The new news 24 thread

[RoverFolkUs]

14 minutes ago, stuboy said:

i looked at 3k cars on ebay and they was rough

Very true

[wuvvum]

I had a four day weekend this week (using up holiday) so got a few bits done, although not as much as I would have liked as the weather was shite.

The Visa and the Rover both got oil and filter changes - the Rover because it was due, the Visa because the sump was half full of petrol.  It now has the correct amount of nice new Duckhams 15W40, and the Rover got the 5W40 Redex oil that was reduced at Tesco the other week, and a genuine NOS MG Rover filter.

I've not really driven the Visa since the oil change as I've now SORNed it - it becomes eligible for free tax on Saturday and I didn't want the DVLA taking another direct debit payment.  I have been doing a bit of touching up of paint though - I bought a bottle of the correct paint code off eBay, and it's actually a reasonable colour match given the age of the car.  I've rubbed down and treated the worst of the rusty bits then painted over them.  The nearside rear door had a hole in the door skin which I've repaired from the inside with fibreglass and then skimmed over with filler and painted - it doesn't look brilliant but it's better than the hole that was there before.  Ideally it needs a door skin or a replacement door at some point but that's well down the priority list, especially given that it's never going to be close to a show car (and I wouldn't really want it to be).

I was going to take the Volvo for another drive but an examination of the offside rear tyre revealed that it hadn't particularly appreciated its high speed run up to the coast and back a couple of weeks back, and it's now quite badly cracked and the sidewall is looking a bit rippled.  So I've done what I was hoping to avoid doing and booked it in on Wednesday to have a shiny new Nankang fitted.  The nearside rear tyre is still fine, despite being just as ancient as all the others.  I've also got the number plate lights working properly - the offside one was sort of working but very dim, which turned out to be the lens being covered in crud, and the nearside bulb had gone so I splashed out a quid for a new festoon bulb from the local motor factors.

As well as an oil change I also treated the Rover to an EGR bypass pipe.

The EGR was extremely manky and I'm not a big fan of them anyway.  I also took the MAF sensor out and gave that a clean - it seems to run better now, it gets less breathless at high revs than it did before.  It goes even better with the MAF unplugged but then it gets a bit of diesel knock at certain engine speeds.  Ideally it needs a new MAF at some point but genuine ones are bloody expensive and aftermarket ones are generally shite.

The other job to do on the Rover was to try and get the driver's window working again.  The other three windows worked fine from their respective door switches, but none of them worked from the driver's door switch pack.  The switches on the passenger doors are "normal" switches (i.e. they just send power to the window motors) but the driver's switch pack works via the CANbus and sends a signal to the BCU asking it if it wouldn't mind winding the relevant window down (or up).  I'd tried a replacement switch pack which didn't help - I tried a replacement BCU as well and that didn't help either but those can need coding into the car to work properly so that wasn't a huge surprise.

I downloaded an app called TOAF onto my phone (diagnostic software specifically for the Rover 75 written by a Polish chap) and plugged it into the car to see what was what.  I checked for fault codes on the BCU - there were several but none that was window-related.  TOAF allows you to "ping" the various functions of the control units so I was able to wind the driver's door window up and down using the app, which was novel.  That showed that the BCU itself was fine, which led me to suspect that the culprit was a broken signal wire from the switch.  So I unbolted the BCU from under the dash and took out the multiplugs, then located the wire from the window switch (which took some doing as there are 54 of the feckers in one multiplug) and tested for continuity with the multimeter - there was none, which confirmed my suspicions.

So I toddled off to buy a reel of wire and then, having taken half the dashboard apart, I traced the wire again where it disappeared under the carpet to run across to the BCU on the passenger side.  I snipped it there and near the switch on the door, then joined the two ends with a length of wire.  I turned the ignition on and

This was my first attempt at repairing anything CANbus-related so I was quite pleased it worked out.  Obviously I then had the fun* task of routing the wire through the door and into the cabin through the door shut, then I had to put the door card back on which is a twat of a job on 75s, but it's done now and I have a full complement of working windows for the first time in a while.

I finally managed to get the nearside hub assembly off the MG, and this morning I took both hubs to the garage for them to fit the new wheel bearings.  Annoyingly they didn't get time to do them today so I'm going to have to wait until tomorrow - not that I'm in a huge rush but this evening was ideal weather for putting things back together, and it's now forecast to rain pretty much non stop for the rest of the month.  Still, I should really wait until the ball joint dust cover I ordered arrives before I put the nearside back together, otherwise I'll have to take it to bits again - I managed to get the offside apart without mullering any rubber bits so it's just the one that needs doing.

I've not managed to fix the reversing camera on the Toyota yet.  I thought it might be the camera itself that had packed up, so I bought a new one and plugged it in but that didn't show a picture either, so I'm now suspecting that it's the wireless transmitters that have died.  A new pair is only about 8 quid so that's the next thing to try.  I've also failed to discover why it keeps running its battery down - I thought the fancy Android stereo might be pulling current even when it's switched off, but with everything off the multimeter is showing a draw of 20mA, which shouldn't be enough to drain a battery in a week.  I've swapped the Mazda's battery onto the Toyota for now as that's a bit newer and might be in better health.

Talking of the Mazda, I was mowing the lawn this afternoon when an Aussie gentleman of a certain age pulled up and started asking me about it - he'd had a Ford Festiva back in Oz which he remembered fondly, and he'd also had a LHD one when he first moved to the UK (presumably bought off one of the military bases).  We had a bit of a natter about cars (which was very much along the lines of "oll modernz r shite") and he asked if he could take a photo of the car to show his sister who also has fond memories of Festivas.  It was the first time in my ownership that the Mazda has attracted any admiring glances - most of the looks I get are more along the lines of "WTF is that battered heap of shit?" so it made a nice change!

[brownnova]

Valuable lesson learnt today… 

An exhaust mount snapped on the Saab on Saturday, meaning that over undulations the exhaust scrapes. So tonight I decided to fashion (bodge) a get me to the Easter hols repair.

 This took me about 15 minutes, using some thin metal hooks I had lying around. It was solid, and did the job. 

I stepped back to admire my handy work… and thought… “I can do that better” so took it all apart again.

Of course, another 40 mins later I can’t do it better, and indeed I’ve now distorted the metal hooks out of shape so much I can’t get the original bodge back.

So now it’s even more Heath Robinson and I’m not even that confident it’ll get me to work tomorrow, let alone for the whole week! I guess tomorrow we’ll find out! 

Lesson: if it looks ok the first time, don’t try and improve your handiwork 😂

[Spottedlaurel]

Bonus LS400 appeared on the driveway at the weekend:

Despite being just six years between them Lexus managed to squeeze in another couple of versions, so what you're looking at here is my late Mk1 and Miss SL's BF's early Mk4. Bodyshells are completely different, the later car has a heavier look to it. It also gains 40BHP thanks to VVTi and other upgrades, taking it to 290, plus two more ratios in the 'box so it's both quicker and more economical. The latter is good as it'll be his sensible daily driver when the MR2 is hiding away over winter.

Had back-to-back drives around the block. Mine felt slightly softer and lazier but didn't suffer as much by comparison as I thought it might.

More toys in the later one of course, mine is pretty basic. The sat-nav and touch screen still work fine. I'd say the indicator/light stalk is on the wrong side, but that's me being old....

[Volksy]

Mercedes went in for it's MOT today.

It failed, but only on a fractured front spring - which I wasn't expecting! Only advisory was for a loose exhaust heatshield. Not bad for a street parked 19 year old daily.

Booked in at the local garage for a replacement, as I really CBA with stripping out a strut and potential beheading/death due to Merc springs being absolute bastards.

[Vince70]

I took my old terrible sounding speakers out today of the Mk1 Punto thinking that they were knackered originals and found they were custom Alpine speakers and replaced them with some unknown cheap brand, which I bought off Amazon for £25.

Although not up to Bose standards the sound quality is a 100 times better and I haven’t got what sounds like a fart going through the speakers anymore lol.

The weird thing is I can’t see any rips in the alpine speakers.

The fit on the new speakers isn’t as good as the Alpine speakers though although they’re supposed to be customs for the Punto.

Also I have gone all maxpower and fitted a team rally centre  dash today due to the broken air vents on the original.

 

[Spottedlaurel]

23 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Bonus LS400 appeared on the driveway at the weekend:

Should be able to report more next week, but all being well another LS400 will be joining the extended family fleet soon....

[Split_Pin]

On 3/27/2023 at 10:25 PM, wuvvum said:

I had a four day weekend this week (using up holiday) so got a few bits done, although not as much as I would have liked as the weather was shite.

The Visa and the Rover both got oil and filter changes - the Rover because it was due, the Visa because the sump was half full of petrol.  It now has the correct amount of nice new Duckhams 15W40, and the Rover got the 5W40 Redex oil that was reduced at Tesco the other week, and a genuine NOS MG Rover filter.

I've not really driven the Visa since the oil change as I've now SORNed it - it becomes eligible for free tax on Saturday and I didn't want the DVLA taking another direct debit payment.  I have been doing a bit of touching up of paint though - I bought a bottle of the correct paint code off eBay, and it's actually a reasonable colour match given the age of the car.  I've rubbed down and treated the worst of the rusty bits then painted over them.  The nearside rear door had a hole in the door skin which I've repaired from the inside with fibreglass and then skimmed over with filler and painted - it doesn't look brilliant but it's better than the hole that was there before.  Ideally it needs a door skin or a replacement door at some point but that's well down the priority list, especially given that it's never going to be close to a show car (and I wouldn't really want it to be).

I was going to take the Volvo for another drive but an examination of the offside rear tyre revealed that it hadn't particularly appreciated its high speed run up to the coast and back a couple of weeks back, and it's now quite badly cracked and the sidewall is looking a bit rippled.  So I've done what I was hoping to avoid doing and booked it in on Wednesday to have a shiny new Nankang fitted.  The nearside rear tyre is still fine, despite being just as ancient as all the others.  I've also got the number plate lights working properly - the offside one was sort of working but very dim, which turned out to be the lens being covered in crud, and the nearside bulb had gone so I splashed out a quid for a new festoon bulb from the local motor factors.

As well as an oil change I also treated the Rover to an EGR bypass pipe.

The EGR was extremely manky and I'm not a big fan of them anyway.  I also took the MAF sensor out and gave that a clean - it seems to run better now, it gets less breathless at high revs than it did before.  It goes even better with the MAF unplugged but then it gets a bit of diesel knock at certain engine speeds.  Ideally it needs a new MAF at some point but genuine ones are bloody expensive and aftermarket ones are generally shite.

The other job to do on the Rover was to try and get the driver's window working again.  The other three windows worked fine from their respective door switches, but none of them worked from the driver's door switch pack.  The switches on the passenger doors are "normal" switches (i.e. they just send power to the window motors) but the driver's switch pack works via the CANbus and sends a signal to the BCU asking it if it wouldn't mind winding the relevant window down (or up).  I'd tried a replacement switch pack which didn't help - I tried a replacement BCU as well and that didn't help either but those can need coding into the car to work properly so that wasn't a huge surprise.

I downloaded an app called TOAF onto my phone (diagnostic software specifically for the Rover 75 written by a Polish chap) and plugged it into the car to see what was what.  I checked for fault codes on the BCU - there were several but none that was window-related.  TOAF allows you to "ping" the various functions of the control units so I was able to wind the driver's door window up and down using the app, which was novel.  That showed that the BCU itself was fine, which led me to suspect that the culprit was a broken signal wire from the switch.  So I unbolted the BCU from under the dash and took out the multiplugs, then located the wire from the window switch (which took some doing as there are 54 of the feckers in one multiplug) and tested for continuity with the multimeter - there was none, which confirmed my suspicions.

So I toddled off to buy a reel of wire and then, having taken half the dashboard apart, I traced the wire again where it disappeared under the carpet to run across to the BCU on the passenger side.  I snipped it there and near the switch on the door, then joined the two ends with a length of wire.  I turned the ignition on and

This was my first attempt at repairing anything CANbus-related so I was quite pleased it worked out.  Obviously I then had the fun* task of routing the wire through the door and into the cabin through the door shut, then I had to put the door card back on which is a twat of a job on 75s, but it's done now and I have a full complement of working windows for the first time in a while.

I finally managed to get the nearside hub assembly off the MG, and this morning I took both hubs to the garage for them to fit the new wheel bearings.  Annoyingly they didn't get time to do them today so I'm going to have to wait until tomorrow - not that I'm in a huge rush but this evening was ideal weather for putting things back together, and it's now forecast to rain pretty much non stop for the rest of the month.  Still, I should really wait until the ball joint dust cover I ordered arrives before I put the nearside back together, otherwise I'll have to take it to bits again - I managed to get the offside apart without mullering any rubber bits so it's just the one that needs doing.

I've not managed to fix the reversing camera on the Toyota yet.  I thought it might be the camera itself that had packed up, so I bought a new one and plugged it in but that didn't show a picture either, so I'm now suspecting that it's the wireless transmitters that have died.  A new pair is only about 8 quid so that's the next thing to try.  I've also failed to discover why it keeps running its battery down - I thought the fancy Android stereo might be pulling current even when it's switched off, but with everything off the multimeter is showing a draw of 20mA, which shouldn't be enough to drain a battery in a week.  I've swapped the Mazda's battery onto the Toyota for now as that's a bit newer and might be in better health.

Talking of the Mazda, I was mowing the lawn this afternoon when an Aussie gentleman of a certain age pulled up and started asking me about it - he'd had a Ford Festiva back in Oz which he remembered fondly, and he'd also had a LHD one when he first moved to the UK (presumably bought off one of the military bases).  We had a bit of a natter about cars (which was very much along the lines of "oll modernz r shite") and he asked if he could take a photo of the car to show his sister who also has fond memories of Festivas.  It was the first time in my ownership that the Mazda has attracted any admiring glances - most of the looks I get are more along the lines of "WTF is that battered heap of shit?" so it made a nice change!

Glad you got the windows sorted. 

For future reference, getting a 75 doorcard off the easy way is:

Off

Lift it up once all fixings are off.

On:

Take off the square plastic clip in the centre of the door, slot it into place in the big metal bracket on the door card and you can then just bang it back on.

[Asimo]

Saw this Riversimple today, looked bigger for real than in pictures. Although they are not that far from here, this is the first one I have seen. (Their picture, not mine, but it was this one) H2 - hydrogen, CX - drag coefficient.

[anonymous user]

On 3/26/2023 at 9:47 PM, RoverFolkUs said:

I've got flashbacks from diagnosing an S90 with an ABS fault, half an hour in the footwell sussing out the ABS control unit against a sketchy wiring diagram with that relay clicking away while I had the engine running 🤣

Could you have done the seatbelts up over the empty seats to avoid that?

[richardmorris]

A good turnout for Colin. We wore something yellow in memory.

[richardmorris]

[Lankytim]

Today I had a few hours to kill before work so I decided to awaken the 145 from its slumber. The cooling system was reconnected and filled with coolant and after much churning it eventually started and ran, although it was pretty lumpy. After a few minutes it cut out, out of fuel. A walk to the local petrol station and 10litres of super unleaded later and it fired straight up and settled down to a smooth idle, in fact it’s the best it’s ever sounded, I was giddy with excitement… well, I thought it was excitement- I was slowly gassing myself inside the garage. 
 

  A few bits and I think this old banger could be ready for the road! (If I ignore the welding)

[dozeydustman]

Hose back from Pirtek.

80 quid 😳

And the bloody thing is too long. I’ve had to hold it away with zip ties for now. I’ll get a few P-clips over the weekend and route it sensibly. May have to shorten and put a compression fitting in the metal section at the top of the engine bay so it can be routed a bit more sensibly, but there are no leaks and it’s not on anything hot, which is the main thing. It’s temporary for now.

All bolted up, a quick drive around Selsey and aside from a smidge of pump whine as the system bled itself fully, no issues and the positive* feeling steering is back.

This was my workspace, which I will submit to the calendar thread.

@red5there’s a Frontera for you…..

[wuvvum]

37 minutes ago, Lankytim said:

(If I ignore the welding)

I've been studiously ignoring the welding on the 164 for years...

[red5]

11 minutes ago, dozeydustman said:

Hose back from Pirtek.

80 quid 😳

And the bloody thing is too long. I’ve had to hold it away with zip ties for now. I’ll get a few P-clips over the weekend and route it sensibly. May have to shorten and put a compression fitting in the metal section at the top of the engine bay so it can be routed a bit more sensibly, but there are no leaks and it’s not on anything hot, which is the main thing. It’s temporary for now.

All bolted up, a quick drive around Selsey and aside from a smidge of pump whine as the system bled itself fully, no issues and the positive* feeling steering is back.

This was my workspace, which I will submit to the calendar thread.

@red5there’s a Frontera for you…..

👍

Top bombing. 

Olympus?

[dozeydustman]

40 minutes ago, red5 said:

👍

Top bombing. 

Olympus?

I’m not sure what Frontera it is, though underneath there is very little left, and will be next month’s Indesit very soon.

[dozeydustman]

Just brought the kia back home and no incidents which is great. It really does get a shift on with 110 Korean horses under the bonnet. Even though the handling is typical Asian car stodge, I do think some better tyres will improve both the ride and the road holding. They’re all pretty new but they’re a mix of quality* Linglongs, runways, autogreens and Triangles.

[brownnova]

I took the 2CV to work today, I dropped the girls off at nursery. Step son asked to walk to school from their nursery rather than be seen arriving in the 2CV… 😂😂😂

Embarrasing dad. Achieved. 

[richardmorris]

8 minutes ago, brownnova said:

I took the 2CV to work today, I dropped the girls off at nursery. Step son asked to walk to school from their nursery rather than be seen arriving in the 2CV… 😂😂😂

Embarrasing dad. Achieved. 

In Guildford, at school closing time, loads stopped and took photos of our courtege.

[SiC]

4 hours ago, richardmorris said:

A good turnout for Colin. We wore something yellow in memory.

Probably many on here, myself included, are asking who was this chap?

[High Jetter]

4 hours ago, dozeydustman said:

Hose back from Pirtek.

80 quid 😳

And the bloody thing is too long. I’ve had to hold it away with zip ties for now. I’ll get a few P-clips over the weekend and route it sensibly. May have to shorten and put a compression fitting in the metal section at the top of the engine bay so it can be routed a bit more sensibly, but there are no leaks and it’s not on anything hot, which is the main thing. It’s temporary for now.

All bolted up, a quick drive around Selsey and aside from a smidge of pump whine as the system bled itself fully, no issues and the positive* feeling steering is back.

This was my workspace, which I will submit to the calendar thread.

@red5there’s a Frontera for you…..

Better too long than too short.

[Rust Collector]

A key holder was needed for a 6 o'clock start this morning, I duly volunteered myself.

It's blowing a gale and raining sideways, and an FTP would mean leaving my co-workers stranded outside in the rain.

Sounds like a job for the 40 odd year old Lada then 😅

Happy to say that it chugged along as it always does and I'm now here safely, and everyone is inside in the dry.

There's something comforting about the interior of that car when you're driving in the dark and the rain, I can't quite put my finger on why.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

1 hour ago, Rust Collector said:

There's something comforting about the interior of that car when you're driving in the dark and the rain, I can't quite put my finger on why.

When I was about 7, we drove from my Grandmother's house near Hereford to my other Grandmother's house in Exmouth in one of the worst storms I've ever encountered.  The route we took involved many hills and I remember there being boulders in the middle of the road that had been washed out of fields and roads looking like rivers.

I felt entirely safe, warm and comfortable in the back of their Volvo 240.  And that's why now even though it's been nearly 30 years, it's my favourite car.

[dozeydustman]

7 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Better too long than too short.

This is true.

[HMC]

How so very British

1. Drizzle

2. A crumbling stately ruin

3. And a Church

[Rustybullethole]

It’s pissing down and need a tyre change plus other last minute bits too as away early doors. Lucky my neighbours love me as it’s many flights of stairs to our landing which makes it hard work to get a little dirt bike up let alone this heavy bugger.

[Rust Collector]

Well, it wasn’t a good day at work.

At least I enjoyed the drive home.

I also found out that the Disco 3 which belonged to a very close friend, who died last year, is coming to live with me. I remember him buying it and it meaning a lot to him, so I’m feeling comforted (I can’t find the right word, but I think that fits best) that it will be sat on the driveway here soon. My only worry is that I’ll cry every time I see the thing, a) because I still miss him and b) because it’s a Land Rover 😅

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, Rustybullethole said:

It’s pissing down and need a tyre change plus other last minute bits too as away early doors. Lucky my neighbours love me as it’s many flights of stairs to our landing which makes it hard work to get a little dirt bike up let alone this heavy bugger.

Someone's nicked a wheel already

[stuboy]

Looking forward to getting my galaxy back from the missus as 3 weeks being used to take her the kids and the dog everywhere, so food crap, food wrappers, dog hair and mud... so planned to go to tesco and get it valeted, as I like to keep it tidy, and she gets her leon back from her dad as land rover supposed to be fixing his 2017 and dealer said done by today, well just as we popped to tescos I had just put 95 quid of diesel in it, the FiL calls saying it now Monday and still needs the leon for the weekend... grrr... missus is annoyed as wanted 'her' car back, the discovery is having the heater hose that feeds the rear seats as hole in it, initially land rover wanted 2k cost but agreed to pay 1400 quid as argued this shouldve been checked under warranty.