The new news 24 thread

[HMC]

Just been back from one of those (sadly) rare trips where the road/ traffic, the light and weather, and your mood are all in tune.......

Took myself and Italianjob_jr the long way back from tesco, skirting the moor just as the sun was setting in the far west over Cornwall. Brilliant! Much needed too after I've barely driven it recently and had a dead battery to sort. Puma mojo back!

[drum]

I bought a transit today. I've probably got the shittest van on AS now. I must buy a can of diamond white tomorrow.

I know it's rear wheel drive as I got stuck on some wet grass.

[SiC]

Or a tub of white emulsion?

[Guest Hooli]

The FWD ones get stuck everywhere too.

 

I had to drive one years ago for work, the only thing the traction control did on the first FWD ones was cause axle tramp. It still wheelspun just as much.

[Richard]

The FWD ones get stuck much more. Here is my RWD van being better at getting over the Cairn O' Mount than whatever that thing in the scenery is. I don't think any other 2WD vehicles made it that day, the 500kg of weights in the back helped.

 

[Richard]

Or a tub of white emulsion?

 

I think he means a can of Diamond White cider to blot out the horror.

[tooSavvy]

 Lack of wiper or working heated rear screen means zero rear window visibility in this weather!

ToMM© H.R.W. is 100% AND has a broader/warmer element section to clear the centre 1/3 of glass soonest

 

.... It has no damaged/dead lines ....

 

Oooff!

 

 

TS

[Guest Hooli]

Rear visibility isn't important, you've got mirrors ain't ya? They are enough if you actually use them (unlike most people)

[richardmorris]

Ok, one problem which reared its head this week ( but oddly only on Friday) was an erratic idle in the merc. I thought it was fixed, as it last happened in about February.

 

Starts and runs fine, but stopping eg at lights or traffic the revs would surge. Up about 600rpm and back. It's annoying and then inconvenient especially when I got stuck in Friday afternoon traffic on the a30 - took me almost as long to get home from the m25 junction as it did to said junction 80 miles away in Folkestone! I had to put it into n each time I came to a stop- which incidentally seemed to stop the revs from pulsing.

I.e. It only pulses in D.

 

Also it only seems to happen at this cool and damp time of year.

 

Someone must have an idea? The oxygen sensor contact under the carpet was thought to be the culprit but this is clean and shiny now.

[Guest Hooli]

I start with cleaning the throttle body & idle control valve (if it's got one).

[richardmorris]

I start with cleaning the throttle body & idle control valve (if it's got one).

Doesn't according to my mechanic, it's all fly by wire! It was my first thought as this cured the similar problem on my BILs xantia.

 

Someone on here mentioned a brake switch earlier in the year? And I'm thinking MAF sensor?

 

Oh and it's just had the injection wiring loom replaced which I had hoped would fix this, but obviously hasn't.

 

 

 

On a happier note the manageress of the very small hotel I stay in is very impressed with the merc ( and rest of the fleet) and the owner, Madame, has a British racing green rover 25 with beige leather seats.

Monsieur the chef, following an accident, now has a Harley Davison trike!

 

There's a photo in their visitor's book of a "flashy et phony" delage in their carpark! Plus now not commented upon, room logs from 1990s cycling teams- e.g. Jalabert.

[r.welfare]

Fly by wire will surely still have a throttle body albeit controlled by an electric motor not a cable?

[Guest Hooli]

It'll still have a throttle body, just won't be a throttle cable going to it. Easier to clean when you don't have a cable to reconnect.

 

I wasn't sure about an ICV, they seem to be a mostly 90s Ford thing but I always check incase.

[SiC]

It'll still have a throttle body, just won't be a throttle cable going to it.

 

Unless a Saab

 

If the electronic throttle butterfly valve control fails, it triggers a limp home solenoid which switches the throttle body valve to directly controls by the cable!

 

Admittedly I don't know of any other manufacturer that does this. No wonder GM used to get annoyed with Saab keep doing things their own way.

[Guest Hooli]

Typical aircraft company, designing things to work & keep working.

[richardmorris]

Well it's off to the body shop on Monday. They're merc specialists so will ask if they have any ideas. The damn thing runs perfectly at 120mph but doesn't like idling!

[Guest Hooli]

Sounds like classic dirty throttle body then. You'll probably get away with pulling the intake off it & wiping a cloth around, WD40 or carb cleaner will soften the snot. Don't forget to push the butterfly open & clean the back. The most important bit is the ring of snot where the butterfly sits, as that'll be what's ruining the idle.

 

The last three petrol cars I've had all needed it doing.

[richardmorris]

Thanks will look tomorrow if it stops raining.

[richardmorris]

While you're all here!

Why does the oil pressure go up when in N or P relative to D? When hot it now drops to 1 bar at idle ( I think it's the sender) but rises to 2 in n or p.

[Guest Hooli]

Bet it idles faster in N & P? the drag of the box in D will pull the idle down so the oil pump isn't working as well.

[The Moog]

My son looks at me odd when I say " one day all this will be yours" I do wonder how cavcraft"s lad feels when told the same.

He has cartakeback on speed dial ... He is born of his father's loins.

[wuvvum]

I picked the T4 van up today.  No pez station shot as it had enough diesel in to get me back to Norfolk, which is unusual.  Even more unusually (for one of my purchases at least), it has a pair of wiper blades which actually clear the screen.

 

It was a bloody mission mind.  I was gone 11 hours.  Decided to get the bus to London because cheap (8 quid versus 28 for the train).  One of the worst things about driving in central London is that, although under normal conditions the roads can more or less cope with the traffic flow, it only takes one road closure somewhere to cause complete pandemonium right across the city.  Thus it was today - the closure of Tower Bridge was enough to make the bus arrive at Victoria over 45 minutes late, despite Tower Bridge not actually being on the route.  For some reason it went a really arse about face way too - normally it goes past the tower then trundles along Victoria Embankment and turns right at the Houses of Parliament, but for some reason today it went across Southwark bridge, crawled along the south bank and then crossed back over at Westminster bridge - even though Victoria Embankment was open and, as far as I could see, flowing relatively freely.

 

Anyway, eventually got to the seller's house to find the van had a flat battery.  Seller's brother produced the most pathetic pair of jump leads I've ever seen (they're designed for motorbikes apparently - I can see them struggling with anything bigger than a Honda Melody).  Needless to say, when connected to the van they did bugger all other than emit a lot of smoke.  Seller disappeared to get the battery off his other van to start it, came back 15 minutes later with a proper set of jump leads that he'd been and bought from the local petrol station.  The van rattled into life and he then presented me with the brand new jump leads saying I could have them as he'd probably never need them again.  He also gave me 20 quid back off the sale price to cover my diesel - which I didn't need as there was more than enough in the van - the fuel light came on just as I came up to the turning into my road.

 

I actually quite like the van so far.  It's not fast (in fact it was painfully slow to start with, but this was due to a restrictor thingy below the accelerator pedal which I soon removed), and the gearbox is the usual VW van porridge-stirrer, but it rolls along OK once wound up and actually feels quite relaxed on the motorway.  Handling seems pretty good as vans go and it sounds nice being a 5-pot.  It's the most expensive van I've bought in a while, but I don't begrudge it as it seems a decent thing and they are usually pretty easy to sell on.  It even already has a roof rack in place.

[ruffgeezer]

Bloody heck Wuv, how many shonky old vans is that now?

[17-Coffees]

Saw a Plymouth Roadrunner Superbird today at the NEC. 

My life is now complete.

[RobT]

I've been fettling Rovers today. My Dad's 416 cut out on him a few weeks ago and refused to start. I suspected the ignition module was finally knackered as it had been a reluctant cold starter when I had it. So bonnet up and I removed the distributor.

 

 

In situ

 

 

On the bench. The module is the square thing and the replacement was 15 quid. It was all a straightforward job, even for me.

 

 

Popped the dizzy back on and it fired up! Fatha T is happy, especially considering he's just spent £300 getting it through the MoT and a service (another R8 that needed trailing arm bushes and the rear brakes sorting).

 

Once home I then cracked on with the R8 dizzler. The brakes were rubbish and I noticed the vacuum pump belt was slack, so I adjusted the bracket to it's furthest point and the brakes are much better now. A new belt is needed really but that'll do for now.

 

I also did a half arsed coolant flush to try and sort the cold heater. Loads of rust coloured crud came out and the heater is now tepid, but I reckon a proper flush and perhaps new thermostat is in order. I've ordered a new expansion tank cap as the old doesn't seem a great fit and I think it's leaking a bit from there.

 

I took it for a quick blezz and it's a funny old thing. I'm not a fan of diesels normally but the way it lollops along emitting that unmistakable XUD clatter is quite charming. Not sure I could live with it long term mind....like my pez autos too much!

[wuvvum]

Bloody heck Wuv, how many shonky old vans is that now?

Still only two - the H100 went on Thursday night.

[Royale80]

Mrs B. wants a van for the dogs and her bike. Will have to investigate.

[cms206]

Scrapyard dwelling neighbour has just offered me a Y-reg V40 T4 SE manual with test for a fucking pittance... harrumph. Tempted but not tempted at the same time.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[dave21478]

I was underwhelmed by the V40. Ours was the 1.9 turbodiesel Renault engine, but it wasnt just the engine that felt a let-down. Build quality wasnt all that and it was surprisingly uncomfortable.

They can be nice lookers though in a dark colour and with good wheels.

[stillOrange]

Watching Essex Classic Car aution online

 

A banged up Citroen XM Executive TD with short MOT sold for £950

But highest bid for lovely looking Morris Marina 1.8 Coupe 1972 was £1000 (not sold).

Ford Escort 1.6LX Auto 1992 had a highest bid of £1350 but didn't meet reserve

 

WTF is going on?