The new news 24 thread

[Six-cylinder]

The Metro passed its MoT today. Always a relief as you never know! Only thing he mentioned was the big nail sticking out of the inside wall on one of the rear tyres. What with the Mondeo that's two nail incidents this week, might be some builders not tidying up properly after themselves around here. Gonna be a pain in the butt as the skinny 135s for povvo Metros are NLA new, current ones were new old stock a few years back.

I used my Metro today it was great to bomb about in. I was going to use BMW 328i but it had a flat battery and the BX was blocked in by a friends car.

[vulgalour]

Trying to figure out why the Princess still bogs down when you start applying revs to move.  It's better since fitting the new condenser and such but still not right.  Setting off it's okay but as soon as you try and build any sort of speed it just sort of struggles and tries to stall.  I know I've had this problem before but I can't remember what I did to sort it out.

[RobT]

^can the tyre spot put an inner tube on the wheel, assuming that the rest of the tyre os ok?

Not sure, but I've just remembered there's four spare 135s at my parents, either in their garage or the loft. A fellow Metro club member sent them to me a while back FOC which is handy, just need to see if they are still useable.

[twosmoke300]

Trying to figure out why the Princess still bogs down when you start applying revs to move. It's better since fitting the new condenser and such but still not right. Setting off it's okay but as soon as you try and build any sort of speed it just sort of struggles and tries to stall. I know I've had this problem before but I can't remember what I did to sort it out.

Has it got an su?

Dashpot oil ?

[plasticvandan]

Was going to say dashpot oil or vac advance problem

[vulgalour]

It does have an SU, it does have dashpot oil to the correct squelchy level and I couldn't identify a vac problem.

[holbeck]

Non live collection capers today.

 

@the pez stn.

 

[Bear]

Fixed the Beetle's power steering issue. It now works. Still uncomfortable. But not a bad thing really.

Fixed a sticky release cable on the car lift (I think when cleaning under the SLK I got water in the bowden cable then didn't use it enough).

Put the 406 up on the lift. Took the back wheels off. Going to have a little sulk, then put them back on. The underside of the SLK has spoiled my expectations of rust on suspension components/subframes. Will put new droplinks and shock absorbers on as a first course of action but I see much de-rusting, re-bushing and abusing of that car.

 

It's worth it in the long run. It's worth it in the long run. *repeat until sectioned or convinced*.

[mercedade]

"Your car is making a funny noise it wasn't making yesterday...."

 

Sigh.

 

Go out to the Vitesse, start it up, and GRINDGRINDGRINDGRINDCLATTERGRIND

 

Actually, I think that's just the alternator bearing. Quick listen via  screwdriver and confirmed.

 

It's always - ALWAYS - just before I have a journey to do. I'm heading back to Basingstoke on Thursday evening for the funeral of my first ever work colleague - from when I was 15, doing work experience in the local garage, he taught me pretty much everything mechanical until I was 21.

 

In some ways, this feels like a fitting way to remember him. He always said I insisted on driving heaps of useless shit.

 

Anyone got an alternator for an 820 Vitesse?

[plasticvandan]

I've made them last a bit longer by firing wd40 into the bearing while its running

[LC Torana]

Trying to figure out why the Princess still bogs down when you start applying revs to move.  It's better since fitting the new condenser and such but still not right.  Setting off it's okay but as soon as you try and build any sort of speed it just sort of struggles and tries to stall.  I know I've had this problem before but I can't remember what I did to sort it out.

 

First things first.  Is the timing right?

[vulgalour]

That's the next port of call.  Static appeared fine, ignition might need a tweak because it has been fiddled with.

[Eddie Honda]

Not sure, but I've just remembered there's four spare 135s at my parents, either in their garage or the loft. A fellow Metro club member sent them to me a while back FOC which is handy, just need to see if they are still useable.

 

Are 135SR12s NLA? They look in stock at Longstone to me. What I have noticed is that some sizes come and go. For example, there was 145SR14 Camacs that disappeared for a while, then re-appeared again. It just depends on when the make the batch.

 

I wouldn't have thought they disappear for long given that old Fiat lickers would use them too.

[RobT]

I saw Camacs on another classic tyre site but they were out of stock, and I'm sure in the past i haven't bought them due to a slightly different profile size i.e. 60 or 70 rather than the Metros 65. A new set would be nice rather than the hard NOS on there at the moment, not sure if that slight profile difference matters though. Never really got my head around all that!

[dugong]

 

Shit. I wanted a pov [ish] dizzle 605 S1 and now I have one.

 

Free boot gifts included two mugs, some nappies, a can of minestrone soup and a tenon saw.

[Lukas]

Very nice, I like that a lot! 

[dugong]

It will be my back up daily.

 

Has the pish ME5 gearbox but seems quite good on fuel compared to my bumgrape V6.

[Lukas]

 

Shit. I wanted a pov [ish] dizzle 605 S1 and now I have one.

 

Free boot gifts included two mugs, some nappies, a can of minestrone soup and a tenon saw.

 

Somehow, the picture reminds me of the song:

 

I wanna know what rust is

I want you to show me

I wanna feel what rust is

I know you can show me

 

       

[phil_lihp]

Is that the one that was on eBay as spares or repairs?  Well done, there can't be many people lucky enough to own two 605s.

[dugong]

Is that the one that was on eBay as spares or repairs?  Well done, there can't be many people lucky enough to own two 605s.

It was - it ended up being right up to my limit; 1p more and I'd have lost.

 

 

It's very different to drive than the ex-Partridge V6; that car, steering and ride aside, feels like a FWD BMW saloon might.

 

The S1 feels like a cross between a mid-range 405 S2, the nob-van and an upscaled 306. Whereas the S2 V6 feels vaguely sporty and luxurious, the earlier car feels like a plush taxi. If anything, it rides better than the S2 by sheer dint of its higher profile tyres. The switch gear feels cheaper but there's fewer rattles overall. For some reason, there's an electrically powered cover for the standard fit head unit to match the dealer floor mats. Like the S2, it's also had a bodged alarm installation, the remains of which you can see on the right of this picture.

 

It also has the horrid cable actuated ME5 manual gearbox.

 

It's had a lot of work spent on its upkeep: it also came with a book detailing every journey in terms of oil and fuel consumption from 1994 until 2006. It's filthy inside but almost everything works.

 

[phil_lihp]

Doesn't look too bad, a good scrub and a bit of polish will tidy that up no end.

[dollywobbler]

YES! Good buy. That was on my watch list as it'd make an even better head-to-head than your 605 V6. I have no money though. Shame I won't have time to have a nosy when I visit again next week.

[Eddie Honda]

I saw Camacs on another classic tyre site but they were out of stock, and I'm sure in the past i haven't bought them due to a slightly different profile size i.e. 60 or 70 rather than the Metros 65. A new set would be nice rather than the hard NOS on there at the moment, not sure if that slight profile difference matters though. Never really got my head around all that!

 

Ah, they'll be 80s or 82s.

 

so Metros of the day were 135/65 R12 (which seems tiny) or 135/80R12?

[Skoze]

I'm back with another SKOZE SHED SHITE SHOCK



Essex #3 for the broken car, tune in next time to see me give up and sell it. 

[anonymous user]

 

Free boot gifts included two mugs, some nappies, a can of minestrone soup and a tenon saw

Had I ever been unfortunate enough to go on "Ready, Steady, Cook" I'd like to think that would have been the bag of shopping I presented them with.

[320touring]

Its a bad day when the appropriate response is "Never mind, we'll take the Alfa"...

[DodgyBastard]

DSC_7955 by srblythe, on Flickr

 

After the alternator melted in the Corolla I checked ebay for replacements, a budget unbranded one was £75 and a reputable one was retailing at £110 so I thought I'd take it to my local auto electrician for refurbishment thinking that it would likely be cheaper and was more of a sensible option.

A week later I got the alternator back and a bill for £89.

I fitted the alternator to the car and found that it wasn't working correctly, The battery light was illuminated and would become dimmer by revving it over 3000rpm. I called the electrician and he tried talking me through some stuff to check to see if I could find the fault. I was getting nowhere so agreed to take the car to him the next day. He checked it over and concluded that there must be a fault in the wiring loom so booked it in to get worked on a week later.

After spending a couple of days with the car I got a phone call saying he'd checked over everything and it turns out that there was a problem with the alternator...

A week later after hearing nothing I called to be told it should be sorted tomorrow.

 

I'm fully expecting to be handed a huge bill for all of the time and labour spent on the car but am I within my rights to tell them to fuck right off because had they refurbished my alternator correctly in the first place I would have fitted it and that would have been the last they had heard from me.

[Eddie Honda]

I'd take it to my local auto electrician for refurbishment [snip]

I fitted the alternator to the car and found that it wasn't working correctly, The battery light was illuminated and would become dimmer by revving it over 3000rpm.[snip]

 

He checked it over and concluded that there must be a fault in the wiring loom so booked it in to get worked on a week later.

After spending a couple of days with the car I got a phone call saying he'd checked over everything and it turns out that there was a problem with the alternator...

I would have given him a swift kick in the plums.

 

If it gets dimmer with revs, I'd reckon it was the rectifier.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I don't know what 'rights' you may or may not have, but it seems perfectly reasonable that you are not liable for the cost of diagnosing his crummy alternator, so you might as well approach it from that position.

[Matt]

Anyone else on here played with oil drain valves? I fitted this one a year ago and used it for the first time yesterday. Changing oil the traditional way isn't exactly hard but this was a breeze in comparison. If like me you don't have an indoor space to work on your car I'm sure you know that a wrong gust of wind can make a big mess. There is something to be said for being able to do it without tools too.

 

Fumoto Engine Oil Drain Valve [1/4] by MattLikesCars, on Flickr

 

 

Fumoto Engine Oil Drain Valve [2/4] by MattLikesCars, on Flickr