Dollywobbler's Consolidated Tat Thread

[wuvvum]

2 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

Oh and I had to fill it up in Letchworth

You think that's bad, I once had to fill up in Swindon...

[dollywobbler]

The second fill was a little alarming, as the gauge was looking fairly low by the time I hit the M4. Fuel price average in Wales? About 1.29 for unleaded at the moment. Fuel price at Pont Abraham services at the end of the M4? 1.49! Er, no mate. Reckoned I could get fuel not long after Carmarthen, but the first place was shut, and the second place still had the sign lit up but was also closed. Ugh.

In other news, just got the Charade back from a new exhaust and wheelbearing. That's another £302 so it's been a very expensive week on the HubNut fleet. The Charade still needs the oil issue sorting. The garage actually called and asked if we really wanted to go ahead with the work after it filled their car park with smoke.

[2cvspecial]

6 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

The second fill was a little alarming, as the gauge was looking fairly low by the time I hit the M4. Fuel price average in Wales? About 1.29 for unleaded at the moment. Fuel price at Pont Abraham services at the end of the M4? 1.49! Er, no mate. Reckoned I could get fuel not long after Carmarthen, but the first place was shut, and the second place still had the sign lit up but was also closed. Ugh.

In other news, just got the Charade back from a new exhaust and wheelbearing. That's another £302 so it's been a very expensive week on the HubNut fleet. The Charade still needs the oil issue sorting. The garage actually called and asked if we really wanted to go ahead with the work after it filled their car park with smoke.

poor chemmy what did you say to garage hope it was yes as a daihatsu deserves to live as MissDW said in the tanygroes scrap video

[dollywobbler]

Garage did the exhaust and replaced a balljoint. Exhaust was a bit pricey but fits and sounds better. First time I've used this new place and I think it bodes well for future farm-out jobs.

At some point, we are going to have to bite the bullet and sort the piston rings. Just not sure when. Miss HN is currently learning to drive in it.

[Eyersey1234]

18 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

Oh and in other news, this was 2pm this afternoon. GSA still on the ramp as the nearside rear suspension unit kept leaking. A replacement sphere seal didn't cure it, but a second replacement sphere seal did! Amazing to watch the chap whip the entire unit out in mere moments. The driveshaft seal was a right pig of a job, and took up much of the morning. Very glad I didn't attempt that at home! It passes through the subframe, and there's just enough room to get it out - as long as you remove the inboard brake caliper. Oh, and there's only really enough space if the suspension wishbones aren't in place. Which they were. Very Citroen. Then there was the brake pipe that goes into said caliper, and came out showing a mangled thread. That caused some nervous moments while a replacement union was encouraged to fit. Thankfully it did. 

Along with a very comprehensive  service, there was a fairly hefty bill. More than I usually spend buying a car, though to be fair, that isn't much. But the attention should serve the car well in future as frankly a HubNut service amount to little more than oil and filters. You certainly don't find me removing the rear pads to make sure they're free and working correctly... I'm far too much of a 'meh, it'll be reet.' Then I wonder why things break...

After all that, the car was handed back to me at about half three and I got back home at 9pm, 290 miles later. 

I'm bloody knackered.  It's a shame paradise is so far away from everywhere else. Oh and I had to fill it up in Letchworth, and again a few miles from home. 40mpg, even when being hammered along the M4 at legal-ish pace.

Wouldn't be hard for a garage bill to be more than you spend buying a car dolly, didn't most of your fleet cost 50p plus a mars bar? 🤣

[Spurious]

Surely this is worth a punt at £50 @dollywobbler? If the compression is okay, probably easier popping a replacement engine in than replacing piston rings and liners? 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353393587263

[dollywobbler]

Cheers. It is tempting, but the thing is, these engines are prone to poor oil control rings, so compression can be fine, but the problems remain. Is it easier to re-ring an engine out of the car rather than in? Maybe, but by the sound of it, maybe not- and a car is a very good engine holder. 

But, I'm wary of going down either route because I hate hate HATE any job that requires dropping the coolant. There are animals where I work on the cars, including cats, that love a bit of antifreeze. Even if you manage to capture every drop, what then? How do you actually get rid of it? (and it's a no from the local council). 

It is a problem, because getting someone else to do the rings is unlikely to be cheap.

[LightBulbFun]

6 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

Cheers. It is tempting, but the thing is, these engines are prone to poor oil control rings, so compression can be fine, but the problems remain. Is it easier to re-ring an engine out of the car rather than in? Maybe, but by the sound of it, maybe not- and a car is a very good engine holder. 

But, I'm wary of going down either route because I hate hate HATE any job that requires dropping the coolant. There are animals where I work on the cars, including cats, that love a bit of antifreeze. Even if you manage to capture every drop, what then? How do you actually get rid of it? (and it's a no from the local council). 

It is a problem, because getting someone else to do the rings is unlikely to be cheap.

Can you get Lady Hubnut a 2CV of her own or something such? (I know you did mention that you may have acquired enough 2CV spares to build one from scratch ) 

air cooled, no pesky Anti-freeze to worry about!  

 

I wish I had a 2CV as a learners car, by far one of the most confidence inspiring (and fun) cars I have driven (granted that was round the FoD rather then the open road but still!)

[dollywobbler]

It is one reason for loving aircooled cars. Much better from a DIY point of view!

[Mudster]

1 hour ago, dollywobbler said:

Cheers. It is tempting, but the thing is, these engines are prone to poor oil control rings, so compression can be fine, but the problems remain. Is it easier to re-ring an engine out of the car rather than in? Maybe, but by the sound of it, maybe not- and a car is a very good engine holder. 

But, I'm wary of going down either route because I hate hate HATE any job that requires dropping the coolant. There are animals where I work on the cars, including cats, that love a bit of antifreeze. Even if you manage to capture every drop, what then? How do you actually get rid of it? (and it's a no from the local council). 

It is a problem, because getting someone else to do the rings is unlikely to be cheap.

Coolant disposal is a pain in the butt. I searched around for recommended disposal and the consensus was flush it down the loo. Didn't feel overly comfortable with that, so bottled it up and took it to a local garage. Cost me a fiver but my conscience was clear.

I keep empty 5l bottles (snow foam, de-ionised water from the steamer etc.) to store liquids.

[Dick Longbridge]

26 minutes ago, Mudster said:

Coolant disposal is a pain in the butt. I searched around for recommended disposal and the consensus was flush it down the loo. Didn't feel overly comfortable with that, so bottled it up and took it to a local garage. Cost me a fiver but my conscience was clear.

I keep empty 5l bottles (snow foam, de-ionised water from the steamer etc.) to store liquids.

Interesting topic. I had never heard the advice of flushing it down the loo, but a quick 'net search suggests it's almost acceptable. Someone elsewhere pointed out that we pour obscene quantities of bleach into the same system, so it's not quite as horrific as it initially sounds. It also transpires coolant is not recyclable. I wonder where it ends up after it's collected from garages in that case? 

[dozeydustman]

Re: Coolant disposal. My local tip does accept up to 25l of used coolant per visit; I think provided you aren't in there day in day out with tonnes (or galllons) of the stuff they just tell you where it has to go. Check with your local county council as some sites take it and others don't.

[dollywobbler]

Ours is hopeless. The really local one (ie a few miles away) doesn't take anything car related at all. 18 miles away, they accept engine oil, but not filters...

[Fumbler]

38 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

 but not filters...

Same story with every disposal site local to me as well, even the large one that serves the borough says no to them. Our only option is to put them in commercial/industrial waste which apparently accepts them and sorts them. What happens afterwards I have no clue. I presume they're burned and cubed along with all incinerated metal, which is probably the best course of action for something like that.

[wuvvum]

I tend to tip coolant into my oil change container and pour it into the waste oil tank at the dump.  If I was ever challenged I would say that it was oil from a car that had suffered HGF.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

23 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

The second fill was a little alarming, as the gauge was looking fairly low by the time I hit the M4. Fuel price average in Wales? About 1.29 for unleaded at the moment. Fuel price at Pont Abraham services at the end of the M4? 1.49! Er, no mate. ....

I'm surprised anyone fills up at motorway services - they're one of the biggest extortion rackets going.

[richykitchy]

14 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

Cheers. It is tempting, but the thing is, these engines are prone to poor oil control rings, so compression can be fine, but the problems remain. Is it easier to re-ring an engine out of the car rather than in? Maybe, but by the sound of it, maybe not- and a car is a very good engine holder. 

But, I'm wary of going down either route because I hate hate HATE any job that requires dropping the coolant. There are animals where I work on the cars, including cats, that love a bit of antifreeze. Even if you manage to capture every drop, what then? How do you actually get rid of it? (and it's a no from the local council). 

It is a problem, because getting someone else to do the rings is unlikely to be cheap.

These be your friend:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/PetHot-Manual-Vacuum-Extractor-Transfer/dp/B07P5WYGGD/ref=asc_df_B07P5WYGGD/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310668964056&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2587927924331685993&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1006715&hvtargid=pla-711130984720&psc=1

I've got one, and they're great. Well worth the money, though if I had a gripe, it'd be that the suction 'straw' isn't long enough. Easily sorted, though.

You ARE going to be dropping coolant to do piston rings, though. You just are. Best bet is to haul the engine out and do it on the floor. You can do clutch, timing belt (if applicable), clean the engine bay up to help preserve it and touch up any paint if needed.

[richykitchy]

Also, for anyone struggling with what to do with waste fluids, got yourself an IBC. Place next to us has to PAY companies to take empty ones away, so they're easy to get. Holds 1000L, just pay company to come and drain it when it's full (takes me about 18 months to fill it, and I run a garage!) Normally £80 to empty, or so. Chuck everything in it, too; Oil, brake fluid, antifreeze etc.

Or, get two, and use one for oil only, then sell the waste oil to people who use oil-burning heaters.

[Fumbler]

2 hours ago, richykitchy said:

Or, get two, and use one for oil only, then sell the waste oil to people who use oil-burning heaters.

That's a brilliant idea. Just filter and go. Old diesels run well on the stuff too.

[R1152]

Only if he carries a smoke bomb too...

[Remspoor]

With waste oil. Dilute it a bit  because it is hard to apply and paint it on wooden fencing.  Saves fencing panels and saves trips to recycling centres.

[dollywobbler]

After getting the GSA serviced, the sensible thing to do seemed to be to put some miles on it.

Which included a quick thrash around Oulton Park as part of their 'DRIVE' experience. Behind a safety car, and a gaggle of 2CVs, so not exactly track day conditions, but a good laugh and Mini HubNut loved it. Wonderful to see some friends in actual person again! The drive up to Wrexham was bloody awful, with biblical rain and lots of flooding. We did actually deploy 'suspension raise height' mode at one point, and enough water still hit the engine to steam up the interior instantly. Then got stuck behind some utter pillock that kept doing an emergency stop for every bit of water on the road. Exciting. Naturally they accelerated so hard down straight sections of road that we couldn't pass them...

We spent the weekend in a bus for my birthday, which was also fun. Sadly it didn't run.

Ex-Lothian Leyland Olympian with Alexander bodywork - in effect a shorter version of the much-missed yellow beastie. Not a bad place to sleep.

GSA has coped admirably with awful weather and a puking child (possibly suspension related) but I know it just isn't feasible to keep using it like this. It'll be rotten in no time!

[Talbot]

15 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

I know it just isn't feasible to keep using it like this.

Why not?  That's how a GSA would have been used when they were in common use.  Yes, I know that means it will be more likely to rust than if it's tucked away in a dry unit, but with modern cavity wax, zinc based paint and decent underseal, it should last far longer than they did in the 80s.

[dollywobbler]

When even specialists tell you these things rot horribly, you feel a little powerless. They have similar sandwiched steel construction to the DS, so rot can be cripplingly bad by the time you spot it. There are already some areas doing me a concern.

[Spurious]

9 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

When even specialists tell you these things rot horribly, you feel a little powerless. They have similar sandwiched steel construction to the DS, so rot can be cripplingly bad by the time you spot it. There are already some areas doing me a concern.

What about something you got done on the Skoda. I got Krown done on my Jimny and like the Skoda they drilled into sections and sprayed in the grease? Might be worth a go. I'm starting to use lanoguard on my own though, if you've time that's a good shout too. 

[dollywobbler]

Yeah, I'd like to try Lanoguard. I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get some rust removed first though.

[Fumbler]

Anything made from wool lanolin is excellent, so if you can, bung Fluid Film into the list of products to try if you find a 5L tin that's affordable enough. While it likes to wash off in high traffic areas, it's excellent in cavities and places like that. I'm tempted to try this stuff myself if I can find it.

[Spurious]

1 hour ago, dollywobbler said:

Yeah, I'd like to try Lanoguard. I'm going to have to bite the bullet and get some rust removed first though.

This is good stuff and the kit isn't too bad for applying it. The little wand thing is okay for box sections but not as good as a proper applicator. 

Mind you for £70 it's great value and it'll get grease where you need it too. Fraction of the cost of getting it professionally done. 

[maxxo]

Apologies for the slightly crap video

this is how my 110 accelerates, to me this feels really rather rapid for a diesel auto estate car

how does yours compare?

 

[Eyersey1234]

3 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

After getting the GSA serviced, the sensible thing to do seemed to be to put some miles on it.

Which included a quick thrash around Oulton Park as part of their 'DRIVE' experience. Behind a safety car, and a gaggle of 2CVs, so not exactly track day conditions, but a good laugh and Mini HubNut loved it. Wonderful to see some friends in actual person again! The drive up to Wrexham was bloody awful, with biblical rain and lots of flooding. We did actually deploy 'suspension raise height' mode at one point, and enough water still hit the engine to steam up the interior instantly. Then got stuck behind some utter pillock that kept doing an emergency stop for every bit of water on the road. Exciting. Naturally they accelerated so hard down straight sections of road that we couldn't pass them...

We spent the weekend in a bus for my birthday, which was also fun. Sadly it didn't run.

Ex-Lothian Leyland Olympian with Alexander bodywork - in effect a shorter version of the much-missed yellow beastie. Not a bad place to sleep.

GSA has coped admirably with awful weather and a puking child (possibly suspension related) but I know it just isn't feasible to keep using it like this. It'll be rotten in no time!

Phooar ex Lothian Olly. Lothian look after their buses, they are good secondhand buys if bought direct from them. We had a couple of ex Lothian open top Tridents, considering they were Tridents they were nice to drive.