omegod Posted May 27, 2021 Share Posted May 27, 2021 23 hours ago, bunglebus said: My son in law (ish - girlfriend's daughter's husband) is a nidiot. He always goes at everything like a bull in a china shop, and tonight it has bitten him on the arse. I suppose the story goes back a few weeks when he started complaining that the starter on his auto Ashtray had gone wrong. The one time I looked at it during a lovely rainstorm, it was because it wasn't in park... Anyway fast forward to this afternoon, borrows my jack and axle stands so he can fit the new starter tomorrow. Not long after we get a call that he's gone through a ford and it's cut out and won't start. Said it was less than a foot deep and he was doing 10 MPH. Unfortunately for him, we're just leaving to get my girlfriend's Covid jab done, and we also have to go shopping as I'm away tomorrow and my GF hasn't passed her test yet, and to add another layer to the mix we have the GFs grandkids with us so they have to come along too. By the time we get to them there's someone else trying to sort out towing the car - but it won't come out of park now. I'm thinking along the lines of wet electrics causing havoc, but that fault was just low battery voltage, jump leads from the Lupo saw enough juice to release the lever - but now I see the key blade snapped off in the ignition, and it won't turn off - just ign lights on or start position, which just rewards me with a thunk. Turns out he got annoyed and turned the key hard enough to snap it, probably ruining the barrel in the process. Also the windows won't close. Investigating under the bonnet revealed pools of water in every recess on top of the inlet manifold, and an air filter that I could wring out. Well that's fucked then. Next problem is getting it out of the way, back wheels are still in the water and the steering lock won't release. This is where the trolley jack came into play, had to jack it up and shove it sideways several times to line it up with where we wanted to push it (uphill) to. It gained several dented wings in the process but the next stop is the bridge for this one. Just to add insult to injury he stabbed me in the finger with a screwdriver while trying to get the stereo out, right where I already had an injury. And broke the stereo. So to summarise, drove through a ford too fast, sucked water into the intake killing the engine, then ruined the ignition barrel because he was annoyed. Then called me to help while we're looking after their kids. It wasn't a bad Astra either, now it's sat down a country lane with the windows open, so will probably be trashed/burnt/on bricks soon. Did I mention he fixes tanks for a living? PS - I told him to tell the police the car is there so they don't tow it and bill him, but I bet he doesn't bother. Next thing will be wanting me to look at replacements with him but I think it's time he learnt to deal with his own problems now. Just an FYI, those Astra's can have very good cats on them , may be worth checking the code on it before taking £100 scrap , code will be cast onto the manifold and will be GM-- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Low Horatio gearbox Posted May 27, 2021 Share Posted May 27, 2021 More house moving and sorting, in an effort to avoid that I tidied the garage and found a Halfords torque wrench. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghosty Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 4 hours ago, Low Horatio gearbox said: Halfords torque wrench. I have one of those, it's old enough that the logo on it looks like this: beko1987 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artdjones Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 9 hours ago, omegod said: Just an FYI, those Astra's can have very good cats on them , may be worth checking the code on it before taking £100 scrap , code will be cast onto the manifold and will be GM-- Yes, a friend of mine just got €250 for his and the buyer told him that he would get €350 from the metal company up in Dublin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omegod Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 20 minutes ago, artdjones said: Yes, a friend of mine just got €250 for his and the buyer told him that he would get €350 from the metal company up in Dublin. If it is GM45 you'd get a bit more via ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324555411240?hash=item4b91028f28:g:B2wAAOSwNhJgajkM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yes oui si Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Poo count: one Accidental kicks in the spuds from toddler: two Jamie, adw1977 and beko1987 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Found out 2 reasons why the Cavs throttle stuck open last night: #1 20210528_111433.mp4 Blue collar is getting stuck inside the big grommet. #2 Five shite points to anyone that sees the 2nd reason why the throttle might not have been able to return to idle.... Disclaimer: They're not mine! dome, danthecapriman, dave j and 5 others 1 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthecapriman Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 1 hour ago, Split_Pin said: Found out 2 reasons why the Cavs throttle stuck open last night: #1 20210528_111433.mp4 19.96 MB · 0 downloads Blue collar is getting stuck inside the big grommet. #2 Five shite points to anyone that sees the 2nd reason why the throttle might not have been able to return to idle.... Disclaimer: They're not mine! Wtf!? Wonder where they came from. What a coincidence that they landed and stayed in such a position to have that effect! Split_Pin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefoot Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 My joyous little Scirocco had a load of money spent on it last month and yet has chosen to thank me with a sticking/stuck/fucked brake caliper. A chap wouldn't normally mind, but it's the Friday before a bank holiday, a day normally reserved for Leyland workers to knock together a load of Princess'. There's nothing doing until Tuesday. Arse biscuits. BorniteIdentity 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dome Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 2 hours ago, Split_Pin said: Found out 2 reasons why the Cavs throttle stuck open last night: #1 20210528_111433.mp4 19.96 MB · 0 downloads Blue collar is getting stuck inside the big grommet. #2 Five shite points to anyone that sees the 2nd reason why the throttle might not have been able to return to idle.... Disclaimer: They're not mine! Not only have you found the problem but you've got a free tool. Winner! danthecapriman 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardmorris Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 LightBulbFun and chaseracer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 1 hour ago, dome said: Not only have you found the problem but you've got a free tool. Winner! I was actually needing a new pair of snips anyway as my current ones couldn't cut Mig wire. dome and Low Horatio gearbox 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wuvvum Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 1 hour ago, richardmorris said: There isn't a lot to 2CV hubs is there... LightBulbFun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardmorris Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Not with the inboard brakes no. My friend Pete came over to do it, and took the wheels down. He got charged £20 for the four as trade! I gave him a bottle of cote du Rhône and £20 as he cleaned up the squeaking rear drums too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fumbler Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 The new whopping great big 096 battery has fixed the cranking problem. I'll still fit the starter relay this weekend, and the starter motor (Made by Lucas 0_0) later on this week. Basically doing one job at a time. I may also get round to replacing the ignition module on the distributor. Also added more paint to the rear wing. Looks a bit of a mess but some polish will see it reet. LightBulbFun 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tadhg Tiogar Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 1 minute ago, Fumbler said: The new whopping great big 096 battery has fixed the cranking problem.... Exide? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fumbler Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 1 minute ago, Tadhg Tiogar said: Exide? Yuasa. It's a big feller, but £69 with free postage on Amazon. Much more value than what Halfords had to offer. The old battery was a small Lion "Latest calcium" calcium battery which struggled to turn the engine over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Fixed the throttle cable on the Cavalier with some washer hose and cable ties. The cable appeared to be sticking inside the sheath, pulling the whole lot through and getting stuck. HMC, Burnside and dome 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tadhg Tiogar Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 1 minute ago, Fumbler said: Yuasa. It's a big feller, but £69 with free postage on Amazon. Much more value ... About the same as I paid for an Exide 096 (72Ah). Hopefully it should last. Fumbler 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiC Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 21 hours ago, vulgalour said: For the first time in a while I checked the oil and coolant today on the Maestro fully expecting them to need to be topped up and no, they're exactly where they were when I got the car and it hasn't used a drop of either. No need for screenwash either since the bottle is about the size of an olympic swimming pool. Brake fluid still exactly where it was too. I genuinely expected it to have at least used a bit of oil, given the high mileage of the engine you'd at least expect a bit of oil burning but no, it's fine. Hopefully it's not attempting to lull me into a false sense of security. Might not be burning oil because it's high mileage? I.e. Plenty of hard driving has bedded the rings against the cylinder wall correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 That's as good a theory as any I suppose. I'm more used to old BL toot hitting around the 80k mark and needing valve stem seals and piston rings doing because they're shagged. Maybe this one has just been well looked after, it certainly shows all the signs of regular maintenance and perhaps that's key to long term survival. I really wish I had some history with it to back up my suspicions, I'd be fascinated to know how the car was used and serviced by the first owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilA Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Maybe as a later model they've gone ahead and got the nickel content in the iron of the block correct, so it's nice and hard and isn't wearing away like cheese (as most A series did)? vulgalour, SiC and LightBulbFun 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EightMegs Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Not what I wanted to see the day before the test. rusty998 and Jim Bell 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dean36014 Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 A thousand miles completed in the Vel satis. To celebrate I treated it to new spark plugs, which were well overdue a change, and bought a centre cap to replace the missing one. I've bought a Renault Clip diagnostic tool so hopefully at some point I'll get to the bottom of the esp light. Other than it just bowls along nicely. Jim Bell, chaseracer, Tickman and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuboy Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Nothing exciting.... free breakfast from on of the depot managers, washed the car, and popped to see ffil and he found these whilst tidying up .. citreon cx? Rear wheel covers?? Split_Pin, Twiggy, Shite Ron and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdkrc Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 @stuboy by Jesus how did you make that tea so weak?! Did you run the teabag around the outside of the cup? Breakfast more than makes up for it though Jerzy Woking and BorniteIdentity 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fumbler Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Carb You Rettor Intake U-piece No bueno Around 1mm between surfaces. I need to bulk up the neck of the carb with some weatherstripping. The amount of oily gunk around the flange shows the current setup is leaking very badly. It is, quite frankly, a shit design. Also, No wonder why it doesn't clamp very well. Another air leak bypassing the filter anyhow. That makes 2. I really should try and find a replacement... I wonder if Edwards & Son have one. Jim Bell and LightBulbFun 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 48 minutes ago, sdkrc said: @stuboy by Jesus how did you make that tea so weak?! Did you run the teabag around the outside of the cup? "This is a very milky cup of tea Mrs. Doyle". "In fact, this is an ALL milk cup of tea" Jim Bell, Amishtat, Supernaut and 5 others 2 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puntopaul Posted May 28, 2021 Share Posted May 28, 2021 Sold a spare part on eBay last night for my old Peugeot 106 that I used to have, only to spot my old Peugeot 106 while stuck in traffic today. Funny old world sometimes! LightBulbFun, Split_Pin and Jim Bell 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardmorris Posted May 29, 2021 Share Posted May 29, 2021 15 hours ago, stuboy said: Nothing exciting.... free breakfast from on of the depot managers, washed the car, and popped to see ffil and he found these whilst tidying up .. citreon cx? Rear wheel covers?? Look like cx wheel spats. Series 2 are plastic, series 1 metal. Slightly different shapes too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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