The new news 24 thread

[Longbridge Apologist]

Not driven the crap 320 Touring for 3-4 weeks. Got in it yesterday to go to friends for dinner in Guildford. Leap in and...

Think "Oh cock, it's shat another ECU AGAIN". Call out AutoAid and pop in the app that it just wont start.

Man arrives in UK National 24 Hour Renault Kangoo. He doesn't even ask me anything, gets a big Jump Start pack out the back, walks up "pop the bonnet mate". Sticks it on. "Try that".

Bloody thing fires first time.

Gave the ungrateful bastard a new Yuasa in the summer as well. What on earth has drained it in 3 weeks?

Bloody modern tat!

[chaseracer]

On 11/02/2022 at 15:48, grogee said:

Clubman motor racing seems to be 90% expense and frustration, and 10% not winning a race. 

Sounds about right!

[Sunny Jim]

Needed a 5.5mm socket to remove an LDV Maxus blower motor so had to get creative. 😃

@wuvvumit's boxed up and should be with you Tuesday.

[richardmorris]

Latest Harry garage video is interesting. Especially the expressions on Ian Tyrell’s face when the countach gearbox is making death noises. Incidentally the tractors were outside my work last year after being auctioned.

 

[MJK 24]

52 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Latest Harry garage video is interesting. Especially the expressions on Ian Tyrell’s face when the countach gearbox is making death noises. Incidentally the tractors were outside my work last year after being auctioned.

 

I can’t believe he’s been driving it around for 12 years making that sort of noise.  Foolhardy in the extreme.  The gearbox oil was filthy too.

[richardmorris]

9 minutes ago, MJK 24 said:

I can’t believe he’s been driving it around for 12 years making that sort of noise.  Foolhardy in the extreme.  The gearbox oil was filthy too.

Turn the radio up to drown out the noises!

i think the issue will be that removing an engine and gearbox plus repair will be a £20,000 bill!

[MJK 24]

1 minute ago, richardmorris said:

Turn the radio up to drown out the noises!

i think the issue will be that removing an engine and gearbox plus repair will be a £20,000 bill!

I think it could work out to be more than that.  There’s bound to be some mission creep.

[richardmorris]

Just now, MJK 24 said:

I think it could work out to be more than that.  There’s bound to be some mission creep.

I don’t doubt it. He’s also mentioned the brakes so that’s four new discs, caliper rebuild and pads - do you think ECP stocks cheap sets !?

[LightBulbFun]

am I seeing things or is this an AU Falcon Ute?!

[AnnoyingPentium]

3 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

do you think ECP stocks cheap sets !?

I bought Eicher discs and pads dirt cheap from ECP for the front of my car. If that helps.

[SiC]

2 hours ago, MJK 24 said:

I can’t believe he’s been driving it around for 12 years making that sort of noise.  Foolhardy in the extreme.  The gearbox oil was filthy too.

That car certainly has seem some action over the years. This is from Chris Harris personal YouTube channel

 

 

 

[D.E]

Someone had a very bad Sunday.

https://nos.nl/index.php/artikel/2417139-oldtimer-ter-waarde-van-250-000-euro-uitgebrand-in-bavel

 

[MJK 24]

2 hours ago, richardmorris said:

I don’t doubt it. He’s also mentioned the brakes so that’s four new discs, caliper rebuild and pads - do you think ECP stocks cheap sets !?

Coutach rear pads are Alfasud front pads so they’ll be cheap enough!

[SiC]

23 hours ago, SiC said:

Think I might have just bought another car. Colleague is selling his 2006 A4 estate as he's just had a text to say his Tesla is ready for delivery. The Audi has just had its clutch+flywheel done. He's offered it at WBAC price and said somewhere between 1k and 1.5k.

Anyone want to buy a Fabia? 🤣

Price agreed on the A4. Colleague then started remembering all the problems it had and if I still wanted it. Of course it made it even more interesting to me...

It's got the usual crappy VAG problems of this era. Drivers window inop (regulator), cruise inop (clutch switch?), Glove box door falls off (hinge) and rear wiper missing (seized and forced then broke). Nothing unsurmountable.

Reading up has reminded me that these engines have the notorious oil pump hex drive that rounds off and kills them. Not as high liability as the earlier BLB engine but this BRE still has its issues. Hopefully those Siemens injectors have long been replaced.

Anyway it looks smart. Won't be getting it for a few weeks as his Model Y came so unexpectedly, he hadn't got a fast charger installed at home and waiting for that to be installed. He's keeping the Audi as backup until he knows he is able to get a decent charge in between uses.

Also sold the Fabia to someone on here.

Next up on the chopping block is probably the Moggie. I've one too many cars at the moment and need to clear a few. Still want a Puma, so need to clear some room.

[wuvvum]

Got a few bits done this weekend - it was bloody windy again but the rain had the decency to stay away until aboutn 4pm today, by which time I'd had enough anyway.

I found the boost leak on the Laguna - the intercooler-to-inlet-manifold hose has split right at the top by the Jubilee clip.  It doesn't really look repairable (I did think about trying to bodge it with silicone sealant but I was a bit worried about bits breaking off and getting ingested into the engine) and new ones are obscene money - even secondhand ones on eBay are going for 60 to 80 quid, which is ridiculous for a 2' long bit of plastic pipe.  Unfortunately it's an awkward shape to clear the PAS pump, so I can't really bodge something in like I did with the Mazda radiator.  There are people selling a replacement top section of the pipe, in silicone rubber rather than rigid plastic, for 45 quid - which is still a lot, and entails sawing the plastic pipe in half and using a metal joiner to connect the rubber replacement section - but that might be the way I have to go. 

Interestingly the car will barely run at all with the pipe disconnected - it starts straight up but chugs away at about 500rpm making all sorts of odd noises and won't rev at all.  Which could be awkward - the car needs to be on ramps to get to the bottom end of the hose, and it ain't going to make it up the ramps as it is.  I might have to dig the big trolley jack out of the garage.

I've adjusted the Rover's handbrake up as much as I could.  It's still not great but it's a lot better than it was.  If it's still not good enough to pass then I'm probably going to have to fork out for new handbrake shoes (and I'd probably replace the discs at the same time as they're getting a bit worn).  That was the final pre-MOT job so I can now book it in, assuming the local garage has a pair of tyres that will fit (although I think the rears might just about scrape through, they're rapidly approaching pisstake condition).

I fitted an LED strip light in the back of the Maxus - there was no working lighting in there at all, but I found a permanent live feed up by the original lights so I've used that to wire the LED strip onto a switch just inside the rear doors.  It does a much better job of lighting things up than the original pair of 10w festoon bulbs would have.  Threading some of the wiring through the entrails of the van was fun though.  I've also now got both front fog lights working.

I did 30 miles in the Mazda on Friday evening and the rear wheel is still on, so that's good news.  The heater was adequate in the sub-zero temperatures, but it won't blow any warm air out of the dash vents - screen and feet is the best it can manage.  I do need to do something about the exhaust though as it's still smelling decidedly fumey in there.

[SiC]

11 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

Interestingly the car will barely run at all with the pipe disconnected - it starts straight up but chugs away at about 500rpm making all sorts of odd noises and won't rev at all.  Which could be awkward - the car needs to be on ramps to get to the bottom end of the hose, and it ain't going to make it up the ramps as it is.  I might have to dig the big trolley jack out of the garage.

Presumably the MAF is on the air filter end of the intake trait? A pipe missing after that would make sense to cause rough running as it'll be confused what metered air is going through. Probably will run with that sensor disconnected. 

[High Jetter]

7 hours ago, wuvvum said:

it won't blow any warm air out of the dash vents

I can't recall which Mazda you have, but some Jap vehicles are designed that way. Unless you had warm from there previously, might be worth checking the handbook?

[AnnoyingPentium]

9 hours ago, SiC said:

cruise inop (clutch switch?)

Brake switch, most likely. Check your brake lights are working too.

[reb]

I start my new job today!

In a fantastic start to the day I slept with my alarm going off for over half an hour, I'm glad I set it nice and early!

[AnnoyingPentium]

7 minutes ago, reb said:

I start my new job today!

In a fantastic start to the day I slept with my alarm going off for over half an hour, I'm glad I set it nice and early!

[Minimad5]

Notice emailed over last night.

Woke up to messages on phone from management.

This is going to be fun 😬

[reb]

10 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

I'm mostly concerned that it's cold in my spare room today but I'll be on a teams call all day so I can't wear my fluffy dressing gown. Got to make a good first impression!

[Ghosty]

Still alive five years later. 
Fucking get in. 

[SiC]

3 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Brake switch, most likely. Check your brake lights are working too.

I'd expect ABS warning light to be showing on these if the brake switch is faulty. 

[barefoot]

I just fucked off the final 'one make' forum I visit. I've never experienced such a load of folk so far up their own fucking arses.

[Metal Guru]

48 minutes ago, barefoot said:

I just fucked off the final 'one make' forum I visit. I've never experienced such a load of folk so far up their own fucking arses.

You obviously haven’t been on Pistonheads!

[andy18s]

[Rocket88]

5 hours ago, barefoot said:

I just fucked off the final 'one make' forum I visit. I've never experienced such a load of folk so far up their own fucking arses.

Do tell…..😂

[Split_Pin]

Please tell me its the Rover 75 Forum. I love to hate those pencilnecked, adenoidal, navel gazing, biscuit-eating, hat-wearing streaks of misery.

 

[Cookiesouwest]

13 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Please tell me its the Rover 75 Forum. I love to hate those pencilnecked, adenoidal, navel gazing, biscuit-eating, hat-wearing streaks of misery.

 

Don't hold back @Split_Pin , say what you really think