The new news 24 thread

[N19]

I've got a friends Citroen modern-thing to take for an MoT later in the week. I took it down to my lockup just to give it a once-over before presenting it to the testing station, primarily to not look a tit. A neighbour goes "You've got a new car?! What is happening to the world?". Reputation... never.

[stuboy]

7 hours ago, TheOtherStu said:

I love me a wanker plate. About to buy a second.

@stuboy you'll probably appreciate this one too

My other..

[wuvvum]

Ah yes, that's more like it, it needs to have the letters illegally spaced to be a proper wanker plate.  That one only gets an 8/10 though as I can more or less work out what it's supposed to say.

[Zelandeth]

New toy picked up today.

Well impressed so far.

[High Jetter]

I got a big Makita 18v hammer/chisel/drill. Multo impressed, bought a drill/driver too. Mine's blue, your's is yella.

[Spurious]

10 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

New toy picked up today.

Well impressed so far.

I've the older Bruushed 18v one. It's a decent job. Can't really go wrong with DeWalt for serious DIY work. 

[Zelandeth]

It's the first tool I've bought in a long time where I had that real moment of "Wow, this feels like it means business..." The moment I took it out the box.  It feels so, so solid.

Really appreciate that the charger can handle the 10.8/12/14.4 and 18V batteries.

I've been meaning to pick up an impact driver for a while.  While it's a combi rather than a dedicated impact driver it seems to do a good job so far.   Sure it will be a great addition to the toolbox.  I can see more DeWalt gear in my future.

[Fumbler]

Managed to find the cause of the rocker cover leak. The very old plastic spacers that clamps the baffle to the cylinder head and helps secure the rocker cover crushed when I tightened the rocker cover up. I've measured them to 15.32mm so I can remake some out of something that'll not melt or break.

I also let the sun warm the engine up for most of the morning and the car started perfectly. What does this mean? Not enough or too much fuel delivery? Timing? I'm royally confused.

[Fumbler]

OK- small victory. I remade the baffle spacers out of some copper pipe. Let the engine run for 5 minutes and, hey presto, no leaks thus far. When everything is complete and I make a run to get petrol, I'll investigate again. I'll need to top the engine up a bit with some oil- it doesn't matter what I throw in so long as it's of the correct viscosity as I'll be changing the oil very shortly.

[Fumbler]

33 minutes ago, HarmonicCheeseburger said:

Loads of swearing later it seems to idle now. The running rich when warm seems to be cured. 

Ain't taking bets how long it remains like that though.

Anyone bought car parts from aliexpress? 

Yes, my carburettor was from an eBay reseller of AliExpress parts. It's a bit of a lottery with stuff like this: some people have been well impressed, others have thrown the stuff straight in the bin as it doesn't work at all.

[Fumbler]

Here we go again...

[wuvvum]

Ah, I can see what the problem is now.  You've mistaken Hammerite for carb cleaner and blocked up all the jets.

[Split_Pin]

Attended a breakdown today. My wife had taken my son out for ice cream at a place in the countryside near our house. She phoned me and said that the Mini was rattling and the engine light was on. 

I arrived in the Cav armed with tools and a code reader but the light was out and after initially cutting out when I started it then ran OK. I think the O2 sensor is away again and drawing lots of fuel  as it was stinking of petrol. Unconnected, but the exhaust heat shield is hanging down a bit which might explain the other noise.

Off I went back home down the road in the shaker to my work.

I've done 120 miles in 2 days in this, can't get enough of it!

[dozeydustman]

Guy who’s selling the car (Mini) we’re having a look at on Saturday afternoon has just text my stepdaughter out of nowhere saying she can have the car for £250 off. He’s already reduced the price twice on F**ebook muppetplace.

This has made me a bit suspicious as now I’m thinking there’s an issue with the car which has cropped up since arranging to see it.

Granted he may just want it out the way but to text with the bottom line price does seem rather odd.

[Zelandeth]

25 minutes ago, dozeydustman said:

Guy who’s selling the car (Mini) we’re having a look at on Saturday afternoon has just text my stepdaughter out of nowhere saying she can have the car for £250 off. He’s already reduced the price twice on F**ebook muppetplace.

This has made me a bit suspicious as now I’m thinking there’s an issue with the car which has cropped up since arranging to see it.

Granted he may just want it out the way but to text with the bottom line price does seem rather odd.

Either that or he's had other idiots viewing the car since and he's run out of patience with them - and as you didn't mess them about he's giving you first refusal...

Then again, my experiences both buying and selling on Gumtree have been almost universally horrible!

[dozeydustman]

12 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Either that or he's had other idiots viewing the car since and he's run out of patience with them - and as you didn't mess them about he's giving you first refusal...

Then again, my experiences both buying and selling on Gumtree have been almost universally horrible!

That’s another good reason. I’ve had a look at the original ad and it’s been up for 3 weeks and others in a similar spec have gone within a few days, a week at most. Again making me think something isn’t right.

[Zelandeth]

18 minutes ago, dozeydustman said:

That’s another good reason. I’ve had a look at the original ad and it’s been up for 3 weeks and others in a similar spec have gone within a few days, a week at most. Again making me think something isn’t right.

Hmm...yeah, that does seem something of a red flag.

[Zelandeth]

14 minutes ago, HarmonicCheeseburger said:

And 20 miles later back to sticking idle.

Choices of replacement throttle bodies are eBay of which I got stung with a shiny paperweight last time, and a seller that fucked off.  OR Aliexpress of which I am certain has a quality warranty and QA on parts. 

Or the scrap yard?

I'm 1 out of 3 from AliExpress for actually getting goods as described.

In fairness to them though the refund process on both of the other occasions was pretty painless.  Just bloody annoying when you've been waiting the best part of two months for the item to start with.

[rusty998]

Had a chance to get the MGF up on a ramp today, so while it was up itook the opportunity to steam clean the bottom of the engine and gearbox as it was covered in years of old grime and oil, not a bad result

[Cord Fourteener]

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Attended a breakdown today. My wife had taken my son out for ice cream. She phoned me and said that the ice cream has sold out and both of them were having a tantrum, come quick with ice cream...

Is how I imagined this to continue. 

Good you're enjoying turning up to mystery gremlins just because it's an excuse to cruise around in the Cavalier!

[Cord Fourteener]

Turns out, the Mondeo boot is in fact big enough. 

[rusty998]

25 minutes ago, Cord Forteener aka Tim_E said:

Turns out, the Mondeo boot is in fact big enough. 

That's a massive Violin !

[Stanky]

4 hours ago, HarmonicCheeseburger said:

Anyone bought car parts from aliexpress? 

Yes, multiple times with 100% success and <1% of the cost of the parts from the only other place on earth I could find them.

Its got to be worth a shot for a complete new throttle body for, what, £100? You'll get that back for fragging the ungrateful bastard if the plan fails, or will have a fully* working* car if it succeeds. Whatever you buy new will have been made in the PRC anyway so why not go direct to source instead of paying over the odds for someone to put it in a nice box for you?

[Sunny Jim]

I was scrolling through FB last night when a post from the 480 owners club popped up with a guy giving away a set of alloys - he was only in Wrexham so it seemed too good an opportunity to miss.

In further good fortune I had a great drive home from collecting them this evening, wonderful views and quiet roads.

The 480 owners club are an incredibly welcoming and generous bunch, someone else has sent me a Central Electronics Module on loan to see if it sorts the electrical gremlins on the Volvo - fingers crossed it does, I'll hopefully get a chance to try it tomorrow after work.

 

[Fumbler]

Sitrep: car now runs on the replacement jets and holds oil. Fuel light is on so I'll need to get petrol at some point. The starter motor is beginning to sound baaaaaaad. Lucky I got a NOS one two months ago!

The main jet, idle jet and emulsion tube were all smaller and designed for a smaller engine by the looks of things- I suspect it's for a 1.1 Citroen AX or something like that. The real test will be cold starting it tomorrow.

[chaseracer]

52 minutes ago, Cord Forteener aka Tim_E said:

Turns out, the Mondeo boot is in fact big enough. 

Pffft - amateur!  My mate Rob fits a double bass in his Dyane.

Just... 😬

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, Cord Forteener aka Tim_E said:

Is how I imagined this to continue. 

Good you're enjoying turning up to mystery gremlins just because it's an excuse to cruise around in the Cavalier!

That was exactly my thought. I went out to the shops in it later as well. Tremendous motor car!

[Split_Pin]

Brought our new bikes home from the shop today. We just went in and asked for the cheapest they had, as we will only be tooling  around a Loch or along the Canal in them . My son is 8 so distances will be short so saw no point in spending a fortune at the moment. 

The cycle carrier is a half decent Thule  effort though. Unfortunately my detachable tow bar is now firmly stuck on after it carried some weight

[High Jetter]

Was in a cab so couldn't stop, but sure I saw a red Peel on a trailer at a BP station at Willingdon. @Will on Syros?

[Split_Pin]

25 minutes ago, Nyphur said:

Nice 75. Whats the interior like?

Contemporary SE spec so you get black oak dash and ZT seats.