The grumpy thread

[Pillock]

Yeah, surely it's the connection between the wheels - they'll be fighting to go in opposite directions but each pulls the other into line. 

[Coprolalia]

The building I run clinics in is collapsing with all the heavy rain. It's a brutalist 1930s concrete box, and the two floors above us have been derelict for years. Now the rain has started coming through the ceiling of our ground floor offices, washing the fluids from the rotting vermin above down onto us. We've doubled up in another part of the building for the time being and abandoned the rooms that are flooded.

 

NHS Management verdict - "oh that sounds grim".

[Bobthebeard]

Well, the MG ZT saga moves on. After replacing timing belts, cooling fan, tyres and generally lavishing ££££, hours and affection on the car it now wants more. After (slowly) negotiating a speed bump a strange clunking creaking noise from the rear. Jacked the car up, but found nothing obviously broken. Removed offside rear wheel and find rub marks on the inside face of the rim and a shiny bolt in wheel arch. Bugger. Offside rear wheel is leaning in at the top over an inch more than the nearside. New suspension arm needed then. Rust has taken it's toll.

Back to the local friendly garage then.... Beyond my capabilities and just don't have the equipment to do the job on the driveway.

[panhard65]

Well, the MG ZT saga moves on. After replacing timing belts, cooling fan, tyres and generally lavishing ££££, hours and affection on the car it now wants more. After (slowly) negotiating a speed bump a strange clunking creaking noise from the rear. Jacked the car up, but found nothing obviously broken. Removed offside rear wheel and find rub marks on the inside face of the rim and a shiny bolt in wheel arch. Bugger. Offside rear wheel is leaning in at the top over an inch more than the nearside. New suspension arm needed then. Rust has taken it's toll.

Back to the local friendly garage then.... Beyond my capabilities and just don't have the equipment to do the job on the driveway.

That bloody car ! It must be virtually new by now with the amount of work it has had done to it. Then how does it repay all the love bestowed on it, by breaking the rear suspension arm. I have a customer with a mk4 Golf that has played the same game this year. Nearly 2 grand spent on it with a clutch, flywheel, cam belt, fuel cooler etc. Then it was back last week with 2 rumbling front wheel bearings which was the final straw and saw it being p/exed for a Kia.

[Bobthebeard]

That bloody car ! It must be virtually new by now with the amount of work it has had done to it. Then how does it repay all the love bestowed on it, by breaking the rear suspension arm. I have a customer with a mk4 Golf that has played the same game this year. Nearly 2 grand spent on it with a clutch, flywheel, cam belt, fuel cooler etc. Then it was back last week with 2 rumbling front wheel bearings which was the final straw and saw it being p/exed for a Kia.

I know, I know.... The amount of work done by you, me and others is staggering. Still I love the car. Some cars just get to you. This one has got to me. The look it now has after all the paint work rectification and the (now) black alloys, the sound of the V6 on the new stainless open exhaust system etc etc....

A keeper. At (almost) any price really.

[Bobthebeard]

Admittedly I did know that the offside suspension arm was crusty. It failed the MOT on the rust in Scotland but I needed to get it home to Lytham after the end of the static caravan season. The MOT guy missed the rot in the arm on the second MOT at home, just failing it for holes in the inner sills. Now welded up. Seems the crust in the suspension arm was pretty terminal though. New bits are around £120 it seems. Not too horrendous.

[DVee8]

Umm may just have a problem..

The year old air filter and the new one.

 

 

 

[twosmoke300]

Dirty on both sides ? Breather issues ?

[garbaldy]

.

Back to the local friendly garage then.... Beyond my capabilities and just don't have the equipment to do the job on the driveway.

Hold on a mo you fitted a cambelt but don't think changing a rear arm is doable

[beko1987]

its half removed itself already for you!

[tooSavvy]

Ahh <nostalgia> ... Guy at my works sold on his 100A. The lad buying it was off the shopfloor and took 3 mates home.... POINGG.... one rear wheel made its bid for freedom

 

StressTesting... TO Destruction...

 

 

TS

[DVee8]

Dirty on both sides ? Breather issues ?

Oil in the airbox,breather pipes thick with oil and a turbo that isn't boosting correctly.

[Bobthebeard]

Hold on a mo you fitted a cambelt but don't think changing a rear arm is doable

Can't jack it up high enough with the trolley jack/ car jack/axle stands combo that I have....

[garbaldy]

Can't jack it up high enough with the trolley jack/ car jack/axle stands combo that I have....

Oh so it's a tool job rather than capability,

[Guest Hooli]

Eh? The wheels are only going to follow if they are held relative to each other, not if they are flopping around all over the shop with a busted track rod.

 

It doesn't make sense to me either, but I'm damn sure I'm right about Le Mans so it must be true?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

If you say so!

[Inspector Morose]

I'm not very good at explaining but here goes.

 

The centre line of the wheel is designed to be behind the axis of rotation of the steering giving a castor effect that car designers (apart from Citroen with their centre point steering) use to help stability at speed. Think of it as a more subtle shopping wheel trolley. Now if one side is free to do its own thing, as described by the above with the inner steering ball joint coming off (as did mine on the bx of many, last year after mot work by a Citroen specialist) it will roughly follow the path of the other which is still steered. As then steered wheel turns as car moves forward, the uncontrolled wheel will, roughly, turn in sympathy and so you will go around the corner. It won't work if your stationary however.

 

Well that'll be as clear as mud but I tried.

[mat_the_cat]

Minor grump at work - I took some time out in the afternoon last Monday to take my wife to the hospital (sprained ankle). I was out, according to my clocking in card, for 17 minutes. I didn't count this at the time, but stayed behind a bit extra after work to make up for it (even though I usually end up in work for another 10-15 minutes anyway). That day I stayed for another 27 minutes.

 

But somehow I still owe the company another 15 minutes!

 

How? My popping out in the afternoon has been rounded up to 30 minutes, and my staying behind rounded down to 15. If I'd clock watched, and wasted another 3 minutes I'd have been fine, but I've been penalised for leaving when I'd finished the task I was working on. Hardly a big deal, but the principle seems a little mean.

[stripped fred]

Mrs SF has a 56 plate beetle 1.6 petrol. When she takes it for its mot she also pays for a service. I don't trust the garage she uses, and will get her to change next year, so this year I said 'don't bother with the service, I'll do it'. Anyway, roll on 2 months, where I've been distracted with work and working late most nights, and she told me last night that the orange oil can light had come on while on the way back from work. I checked it first thing this morning and there was barely any oil showing on the dipstick. Now kicking myself for not getting onto it sooner. I'm sure I checked it about 3 months ago (I know, too long) and don't remember it ever using that much. Now feeling bad that my penny pinching may have resulted in engine wear and £lots

[Barry Cade]

Can't jack it up high enough with the trolley jack/ car jack/axle stands combo that I have....

Best taking the subframe right out- the captive nuts tend to not be captive anymore and the bolts stick in the bushes.

[BavarianRetro]

No you aren't, I love them.

"Love" is a bit strong, but I far prefer them. Looks like moonlight to me.

[chaseracer]

My popping out in the afternoon has been rounded up to 30 minutes, and my staying behind rounded down to 15. If I'd clock watched, and wasted another 3 minutes I'd have been fine, but I've been penalised for leaving when I'd finished the task I was working on. Hardly a big deal, but the principle seems a little mean.

 

Challenge that, sharpish.

[cort1977]

I'm not very good at explaining but here goes.

The centre line of the wheel is designed to be behind the axis of rotation of the steering giving a castor effect that car designers (apart from Citroen with their centre point steering) use to help stability at speed. Think of it as a more subtle shopping wheel trolley. Now if one side is free to do its own thing, as described by the above with the inner steering ball joint coming off (as did mine on the bx of many, last year after mot work by a Citroen specialist) it will roughly follow the path of the other which is still steered. As then steered wheel turns as car moves forward, the uncontrolled wheel will, roughly, turn in sympathy and so you will go around the corner. It won't work if your stationary however.

Well that'll be as clear as mud but I tried.

I think that is about right, castor is built in to the system to aid stability and provide self centering. Racing cars run high castor angles so if the steering arm fails the 'free' wheel would likely follow with a degree of lag. Wouldn't fancy testing it myself though.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I am quite certain that if you lost a track rod end while moving, the 'loose' wheel will immediately go to full lock and you'll have a serious problem.

[dave21478]

Maybe its speed related? I distinctly remember shifting a car with a broken steering arm onto a trailer and the wheel just kept going all over the place as I winched it, so I had to keep wrenching it back into a straight line by hand.

[Wilko220]

The absurdity of modern cars, part 94...

 

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2016/nov/22/cars-outgrew-car-park-spaces-wider-size

[Guest Hooli]

Minor grump at work - I took some time out in the afternoon last Monday to take my wife to the hospital (sprained ankle). I was out, according to my clocking in card, for 17 minutes. I didn't count this at the time, but stayed behind a bit extra after work to make up for it (even though I usually end up in work for another 10-15 minutes anyway). That day I stayed for another 27 minutes.

 

But somehow I still owe the company another 15 minutes!

 

How? My popping out in the afternoon has been rounded up to 30 minutes, and my staying behind rounded down to 15. If I'd clock watched, and wasted another 3 minutes I'd have been fine, but I've been penalised for leaving when I'd finished the task I was working on. Hardly a big deal, but the principle seems a little mean.

 

That's bullshit. If they round up for not being there, they have to round up for being there too.

[bub2006]

Joys of clocking in. I know my place goes in 15 min increments. I have been told numerous times if I over stay at end if shift to make sure it's on the next 15 min slot. Yes it is bullshit and any normal person would take the few minutes over and add to the minutes under but if it's computer generated then it runs on time slots.

[Richard]

I used to work in a company that operated like that. It wasn't even the company really, it was the team leader they had given the job of collecting the clocking data. She seemed to think it was her own money.

[Louise2cv]

Unfortunately, I think that's pretty standard

 

Factory I worked in had 3mins grace for clocking in late, but 15mins for working over.