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Father Ted

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the recommissioning of Cocopop is continuing.

the front cones are done, and the front wheels are back on.

it is proving to be one hell of a job to do, turns out the top arm on the drinkers side has been off before, and who ever put it back on fitted  the bolts in the WRONG way round. which then made getting it back apart close on impossible due the clearance in the subframe. in fact who ever was responsible for this "kwaliti" repair had bent one side of the subframe to make it fit.

idiot.

well George has put that right, and has moved onto the back, though we need a new gaiter thing on the steering rack putting on, cos guess what, its been rubbing on that wrong way round bolt.

George thinks that while the back subframe isn't very clever, there is still some life left in it before it needs changing, not  that its a problem as i have a brand new heritage one upstairs i got for that car, several years ago!

oh and  i hope the suspension will settle on the car, cos currently its like the front axel on a gasser!

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though i have definitely had my moneys worth out of the original cones.

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I wonder how the insurance company will view it.  If there's no damage to your elderly fragile old classic and a gurt big scrape on his fancy new car, it might look a bit insurance fraudy so it's anybody's guess what the outcome would be.  If you've nothing to repair on your car and aren't making a claim yourself, then it's going to look very odd that the bigger, modern car needs to make a claim for damage.  I suppose all you can do is be honest and see what happens.

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The replacement MAF sensor I ordered for the Caliber turned up so this evening I fitted it and plugged the wiring back in.  It's back to running how it was before, overfuelling and kangarooing.  So that was a waste of time and money.  It's obviously MAF-related as it runs fine with it unplugged, but the fault must lie elsewhere than the sensor itself.  I'm not about to try and track it down though.

So that's the car's fate sealed.  Once the MOT runs out it'll be going, probably to the great Mopar dealer in the sky.

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10 hours ago, puddlethumper said:

I had a slight accident earlier this evening. Urban dual carriageway, Dudley by pass, where they are doing some resurfacing. Right lane coned off coming up to a round about. I was in the left lane behind a line of cars waiting to get to the round about and numpty comes up the right lane and decides there is enough room between the cones and me to barge in. Unfortunately there wasn't enough room and my offside corner met his rear arch. Big shaven headed guy jumps out and starts shouting and generally being aggressive. I thought, look out road rage. He tried to open the passenger door, mines lhd, which was locked, coz I don't have any friends and therefore don't carry passengers. Starts to come round the other side so I locked the door. I thought he was going to attack me. After a bit he calmed down enough that I got out, keeping my distance just in case. He had a minor scrape on his rear arch area and I had no damage. Can't beat a 305 steel bumper. I took photos and exchanged details. I have never made a claim or had one against me in 50 years of driving so I was well pissed off. 

I'll give everyone one guess what make of car he was driving.

Further to the above here is his number plate which is actually BO56 not BO55 which does indicate a certain type of Audi driver I think.

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40 minutes ago, puddlethumper said:

What is it with Audi drivers. Are they bought by aggressive drivers or do they become aggressive after buying one ?

I recently became an Audi owner for the first time and have not noticed any changes yet. But then my Audi is 39 years old and beige. So possible that helps.

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23 minutes ago, Kiltox said:

Jez is obviously such a bosg he couldn’t afford a proper plate. 

Hang on a mo.  If Gr9 supersedes Gr8, and a M12 is greater than a Mate, then surely a BO56 is more senior, important and powerfully built than your typical, run of the mill, base spec B055.  no? 😁

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Not directly but if the sensor is faulty it could tell the ECU that the car is still cold when it's not and overfuel it. Obviously a massively different car but my old green Cavalier had a new one of those fitted which partly cured a warm running problem (other sensors needed replaced too though)

Also, is it a genuine MAF I.e. Bosch?

When my old Corsa had a misfire I replaced the MAF with a pattern one and it didn't help at all. I bought a new Bosch one and the misfire was gone. 

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On 9/15/2021 at 3:49 AM, junkyarddog said:

This is nearly ready to go back on the road,a very early 4th generation Prelude. 

One of the first 300 built,launched in Japan on the 19th of September 1991,this one was registered on the 30th of the same month.

2.2 vtec,manual.

Unusual in the fact it's only 2 wheel steer,and no ABS,which was standard on the European market Vtec Prelude,but it's probably a better car for not having those in reliability terms.

Original and unmodified. 

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Not mint by any standard,but a nice tidy example of a car that were mostly badly modified and thrashed to death,looking forward to using it again. 

I've owned this since 2002.

 

That is lovely! I had an early one that shape although mine was a non VTEC 2.3 with 4WS - bought it off the original owner. High miles but superb engineering really shone through

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4 hours ago, puddlethumper said:

What is it with Audi drivers. Are they bought by aggressive drivers or do they become aggressive after buying one ?

I honestly think they tend to draw aggressive drivers. 

Obviously not all Audi drivers are total nobs but a lot of total nobs seem to drive Audis. 

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13 hours ago, wuvvum said:

The replacement MAF sensor I ordered for the Caliber turned up so this evening I fitted it and plugged the wiring back in.  It's back to running how it was before, overfuelling and kangarooing.  So that was a waste of time and money.  It's obviously MAF-related as it runs fine with it unplugged, but the fault must lie elsewhere than the sensor itself.  I'm not about to try and track it down though.

So that's the car's fate sealed.  Once the MOT runs out it'll be going, probably to the great Mopar dealer in the sky.

Check the egr. Unplugging the MAF may have force closed it. Now the MAF is plugged in the ECU may be trying to drive an egr that has problems.

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5 hours ago, puddlethumper said:

Further to the above here is his number plate which is actually BO56 not BO55 which does indicate a certain type of Audi driver I think.

DSC01042.JPG

Lots of that type around here.  One occasion where it is absolutely OK to stereotype.

I don't think my Audi could ever be driven in anger though, it's a bit too slow and old!

 

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The cricket season has ended, which seems to consume every waking moment at the weekend, so I've now run out of excuses.  DIY and chores make a triumphant return to the calendar.

The oil tank needed a spruce up; a few tiny flecks of surface rust where the paint has worn thin but otherwise in good condition for something which is probably 30 years old.  This is good news, as eagled eyed viewers will note that a new tank could not be placed where the existing tank is because regulations.  As it was installed in the 80s, my neighbour has common sense and it's failed to spontaneously combust thus far - we continue.

Anyway, what to paint it with?  Hammerite is shite. (That should be their new rhyming, marketing slogan).  I looked at alternatives online before following the advice of a farmer friend who said "Tractor Enamel".  Good shout, as it's oil and fuel proof, easy to apply and looks lovely when done.  I ordered 2.5litres from a company in the west country who offer over 400 different colours.  On the basis I have some other items (like a mower) that need painting, and have a pipe dream of buying an old truck, I plumped for this particular hue.  What better way to see the results than by testing it on a rusting lump of metal full of oil.

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That, friends, is Land Rover Green.  They also sell JCB Yellow, Ford Blue and lots of other official colours - but they would have looked absurd on an oil tank or a 1965 Ransomes Mower.

It'll need another coat, which I might try to apply with a foam (gloss) roller.  But it's dried really quite nicely.

So - another coat, quick tidy up of that corner (tiles came off the front of the house earlier in the year) and then I'll be presented with the next list of jobs that need doing.  Hurrah.

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Sold my car! Thanks to those who popped on Facebook and confirmed that I'd put the right info on the ad.

Bizarrely, it's been fairly quiet for a couple of weeks then the last few days, it's gone nuts. 3 people offered me what I hoped to achieve within 24 hours.

Someone came and collected it this afternoon, filled out the paperwork, transferred the dollars and she's gone! Weirdly, I've never been sad to see a car go and I have another MR2 which has already taken up the mantle. But still sad to see it go. I just hope the new owner loves it like I loved it.

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17 hours ago, MarvinsMom said:

though i have definitely had my moneys worth out of the original cones.

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I wonder how long new cones last these days given that most other replacement rubber components you can get for cars these days seem to split and fail in record time (most scary one for me is just how rubbish modern fuel line is failing after like 6 months, surely that cant be legal!)

so im curious how long modern replacement mini suspension cones last?

 

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3 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Also, is it a genuine MAF I.e. Bosch?

Yep, jen-you-whine Bosch.  I've used pattern MAFs on L-serieses before to good effect, but I think modern common rail shiz is a bit fussier.

1 hour ago, artdjones said:

Check the egr. Unplugging the MAF may have force closed it. Now the MAF is plugged in the ECU may be trying to drive an egr that has problems.

That's a good shout actually - there's a replacement EGR valve in the boot so maybe it's been on its way out for a while.  Looks like a bit of a twat to fit though - access isn't brilliant and the pipe mounting bolts are spline drive which I don't have any bits for.

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1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

I wonder how long new cones last these days given that most other replacement rubber components you can get for cars these days seem to split and fail in record time (most scary one for me is just how rubbish modern fuel line is failing after like 6 months, surely that cant be legal!)

so im curious how long modern replacement mini suspension cones last?

 

well originally the cones had a 10 year design life, though the chances of a mini making it  that far, back in the olden dayz were slim to nothing?

these ones we are getting fitted are Minispares ones, which  are the same ones Minispares supplied to x-part, so hopefully these will have a good design life to them.

having been stung several times now with cheap chinese (or worse, frankly) shite parts we now only get bits from them. anything we get and don't use, or we get and  have a problem with, they take will take it back and either replace it or refund us (NO credit notes!) with out fuss,

but only time will tell!

 

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