The new news 24 thread

[stuboy]

On 5/22/2021 at 6:36 AM, Mrcento said:

Please tell me it's a trick of the camera and you had axel stands somewhere under there whilst under the car 😳😳😳😳

i did put a stand under it

[stuboy]

On 5/22/2021 at 6:38 AM, Spurious said:

You got lucky getting those plugs out without them rounding.  Cripes.

starfish was wincing

On 5/22/2021 at 6:39 AM, beko1987 said:

How do spark plugs even rust like that, did she take them out and leave them in the rain for a month to troll you? 

she does live in dover ....

[stuboy]

13 hours ago, red5 said:

Ps, get some fecking stands under that and chock the wheels.  Man alive...or not....

i did i was having quick peek to assess to bother or not

[stuboy]

14 hours ago, Spurious said:

absolute shit balls. wound down the passenger window and it fell into the door. I'm 30 miles from home and it's pissing rain. 

Fuck. 

drive faster... dodge the rain drops

[dollywobbler]

56 minutes ago, stuboy said:

i did i was having quick peek to assess to bother or not

A quick peek under a car on a jack is best done not being under it. It takes no time at all for a car to drop if something is amiss, and gravity will not care if you're in the way. I've worked on cars supported jack-only when I'm not under any part of it, but if I'm moving any part of me underneath, a stand it has to be. We're only here once.

3 hours ago, Spurious said:

absolute shit balls. wound down the passenger window and it fell into the door. I'm 30 miles from home and it's pissing rain. 

Fuck. 

Arse! Hope you got it sorted. I didn't even know that was a thing on these.

[EightMegs]

Looking a bit shitty, but I think it should get me through the test, hopefully.

[sdkrc]

Driver's window switch in the Insight doesn't want to play ball. There are 2 possibilities, the notoriously fragile switch or the motor. 

I took apart the dash and had a gander at the switch. 

1. Drop the steering column (wow, such room)

 

2. Find the hidden screws 

 

3. Remove the fascia without breaking brittle plastic

4. Unplug the bits

5. Remove the switch assembly from the fascia

 

6. Try repair the broken plastic inside the switch with glue.

 

Putting it back together tomorrow but I think the motor has also burnt out. 

To properly repair this I need to either 3d print a piece or buy the whole switch assembly for £megabucks. It would be a shame for me to make a hacky switch using some other OEM button.

[wuvvum]

Once again I didn't get as much done this weekend as I'd been hoping due to rather changeable weather, but I did have a potter round.  I started to get the Felicia ready for its shiny new head gasket - I didn't actually attempt the job as I want to get it done in one go so I'm going to wait until I have a full day free and it doesn't constantly look like it's going to start pissing down at any moment, but I got the rocker cover and air filter off and got the nuts on the manifold-to-downpipe join undone.  I didn't take anything more off as I need it to still be able to start for long enough to get up on the ramps so I can drain the coolant and finish disconnecting the exhaust.  Most of the head bolts are Allen head - after a brief search I found my Allen bit set in the footwell of the Mondeo and there's a bit the right size in the set so that's all sorted.  I'll even get to use my shiny new torque wrench.

The Trafic now has two working speakers which means the radio is actually audible whilst driving.  I fitted some cheapo eBay special 2-way speakers which aren't brilliant but still a lot better than the tinny originals - it's pointless forking out for amazing sound quality in a vehicle as noisy as the Trafic.  The driver's door lock started to play up though (fortunately when the door was unlocked) so I've taken that out - the little plastic arm that operates the mechanism inside the door had come loose on the lock shaft, so I've Gorilla glued that back on and also reinserted the little pin which originally held it in place, which I should have done the first time around.  I'm leaving it to dry overnight and it can be refitted to the van tomorrow.

I got the passenger door unlocked on the C2, after nearly 6 months of ownership - this involved carrying out my original plan of stripping the insulation back on the three wires inside the door that run to the lock motor, running a thin wire direct from the battery live into the cabin and touching it to each wire in turn - third time was the charm and the door opened.  I was in equal measures pleased to have fixed it and surprised that I managed to do something to the electrics on a modern which actually worked...  I put the door card back on and gave the car a celebratory (if cursory) hoover out.

I decided to investigate the instrument panel on the Ypsilon as the mileage / trip computer display is very dim and flickers.  I prised out the bit of plastic in front of the gauge cluster as that's how you access the mounting screws on the previous model Ypsilon.  I discovered that a) on the new shape Ypsilon the instruments are in fact mounted on a big metal bracket which is held in place with two large Allen bolts, and to access those the stereo has to come out, and b ) the plastic panel in front of the clocks is an absolute twat to get back in as part of it actually sits behind the instrument panel.  It's back in now though.  I might take the stereo out and have a go at removing the clocks but before I do that I need to go through the paperwork to find out whether the stereo is coded and, if it is, whether I have the code - I can live with a flickering milometer more than I can live without my choonz.  I also gave the Ypsilon a hoover whilst I had the hoover out - it needed it badly, and hopefully it will have got rid of some of the smell of faaaags.

First job today (after mowing the lawn) was to get out the new exhaust for the Innocenti, extricate it from its bubble wrap and line it up under the car to make sure it's going to fit properly.  Except it didn't.  It's hard to tell where the front of the existing centre section ends as it's been welded together more than once, but lining it up with the rear silencer meant that the hangers were way too far back, and if I lined the hangers up I could see where it was supposed to join onto the down pipe but it was nowhere near meeting the back box and it also sloped upwards too early so it was going to foul the floorpan.  After puzzling about this for some time I realised what had happened.  I'd ordered an exhaust for a SWB car and mine's a LWB.  What an absolute gibbering cretin.  So now I have to slice through my shiny new exhaust and sleeve it somehow to gain the 6 or so extra inches it needs.  FFS.

I also failed to get the brakes on the Carina working any better.  I fitted the new bleed nipples on the back brakes and vacuum bled the sh*t out of them, but I still can't get rid of the sponginess in the pedal.  I'm rapidly running out of ideas.

The Ducato is also now really quite poorly.  I put it up on the ramps to check the gear cables, and it looks like there's plenty of grease on them, but when I took it for a quick drive the gears rapidly went to pot, with first gear going completely AWOL, and fifth being an absolute bastard to get too.  By the time I got it back to the car park I could barely get it out of gear at all, and then reversing it into its space it was shaking like a shitting dog and I had to get both hands on the gear lever to yank it out of reverse.  It did another odd thing - in neutral, with the clutch up it was free to roll down the slight slope of the car park, but press the clutch (even in neutral) and it stopped dead.  I went out to it again today and first was still MIA, reverse was still a bastard but the clutch had decided to play up in a slightly different way - lifting the clutch pedal in neutral the van started to try to drive forward, then stopped when I pressed the pedal.  I'm really not sure what's happening but I'm going to have to get the clutch changed before I do anything more with it - for now it's been relegated to shed status.

[Spurious]

4 hours ago, stuboy said:

drive faster... dodge the rain drops

This was the cast iron theory that actually worked somewhat. A "spirited" drive on the M62 resulted in not too many problems to be fair. Cold though. 

Didn't get many photos of this as it was chucking it down by the time I got home. Thankfully it's now closed. The window regulator has unfortunately had it; it's unspooled the metal cable and is effectively stuck in the down position. Hence why I thought it had come off the rails partially and, the glass just appeared to fall into the door as there's now no resistance applied by the regulator, it just slid quite quickly to the bottom of its sled and made a nasty noise. 

I thought the glass was going to be chipped or cracked. But it's fine somehow. 

It's now held up by an appropriate sized plank of wood. Not idea as it means that the car isn't properly secure given the area but it's hidden in the back of the car park right now. Should be okay for a few days until I figure out how to take the regulator out of the door which looks no fun to attempt. 

Temporarily fixed @dollywobbler. A bit annoying at the time cos I was worried I wouldn't be able to at least bodge it but that's the joys of older motors; stuff breaks at inconvenient times. Still cheaper than a months PCP on a new Golf right? 

 

 

 

[Spurious]

6 minutes ago, Spurious said:

This was the cast iron theory that actually worked somewhat. A "spirited" drive on the M62 resulted in not too many problems to be fair. Cold though. 

Didn't get many photos of this as it was chucking it down by the time I got home. Thankfully it's now closed. The window regulator has unfortunately had it; it's unspooled the metal cable and is effectively stuck in the down position. Hence why I thought it had come off the rails partially and, the glass just appeared to fall into the door as there's now no resistance applied by the regulator, it just slid quite quickly to the bottom of its sled and made a nasty noise. 

I thought the glass was going to be chipped or cracked. But it's fine somehow. 

It's now held up by an appropriate sized plank of wood. Not idea as it means that the car isn't properly secure given the area but it's hidden in the back of the car park right now. Should be okay for a few days until I figure out how to take the regulator out of the door which looks no fun to attempt. 

Temporarily fixed @dollywobbler. A bit annoying at the time cos I was worried I wouldn't be able to at least bodge it but that's the joys of older motors; stuff breaks at inconvenient times. Still cheaper than a months PCP on a new Golf right? 

 

 

 

And at least it's not expensive (if this is the right one) for a second hand one. 

[beko1987]

Blimey I thought the government had come to take me for my covid jab when the bell rang at 06.45...

Ffs, phew! Broke the engine cover a bit more though, although through barely touching it so better here than at the side of the road. 

I really need to get my headlights sorted too... There's been a guy advertising the service on fb recently in my town, maybe I should hit him up

[richardmorris]

I think I was correct to not trust these to 100miles of motorway speeds over the weekend!  These have gone from some light age cracks to dangerous very quickly.

[Jerzy Woking]

Cracks can lead to this.....

[richardmorris]

40 minutes ago, Jerzy Woking said:

Cracks can lead to this.....

That’s what I was afraid of,  I can see the cords in mine! Local merittyres will charge £15 each to fit and dispose and I’ve just ordered four with a couple of new wheels too from ecas2cv.

[loserone]

When I got my 205 home after an 85mph jaunt along the motorway I discovered I could fit my fingers in the cracks in the back tyres.

[richardmorris]

14 minutes ago, loserone said:

When I got my 205 home after an 85mph jaunt along the motorway I discovered I could fit my fingers in the cracks in the back tyres.

I think that cracking was mentioned during the service in May 2019. Last year the car sat mostly and mot extended to November. Just started doing motorways in it now as the merc is also in need of Tlc. I think the age, inactivity and now 100mile trips have done this to the tyres. 

[beko1987]

Sitting on already cracked tyres is what made me have to change me rears. They weren't in their first flush of youth whwn I bought the car, but I'd have had a few months and thousands of miles out of them to get the use of the tread. 

But sitting doing 350 miles in 9 months saw the cracks multiply so had to be done so I could trust the sodding thing again

[richardmorris]

1 hour ago, beko1987 said:

Sitting on already cracked tyres is what made me have to change me rears. They weren't in their first flush of youth whwn I bought the car, but I'd have had a few months and thousands of miles out of them to get the use of the tread. 

But sitting doing 350 miles in 9 months saw the cracks multiply so had to be done so I could trust the sodding thing again

Just checking the service folder. The tyres have done 12,000miles in 9 years, £39 each then - £63 this morning !

[Spurious]

2 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Just checking the service folder. The tyres have done 12,000miles in 9 years, £39 each then - £63 this morning !

Tyres actually aren't that expensive for common sizes to be honest. 

I got new Goodyear all seasons on 185/65/14 for £58 each corner for the Primera. Admittedly there was a 20% discount with my blue light card (message  me if you want it). Was with Tyres on the Drive (Halfords home tyre service). Didn't even have to leave the house. Brilliant. 

Similar story, the tyres were getting perished and cracked, the fronts were 15 years old. 

[richardmorris]

7 minutes ago, Spurious said:

Tyres actually aren't that expensive for common sizes to be honest. 

I got new Goodyear all seasons on 185/65/14 for £58 each corner for the Primera. Admittedly there was a 20% discount with my blue light card (message  me if you want it). Was with Tyres on the Drive (Halfords home tyre service). Didn't even have to leave the house. Brilliant. 

Similar story, the tyres were getting perished and cracked, the fronts were 15 years old. 

I can get Goodyear for the merc cheaper than the 2cv tyres. And the Pirelli cinturato  I have on my x1/9 were cheaper than the ones I have on my bicycle! The problem is 2cv tyres are no longer common - have ordered them from ecas and should get them Thursday ( dpd willing ). Michelin are pretty much £100 each and nankings are a bit cheaper than the Toyos I have gone for again.  

I do use tyres on the drive, they seem quite good on price. Couldn’t get me Toyos or Michelins  though.

[richardmorris]

Weirdo that I am, I quite like these cactuses. Anyone got one?

https://www.tatescars.co.uk/citroen/used-cars/12873110-citroen-c4-cactus-1.2-pure-tech-origins-s-s-5dr/

 

[Leyland Worldmaster]

Pub lunch with a friend of mine today. First pub lunch since last summer! 

Anyway, this photo was taken for any Citroën SM Enthusiasts here... 

[Split_Pin]

Like a lot of other things on this car, the unions were seized solid on the front brake lines on the Cav together with the bolts holding the flexi to the caliper.

£65 for the car to fuck off and come back with them fitted was worth it to me.

I just wish it would stop raining for 5 minutes, although we will see whether or not my reseal of the bulkhead and new scuttle panel will stop the water ingress.

I am also warming to the Tigra wheels.

 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Moved more stuff out of my storage container and into my house and had a rubbish collector take all the left behind crap out of my garage inching towards success or something.

 

3 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Like a lot of other things on this car, the unions were seized solid on the front brake lines on the Cav together with the bolts holding the flexi to the caliper.

£65 for the car to fuck off and come back with them fitted was worth it to me.

I just wish it would stop raining for 5 minutes, although we will see whether or not my reseal of the bulkhead and new scuttle panel will stop the water ingress.

I am also warming to the Tigra wheels.

 

That's nice that is .

[vulgalour]

The rain stopped for just long enough for me to get under the Maestro and put an exhaust bandage on the leaking flexi.  I really need a new downpipe but haven't been able to find one for a 1.3 yet.  Amazingly, the bandage has actually cured the leak and while it's not exactly the last word in refinement, at least it's not farting obscenely under throttle now.  No idea how long it'll last, hopefully long enough that it'll see me until I can get a proper replacement part.

[richardmorris]

Your rain stopped? Mine isn’t letting up here to let me launch the ark I’ve been building!

[wuvvum]

Forgot to mention some additional car-related idiocy which occurred over the weekend.

First one was fitting a new* stereo to the Swift (a Sony CD player I'd had lying around for a while).  I couldn't fit it before as I needed a DIN to ISO aerial adaptor so I could plug the Swift's DIN aerial lead in.  Ordered one off eBay and it duly arrived.  Except when I went to fit it I discovered that the ISO plug on the back of the stereo was itself an ISO to DIN adaptor and the plug on the stereo was in fact a DIN plug all along.  So I now have two spare aerial adaptors, which I'm sure will come in handy one day...

Second one - I have been getting grumpy over the last few weeks about the lack of offside front Mini brake calipers - there are dozens of nearside calipers going cheap but for some reason far fewer offside ones.  It has just now dawned on me that the caliper I bought a month or so back thinking it was a nearside one is in fact an offside one, so I just need to buy myself a cheapo nearside one and I can get the brakes sorted.  I've only wasted about four weeks with the car immobile on the drive... 

[clayts450]

14 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

Except when I went to fit it I discovered that the ISO plug on the back of the stereo was itself an ISO to DIN adaptor and the plug on the stereo was in fact a DIN plug all along. 

Sorry, but 😄

[SiC]

On 5/23/2021 at 6:31 PM, Spurious said:

absolute shit balls. wound down the passenger window and it fell into the door. I'm 30 miles from home and it's pissing rain. 

Fuck. 

Bit late now but cling film works pretty well as a emergency window. 

[omegod]

6 hours ago, Spurious said:

Tyres actually aren't that expensive for common sizes to be honest. 

I got new Goodyear all seasons on 185/65/14 for £58 each corner for the Primera. Admittedly there was a 20% discount with my blue light card (message  me if you want it). Was with Tyres on the Drive (Halfords home tyre service). Didn't even have to leave the house. Brilliant. 

Similar story, the tyres were getting perished and cracked, the fronts were 15 years old. 

I can't seem to find anything on the blue light app for tyres, must have finished