Busmans shite - A dog is for life, not just for Xmas.

[busmansholiday]

So it's Independence day it the great US of A, where brave presidents lead the war against rampaging aliens.

Over here, it's the day I get to collect my roffle win, the ex JohnK Merc. Winning it on the first day of my hols in Greece, weekends away since and other episodes have delayed things until today.

We are though ready to roll.

Three trains, the second one already on it's way from Reading will take me to Darlo and then to boro' and beyond. First though, I have to head in the opposite direction to Sheffield, as stupidly it's the cheapest way. I've just over an hour before I head to the station for that train and part 1 of the journey.

 

[davehedgehog31]

Chodspeed

[paulplom]

Good luck

[loserone]

@JohnKi hope you're planning parmos for tea!

[HillmanImp]

14 minutes ago, loserone said:

@JohnKi hope you're planning parmos for tea!

You can get a bag of smack for cheaper according to this article. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-48800675

However, I would like a Parmo too. Maybe combine both. Heroin Parmo. Like a normal Parmo just incredibly moreish. 

 

[busmansholiday]

Look, luxury (compared with P*cer we usually get).

 

[Eyersey1234]

Chodspeed to you sir. 

[busmansholiday]

Sardines have a better time than this packed train to Darlo, even the refreshments trolley isn't going to try and get through.

 

[tooSavvy]

Pity you miss the chance to get off @UK least used platform 'Teesside Airport'

Never mind the dead presidents.... It's my birthday and 'em Septics is havnn a parrdiee.

[busmansholiday]

Darlington, time for tea.

[busmansholiday]

Final train,, real luxury.

 

[busmansholiday]

 

Awaiting my prize.........

[busmansholiday]

[busmansholiday]

Pez shot

72 quid to fill, more than the rail tickets and the roffle. But it's ace, JohnK is a really decent bloke, so glad (so far, MoT shortly will tell) I won. Mrs BMH seems to like it.

[JohnK]

Great to meet you John, glad you're happy with the car, it's not a bad old bus at all to be fair! 

[busmansholiday]

And finally, for those who are interested, I had a pee at Sheffield, Darlington and Middlesbrough. Tried to have a poo at Darlington but my ring piece didn't want to inflict this honour upon them.

You can see Darlington was a once magnificent station, 

a coat of paint wouldn't go amis.

In the boot I found this,

the dip stick I mean.

Should go here ( to the autobox)?

Err, no too long. Here's it along side the oil one

Sometimes being retired gives you time to solve lifes little mysteries.

 

[busmansholiday]

How much petrol did I put in !!!!!

 

[sierraman]

Is it leaking? 

[busmansholiday]

4 hours ago, sierraman said:

Is it leaking? 

Errm, slightly. It's the drain plug seal by the look, just have to use up a tank of fuel first before I can fix it.

I did manage to fix the non working heater blower. Cleaned the commutator and the brushes and hey presto.

 

[DSdriver]

I would avoid doing things that may cause sparks just now

[busmansholiday]

So on Monday I went to see my friendly, eagle eyed tester to explain the fact that three of the fleet need MoTs very soon.

Outcome was that Thursday 1st August is going to be the Busmans shite merry-go-round.

So, with that in mind I sorted the wipers on the Motorhome (see the grump thread), then set about the rust he'd seen when fixing the fuel leak.

Similar both sides at the back, but not too bad. De-rusted (wearing more safety gear, don't want another visit to A&E).

Then painted it with this,

Then Stoneguard. Looks better.

The other thing was the track rod ends, so yesterday ordered them online.

Today collected. Yes, they were there, and the right parts.

So new TREs fitted, they tried to resist, but my 30 year old tool showed them who was the boss.

That's better.

But, FFS, why do people tighten wheel nuts so fucking tight!!!

Three foot bar, fuck me, if I'd have had a flat tyre there's no fucking way I could have got these off at the side of the road.

[JohnK]

No comment?

[busmansholiday]

So the Merc let the side down but a couple of flexible front brake pipes and a strip of the nsr brake which might explain the 'grinding' noise, and hopefully fixed next week.

 

[busmansholiday]

When I collected the Merc from JohnK he pointed out that somebody had moved the cigarette lighter (or power socket these days) from the ashtray at the front to the rear. Something confirmed by a blue and brown wire that were running down the side of the centre console.

So today I thought I'd have a look about returning it to it's rightful place.

This greated me behind the ashtray when I removed it.

WTF I thought.

Removed a lot of duct tape and this was found.

Yep, that's the cigarette lighter socket with loads of extra wires to it.

The pink, black and blue and brown went here, to the rear.

Best was this.

That's the cd holder that somebody has decided to illuminate using the bulb from the ash tray.

Took the, "fuck this for a game of soldiers attitude" and removed all the "additional" wiring, then soldered and heat shrinked everything back as it should be. I will add, all the extra wires were either chocolate blocked or just twisted together.

Just have to find where the thin extra red and black wires went, the're currently twisted around the cruise control. Job for later.

Edited September 18, 2019 by busmansholiday
Forgot to add this was posted last month in the news thread, moved it here.

[busmansholiday]

So the wire went to a pair of red LEDs behind the dash on the right hand side. No I don't know why either, they seemed to do fuck all.

Since then, I've fixed the boots attempts to decapitate you when it closes.

That spring is supposed to be on a bracket at this side of the hinge but it had failed on both sides. Fortunately Merc put a second one on.

Bit of help from a cheap plastic trim removal tool and the boot closes fine.

Just flies open now and attempts to knock your teeth out.

Radio display is fixed,

It is a backlight LCD and the bulbs had gone. Well one had, they are wired in series which makes there replacement rather dim, but you can read it.

Then last week I splashed out and serviced her, oil, filters, plugs.

Next week she needs a very very good scrub and brush up before Thursday.

[The_Equalizer]

Re. Boot Spring

It is rather a common problem and there is a repair kit available. Mercedes did one - supposedly part number  2027580214. I bought a non-Merc one  from the good old U.S. of A. if I remember correctly although I cannot find it online at the moment. I did the job about five years ago.

The second hole that you have clipped the spring onto isn't correct (and is why it now flies open). I guess it depends on how fussy you are as to whether or not you take it any further. It annoyed me intensely so I sorted mine in the end.

[busmansholiday]

I could reduce the tension on the springs slightly by moving them to the first hole but so far it hasn't annoyed me enough. Thanks for the info though.

[busmansholiday]

So, with the Merc now in the safe hands of @Tetleysmooth, I have continued the "service" of the Panda. So, it has a pile of paperwork you'd be happy with, but nowhere in any of that is there any reference to a service since about 2011.

Having found this in the O/S/R brakes;

you know things aren't going to be good.

The cylinder had leaked (for a fair time as well), so new shoes and cylinder (and a wheel bearing by the sounds of things is next). Ha, the brake pipe wasn't going to let go, had to replace that back to the flexible. Good job Worsbrough Car Spares at Stairfoot, a proper car spares, still exists as I gave them a length of string and they made up the appropriate brake line. Oh fun. N/S/R pipes are the same ( but currently don't want to let go anywhere) as the cylinder is not far from going tits !!!

Air filter clearly was old, and the plugs had Fiat / Lancia on them, so they haven't been changed.

Continued today by having to drag the rattle gun out to remove the sump plug!!

So the "to dooooo list" continues, no evidence that a 96000 mile engine has had a cambelt change in 16 years.

Oh, and the MIL is flashing, emissions apparently which as one plug was black suggests an injector fault.

So who gets rid of a perfectly good Merc to buy a Fiat (that cost more than he got for the Merc) that needs shed loads spending on it ?

Arrhhh, that's why I joined here....

 

[Tetleysmooth]

  Regarding  the Merc, the more I search around online regarding the reluctance to go into 'D' when cold, the more I'm convinced it's that selector box in the console. I've read loads of posts where other owners have had exactly the same problem. So I think I'll order up another selector box from ebay. They don't look difficult to fit.

[busmansholiday]

So yesterday I dug the laptop out and fired it up  to see if I could find out why the MiL (EML) light was always flashing on the Panda. It runs Windows 7, and hasn't been used in ages, so today, eventually, after more updates than I cared to count it finally decided to allow me to use it. So I downloaded a free copy of Multiecuscan as it works with a vagcom lead (which I have). After a bit of messing downloading drivers and sorting out com ports I got it to talk to the Panda.

No faults shown, and various tests didn't show up anything other than the inlet air temp saying 22C today. Then I read a bit on the software about adjustments. So I tried what it said.

Rev to between 5000 and 6000 revs and hold it there for at least 3 seconds. Let it drop back to tickover. Repeat twice more.

The third time the engine dropped back to tickover the MiL stopped flashing !!!

Looks like just clearing any faults (paperwork says it's had a new engine temp sensor in the past) doesn't stop the light flashing. You really do need an Italian tune-up to sort it!.