The new news 24 thread

[Zelandeth]

Blarg.  Just been faffing about trying to remove the timing chain tensioner on the Merc (because you have to take it apart to reset it...great design) and have ascertained that to get anything capable of loosening it I'm going to first need to remove the alternator.

Right, stepping away from this car for a few days now as I'm just starting to get frustrated with it.

[richardmorris]

James dean Porsche spider? Very odd roof.

[richardmorris]

Front page of the independent.co.uk 

[BorniteIdentity]

Panic buying is bonkers this way. Nipped to my friendly village garage who sell a bit of petrol here and there to keep the old boy busy: sold out. Big sign outside like it was 2000 again. In the ten minutes I was there booking an MOT the phone rang four times about availability of petrol and five people ignored the sign and pulled up. 

I feel sorry for my neighbour who is attempting to get his son to uni tomorrow. I went over with my Pela earlier and drained 30 litres from his MG Midget whilst he stuck it into his modern just so they can do the 200 miles there. Just hope he can get back with relatively little friction. 

[chaseracer]

7 hours ago, yes oui si said:

938 miles from 6am yesterday to 5am today, napped for 90 minutes at Scotch Corner on the way home. 

Volvo Repaired, MOT'd and to my friend to use until she's sorted. 

Corolla to Rhyl. 

MG home with me. 

Love it, proper sleek barge. 

Like that.  What are the wheels*?

* Other than round... 😉

[yes oui si]

5 minutes ago, chaseracer said:

Like that.  What are the wheels*?

* Other than round... 😉

On the MG? Just banded steels.

Pontiac (iirc) wheels on the e36. 

[brownnova]

7 hours ago, yes oui si said:

938 miles from 6am yesterday to 5am today, napped for 90 minutes at Scotch Corner on the way home. 

Volvo Repaired, MOT'd and to my friend to use until she's sorted. 

Corolla to Rhyl. 

MG home with me. 

Love it, proper sleek barge. 

I did spot that MG for sale, pretty close to me really! Looks nice! 

[artdjones]

23 hours ago, artdjones said:

Oh good, on the way home it popped its head gasket.

I didn't have any more time this week, so the owner got it towed to a friend's house, who has a T25 stored. They are going to borrow the engine from that, which is a 75hp 1.9td, and search around for another engine at leisure.

Hopefully he can get hold of a 1.9, which is a durable engine. The 1.6 TD isn't particularly. Once anything goes wrong they have a total nervous breakdown and need completely rebuilding, probably with a new head. Even the non-turbo 1.6s aren't very strong mechanically, especially the head gasket. The 1.9 has a much stronger metal gasket.

[yes oui si]

46 minutes ago, brownnova said:

I did spot that MG for sale, pretty close to me really! Looks nice! 

It rides really well and got 50mpg on the run back north, not bad despite the undersized tyres meaning that you're doing 60 when the speedo thinks you're doing 72.

[Dyslexic Viking]

13 minutes ago, artdjones said:

I didn't have any more time this week, so the owner got it towed to a friend's house, who has a T25 stored. They are going to borrow the engine from that, which is a 75hp 1.9td, and search around for another engine at leisure.

Hopefully he can get hold of a 1.9, which is a durable engine. The 1.6 TD isn't particularly. Once anything goes wrong they have a total nervous breakdown and need completely rebuilding, probably with a new head. Even the non-turbo 1.6s aren't very strong mechanically, especially the head gasket. The 1.9 has a much stronger metal gasket.

 

I almost bought an MK2 Golf 1.6 diesel a few years ago from an Estonian builder and it had 480,000 km on it and was mechanically in good condition. Unfortunately, it was too rusty for me to buy it.  So do not know if it was pure luck that that engine had lasted so long.

[artdjones]

31 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

 

I almost bought an MK2 Golf 1.6 diesel a few years ago from an Estonian builder and it had 480,000 km on it and was mechanically in good condition. Unfortunately, it was too rusty for me to buy it.  So do not know if it was pure luck that that engine had lasted so long.

Some do last. A friend's B2 Passat did about 250000 miles. Although it was drinking 20/50 oil for the last year or two. And once he stopped on an Autobahn service area in the depths of winter, and when they came back to the car after ½ an hour it didn't have enough compression to start. It only went when a passing auto club man gave them a quick free 24v jump start.

[MJK 24]

[Fumbler]

I do it right because I do it twice.

Second time's a charm.

[barefoot]

11 hours ago, yes oui si said:

It rides really well...

Compared to fucking what?

[yes oui si]

1 hour ago, barefoot said:

Compared to fucking what?

A lot of lowered cars are harsh and 'crashy' - this one is well damped and rides quite smoothly. I did 300 miles in it and got out feeling absolutely fine. 

[LabRat]

Replaced the faulty  right hand rear ABS sensor on the Tivoli, took it for a test drive and suprise suprise, the abs light is still shining brightly.

Check diagnostics "right side rear wheel sensor short circuit/open to ground". Fuck sake, so either the wiring is fucked or the new sensor is fubar. Wiring looks good, but the live feed on the diagnostics is showing no reading... I'm begining to think fire might be the cure! 

Bloody moderns.

[High Jetter]

Might you not have to re-set something first to clear the fault before it will realize the new sensor is OK?

[barefoot]

1 hour ago, yes oui si said:

...lowered cars are harsh and 'crashy' - this one rides quite smoothly....

So not 'really well',  just 'quite' smooth, but clearly not in the same league as even a stock 75 which aren't anything to write home about.

[wuvvum]

15 hours ago, artdjones said:

Even the non-turbo 1.6s aren't very strong mechanically, especially the head gasket.

Is that not at least in part because you have to constantly cane the living fuck out of them to obtain anything resembling forward motion?

[yes oui si]

3 minutes ago, barefoot said:

So not 'really well',  just 'quite' smooth, but clearly not in the same league as even a stock 75 which aren't anything to write home about.

My apologies for an old MG on £200 BMW coilovers not having the pillow-soft plushness that your bottom demands. 

[Cord Fourteener]

So the Mondeo has a new sump, a replaced boost pipe, new rear tyres. 

Just need to find on open petrol station so key worker Wifey can go and save children's lives. 

[RayMK]

For the last 3 months my Reliant Regal MKVI has been stuffed further in to my garage to make room for my son's motorcycle. Access to the Reliant is thus limited even more than previously to someone with my athletic* abilities. I last ran the engine and moved the car on 14th October 2020. Apart from an occasional mop around to evict spiders, I've not touched it since.  Today, still with very little enthusiasm to start it because of the difficulty of actually getting in to it, I strained every joint and have probably bruised my shins as well but managed to get in. I had prepared by charging the battery yesterday. Turning the ignition key gave a normal response on the dashboard i.e. oil and charge light came on, so I turned the key further to engage the starter.  All sounded normal but it did not fire on the first three 20 second attempts - it always takes a while for the fuel system to prime. On the fourth attempt it fired and idled smoothly on choke for about a minute, then died. I checked for fuel flow: Zero.  Could be that the tank is empty or, more likely, bunged up because of the long period of inactivity. I'll have to syphon mucky fuel out of the tank next time and put some fresh stuff in, though now is not the time to visit a petrol station with a jerry can.  Anyway, the engine sounded fine and with a bit of effort with the car out of the garage it should run ok.  Waiting for next time could take  quite a while.  These days, mojo for doing anything to cars except getting in and driving is lacking. Fortunately, my '94 Tipo and modern Mirage at least allow me to do that.  

[brownnova]

Sister in law runs a pub which had a classic car run starting from it today. So I popped down to gatecrash in the 2CV

Car of the run for me though….

 

As a bonus the petrol station up the road was fairly quiet so I sloshed a tenners worth of super in the Deux Chevaux (it already had half a tank in) to ensure my most practical and sensible car is ready for the commute next week! 

[High Jetter]

SMoking!

[wuvvum]

I was supposed to be doing a collection tomorrow, but it's a diesel and it's on the south coast so I don't think that's going to happen.

I went on a cycling tour of my local filling stations this morning.  Tesco is completely closed and under police guard (!).  The little garage in the next village is out of everything except super unleaded.  I stuck a tenner in the Micra last night which will be enough for whatever running around I need to do this weekend - if the worst really does come to the worst the Trafic will run on veg oil...

[HMC]

I’m not bothering getting any fuel and going to fill up as and when I normally would do.

Rational citizen or asking for trouble?

[Mally]

Both.

[tooSavvy]

18 minutes ago, Mally said:

Both.

By way of confirmation.... Anyone scanning Faseache/tiktokboom for "#petrol station fight".... 🤐

[Cord Fourteener]

I figure once everyone has panic bought and calmed down a bit then there'll be some dizzle fuel sooner or later. Just hypermile a bit the next few days, fly- by- fuel light then see if there's heavy oil road fuel. 

If not then maybe chuck some heating oil in... ssshhh!

[dean36014]

Shonky the bx lives again after its head gasket change..Had h running for an hour with no issues and just normal pressure in the header tank. All reassembled now, just needs an oil change and book him in for a MOT as it's taken me that long it's expired.