Jump to content

Saabnuts Assorted Shite Blog - A Shite Week Lacking Progress


Saabnut

Recommended Posts

  • 2 weeks later...

After a less than successful Le Mans trip in the Cobra, I have been a little busy! The Cobra completed 1500 miles under its own power, the remaining 550 miles were completed by AA truck for the car and Hyundai rental for me. Since getting home I have been preparing the Bentley for a second assault on Le Mans and have completed approximately 200 miles with it without problem, so that is ready as it is going to be.

 

Photo of shame:

post-5203-0-71984400-1530033386_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So having a few days at home with no driving, what should I do? Luckily* I had a phone call to say my Saab Sonett 2 stroke is ready for collection, so off to Banbury area tomorrow, returning Thursday. By an amazing coincidence, another locall car enthusiast has booked his car in to the same guy who has done my Saab, so makes sense to take his car down whilst collecting mine, after all 900 miles towing a loaded trailer is much better* than 450!

 

I always new that I would end up towing an Audi behind the Saab, just never thought it would be one I like! :-D

post-5203-0-10540900-1530034180_thumb.jpg

post-5203-0-08535200-1530034255_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So having a few days at home with no driving, what should I do? Luckily* I had a phone call to say my Saab Sonett 2 stroke is ready for collection, so off to Banbury area tomorrow, returning Thursday. By an amazing coincidence, another locall car enthusiast has booked his car in to the same guy who has done my Saab, so makes sense to take his car down whilst collecting mine, after all 900 miles towing a loaded trailer is much better* than 450!

 

I always new that I would end up towing an Audi behind the Saab, just never thought it would be one I like! :-D

hnnng (audi lol - dkw or auto union)

 

nice chevy :P (didnt someone say it was a holden? )

 

slightly upset i didnt go SF now

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And back home with another 950 miles of towing. The picture shows a coffee stop at the M6 Toll services. All was good until about 20 miles south of Perth when an almighty bang announced that one of the trailer tyres had cried enough. I was overtaking a lorry at 60mph at the time, and by the time I had got into a nearby lay by the rim was also toast. Smugly I fitted my spare which I had checked the pressure on before leaving, and left the dead rim and tyre in he layby bin! When I got to Dundee (48 miles from home) I stopped for diesel and after filling walked round the trailer, as I always do. I was horrified to find 2 tyres roughly oval with splits in the side walls, and one which was just a flat carcass, no idea where the tread has gone! :shock:

 

Rather than involve the AA (again) I decided to unload the Sonett, park it in the Asda car park, and take the trailer home empty on 3 roundish wheels! Made it no bother, but rather than mess about getting another trailer sorted out, got a friend to drop me off at the car, and drove it back. First drive of more than 4 miles in 5 years and three engine rebuilds, this time with custom pistons. Looks like we got it right this time, Oh my! Just got to run it in now, then the fun really starts!

post-5203-0-41613000-1530269797_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Time for an update. Had been avoiding it until home in case I jinxed it, but too late now! Left Aberdeen nearly two weeks ago in glorious sunshine, with the Bentley fully loaded for the Le Mans Classic. Half way over the A66 doing the speed limit(ish) and suddenly the engine just stops. As I was on a dual section I coasted to a halt on the verge. Tried to restart, turned over but dead. A look under the bonnet had its usual affect on me, ie depression, so complicated and cramped. Nothing obviously wrong, so shut the bonnet and tried again. Still dead. Left it for 10 minutes, still dead. Reached for my phone, called up the AA app, entered the car details but before pressing the help button, gave the car one last try. Of course it started! It then ran perfectly to Worksop, then down to Crawley where I met up with the rest of the party.

 

Our party of Gordon Keeble, Mk2 Jag, Bentley and Landrover 110 made it down to my place south of LM with the alternator on the Jag the only casualty by overcharging. A new control pack sorted that and after a great but hot weekend the rest left on Monday and all made it home without incident. I have stayed on for a couple of weeks as I have a lot to sort out so the Bentley has become the daily and has coped fine, despite the mid 30s heat.

 

Today, I had an appointment with my solicitors about 10 miles away, so spent the morning sorting paperwork. I planned on leaving early so I could get some shopping on the way, went to the Bentley, ignition but no turn! Aaargh! Tried many, many times but nothing. Decided it had to be the inhibitor switch on the box of the ignition switch. In the hope it was a wire off the back of the switch I pulled the dash, but all looked OK, at least what little I could see with my eyes full of sweat! Gave up and left everything dangling and uncovered my friends Spitfire which was untouched since last summer!

 

It only started first try and my appointment was kept! On my return I sat in the shade of my Linden tree with a beer and glowered at the Bentley until it cooled down Eventually I went back to it, and just for fun put the key in the dangling ignition lock and tried it. Started first try! Tried it several times, all fine, so I put the dash back together and it is now working fine.

 

Conclusion? It is haunted.

post-5203-0-34910400-1531511633_thumb.jpg

post-5203-0-58526400-1531511767_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Aaaargh! Just been out to it and it is dead again. Not the fuel pump relay, as I can hear the pump prime, and the problem is turning the key to the start position has no affect, the engine does not turn over. I have, however, noticed that the oil pressure light is off with the ignition on, so I am guessing the problem lies there, no light, no start. It is very warm again so thinking that the two may be related. Just got to have a look and see if there is a work round (aka bodge) that will get the light on so the engine turns so I can get back to the UK with it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Be methodical about it and you should get there. I assume there's a schematic out there somewhere?

 

See if you can see anything else obviously not working then consult the wiring diagram to see if you can find any common components.

 

Relay dying, battery feed line loose or grounding issues would be my bets.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

A further update. Not having many tools in France (something I need to address) I needed a test meter. A visit to the supermarket yielded some wire, but nothing else. A trip to the local car parts shop yielded a boarded up shop! Next nearest was 30 miles away, so time for an epic bodge. I removed a light unit off the trailer board for my dinghy and wired that up as a test lamp! After several very hot days chasing things in between bank, solicitor and builders appointments, I managed to rule out everything I thought it was, apart from it being the ghost of course. My best guess is it is one of the inhibitor switches playing up in the heat, so decided that was as far as I can go without proper test equipment, so re-assembled the dash etc and tried it again. Definitely dead. Kept trying at random over the next 2 days, and it remained dead, so I came to terms of another long distance AA recovery, only a few weeks after the Cobra was recovered from Crawley. Friday night gave it one more try, and it started. Bastard! Must be the ghost. Decided to leave it to sulk until I was ready to go home on Sunday, if it started I would see how far I could get and if it FTPed time for the AA.

 

Sunday, 6am and of course it started fine! Lovely drive across France to Yvetot where there is a supermarket with pay at the pumps I knew would be unmanned, so I could fill up and leave it running. Continued to Calais where I was lucky and got an earlier train and went straight through. I needed a pee at this point, so left the car running and locked it with the spare key! I was working on the theory that getting on the train was my problem, getting it off was Eurotunnels!  Of course, when we got to Folkstone, it started nae bother, and has behaved perfectly since.

 

Today I left Crawley at 7am and headed north. The car coped with the record temperatures and awful traffic with aplomb, and by 530pm I was at the local co-op for bread and milk.Went to open the drivers door, and the central locking had tripped so the door was locked. Pressing the unlock button made no difference, so I slid across and out the front passenger door, where I discovered the key would not unlock it either. Five minutes later, with bread and milk, I discovered the gost had been playing and now the only door that will open is the rear nearside, so I made a dignified* entrance and climbed over the front seats to get home where I had to climb over again to get out. Pressing the button or turning the key in either door moved the door lock buttons, but refuses to unlock the doors. Tomorrow I will speak to my tame electrician and arrange an exorcism with the local vicar!

 

Over the last 3 weeks it has covered 2500 miles at an average of 24mpg and used just over half a litre of oil. Not bad for a 40 year old, 6750cc V8 Turbo. Just need to get rid of the ghost!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Hooli

That's a lot better mpg than I imagined it'd do.

 

Random electrical failings reminds me of my XJ40 & their habit for the fuseboxes falling apart, no idea if it's common on Bentleys though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I was pleasantly surprised every time I filled up. Filled up in Crawley, took 58 litres at Lancaster and got home on that. Forgot to say that on the way home it clocked up 211k miles, but since the turbo upgrade in the late 1980s the odometer under reads by 30% so best guess is that it is approaching the quarter million!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Corniche that I took down to Antibes last week managed about 14mpg over the 930 mile journey and that was cruising at around 70. Just as well the Bentayga has semi- autonomous shit on it, whichever of us was in that struggled to stay awake.

It was running rich though, you could smell it. Even though a local specialist has been given the best part of £20k this year to prepare it, which included new carbs and a/c compressor( which also packed up). They did however detail* under the bonnet, I know this because my hands were covered in white paint that melted on the dipstick lettering!post-17414-0-21406200-1532419094_thumb.jpeg

Another 150 Euros of super San plomb, notice the economy car behind didn't need anything- well it only weighs the best part of 3 tonnes and has over 600bhp!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...