The grumpy thread

[SH1TE]

4 minutes ago, twosmoke300 said:

I’ve officially had enough of the motor trade . Properly fucked off with the cars and the customers . 
Time to go job hunting !

Don't miss lorries, vans and crap cars- certainly don't miss dank shite working conditions. 

Fix odd thing if I can be bothered still 

[artdjones]

17 minutes ago, twosmoke300 said:

I’ve officially had enough of the motor trade . Properly fucked off with the cars and the customers . 
Time to go job hunting !

How did it take you so long. Everyone wants their car back within two hours but begrudges paying.

[SH1TE]

Early start tomorrow leaving for hours ride away at 6am at latest. 

To get there I will be up at 3 or 4am as need tablets to kick in to be lugging stuff round for 5 hours.

Come back and unload by 5pm 

Will be "rough as" for weekend,  so have cancelled anything exciting to hobble about and possibly shit for England if heavy lifting. 

Hate opiates and heavy lifting an evil combo. 

[twosmoke300]

54 minutes ago, artdjones said:

How did it take you so long. Everyone wants their car back within two hours but begrudges paying.

It’s the ones that make other plans the day their old shitter is in for mot !

It’s one day a year - maybe don’t book a dentist appointment at 2pm on the same day eh ? 
 

[Stanky]

1 hour ago, Yoss said:

But it seems people aren't queuing up to be postmen and we're having trouble filling the vacancies. And of the ones that do come along, half of them leave again after a fortnight when they realise the job isn't like they've seen Postman Pat doing on the telly. 

 

1 hour ago, twosmoke300 said:

I’ve officially had enough of the motor trade . Properly fucked off with the cars and the customers . 
Time to go job hunting !

I smell a JOB MATCH!

[Fumbler]

11 hours ago, Fumbler said:

PAS pump shit the bed this morning on the way to work, explaining the mystery rainbow stain on the driveway yesterday. The high pressure union backed off somehow and caused fluid to piss out and run the pump dry. We've nipped it back up and refilled it, but the metal sludge I saw in the reservoir yesterday has returned, so the pump is proper lunched. Hopefully I can nurse it home.

Car's home. It did the journey great considering the failure! It seems that exercising the rack and leaving it to sit for a few more hours allowed the pump to lubricate some more and quieten down. I didn't hear a peep from it while driving, although there was some intermittent stiffness while turning. NOS part located for £91. The plan with this one is to get a pail of cheapo PAS fluid, fit the new pump, fill with fresh fluid but divert the return to a used oil container we have to get all the sludgy shit that's currently in the rack out. Then run the car and keep the reservoir topped up with the pail while someone turns the car from lock to lock.  At the moment the fluid looks like slightly silvery mud, which is always reassuring*, but better than the grey-ish silver I saw yesterday before it broke on me today.

[RoverFolkUs]

I wouldn't start the engine with the return line disconnected to flush it out, it will piss out quicker than you can top it up and subsequently run the new pump dry. 

I always flush it until it runs clean by simply getting someone else to steer lock to lock with the wheels off the ground, and more recently when it was my own car I did another flush about 200 miles later using the same process to be sure all the shavings from the fucked pump were gone. 

3 bottles of CHF consumed in the end in my case, that wasn't cheap! 😅 But it needed to be done to fully purge the system

[cobblers]

2 hours ago, twosmoke300 said:

I’ve officially had enough of the motor trade . Properly fucked off with the cars and the customers . 
Time to go job hunting !

it's a frying pan fire sort of thing but everywhere is absolutely desperate for HGV mechanics at the moment. It pays better than car stuff, IMO is actually easier work and you won't have to deal with the customer direct (and the HGV customers aren't perpetually offended if you ask them to spend £29 to keep their car on the road for a year) 

Even without experience on HGVs if you've run your own garage for as long as you have there's loads of places that would love to take someone on who has experience in the trade and can work without have their hand held

[High Jetter]

3 hours ago, SH1TE said:

Royal mail 48 hour takes longer than 48 hours. 

Post seems first class is turning up days later from confirmed posting date. 

Are there go slow or strikes? 

I post stuff regularly, 1st letter or smoll parcel. Signed for. 99% of the time arrives next day. 

[Fumbler]

40 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

I wouldn't start the engine with the return line disconnected to flush it out, it will piss out quicker than you can top it up and subsequently run the new pump dry. 

I always flush it until it runs clean by simply getting someone else to steer lock to lock with the wheels off the ground, and more recently when it was my own car I did another flush about 200 miles later using the same process to be sure all the shavings from the fucked pump were gone. 

3 bottles of CHF consumed in the end in my case, that wasn't cheap! 😅 But it needed to be done to fully purge the system

I got the advice from someone who's done the procedure before on their Volvo with no issue. With the amount of metal in there the the fluid looked like abrasive paste.

A more foolproof method would be to increase reservoir capacity to a few litres so you don't need to constantly replenish it. I have an idea or three on how to do it.

[SH1TE]

8 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

I post stuff regularly, 1st letter or smoll parcel. Signed for. 99% of the time arrives next day. 

Seems there is a shortage of posties locally as always before 11 and now after lunch 

[RoverFolkUs]

3 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

I got the advice from someone who's done the procedure before on their Volvo with no issue. With the amount of metal in there the the fluid looked like abrasive paste.

A more foolproof method would be to increase reservoir capacity to a few litres so you don't need to constantly replenish it. I have an idea or three on how to do it.

It's risky, and unnecessary in my opinion as it can be done manually without an issue. Although increasing the reservoir capacity could work if you wanted to do it that way

[Fumbler]

2 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

It's risky, and unnecessary in my opinion as it can be done manually without an issue. Although increasing the reservoir capacity could work if you wanted to do it that way

I don't much fancy running metal through my new PAS pump myself. It'd bad enough having the rack swimming in it which is why I'd prefer to try and get rid of as much as I can.

Either I do that or try and see if there's a drain on the bottom of the rack somewhere, and use gravity to do the heavy lifting.

[twosmoke300]

41 minutes ago, cobblers said:

it's a frying pan fire sort of thing but everywhere is absolutely desperate for HGV mechanics at the moment. It pays better than car stuff, IMO is actually easier work and you won't have to deal with the customer direct (and the HGV customers aren't perpetually offended if you ask them to spend £29 to keep their car on the road for a year) 

Even without experience on HGVs if you've run your own garage for as long as you have there's loads of places that would love to take someone on who has experience in the trade and can work without have their hand held

I actually served my time on light and heavy commercials so could go back to it.

There is a local garden and horticulture machinery place looking for a tech too . 

[High Jetter]

11 minutes ago, SH1TE said:

Seems there is a shortage of posties locally as always before 11 and now after lunch 

2 deliveries a day? Posh git!

[320touring]

3 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

I don't much fancy running metal through my new PAS pump myself. It'd bad enough having the rack swimming in it which is why I'd prefer to try and get rid of as much as I can.

Either I do that or try and see if there's a drain on the bottom of the rack somewhere, and use gravity to do the heavy lifting.

Use an upturned 2L bottle with the bottom cut off.

Neck of the bottle into the fluid reservoir, then fill the bottle up with PS Fluid .

Will give you plenty extra capacity, the ability to see the rate it goes down at and additional pressure to force the fluid through?

 

I've used this technique when bleeding coolant systems on cars before (looking at you BMW E36!)

[Fumbler]

1 minute ago, 320touring said:

Use an upturned 2L bottle with the bottom cut off.

Neck of the bottle into the fluid reservoir, then fill the bottle up with PS Fluid .

Will give you plenty extra capacity, the ability to see the rate it goes down at and additional pressure to force the fluid through?

 

I've used this technique when bleeding coolant systems on cars before (looking at you BMW E36!)

It's exactly the method I was thinking of! I'll likely need to gaffa tape where the neck of the bottle wedges in the reservoir so the pressure of the liquid within doesn't pop the bottle out of place and dump lots of precious [bodily] fluids [Mandrake] everywhere.

[RoverFolkUs]

41 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

I don't much fancy running metal through my new PAS pump myself. It'd bad enough having the rack swimming in it which is why I'd prefer to try and get rid of as much as I can.

Either I do that or try and see if there's a drain on the bottom of the rack somewhere, and use gravity to do the heavy lifting.

Totally your call. If the new fluid is going into the pump, out the pump, through the rack, out the return into the reservoir (or rather - draining out) You're not going to be running the old fluid through the pump, only new fluid. 

Nor would you be eliminating contaminated fluid going through your new pump by running the car while flushing it out? 

Once it's coming out the return clean, that's what's going to be running through the pump 

[RoverFolkUs]

...for reassurance, you could affix a magnet into the PAS reservoir to capture any filings, the same principle of gearbox drain plugs 

[Fumbler]

2 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Totally your call. If the new fluid is going into the pump, out the pump, through the rack, out the return into the reservoir (or rather - draining out) You're not going to be running the old fluid through the pump, only new fluid. 

Nor would you be eliminating contaminated fluid going through your new pump by running the car while flushing it out? 

Once it's coming out the return clean, that's what's going to be running through the pump 

I'm only planning on flushing it through until the glitter is gone, because at that point it's clean enough for me. The premise behind diverting the return is so everything in the expanded reservoir is pushed through the pump, through the rack, then out, hopefully forcing the contents of the rack out so it can be replaced with uncontaminated fluid.

[Metal Guru]

53 minutes ago, SH1TE said:

Seems there is a shortage of posties locally as always before 11 and now after lunch 

Do posties get letters for roads x,y and z and then pick their own routes? Reason I ask , is the time we get our post depends on the individual on a particular day. We may have the same person for 6 months or so and get post at 8.30am , then it changes to someone else and maybe earlier or later time.

[SH1TE]

10 minutes ago, Metal Guru said:

Do posties get letters for roads x,y and z and then pick their own routes? Reason I ask , is the time we get our post depends on the individual on a particular day. We may have the same person for 6 months or so and get post at 8.30am , then it changes to someone else and maybe earlier or later time.

Ours starts in morning one end and finish other end by 2:30pm ish- seem to share between three regulars. 

Did notice a shagged transit instead of fiat thing, every panel bent and different colour door last week. 

[RoverFolkUs]

Just now, Fumbler said:

I'm only planning on flushing it through until the glitter is gone, because at that point it's clean enough for me. The premise behind diverting the return is so everything in the expanded reservoir is pushed through the pump, through the rack, then out, hopefully forcing the contents of the rack out so it can be replaced with uncontaminated fluid.

Yep, entirely achievable without running the engine. 

That's exactly what I'm saying, divert the return into a bucket, fill the reservoir with fluid and keep cycling the steering 

While the engine is running the return will be spurting out at much higher pressure. With the engine off, the fluid is still flushing through, just in a much more controlled manner. 

A proportion of the contaminated fluid is going to drain out when you replace the pump anyway, then you connect the low pressure supply to the pump from the reservoir, fill it with clean fluid. The clean fluid will enter then exit the pump, go through the lines, force the old fluid out the rack, back to the return into a bucket and as you say, keep going until it's clean. Once it's clean, reconnect the return to the reservoir and job done. Then I personally would repeat that in a few hundred miles to ensure all residue is gone. 

Think of it as a brake bleed, you don't need to run the engine to do that, all you'd "benefit" from is servo assistance when pressing the pedal which would be unnecessary. The fluid would still flush through absolutely fine regardless of whether the engine is running. Same goes for the power steering, clean fluid is still going through the pump, just in a more controlled fashion at lower pressure. 

I completely agree not doing the method where you empty the reservoir with a syringe, refill with fresh, and keep repeating until it's clean. That would indeed run contaminated fluid through the new pump. 

[Fumbler]

26 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Yep, entirely achievable without running the engine. 

That's exactly what I'm saying, divert the return into a bucket, fill the reservoir with fluid and keep cycling the steering 

While the engine is running the return will be spurting out at much higher pressure. With the engine off, the fluid is still flushing through, just in a much more controlled manner. 

A proportion of the contaminated fluid is going to drain out when you replace the pump anyway, then you connect the low pressure supply to the pump from the reservoir, fill it with clean fluid. The clean fluid will enter then exit the pump, go through the lines, force the old fluid out the rack, back to the return into a bucket and as you say, keep going until it's clean. Once it's clean, reconnect the return to the reservoir and job done. Then I personally would repeat that in a few hundred miles to ensure all residue is gone. 

Think of it as a brake bleed, you don't need to run the engine to do that, all you'd "benefit" from is servo assistance when pressing the pedal which would be unnecessary. The fluid would still flush through absolutely fine regardless of whether the engine is running. Same goes for the power steering, clean fluid is still going through the pump, just in a more controlled fashion at lower pressure. 

I completely agree not doing the method where you empty the reservoir with a syringe, refill with fresh, and keep repeating until it's clean. That would indeed run contaminated fluid through the new pump. 

Ah, we're on the same page. Nice!

I've just thought of something better. Sod doing it through the pump. It'll be a restriction if it isn't turning anyway. As it's junk and I'll be removing it, I'll just shove a funnel in the HP line and flush it that way. It'll be easier if there's a drain plug on the rack, but I'm doubtful.

[RoverFolkUs]

5 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

Ah, we're on the same page. Nice!

I've just thought of something better. Sod doing it through the pump. It'll be a restriction if it isn't turning anyway. As it's junk and I'll be removing it, I'll just shove a funnel in the HP line and flush it that way. It'll be easier if there's a drain plug on the rack, but I'm doubtful.

Honestly, take my word, it'll be fine! Flush through the fluid with the pump in place, then do it again anyway with the new pump. No real need to flush it through with the old pump as only new fluid would run through the new one but it wouldn't hurt to do it. I'd be surprised if the rack had any sort of drain. It would be very time consuming by funnelling it through the high pressure line. You want to turn the steering wheel lock to lock - that's the easiest way to flush it out the rack whilst replenishing it with new fluid at the same time

[sierraman]

https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/17/hosepipe-ban-should-i-report-a-breach-and-what-is-the-fine-17196895/amp/

This is typical of society today, grass your neighbour up for any minor infraction. Perhaps in the life of the people that devise such schemes it is the ‘right’ thing to do but in real life it’s not what you’d do. 

[MikeR]

wtf we are now being told to try using reusable toilet paper !!  , do they realise what my arse releases when it explodes , it needs instant disposal not storing and washing ...  I will stick to having  a good clear out before having a shower ..

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/shoppers-urged-reuse-toilet-roll-24801862

https://www.google.com/search?q=reusable+toilet+roll&client=firefox-b-d&sxsrf=ALiCzsZ7LTP1RxwF9y_gOUD2YFAjVrECqg:1660922652615&source=lnms&tbm=shop&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjzkNWFm9P5AhWTR8AKHQN-AZQQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1366&bih=607#spd=16718598687233490096

[Rust Collector]

9 minutes ago, sierraman said:

https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/17/hosepipe-ban-should-i-report-a-breach-and-what-is-the-fine-17196895/amp/

This is typical of society today, grass your neighbour up for any minor infraction. Perhaps in the life of the people that devise such schemes it is the ‘right’ thing to do but in real life it’s not what you’d do. 

It's pretty shit, isn't it. I've been accosted a couple of times by 'holier than thou' types who've wanted to set me straight over my transgressions. I don't think those fucking maniacs should be encouraged to dob us in to the authorities over things that are trivial in the grander scheme of things. Whilst I'm being told that using my garden hose is wasteful and threatened with a fine, this is happening on my doorstep presently:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-62589667 - Sewage: Sussex beaches closed after wastewater discharge

https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/20672364.south-east-water-apologises-pipe-bursts-a22-hailsham/ - South East Water apologises after pipe bursts on A22, Hailsham

I somehow feel that maybe they should get their own house in order before telling us how to be responsible.

[chaseracer]

46 minutes ago, sierraman said:

https://metro.co.uk/2022/08/17/hosepipe-ban-should-i-report-a-breach-and-what-is-the-fine-17196895/amp/

This is typical of society today, grass your neighbour up for any minor infraction. Perhaps in the life of the people that devise such schemes it is the ‘right’ thing to do but in real life it’s not what you’d do. 

At the risk of invoking Godwin's Law, this is nothing new...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockleiter

[reb]

My local Evri guy is quite good, but the company as a whole is fucking dreadful.