The new news 24 thread

[cort16]

I hope you go round theirs with bags full of unwashed dirty underpants, turn up demanding to be fed etc?

[vulgalour]

I'm still planning to have the HLS transported, and now I've been paid for some stuff (hooray!) it's looking likely it'll happen sometime between Shitefest and the end of September.  Back-up plan of a borrowed dolly and Dad's car as a tow vehicle is also set, though I hope we don't have to go that route as I'd rather spend the bit extra to get the HLS transported north by Panhard65 who has proven to be the most affordable courier. 

 

In other news, every time I see a Maestro I want one.  I don't know why, exactly, but something about the ex-Skattrd white auto and the spine-twisting Ledbury I had has planted them in my head as a car I should own again.  Yes, I know garycox is selling that lovely beige one, but it's come up at precisely the wrong time for me to go for it.  

 

Before anyone suggests it, using a broken Maestro to A-frame a Princess that's been slumbering for 12 years is not a good idea.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Have you had any pics through of this Princess? What state is it in?

[vulgalour]

It is solid overall, but scruffy and dirty from a long time in storage.  I'd say it's on a par with mine on the bodywork but as far as I know it still has plenty of floors and sills left and looks pretty original right down to the numberplates and side stripes.  I don't want to release any pictures until I get it back though I do have a selection.

 

Even if it's fubarred it doesn't matter as it has a wealth of good bits that are better than the bits on mine, but I'm cautiously optimistic about it being able to be put back on the road.  There's not a lot that can really go wrong on them and this one appears solid in all the right places.

 

Oh, and what's happening with this starter motor?  I just remembered.  I could bring it to Shitefest if you're going.

[Bobthebeard]

As far as I know it still has plenty of floors and sills left

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I've had no time to do owt starter wise for the last 2 weeks as i've ben working 12-hr days!!! Finished them now though so I might have a chance this week.

[Bobthebeard]

I've had no time to do owt starter wise for the last 2 weeks as i've ben working 12-hr days!!! Finished them now though so I might be a bit less grumpy!

EFA

[Mr_Bo11ox]

SHUT IT BEARDY! 

[stuboy]

fancied a shiny nob

for the mondogno

[Ghosty]

Blue shaft?

 

Crikey.

[wuvvum]

I fitted an electric radiator fan to the Range Rover this afternoon, wired up to a switch under the dash.  It's a cheapo £20-off-eBay fan but it seems to pull a fair bit of air through nonetheless.  It's only 120W so I didn't bother with relays or owt, just used 20A wiring and a 20A switch and wired it straight to the battery terminals.  I'm now slightly less worried about driving it in heavy traffic.  Still don't want to do any really long runs in it until I've sorted out the water pump pulley alignment and got a proper fanbelt fitted, but it should be up to running around fairly locally. 

 

I was going to bleed the clutch as well (it's not lost a noticeable amount of fluid since I topped it up, so hopefully bleeding the system will sort things out for a while), but it started pissing down with rain so that'll have to wait for another day.  I did try and get the roof-mounted light bar off, but it looks like it's going to need a bit of persuasion, so that's also going to have to wait.  The front fogs and the grille-mounted spots are now working again - whilst poking around in the rat's nest of wiring under the bonnet while wiring the fan in, I found an inline fuse holder with a blown fuse, and once that was replaced the lights came back to life again.  So it's now only the stereo that's dead - even the rear wash / wipe works perfectly, unusual for a Rangie of this vintage.

 

I bought a Y-reg Espace yesterday, with the OM NOM NOM TURBO 2.2 DCi engine.  It seems to drive well enough, but on my way back from a mate's this evening I floored it in 4th and the clutch started slipping, quite badly.  It did it in 5th as well.  Then I couldn't make it do it again - I nailed it through the gears from a standing start and not a hint of slippage.  I also tried making it slip whilst stationary by holding the car on the brakes and giving it a bit of throttle, but nope, it stalled the engine.  Most odd.  The biting point isn't particularly high either.  I suspect it might be a slightly sticky slave cylinder - the car had stood around for a couple of months when I picked it up, and the clutch hydraulics on Mk3 Espaces are notoriously shit.  Still, it shouldn't cause a problem for general running around, so the old crate is probably going to take over daily duties from the Carina E, which I don't really want to keep lumping my pushbike in and out of every day - it's the tidiest car I own by quite some margin and I'd quite like to keep it that way...

[Barry Cade]

Leaving for Dover in the MGF, ferry 2am Germany tomorrow. ROAD TRIP :)

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Found a note wedged under my driver's seat from someone saying they bumped my car and to call them if there's any damage. Had a good look round but can't see any new damage, I suppose the fact I don't know how long that note's been there suggests no harm done.

[vulgalour]

Strange to wedge it under the driver's seat, wouldn't the wiper be more conventional?

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Yeah, that is odd. Maybe he figured it would be safer in the car. 

[dollywobbler]

Today, I'm having a rest from cars and am trying to fix our lawnmower. Anyone know 'owt about the Briggs & Stratton 35? Primer bulb keeps staying in. Must be a blockage somewhere I guess?

[cort16]

Today, I'm having a rest from cars and am trying to fix our lawnmower. Anyone know 'owt about the Briggs & Stratton 35? Primer bulb keeps staying in. Must be a blockage somewhere I guess?

 

Have you tried connecting your OBDII code reader?

[barefoot]

Back from a week in the English River Area.

 

On a motorway, somewhere, about a week ago, I saw a Zodiac mk4 estate.

It looked tiny in comparison to the modern stuff around it at the time.

No photos, it was going the other way.

 

Van ran nicely and didn't break down at all.

[Bobthebeard]

Today, I'm having a rest from cars and am trying to fix our lawnmower. Anyone know 'owt about the Briggs & Stratton 35? Primer bulb keeps staying in. Must be a blockage somewhere I guess?

Blocked carb?

Was the problem in the one I used to have..

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Unless its an open top car the you frequently leave with the top down, could it be that the note was received by a previous owner and forgotten about?

 

It is, but I've had the carpets out. Retracing my steps I'd bet it happened earlier this month at the Trafford Centre. Only 'high traffic' car park I've left it in. 

[dollywobbler]

Blocked carb?

Was the problem in the one I used to have..

 

Blocked pick-up pipe. Had to prise the gauze off the bottom, blow it out and then try and refit the gauze. I estimate that in a few month's time (I don't mow the lawn very often) that gauze will fall off and I'll be doing it all again. Ideally, I would have cleaned out the fuel tank to get rid of any sediment but annoyingly, I filled the tank just before deciding it was broken.

[cort16]

Old 5 series v new 3 series. The 3 series is lower but a little longer.

 

5 series v 3 series by cort16, on Flickr

[Lukas]

I hate the bonnet on the new 3 series. But must be like that because of pedestrian-safety-regulations. Had a 320d xdrive for one week, it´s a fantastic car! Best auto-gearbox ever, the 8-speed-one. Very fast, extremely good balanced, great fun.

[theorganist]

Going to view a shitty brown series 3 Allegro tomorrow in deepest Wolverhampton. It is a spares or repairs job according to the advert.

 

Why I am doing this with the brown Maxi pending is beyond me, but it is worth a look!

[cobblers]

Got a phone call off the painter this morning asking me to fetch the van up for 4pm, so I rang the car transporter guy and arranged for it collected as soon as I got home from work.

 

Got home from work, got into the van to start it and it just cranks and cranks - It's not once failed to start in a year, and started and ran perfect a week ago - I've not been faffing with anything, or anything. No spark (apart from the first one when you turn the ignition on) so the coil is OK. Not showing any RPMS on VAG COM when cranking over, so I can only assume it's the crank sensor which was new a year ago. (cheap GSF one though)

 

 

It's currently sat at my mates up the road from the painters, cos there's a great big slope up into the painters garage so it needs to be running to drive in there.

 

I'm gonna get Euro Car Prats to deliver a crank sensor (and a set of HT leads cos I bust one "fault finding") direct to the painters tomorrow while I'm at work, then go round and see if I can get the fucker running.

 

On top of this, the caliper I got off ebay to replace the one with sheared bleed nipple on the daily golf is even more rusty so I very very much doubt it's going to be any use at all, so there;s a very distinct chance I'll be riding 14 miles to work at 6am on a pushbike sometime this week I can't borrow a car off one person or another.

[ruffgeezer]

I spent Sunday morning working on this;

 

 

It was a bloody nice change from working on the modern crap during the week, however it still won't run, but give it time!

[vulgalour]

I'm guessing it's a Daimler Conquest.... very pretty thing and if you/another shiter owned it you've got a picture that would make for a classy addition to the 2014 calender there.

[dollywobbler]

I love Conquests. Old Daimlers are seriously kick-arse, in a wood-leather-armchair kind of a way.

[holbeck]

002 by holbeck251, on Flickr

 

Remember this? well it's gone over the bridge now.

 

2 weeks after I got it, the effing clutch went in spectacular fashion whilst loaded to the gunwales' with our furniture. After a roadside conversation* with my other half I just about managed to nurse it to our new house and then straight on to a nearby breakers who gave me £125 knicker once SWMBO had arrived with the doc's. Ollocks!

[wuvvum]

I love Conquests. Old Daimlers are seriously kick-arse, in a wood-leather-armchair kind of a way.

+1.  Should never have sold my Century.