The new news 24 thread

[dollywobbler]

WD40 on hinges though? I'd much rather use something heavier like spray grease (something I do on all new purchases).

[xtriple]

Unfortunately it's all I had available. All my stuff is in storage in boxes and I have no idea where anything is and I'm too mean to go and buy more stuff I know I already own! I know you'll laugh, but after I let the WD  get into nooks and cranies, I sprayed a load of furniture polish over the top! Don't know what make my furniture polish is, but it's really slippery stuff and if sprayed heavily looks like that white grease you can get and stays that way.

[Angrydicky]

The electrical woes on my Somerset continue. The replacement dynamo worked, but seemed to be overcharging, so I fitted the old control box back on. It was still overcharging (constant 30 amps/needle off the scale on the ammeter under acceleration) but I needed some petrol, so off I went. 

Anyway, I could smell an acrid burning while I was driving along, which I thought was just the exhaust paste on the newly remade manifold to downpipe joint. Drew up on the forecourt (Cherry Orchard Way, Rochford for the locals), lifted the bonnet to check and noticed smoke pouring out of the dynamo! Quickly disconnected the battery and pulled the leads off the dynamo. Got my petrol and headed home, with the dynamo disconnected. When I got home I investigated the control box and it's totally trashed inside, all black and melted. Very glad I stopped when I did or the fire may easily have spread to the rest of the engine bay. As it is the only casualties are the control box, which was a bit tired anyway, and the dynamo off my A55, which is a bit of a shame. I tried the spare control box and can't get anything out of the dynamo now. I presume it was caused by the contacts in the control box sticking and causing the power to be directed back into the dynamo in some way? Going to have to hunt for another dynamo now.

 

On the plus side I cleaned a load of crap out of the A35's carb and that seems to be running well now, which is good because I've left the Maestro in the garage in Kent and I would have been without a car otherwise.

[320touring]

Doing my best not to buy s car-having neither the space,inclination or money..

 

But it is a bargain

[320touring]

Also,this is pretty nippy for a datsun

 

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/move-hennessey-2000-hp-alpha-omega-gt-r-just-broke-seven-second-club/?utm_source=t1&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=august14gallery

[Asimo]

Dicky; apart from the brushes and bearings, even Lucas car dynamos are ok. The electro-mechanical regulator boxes are a real bit of black art, usually the problem when they were nearly new, and after 40 + years?

 

I would fit an electronic regulator and expect to forget charging woes. I made one donkey's years ago but they are now easy to buy. I havn't owned anything with a dynamo since 1981 so don't personally know if these are any good:http://www.dynamoregulators.com/.  Doubtless others are available. 

 

Good luck with keeping the magic smoke inside the wires!

[dollywobbler]

Actual sunshine!

 

Naturally I had to go for a hoon. Sadly the planned specialist visit today has been postponed.

[spike60]

WD40 on hinges though? I'd much rather use something heavier like spray grease (something I do on all new purchases).

I see this quite a lot but doesn't it just stay on the outside, leaving the moving bits high and dry?

[worldofceri]

Well Mrs_WoC's Golf has spat it's dummy out, only just over a week since we bought it and barely 48 hours after I sold the Mercedes leaving us without a spare car.

 

Starts up fine and dandy, but after a mile or two the EM light starts blinking and the engine starts chugging like it's over-fuelling or something. Wonder if it could be as simple as a temp sensor as it seems to go squiffy just as it's starting to warm up. The paperwork with the car suggests the lambda sensor was replaced recently, so this probably isn't a new issue. I reckon I'll check for obviously dodgy wiring when I get off work and spray some WD40 around all the connectors I can find - you never know. In the meantime I'll get it booked in for the garage to take a look as we could do with it running again asap.

 

All VAG modernz R shite etc.

[Sigmund Fraud]

An ebay-special OBD tool should be cheaper than the local garage, and is a fairly essential bit of kit if you own a modern VW !

[barefoot]

Shock Road Rage Incident.

 

Pottering down to the Co-Op, at thirty as I do around the village, chap pulls out in front of me, I ease off but he doesn't really pull away as I expected, so I'm right up his arse for a moment at 23mph. I jabbed the brakes, dropped back and chap then gets up to speed.

He's going into the Co-op too, so I parked beside him and he jumped out and accused me of going about fifty. I replied that I always, always do 30 and mentioned that he was only doing 23 and I toyed with the idea of asking why he'd pulled out, done 23 when he thought I was doing fifty, but I didn't, I failed. I said, 'Oh fuck off you silly old twat' and went into the shop.

I am wracked with guilt, I walk my dog past the silly old twats house every morning, does the collective think I should apologise?

[Jazoli]

No I think you should get your dog to shit on his lawn

[dollywobbler]

You could apologise, then suggest he gets his speedometer looked at. To be honest, I'd just leave it. 

[trigger]

I think you should be the one doing the shit on the lawn.

[plasticvandan]

definitely some sort of shit/lawn interface is needed

[scruff]

Dicky; apart from the brushes and bearings, even Lucas car dynamos are ok. The electro-mechanical regulator boxes are a real bit of black art, usually the problem when they were nearly new, and after 40 + years?

 

I would fit an electronic regulator and expect to forget charging woes. I made one donkey's years ago but they are now easy to buy. I havn't owned anything with a dynamo since 1981 so don't personally know if these are any good:http://www.dynamoregulators.com/.  Doubtless others are available. 

 

Good luck with keeping the magic smoke inside the wires!

 

Hmm these look good, anybody experience of them? 

 

Saying that I got a new regulator box from Holdens and it wasn't expensive (a rare thing from them)

[Volksy]

The Celica is being very Toyota, apart from cack handedly snapping the aerial off when loading some bags into the boot, nothing, nothing at all, has gone wrong. This I guess is to be expected, the Corolla was exactly the same.

I've become accustomed to it's rather frenzied style of motion, having been used to a turbo dizzler, I'm not used to using all the available revs, however now I have adapted, it is quite a spritely car. The gearchange is like a well oiled rifle, probably the best I've had on any car, certainly with it being a remote operated front wheel driver.

There are a few annoyances. I'm forever wiping rather than indicating due to the stalks being the right/wrong way round. The fuel tank is far too small, which means that fuel station visits are frequent, the 306 managed nearly a month between visits, whereas this one is every other week. The passenger seat does that annoying thing of not returning to it's preset position if tipped to allow access to the back, the default position would suit someone who is 4'11 and 90 years old.

It's one of those cars that presents a dilemma, to me especially; I know that I wouldn't get a better, more reliable car for the money. It looks pretty smart, and has even had a couple of compliments from strangers. It does everything competently, however there is something lacking with it. My previous Celica - a Brown A60 Liftback - was exactly the same. So a change may be on the cards.

 

The wifes* 306 is going ok, despite his best attempts at killing it. The stupid chav subwoofer and amp have been sold. The stupid chav exhaust needs to be swapped for a standard one as it drives you crazy at motorway speeds, to the point that if any distance needs to be covered it stays at home. I do wonder why people think these 'improvements' are a good idea.

 

Anyone want a Celica??

[Cavcraft]

The only viable option there is to get some weedkiller and a paintbrush before 'writing' MYOPIC TWAT on his lawn.

[Cavcraft]

Or a giant W and an anchor next to it.

[Craig the Princess]

Or a cock of course

[worldofceri]

It'd take much bigger bollocks to walk up to the man and apologise than to allow your dog to defecate on his lawn when no-one's looking, so I say yes, apologise if you think you were out of order (without going too far out of your way). If he chucks it back in your face at least you now have the higher ground.

 

There's enough I'll feeling around. Just be nice ffs.

[worldofceri]

An ebay-special OBD tool should be cheaper than the local garage, and is a fairly essential bit of kit if you own a modern VW !

Yeah, deffo about time I got one, although whether or not it would actually help me diagnose a problem and fix it remains to be seen.

[trigger]

 

 

If he chucks it back in your face at least you now have the higher ground.

The same could be said if you did take a shit on his lawn, good advice about being on higher ground too, it makes it harder for him to reach you with your own poo.

[tooSavvy]

Revenge..... dish best served cold.

 

If you you're happy to wait, seed his beds with bulbs.... ranged to bloom spelling profanities

 

 

TS

[The Moog]

Fucking cars

 

Just when I thought I was on top of stuff.

 

Saab has had its rear screen broken when in a car park. I am hoping it can be replaced separately to the hood. Missus is upset by it all especially as I am down in londonville and she is pop norf.

 

405 has started squeaking from rear suspension. I am hoping it is not the rear bushes/bearings. It's definitely not the hatch.

 

This is on top of calipers needing rebuilding, front discs & pads need changing (because of caliper), water leaking from somewhere. Ignoring all the cosmetics.

[worldofceri]

Had a fiddle about with the Golf just now. Found one of the HT leads was a bit loose… tapped it down snug on top of the spark plug and all seems well. Took it for an Italian tune-up down the treble-four and no repeat of the running issue from this morning. I AM DIAGNOSTICS GENIUS!

 

EML is still on like - though steady now, not blinking - so as I've booked it into the garage I'll still let them take a look even if they just charge thirty quid to reset the light.

[Fat_Pirate]

I left my rucksack (containing an iPad) under a table in the McDonalds at Waterloo station this morning... didn't realise until around 4pm.  Went back, and somebody had handed it in!  Faith in human nature restored 

[cms206]

I've been topping up the water in Sigmund Cox 740 every couple of days as it's still managing to slurp its way through about three litres a week. Was leaving the house about 20 minutes ago to collect MISS_CMS up from work and the neighbour's new boyfriend was just pulling up, no doubt to give NEIGHBOUR_CMS a damn good rogering.

 

That's besides the point.

 

As he wandered up next door's path he shouted over "I was going to knock your door, it'll be below freezing tonight - mind and make sure the antifreeze is topped up before you park up for the night!"

[Angrydicky]

Have you found out where the water's going CMS?

[320touring]

Have you found out where the water's going CMS?

It was owned by an old boat captain-and was fitted with a 'total loss' coolant system