The new news 24 thread

[Lord Sterling]

Coupe has been moved to one of Tinworm_Steve's units. Despite sitting for a week it started up almost straight away.

 

Looks likely that the rest of the Lord_Sterling_collection will be joining it too soon.

[RRT22R]

Mini went straight through the MOT.

 

Well pleased.

 

[Bren]

VAT free day tomorrow and next Sunday at Machine mart.

 

I will be investing in a 50 L compressor - it will have to be less than £200.

 

I have some vouchers I need to use.

[meshking]

I had to nip into town today, so I chose the 2CV. This was a mistake. I hadn't realised quite how blowy it is. You really feel the weather in a 2CV. At one stage, I could barely see where I was going, because I was too scared to take one hand off the steering wheel as I did battle with yonder gales. Column stalks are such a good idea.

Have you considered growing your right hand index finger nail about six inches long to prod the button with?

[320touring]

I fear i may no longer be number one son..

 

Huckled my dad to help move a sofa-started at 9am, finished at 4. His team were playing today, and it finished 3-3

[Luckythirteen]

That's the sound of a guilty conscience. Oh yes...

[320touring]

That's the sound of a guilty conscience. Oh yes...

I dont care-i got to drive a van:)

[Angrydicky]

Visited the Maestro. Refitted the battery, set the clock to the right time. Admired my flaps and door protectors. Wiped some of the dust off it. Made a mental note to use it more. Planning to do a bit of tat spotting in the Canterbury area tomorrow, so I'll probably use the opportunity to give it a bit of a run.

 

[panhard65]

Sold the Fiat Cinquecento last night. The guy turned up in  Maestro !! Turns out he was picking it up for the buyer who is a mate of his and owns possibly the oldest Montego estate left. So it is off to Brighton and hopefully a nice retirement getting looked after. It has got an autoshite dealer sticker so hopefully the new owner will find his way here.

[phil_lihp]

What a thoroughly unproductive morning that was.  Thought I'd make use of a couple of spare hours to give the 940 a long overdue oil and filter change.  Nice, simple little job, after all.

 

 

Wasn't it just.  A thousand curses upon the person who last serviced it, probably some time back when Labour were in power.  The sump plug was on so absurdly tight that no amount of persuasion would shift it.  I ended up putting so much pressure on it that the engine moved about on its mounts but all I succeeded in doing was turning the air blue and getting filthy crawling around under the car.

 

Oh, and Halfords managed to supply the wrong air filter, too.  Thanks guys.

 

In the end I relented and, tail between my legs, walked to the little garage at the end of my road who my housemates speak highly of as being cheap and fairly competent, in order to book it in for him to finish it off.  I can't see myself having any more time for fiddling with it in the next few weeks, especially now the evenings are dark, so he'll change the oil, flush and replace the coolant and investigate a sloppy bush on the passenger side.

 

I AM SHAME.

 

The only thing I achieved at all was changing the HT leads and changing a headlight bulb on my landlady's Focus.  At least with the new leads it runs quite a bit better, by the look of them the old ones may well have been original.

 

On the upside, I took out my frustration on the squash court in the afternoon and felt much better.

[dollywobbler]

You have my sympathy on sump plug pain. When I had my Westminster, I had to get a jack under my breaker bar, and had to use the entire weight of the car to crack the plug. I was ASTONISHED that it didn't just rip the sump apart. To this day, I have no idea how someone managed to even get it that tight. 

[stuboy]

Visited the Maestro. Refitted the battery, set the clock to the right time. Admired my flaps and door protectors. Wiped some of the dust off it. Made a mental note to use it more. Planning to do a bit of tat spotting in the Canterbury area tomorrow, so I'll probably use the opportunity to give it a bit of a run.

 

i always planned to have a roam around area were aldi was off the slurry road

[phil_lihp]

I was worried about breaking the spanner I was using (it was a huge 22mm nut as well, so my choice of spanners was limited anyway) and had nothing to use as a breaker on it, I think it needs heat but at least if he does it, if something goes wrong there won't be 4 litres of very dirty oil all over my landlady's gravel driveway.

[Pillock]

Moderns have the opposite problem, and if you even think of putting a nM of force more than recommended on the sump plug, it'll turn the ally thread to cheese. I stripped a Leon using just a rachet and one hand.

 

News today, I taxed the MGF so took it out into town, just to give it a run. Top down since it's warm for November, and the top down on the way back in the dark. Perhaps this makes me look cool, perhaps it makes me look like a prize cock. I don't care, it's still a novelty. Plus, it's weird to look up as you're driving and see stars.

[stuboy]

You have my sympathy on sump plug pain. When I had my Westminster, I had to get a jack under my breaker bar, and had to use the entire weight of the car to crack the plug. I was ASTONISHED that it didn't just rip the sump apart. To this day, I have no idea how someone managed to even get it that tight. 

trying to undo sump on mates kia pride...i was pulling my 15.5 stone bulk on it to point were i was pulling myself along floor

[EssDeeWon]

Visited the Maestro. Refitted the battery, set the clock to the right time. Admired my flaps and door protectors. Wiped some of the dust off it. Made a mental note to use it more. Planning to do a bit of tat spotting in the Canterbury area tomorrow, so I'll probably use the opportunity to give it a bit of a run.

 

 

Looking forward to seeing all those Canterbury tat pics!

[dollywobbler]

I was worried about breaking the spanner I was using (it was a huge 22" nut as well, so my choice of spanners was limited anyway) and had nothing to use as a breaker on it, I think it needs heat but at least if he does it, if something goes wrong there won't be 4 litres of very dirty oil all over my landlady's gravel driveway.

 

Heat's not a bad shout. Try doing it after a nice, long run. Though naturally be wary of getting scalded by a sump full of hot oil. I've taken to only tackling thermostat housing bolts when the engine is warm. Does seem to help.

[phil_lihp]

I did run it up to temperature beforehand but after an hour fighting with it it had cooled down a fair bit.  I might have one more crack at it tomorrow afternoon if I get time but it's not likely.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I did run it up to temperature beforehand but after an hour fighting with it it had cooled down a fair bit.  I might have one more crack at it tomorrow afternoon if I get time but it's not likely.

Just get one of these, no more crawling around under the car or removing under trays. Chances are that's what the corner garage will use rather than risk damaging your reluctant sump plug.

Mine was about £60 because my last car had a 9litre capacity sump,but 5 litre ones are about £35-40..

[Pillock]

I bought a Pela one from machine mart after too many near misses with ally sumps, £43 or something and used it a couple of times so far. On VAG it actually gets more out than draining via the sump since you can suck the filter housing clean.

[twosmoke300]

They are handy bits of kit thats for sure . I have never let a sump plug beat me yet tho . Some on tractors used to have to have a 3/4 bar treatment.

[drum]

Siezed sump plugs are a pain but at least it's a 22mm (I think that's what you meant) nut. The alfa has a silly wee torx headed nut for a sump plug. Not the sort of thing you want to apply lots of force to.

[HillmanImp]

Just get one of these, no more crawling around under the car or removing under trays. Chances are that's what the corner garage will use rather than risk damaging your reluctant sump plug.

Mine was about £60 because my last car had a 9litre capacity sump,but 5 litre ones are about £35-40..image.jpg

 

What is it. MOAR INFO PLS

[tooSavvy]

Sump nuts + ally sumps.....

My 9k was rounded/ff tight

.... off to local ATS tyres... fitter runs it up on lift... 'hammer a smaller socket over it'... just take off nip... I drive back home.

I filed two flats into it, really good fit onto my open ender... tightened it 'per book/no leak'. SORTED

How the sump didn't pop.....

 

SAVVY has a renault type... spent a fortune [not]buying the square key   


TS

[NorfolkNWeigh]

What is it. MOAR INFO PLS

http://www.pelapumps.co.uk

Pillock mentioned he got his from MachineMart, Screwfix also do them

http://www.screwfix.com/p/oil-fluid-extractor-6ltr/21663

 

Some people reckon they don't get all the swarfe etc out , but I used one on my Chrysler ,which I ran from 70,000 miles to 320,000 and it didn't do it any harm ( I didn't use the ridiculously expensive low ash oil either, don't tell anyone)

[Cavcraft]

News today, I taxed the MGF so took it out into town, just to give it a run. Top down since it's warm for November, and the top down on the way back in the dark. Perhaps this makes me look cool, perhaps it makes me look like a prize cock. I don't care, it's still a novelty. Plus, it's weird to look up as you're driving and see stars.

 

It's an addiction. I must look a right knob in my SAAB, but there's no point having a convertible if you're not going to use it as such. I can't wait for the frost to come as I'll get the hood down and put the heater on!

[Vin]

Despite thinking I'd despise it, I loved my 250 Superdream. £170 (on finance!) as I was desperate for wheels and it was brilliant. I'd go as far as to say for commuting you couldn't beat it: had plenty enough poke to flick in/out of traffic and use on bypasses, great on fuel and was easy to manoeuvre. A proper big brother to the brilliant CG125.

 

 

Vin: Do you happen to know if there's a common problem with the power steering on that era of Punto, please? My son's mate has bought one, said something about the light coming/going on the dash and the power steering sometimes packing in. I've not seen it yet and he doesn't know if it's got the 'City' button or not, so we haven't had a chance to plug the FCR in to see what it comes up with. The lad is on about going to the scrappy for a second hand power steering pump, I've suggested he hangs fire first.

 

Unfortunately I don't really know. I can tell you from this one that the 'city' button is on the left hand side of the centre console below the radio. You could do a search on the PuntoMK2/2B on the Fiatforum. Might be a few pointers...

[Vin]

Hey Vin, I've just been looking up the part number for a surplus NOS air filter lying around in my garage, and by happy coincidence it'll fit your Marea.  It's a decent CoopersFiaam one.  Yours for nowt if you PM me your address.

 

Cheers Skizzer, I'll PM you.

[HillmanImp]

http://www.pelapumps.co.uk

Pillock mentioned he got his from MachineMart, Screwfix also do them

http://www.screwfix.com/p/oil-fluid-extractor-6ltr/21663

 

Some people reckon they don't get all the swarfe etc out , but I used one on my Chrysler ,which I ran from 70,000 miles to 320,000 and it didn't do it any harm ( I didn't use the ridiculously expensive low ash oil either, don't tell anyone)

 

Never seen these before. It normally takes me about 10 mins to change the oil on my car and 45 mins to clean up the mess I made on the road so think I know what I am asking from Santa this year. 

[Cavcraft]

That's the Cagiva gone now, a lad has just turned up for it.