The new news 24 thread

[twosmoke300]

Did my first recovery in the Landy today ! One of those vw t4 things that never break down !

No problem . Spoke to acr and got a new plate/ gasket and bolts for the manifold for seven quid .

Went to get a new sealed beam unit today but was told they have been discontinued . Halogen conversion for both sides only 27 quid so that's ok

[richardmorris]

just back from auto italia at Brooklands.

 

some very nice people and a few flash herberts, and one complete womble in a detomaso pantera who thought he could ignore the marshals and signs and drive out of the gate while the test hill was open. They made him to a three point turn to boos from the crowd.

[phil_lihp]

Phil_lip came by in the ex Garycox Escort, and left in the Rover 220; off for his second stint as owner, leaving me with the now ex Garycox/Phil_lip Escort. It was good to catch up, talk shite and ruefully exchange DVLA stories. It's already up on ramps to tackle the cambelt change ( the kit came with the car).....

image.jpg

 

Was good to catch up again and admire Matthew's lovely 740 diesel brick.  I'm glad the Escort's gone to a good home, it deserves far better than I can give it at the moment.  Despite a rorty exhaust note it drove very nicely down to South Devon after a rather stressful morning trying to find a new manifold gasket, replacing it in the car park of a motor factors to find that that one didn't fit properly either, then running around to different local exhaust centres until I found a Kwik-fit with an empty ramp and a helpful chap who found a snapped stud from the manifold to the downpipe was causing the noise.  "That's old cars for you" he said - he wasn't wrong.

 

I reckon it'll come up pretty good with the polishing finished, a bit of wax and some linseed oil on the bumpers.  Didn't even get time to finish that job, it's got a 50/50 bonnet, half faded and flat, half dark red and shiny so there is good paint under there.  It hasn't actually had a proper wash in the time I've had it either which is a bit shameful.  Its fortunes are much improved now.

 

I am back where I belong though, in the driver's seat of the endlessly rehomed Rover 220SLi and it's good.  There's a massive history file with it now which is nice and it drives even better than before with new front tyres and hugely improved brakes since I last had it.  I'll have to re-find my thread from last year.  No major work planned for now though, it doesn't need anything much anyway, just plenty of pleasant miles to cover.

[vulgalour]

Went paint hunting (to no avail) in the Xantia today and it's started going WOO randomly.  At first I thought it might be the turbo, but it's not.  Just every now and then a very quiet, almost polite WOO.  It's not the radio, it sometimes does it under acceleration and sometimes under deceleration but I can't seem to make it reliably make the noise.  It's also very difficult to hear, it's one of those noises that occasionally makes itself known when you're not expecting it.  The jingling noise has stopped, that could be coincidental or indicative of something.

 

I am perplexed.  Nothing feels wrong with the car, it just occasionally quietly goes WOO now.  And yes, the radio does go loud enough that I can't hear the WOO so that's currently the solution.

[dugong]

Went paint hunting (to no avail) in the Xantia today and it's started going WOO randomly.  At first I thought it might be the turbo, but it's not.  Just every now and then a very quiet, almost polite WOO.  It's not the radio, it sometimes does it under acceleration and sometimes under deceleration but I can't seem to make it reliably make the noise.  It's also very difficult to hear, it's one of those noises that occasionally makes itself known when you're not expecting it.  The jingling noise has stopped, that could be coincidental or indicative of something.

 

I am perplexed.  Nothing feels wrong with the car, it just occasionally quietly goes WOO now.  And yes, the radio does go loud enough that I can't hear the WOO so that's currently the solution.

Speed holes?

[phil_lihp]

Went paint hunting (to no avail) in the Xantia today and it's started going WOO randomly.  At first I thought it might be the turbo, but it's not.  Just every now and then a very quiet, almost polite WOO.  It's not the radio, it sometimes does it under acceleration and sometimes under deceleration but I can't seem to make it reliably make the noise.  It's also very difficult to hear, it's one of those noises that occasionally makes itself known when you're not expecting it.  The jingling noise has stopped, that could be coincidental or indicative of something.

 

I am perplexed.  Nothing feels wrong with the car, it just occasionally quietly goes WOO now.  And yes, the radio does go loud enough that I can't hear the WOO so that's currently the solution.

 

It's just happy.  Go with the flow and shout WOO out of the window with it.

[Vin]

Finished putting the 750L back together after the water pump and cambelt change. Did an oil and filter change. New coolant. All went OK and running lovely... :-)

[trigger]

My day hasn't gone to plan, my dad went to bring my Mk1 cover for me, got as far as the end of my road and the carb floated itself again, lucky it was outside the village mechanics workshop so he's took a look and it now seems we've found the root of all the problems I've been having.

 

The needle valve in the carb is jamming open filling it will fuel but it's also been running back into the engine via the inlet manifold, thinning the oil (hence why it's been leaking) and it's cleaned all the carbon build up of the bores, we are going to have to rebuilt the carb hopefully, change the oil and then run it in again and hope that it recarbons back up again.

 

Also tried to change the rear wheel bearings on the Mk3 but we couldn't get the half shafts off (dad couldn't find the speader plate for it) so had to give that job up as a loss cause too.

[richardmorris]

Woo noises on xantia- check the pump and alternator belts.

 

Oh and is it possible to upload video here as I have one of that 27 litre isotto fraschini going up the hill. Flames came out of the exhaust when it backfired!

The red one ( badged both fiat and IF) was only a 6 cylinder, but 18litre!

 

Ps. I refused to take a photo of it on principle. But some "yoof" had pinappled a punto- packing crate on the roof with traffic cone, two tyres and a bog roll.

 

PPs. Someone from brooklands historic auctions offered to buy my X1/9 and gave me his card in case I changed my mind ( no chance). He did suggest I up the agreed value on it though- it's £4500 at the moment, and he was thinking it should be £6 or £7k.

[The Moog]

Put deposit on Saab 95 with no mot. Getting it delivered on Friday. Hoping it doesn't need much for a new ticket

[saucedoctor]

I was trying to get some live data from the Volvo today (yes, I own it, again!). Wi-Fi OBD Dougal hooked up, laptop on. left the car idling for 20 minutes and the temperature wouldn't go past 79 degrees.

 

Scratching head, a lot. Fast idled it for a bit, temperature went up to 82. Had a beer. Temp fell back to 79, bonus o2 sensor fault showed up.

 

To make a short story boring, it was so fucking COLD today that the wind blowing on the front of the car stopped it heating up. I put the nose of it in the garage, and it warmed up properly. Lots of data to look at now.
 

Top Tip: don't work at cars with a feed of drink in you. You might not feel the cold, but the car just could.

 

[Jerzy Woking]

just back from auto italia at Brooklands.

 

some very nice people and a few flash herberts, and one complete womble in a detomaso pantera who thought he could ignore the marshals and signs and drive out of the gate while the test hill was open. They made him to a three point turn to boos from the crowd.

What a dreadful numberplate on the Lamborghini. Very cheap.

[barrett]

I'd forgotten how much I dislike the sort of people that like Italian cars. Lots of Ferrari-branded baseball caps, a car park full of Alfa 156s (WTF?) and a particularly Kafkaesque queue for the burger van. Some nice cars though, got to see my friend's freshly restored Abarth Goccia and there was a beautiful Fiat 850 coupe, grey with red interior on grey wires. Deeply desirable,

The best bit of the day was finding this excellent modernist housing complex in Weybridge

Modernism by barrogance, on Flickr

[scdan4]

Scdan , I have tech 2 but I'm down in cornwall

 

thank you very much for the offer. I am in Bodmin occasionally - not sure how near to you that is?

 

If not far away I may well take you up on it....

 

Put deposit on Saab 95 with no mot. Getting it delivered on Friday. Hoping it doesn't need much for a new ticket

 

Buy earplugs. Mind the fecking bongs.......

 

[Ghosty]

Thanks to some confusion to do with my uni accommodation deposit for the almost-completed year (uni didn't say it was included in the rent - as it was ahead of the year the mother paid it, I worked this out and mum decided I owed it back to her), I've ended up paying the £300 required for the 16" tyres for the mother's Bini.

Also, the brake warning light is now semi-permanently on as the cable that detects wear on one of the pads is broken.

The brake warning light is the handbrake light. This could be fun*.

[richardmorris]

What a dreadful numberplate on the Lamborghini. Very cheap.

Lambos seemed worse for that the the ferrraris and maseratis. Lots of ferrraris with F 333 XXX number plates etc

But generally not too mangled. I took a pic of that white one as it had big stickers over it saying " team pacquiou 2nd may 2015". Don't think it was him driving though

[panhard65]

Thanks to some confusion to do with my uni accommodation deposit for the almost-completed year (uni didn't say it was included in the rent - as it was ahead of the year the mother paid it, I worked this out and mum decided I owed it back to her), I've ended up paying the £300 required for the 16" tyres for the mother's Bini.

Also, the brake warning light is now semi-permanently on as the cable that detects wear on one of the pads is broken.

The brake warning light is the handbrake light. This could be fun*.

If it is the red handbrake warning light then it is unlikely to be a pad sensor, it could be a loss of fluid. I had a customer years ago ignored the red warning light for brake fluid saying it was just a dodgy handbrake switch. Right up to the point his brakes failed due to no fluid. It amazes me the amount of people who ignore warning lights, if it is red stop straight away. Amber ones aren't so bad just get it checked then ignore it.

[dollywobbler]

So, yesterday was very wet. We drove the XM and Combi Camp to Llangollen, then jumped in a friend's 2CV and headed to Llandudno. 

 

The weather was so unremittingly grim that we abandoned our plans to attend the transport festival, drove around the Great Orme, then drove around Conwy. Which is fabulous. We got back to the campsite and then spent the evening in a lovely, warm pub. 

 

Saturday night was absolutely horrific. There were severe gales and torrential rain. I was concerned that the trailer tent was going to blow away with us in it. It was like trying to sleep on a bucking bronco. There was not much sleep. This morning was more pleasant.

 

Back home now. Absolutely knackered. Tent leaked a bit, but kept most of the weather out. XM was fault-free, apart from the central locking randomly activating for a time this morning, while we sat nearby drinking tea. FRENCH ELECTRICKS R ACE.

[Ghosty]

If it is the red handbrake warning light then it is unlikely to be a pad sensor, it could be a loss of fluid. I had a customer years ago ignored the red warning light for brake fluid saying it was just a dodgy handbrake switch. Right up to the point his brakes failed due to no fluid. It amazes me the amount of people who ignore warning lights, if it is red stop straight away. Amber ones aren't so bad just get it checked then ignore it.

Looked into it more today - the manual said that combination of the warning light plus the symbol the binnacle was showing (car on a lift) means pads, despite having 6mm on them all round. Checked fluid reservoir (hiding under a flap up near the scuttle), and it was fine.

The binnacle has a thing on that shows you the service intervals etc., and it first showed something to do with brakes and '-70mi', and a few screens later it showed another brake one reading '16000mi'. The car's on 16500 so I think it's just reached the interval and is insisting on getting new pads.

[panhard65]

Ahhhh it's the one for changing the brake fluid. doesn't really need it just the counter re-set. I think it is a little clock symbol by the service indicator. As long as it isn't red it will be ok.

[richardmorris]

Llangollen is often grim. But does have great views from the orme. Old Conwy is nice too. The pen y Bryn pub has good food and excellent view over the bay.

[Ghosty]

Unlikely, but if anyone needs a roadworthy car moving northwards from the West Midlands area to Manchester or the North West, I may be able to assist some time next week for the price of day insurance for a 19 year old and travel back to Manchester afterwards. I have a boot's worth of stuff to move to Manchester and it saves me having to get Old Man to drive the Civic down and back again for some pots, pans, bedding and a computer.

 

Also, the 15" wheels coming of the Bini are made by Ronal, I've learned. 

Will be for sale fairly soon, nearly new condition with no damage, 4x100 15x5.5J with four Michelin 175/65/15s, two on 7mm tread, two on 4mm. I think Old Man wants to get £150-200 for them considering condition and tyres.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Yo Barrett!!!! What makes a burger van queue 'kafkaesque'?

[holbeck]

Been watching the snooker tonight. There's been a bloke in the crowd wearing what looks like a vintage replica football shirt - but with Talbot as shirt sponsor!

Sat in the front row as well.

[saucedoctor]

Blue & white perchance? Talbot sponsored Coventry City, back in the day.

 

I have an Aston Villa Rover one a mate gave me.

[Lord Sterling]

Master bodger and ruiner of fine vehicles Steve has got his hands on an R-reg Mk2 Rover 820i. I passed up by the industrial estate today to have a look at it, I shouldn't have bothered as I am having horrid thoughts of installing it into my collection.

 

I guess it's at times like this that I am thankful to be poor.

[vulgalour]

I get the feeling you've fallen out with Steve.  I found him thoroughly pleasant and the Maestro I bought off him was free of bodge and totally reliable all the while I owned it.

[Lord Sterling]

I get the feeling you've fallen out with Steve. I found him thoroughly pleasant and the Maestro I bought off him was free of bodge and totally reliable all the while I owned it.

In a way yes. Steve, although a great character does have a side to him that isn't worth knowing.

 

I've worked with him since around November last year when I finally agreed to sell cars for him in my spare time for which I'd get a cut. At the start no cars sold through my adverts despite my best efforts then suddenly, 3 maybe 4 cars have now sold through my adverts and I've not seen a penny.

 

Then, my Mercedes went to him to rectify an oil leak, he jetwashed my engine bay to find out where the oil leak was coming from which caused all sorts of running problems and killed the bearings in my cooling fan, then he left my car outside with the bonnet in the 'engine out' position when a gust of wind caught it, broke the hinges and made 2 small dents in the bonnet and he had the tenacity to want £120 for the oil leak for which he only changed the oil filter and stuck some stop oil leak shit in my engine.

 

Because of this, my Merc has been out of action for nearly 2 months whilst a real mechanic, Mahmoud sorts it out, properly.

 

Steve struck me as a nice guy when I met him and I reckon he is, but the mess he has created for himself and his lust for money in order to pay overheads he has cornered himself into paying is greater than respect for any of his mates. This is why I have lost any respect for him.

 

He isn't beyond buying/selling well sorted vehicles and he has quite a few, but he seems to have very little respect towards others, particularly these days. I have seen him ignore potential customers for up to, if not more than half an hour.

[darkfour]

The Plymouth is finally back on all 4 wheels and looks much better for it. I installed a new master cylinder and bled the brakes this weekend yet the pedal refused to build any pressure at all and went straight to the floor when pressed.  Capped off the MC ports and pumped the pedal and found that it did indeed hold pressure, but when all connected back up again and re-bled still no pedal pressure. Swapped in the old MC and exactly the same thing.

 

Time for the internet to help, and it turns out that the Chevy Chevette MC is a 7/8" bore but the new calipers I've fitted are off a Camaro and they are normally operated by a 1" MC. My best guess is that the Chevette MC isn't pushing enough volume to operate the larger calipers. I've just ordered a new 1" Corvette style MC. which is adaptable for both Manual and Power brakes. If that doesn't work I may try a 1 1/8" MC but almost certain I'll need power brakes at that diameter.

 

I did have the tiniest bit of brakes that would stop the car so I took it for my first drive around the block. Firstly the steering needs sorting as it turns more to the  left than the right. I knew this anyway and either have to relocate the steering rack or shorten a tie rod to fix. Secondly it's loud, not that loud outside the car but inside there's no carpet, headliner or door panels and it's hard to hear what's going on. Thirdly it's got huge amount of torque and the pickup is very impressive although I couldn't push it too much without any decent brakes. GRIN FACTOR is HUGE      

 

Here are some pics from today

 

 

 

Also got the go kart up and running this weekend. Installed the new 212cc engine, sorted the brakes, oiled the cables, installed new throttle cable, installed the seats and off we went. Even though the engine is currently limited to about 1/3 throttle (until it's broken in) this thing is seriously fast. In fact it's going to be too fast for the kids, and that along with the heavy direct drive steering means I am going to have to sell it soon. Shame but I should be able to make a couple hundred bucks on it.

 

[barrett]

Just had to abandon the 24c in a pub car park, because it's a stupid little bitch that craves attention. Whore. Will hopefully sort it out in the morning. French cars are rubbish.