Shite Down Under - When Wildlife Attacks!

[MorrisItalSLX]

The Jaguar parts fairy has visited today.

 

 

Hopefully this is all that is required to make the petrol go where is should.

[MorrisItalSLX]

It’s time to start on the Jaguar fuel system repairs!

 

It’s still up on the axel stands from when I was diagnosing the issue.

 

 

Let’s start by draining the petrol tank, just a simple matter of removing the drain plug.

 

 

FFS. I hate this sodding car.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Ian from next door to the rescue! He had a seal that was perfect in stock.

 

 

What an absolute legend, I can always count on him to get me out of a tight spot.

 

Now, with the tank drained I can get on with the job at hand, swapping the return solenoid.

 

Old one out:

 

 

New one in:

 

 

And that’s where I got up to tonight, the change over solenoid will have to wait until Sunday.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Toyota fuel economy run completed.

 

Distance covered:

 

 

Petrol replenished:

 

 

And crunching the numbers comes back with 9.8L/100, which is 28.8MPG in old money. Not fantastic, but I was not expecting it to be knowing my commute.

 

That run was done with the cheap 91 octane petrol but for shits and giggles I have put the good stuff in it, full fat 98 octane, so let’s see what difference that makes.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Back to the Jaguar, and it’s bad news, very bad news.

 

Both replacement solenoids were fitted and all the solenoids were checked for functionality, started it up and after a minute or so the petrol started raining from the drivers tank. Shit.

 

The next step was to check the tank breather/vapour removal/emissions control system. The charcoal canister was dry but it was evident that liquid petrol had been getting up the vapour line, so I disconnected the vapour lines from the tank and the charcoal canister and cleared it out with compressed air. Only a dribble of fluid came out the end but I considered this progress, the rest of the system was also checked but no other faults were found. So with this final possibility rectified I started it up again, and the fuel pissed onto the floor. Fuck.

 

At this point, I (and the ever helpful Ian) had run out of ideas and, most critically, time. The rego lapsed tomorrow and it was still not roadworthy, so with great frustration I threw in the towel and phoned the (wallet raping) Jag specialist. The Jag is going to be trailered up to him to be looked at and hopefully repaired, thankfully my Dad has capable towing vehicle and a mate with a car trailer we can borrow.

 

This is the worst case scenario, but it has to happen. So much for spending my money on the cosmetics as I had been hoping, but such is life when it comes to old cars.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Following stuboy’s suggestion, the genuine giffer added Dymo labels have been reinstated using trim tape, including the ones I found loose in the glovebox.

 

 

 

 

 

Much better, wouldn’t you agree.

 

In other news, I have been investigating the alarm. I have no fobs or keys for it so I don’t think it can be used, any ideas alarm gurus?

 

 

[3VOM]

Could be turned off with a key on the back. It was an override facility IIRC. So might currently be OFF legitimately.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Could be turned off with a key on the back. It was an override facility IIRC. So might currently be OFF legitimately.

That is what I believe is the case, as the unit has power but is showing no signs of life.

 

But at least a dead alarm is better than a misbehaving one!

[bezzabsa]

Nice to see Petrol at almost the same price as the UK!!

 

Damn Yanks complaining about $3 a gallon!!!!

[MorrisItalSLX]

Nice to see Petrol at almost the same price as the UK!!

 

Damn Yanks complaining about $3 a gallon!!!!

It is amazing how cheap US petrol is!

 

Although, it should be noted my $1.60/L was for premium. Regular is usually about $1.25/L.

[Conan]

9.8 litre/100km doesn't seem bad for a carbed car!

 

I don't think 98 would do anything though since this engine was designed with Octane 87 in mind.

 

I myself can only wish for 98.

[MorrisItalSLX]

9.8 litre/100km doesn't seem bad for a carbed car!

 

I don't think 98 would do anything though since this engine was designed with Octane 87 in mind.

 

I myself can only wish for 98.

I put 98 in it for purely experimental reasons, and I can report that it makes bugger all difference. If anything my economy was worse with 98!

 

I did find that the fuel gauge reads empty and the low fuel warning light comes on when the car had used 35 litres of fuel, which leaves approximately 15 litres still in the tank! This is quite different to the Jag where empty on the gauge means empty in the tank.

[Conan]

All Toyotas works like that. Even the manual is saying it has fuel capacity of approximately 50 litres. 

[tooSavvy]

I put 98 in it for purely experimental reasons, and I can report that it makes bugger all difference. If anything my economy was worse with 98!

I did find that the fuel gauge reads empty and the low fuel warning light comes on when the car had used 35 litres of fuel, which leaves approximately 15 litres still in the tank! This is quite different to the Jag where empty on the gauge means empty in the tank.

I recall a hack motoring Journo taking a GTi Golf off on a 'full road test'.... He went native and explored Red on the Gauge = it stopped!

 

He wrote up his complaint... Fords, he had owned, went for days with the needle in the red.

 

Teutonic Efficiency, he bleated.....

 

FFS :/

[MorrisItalSLX]

I think it’s time to go for a little adventure.

 

 

Road unsuitable for 2WD vehicles my arse!

 

 

Child’s play.

 

 

That sign might have been onto something.

 

 

Success! And I had just enough ground clearance to do so.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Well, during the forum outage the Corolla decided it did not want to idle and died on a roundabout on the way home from work. Thankfully I was able to coast into a petrol station to assess the situation.

 

The NRMA was called and determined the issue to be a blocked idle jet in the carb, the helpful fellow fiddled with the carb (I have no idea what he did to it) so I could drive home. As I need this car to work properly I am going to farm out the job of fixing it to my choice mechanic as I have no experience with rebuilding carbs and don't want to stuff it up on the "reliable" car on the fleet. I am also going to bite the bullet and get the cam belt changed as it is of unknown origin and get the rocker cover gasket done so everything is sorted and I can have a fully functional car once again (it has been a while!).

In Jaguar news, I am still waiting on parts to have one last crack at sorting the petrol problem and if that does not work it is also going to be farmed out.

[MorrisItalSLX]

In more positive news, Giffer tat has been added!

Downforce yo! And yes, I did buy a pair for the Jag!

[MorrisItalSLX]

The Corolla has been deposited with the mechanic to:

• Rebuild the Carb
• Fuel Filter
• Timing Belt
• Water Pump
• Tappets
• Rocker Cover Gasket

I was planning to do most of that myself,  but the carb failure has made me realise that it needs to be fixed quickly and properly. Plus I am a lazy bastard.

The Jaguar is still waiting for parts to arrive, but I have untill July 21st to get it fixed before the government makes things far more difficult. (In New South Wales, the annual inspection for cars is called The Pink Slip, which is less invasive than an MOT, but if a car goes for more than 3 months without a Pink Slip it will need a Blue Slip, which is FAR more invasive than an MOT and is VERY hard to pass. This is something I am trying to avoid going through.)

The Hyundai is still as fucked as ever.

 

[LightBulbFun]

I thought the Toyota was meant to be the reliable one, sounds like the Jag has been more reliable then it!  

what happened to the Hyundai?

[MorrisItalSLX]

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

what happened to the Hyundai?

The Hyundai failed its Pink Slip around 2 years ago (gosh!) as the strut tower had rusted away due to battery acid leakage, then soon after it shat its clutch hydraulics.

I never got it fixed as I had the Jag at the time and the manual box was hell for my dicky ankle. It currently resides outside the shed awaiting its date with the weigh bridge. 

[MorrisItalSLX]

The Corolla has returned from its date with the mechanic and is back better than ever.

The carb has been cleaned and tuned to get it running right, avoiding a full rebuild, and the timing belt, fuel filter, and rocker cover gasket have been done too. The tappets were not done as they did not have the gear to do it as it is a shim rather than screw adjustment, but he said they were within tolerance anyway. He also added an earth cable from the carb to the battery as "it's a common fault", if anyone knows what this fault is than please let me know as I have no clue.

The only issue that arose was with the radiator, it has some small cracks developing on the plastic end tanks which is not unusual for a 30 year old rad. It does not leak at the moment but it is something to look out for in the future. On the plus side, the bill came out cheaper than quoted which was a nice surprise.

In Jag news, I'm still waiting on parts to arrive.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Look what arrived today!



About bloody time, my parts guy had to get it in from that there England and thus cost more than the prior purchased pair of solenoids. It better work.

In Corolla news, the radiator is on its last legs. The small crack in the plastic top tank is weeping, epoxy putty has been deployed but I don’t think it will last long. Joy.

[mrbenn]

Fingers crossed the Jaguar starts to appreciate your efforts.

Perhaps stick a note on the dashboard with "SCRAPYARD" written in bold letters to make sure it knows the alternative ?

[LightBulbFun]

heres a meme I stole to keep things positive  

[tooSavvy]

There is a 'hookey/hockey stick' that Toyo techs use... It pushes the follower down [gripping the extreme outer edge] and allowing the shim to be hooked out/swapped for spec.

No wires on my carb M8........ ?

[MorrisItalSLX]

There is a 'hookey/hockey stick' that Toyo techs use... It pushes the follower down [gripping the extreme outer edge] and allowing the shim to be hooked out/swapped for spec.

No wires on my carb M8........ 

 

That would be the tool they needed then! Plus, they didn’t have any shims.

 

No carb wire? I guess you should add one, because TADTS (whatever that is).

[MorrisItalSLX]

Well it appears to be good news from the Autoshite Australian Division. The 3rd new solenoid has seemingly resolved the petroleum problem I have been having. Further, more in depth testing will need to be undertaken before its date with the tester, but the outlook looks promising. I have really started to miss its woftyness.

Things are also well with the Corolla, the radiator is holding up with the epoxy putty bodge and research has deemed a brand new replacement to be quite affordable. It has also had a trip down to the breakers yard for some bits.



In Toyota Australia’s infinite wisdom, they decided that the Japanese engineers were wrong to fit the AE92 Corolla with a front anti-roll bar, so they didn’t bother to fit one. This resulted in less than ideal handling characteristics. Fortunately for me, the AWD Corolla Estates were built in Japan with front anti-roll bars, so I strolled down to my local breakers yard who happened to have an AWD Corolla Estate in stock. $55 and an hour later they presented me with all the necessary parts to give my car the handling it deserves. But, there is a catch, the AWD Corolla Estates have a rear prop shaft and there is a corresponding hump in the anti-roll bar to accommodate this and I’m not entirely sure it will fit my FWD car. The prop shaft in question sits next to the exhaust in the same tunnel in the floor pan and my concern lies with the size of said tunnel, it appears to be quite spacious where it needs to be but I am not sure if it will be spacious enough. I guess there is only one way to find out.

[mrbenn]

Good news on the Jag!

I know you're in Australia but I'm slightly surprised you found a yard with a Corolla in stock so easily. Are they still quite common there?

[Conan]

Looking good! Mine came standard with front and rear anti-roll bar but even so it's still roly poly when driven exuberantly. 

[Rovorsche]

On 4/9/2019 at 10:21 AM, MorrisItalSLX said:

 

 

 

And breathe.

 

In other news, it can do excellent hand brake turns on gravel.

I had many Toyotas of this vintage as Hire cars in South Africa and I concur the handbrake turns were effortless.

Somewhere near MosselBaai a housing development was partially done, well as far as putting down all the tarmac and concrete slabs but nothing else just flat grassland as a run off area, no street lights or anything.

The Glacier White twin-cam saloon I had that weekend went back on slicks.