The new news 24 thread

[Caffiend]

I quit smoking ... checks laptop clock ... about 13 hours ago. Only posting this because it'll make it too embarrassing to quit quitting.

 

Starting to twitch. Need to lock myself in the house until going back to work on Weds in case I turn into psycho bitch from hell (as well as being a complete drama queen ). I can do this, I've done it tens of times before Must start tracking £££ I'm saving to keep me motivated - all that lovely money to spend on the cars . Well, after the credit card bill where I've already spent all that lovely money on the cars.

[Caffiend]

I quit smoking ... checks laptop clock ... about 13 hours ago. Only posting this because it'll make it too embarrassing to quit quitting.

 

Starting to twitch. Need to lock myself in the house until going back to work on Weds in case I turn into psycho bitch from hell (as well as being a complete drama queen ). I can do this, I've done it tens of times before Must start tracking £££ I'm saving to keep me motivated - all that lovely money to spend on the cars . Well, after the credit card bill where I've already spent all that lovely money on the cars.

[pompei]

Not brilliant when it freezes though I remember hellish journeys on the M62 with no screenwash! Fiat Coupe has the same arrangement.

[pompei]

Not brilliant when it freezes though I remember hellish journeys on the M62 with no screenwash! Fiat Coupe has the same arrangement.

[dollywobbler]

Not brilliant when it freezes though I remember hellish journeys on the M62 with no screenwash! Fiat Coupe has the same arrangement.

 

Aye, but then most cars are a pain when the screenwash freezes. Moving the washer bottle from a nice warm engine bay to a freezing cold corner tucked away in an inner wing somewhere was not a good move! My Peugeot 306 was a nightmare for that.

 

Caffiend - good luck with the quitting. I'm many years down the line now - a fully reformed 'OMG CAN'T BULEEV U SMOKE!' character. Seems a great way of saving money. Bloomin' expensive habit these days.

[dollywobbler]

Not brilliant when it freezes though I remember hellish journeys on the M62 with no screenwash! Fiat Coupe has the same arrangement.

 

Aye, but then most cars are a pain when the screenwash freezes. Moving the washer bottle from a nice warm engine bay to a freezing cold corner tucked away in an inner wing somewhere was not a good move! My Peugeot 306 was a nightmare for that.

 

Caffiend - good luck with the quitting. I'm many years down the line now - a fully reformed 'OMG CAN'T BULEEV U SMOKE!' character. Seems a great way of saving money. Bloomin' expensive habit these days.

[skattrd]

Boring news for me today, according to fuelly I have now filled up the Bora 50 times and done 30k in the thing (car now on 190k).

To celebrate I was going to wash it tomorrow (the car has not been washed in my ownership) but on the way home the glow plug light started flashing at me. According to google this is most likely a faulty brake light switch, looks like I'll be fixing that tomorrow instead of washing it.... Oh well, rain's forecast anyway, thats almost as good as a wash

[Cavcraft]

I'll be picking up my new car on Saturday!

 

Spill the Heinz then!

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Driving into town today I see in the distance two cars and a little lorry surrounded by three 'police' vans and loads of 'police'. While conspicuously rubbernecking, I noticed it was a VOSA vehicle inspection operation. They were closely examining a scruffy MK1 Mondeo and MK4 Astra. One of the jacketed types stared at me cruising past in my organically rat look conveyance as I planned an alternative route home.

 

I thought they were only looking for people commercial vehicles and people towing at those things? Do they just randomly pick cars off the road for examinations?

[CreepingJesus]

They'll set up to look for a particular group. Often it's HGV's, for obvious reasons, but they'll stop anything. Particularly if it's somewhere conspicuous, 'cos it makes everyone who didn't get waved in, have a think. Job done.

The rest of the time, they hang out on motorway bridges in their Discos and Galaxies, trying hard to look as cool as a traff.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Gave me a think! My driving licence is missing right now and all my windows were down because the car reeked of petrol, neither of which would have been very impressive.

[Lankytim]

Collected a PUG 205 today, 3 door diesel "junior" model. Looks quite nice, if in need of a major valet! If had been stuck in a damp garage for 3 years and has sticky brakes and a non-running engine. Even eazy-start doesn't do the trick. Once it's running and the brakes have been malletted to death then it's MOT time!

[skattrd]

I was pulled over by the police and taken to a VOSA inspection a couple of years ago whilst driving a mk2 (1990) Scirocco down the A14 near Huntingdon.

They basically did an MOT on the car whilst I was there ... In the end hey were quite pissed off that all they could write up for me was "non-standard brakes" (I had large rotor discs fitted) and "exhaust louder than standard"

 

Whilst they were doing this I speaking to the copper, and he said every now and then the VOSA bods get bored checking trucks and ask them to pull over the odd car. The copper seemed less impressed with them than I did and was telling them to hurry up and that the exhaust wasn't illegal.

[vulgalour]

Princess has developed a strange, intermittent fault, I think I have a short in the wiring, which I shall go on to explain:

 

left indicator on, no sidelights/headlights on, brake pedal pressed = all systems normal.

left indicator on, sidelights on, brake pedal pressed = left indicator and left brake flash alternately

left indicator on, headlights and sidelights on, brake pedal press = left brake light goes off, left reversing light and left indicator flash together.

 

On the drive home it stopped doing it. I'm blaming Lucas (not my nephew) for this new state of affairs. I can find no loose earths, all bulbs are healthy, all connectors are clean and healthy, no obvious signs of cause at all.

[Craig the Princess]

Princess has developed a strange, intermittent fault, I think I have a short in the wiring, which I shall go on to explain:

 

left indicator on, no sidelights/headlights on, brake pedal pressed = all systems normal.

left indicator on, sidelights on, brake pedal pressed = left indicator and left brake flash alternately

left indicator on, headlights and sidelights on, brake pedal press = left brake light goes off, left reversing light and left indicator flash together.

 

On the drive home it stopped doing it. I'm blaming Lucas (not my nephew) for this new state of affairs. I can find no loose earths, all bulbs are healthy, all connectors are clean and healthy, no obvious signs of cause at all.

 

Sounds like a bad earth at the rear lights. Sometimes it's the plastic that goes, do you have spare rear light clusters?

[vulgalour]

They earth seems fine, cleaned it up, nothing seems amiss. Also, the earth is on the right hand cluster but the problem is on the left, I don't know if that makes a difference. Not got a spare cluster at the moment, I just have to not use my brakes and indicate left at the same time I guess >.>

[Craig the Princess]

They earth seems fine, cleaned it up, nothing seems amiss. Also, the earth is on the right hand cluster but the problem is on the left, I don't know if that makes a difference. Not got a spare cluster at the moment, I just have to not use my brakes and indicate left at the same time I guess >.>

 

I'm pretty sure both lamps have an earthing point. The only place where those systems meet are the earth so I'd put a whole pound (I'm half Scottish ) on it being an earthing issue.

[vulgalour]

There wasn't an earth on the left, hasn't been since I bought the car, and this is the first time it's shown this problem. Worth adding an extra earth?

[Craig the Princess]

There wasn't an earth on the left, hasn't been since I bought the car, and this is the first time it's shown this problem. Worth adding an extra earth?

 

Looking in the Haynes manual the lamps earth through the bodywork on each side. I'd try an extra earth and see if that does the job. If not I'm stumped.

[vulgalour]

I will try that and see what happens. I'll have another look at the wiring in the boot too as (probably the original dealer) has been at the loom to add the fog lights, some of which was done with chocbloc (is that how it's spelled?).

[cobblers]

Disco lights like that is almost 100% certainly a problem with the earth, as people have said.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

"theres a problem with the earth"

[ashmicro]

+524. All my mark 3/4 Escorts had the disco lights. Extra earth FTW. I used to make beer money fixing the same issue on Sierra taxis that were going for PSV.

[catsinthewelder]

With all the painting and tidying up that you've been doing at the back of the car is it possible that you've painted over a bit of bare metal that was earthing the lights?

[The Moog]

Looks like the Camper has sold first time on ebay. Bloke has already phoned to arrange collection tomorrow and is coming to pay cash. Fingers crossed it all goes through.

[vulgalour]

Today has been an odd day.

 

 

There's been a few accidents on this 50mph road in this spot, some of which have been very serious. Luckily for this driver, he walked away with only a grazed wrist. Coming over the bridge in the distance there isn't much to warn you of this very sharp corner, it nearly caught me out the first time I drove this road and did catch this first-time visitor out when he managed to remove 3 of the armco supports, bend a fourth and rip off his bumper and wheel complete with some of the mechanical components still attached to the wheel. Somehow, he kept it together enough to keep the car on his side of the road and came to a stop in a relatively safe and visible place and was just waiting for the RAC to appear when we stopped to see if he was okay.

 

I was at the scene of the accident for a while with my brother, keeping the chap company and ensuring the traffic was slowed down with the Princess as a big beige warning triangle at a safe distance. When we finally made our way home, a police car drove past and, at a distance suitable for ANPRing, turned around and followed me with his headlights off all the way to the top of the lane. It was very odd and I was sure he was running me through the ANPR and looking for an excuse to pull me over. Thankfully, no left turns and knowledge of local speed limits probably kept me out of trouble tonight.

[Craig the Princess]

Thankfully, no left turns and knowledge of local speed limits probably kept me out of trouble tonight.

 

Ouch, that looked nasty! On the left turns I wonder what his reaction would have been to Arm Signals coming out of a beige Princess

[vulgalour]

I can't remember what turning left is, and my arm won't reach the other side of the car so there's no chance of me sticking my left arm out of the left window.

[Craig the Princess]

I can't remember what turning left is, and my arm won't reach the other side of the car so there's no chance of me sticking my left arm out of the left window.

 

If the copper was under 40 there is a fair chance he wouldn't either

 

[ashmicro]

Yep! I hand-signalled left while being the driver of a towed Lancia, years ago. Everyone looked at me as if I was mad!