the most sought after car that Citroen ever made, especially if it's a blue one.

[gm]

spotted this lovely old Citroen on the way in to work

 

[Richard]

What is an AX?

 

[barrett]

The BX is dead, long live the £100 XANTIA BASE

[r.welfare]

Chevrons in the centre of the grille or on the bonnet?

[Richard]

It's not on the deck so I'd say grille.

[barrett]

It's a '97 so the DULL later grille but not the horrid facelift. I didn't even know they did a BASE, it's proper grim. Keep fit windows, no sun roof etc. Does have a radio at least, but I don't have the code to unlock it.

[Ghosty]

Had a man come around and re-gas the aircon on the Bini because it's probably never been done in the car's 6 years/20k (probably 80/90% of that mileage was done in Manchester!). Was booked for 9am tomorrow but the bloke randomly showed up this evening to reschedule, or do it there and then seeing as he was there. Turns out the system was completely empty, so we'll see how good it is tomorrow. 

Don't think we've ever had a car with properly working a/c.

 

A4's needs doing too but I bet Old Man never bothers. He's not even in the country at the moment.

[Jon]

Just had a quick look on the MOT History website and it's ACCESS DENIED for me - blocked by the security rules, apparently. Is this because I'm accessing the page outside of the UK, or is it an issue for everyone else? 

 

In other news, I'm going to actually attempt to affix the shock absorbers to the 205 today, due to a potential southern hemisphere shite gathering on Sunday I've just found out about. It'd be a bit embarrassing turning up in a 2006 Mondeo, although the Commodore is a back-up vehicle, I suppose. Still no 5th gear but also critically, no V8, either. Straight 6 diesel power* and 4 speeds will have to suffice, if it comes to that. 

 

I'm suffering from the First World Problem of a fleet of shite so permanently not-fixed that I forget about their existence......

[beko1987]

Amys aunt just popped round to drop my carpet shampooer off, and the battery in her m reg 1.2 clip died.

 

Fair enough, ill give you a jump to get home, but then I find threaded connectors on the ancient battery, and big ring terminals off the car wiring.

 

Never seen this before, and it made live jumping impossible so I just disconnected the battery, hooked it up to the meriva for 10 mins, which put enough juice in it to fire it up, and told them to call me if it died during the 4 miles home.

 

Had a look on ecp and couldn't find any batteries with that connector on, would it be easier to just buy a normal clamp terminal battery and 2 cable terminals and chop/rewire? Or do adapters exist?

 

I even looked for caps on the battery to top it up with de ionised water but there were none, it looked fooking old. If it had had normal terminals I'd have swapped it with the zx battery on Saturday night and limped mine to deans on Sunday, but its completely different!

 

I also had to deal with her flapperyness, she was scared to turn it on incase it caught fire ffs. I also hooked my multimeter up to it when it was running and the voltage was all over the shop, is that normal or is it the alternator?

 

They have a long drive tomorrow, I advised against it! I'd have lent them the zx and worked from home tomorrow but I don't trust them not to put it in a ditch due to the stiff then soft steering!