The grumpy thread

[Kiltox]

I'm in Cheltenham, can meet at the station no problem

[DodgeRover]

Personally i wouldn't reuse the belt if its jumped, its got to have strained it, for the price of a new one just put one on to be safe.

[beko1987]

Personally i wouldn't reuse the belt if its jumped, its got to have strained it, for the price of a new one just put one on to be safe.

euro car parts don't have just a belt, it's a whole timing belt kit for £90. and I won't get one locally from anywhere else as we don't have anywhere else! even if I order one today from the Internet I doubt it'll come in time for this weekend

[chodweaver]

I've done my research, but there's two radiators that might fit the Voyager - the current one is having a bit of a weep every so often, and my next outing in it is 400 miles on Monday so I want it sorted before that.

 

Eurocarparts have both types for around the 100 quid mark, but can't get one to me for 3 working days so they're ooot

 

The winding down of Chrysler's dealer operation in the UK leaves me with Mangoletsi in Knutsford as the nearest dealer. Surprisingly, they have a parts dept. Unsurprisingly they can't get one for two days, and quote me 403.09 quid for it but can't tell me which rad it would be as it's 'company policy to not give out part numbers'. WTAF? You and your poncy branding can f right off then mate, no, you're not having any of my money, ever.

 

Fortunately a small local chain of factors General Traffic have come up with what looks like a direct replacement, for 79quid plus the vat and got it to my nearest branch within 3 hours. Thank you very much. And the thermostat I forgot to order until when I pick up the rad at 1pm, is a special order item, meaning that it will be in by 4:30pm... so on my way to a happy ending in this grump, really.

[beko1987]

euro car parts don't have just a belt, it's a whole timing belt kit for £90. and I won't get one locally from anywhere else as we don't have anywhere else! even if I order one today from the Internet I doubt it'll come in time for this weekend

 

I am stupid! Looked on the laptop and not my phone and they do have just a belt! Aux belt and cam belt for £25 with the 25% discount code today, and both available for collection from my local store (will get them saturday). Now my main worry isn't doing a cambelt change on a 1.9td for the first time, it's will the parts be right when I get to put them back on!!!!

 

I've reserved them anyway, just whilst they were on the screen

[garbaldy]

No point buying a belt if it hasn't jumped though.

Once home strip of the covers and lock it all up and check,

[beko1987]

I won't have time to strip it down until the weekend now, and the edges of the cambelt are a bit tatty now (it's got no upper cover so easily checked), for £25 for both ill buy both and hope! I can't really check without having it off to clean it up.

 

got to read up on removing the engine mount too, never had one off before bar the meriva, and that was totally different. hoping the camshaft pulley bolt comes off ok too as Chompy has had it off before

[dollywobbler]

DO NOT DRIVE A LHM CITROEN WITHOUT THE AUX BELT.

 

If your accumulator sphere is in good nick, you'll get about 3 presses of the brake pedal, and that's it.

 

This needs a little more accuracy. No idea what later Xants are like, but I'm pretty sure the XUD engines had a separate belt for the LHM pump, as do all earlier LHM Citroens. Naturally, if the pump isn't driven, you'll lose PAS as well as braking.

[bub2006]

i think the xantia had a separate belt on the gearbox side for the pump

[jakebullet]

Got a 2 week trial of some software for ebaying. Trial runs out today, and as it's a handy program I'll pay up. Except click pay, and it gives an error message and then does nowt. Emailed the bloke, and response is "Oh yeah it does that if you wait till the end of the trial. Install the trial on another computer, and register on that with the first computer's serial number".

 

Like I've got computers lying around doing nothing.

[beko1987]

This needs a little more accuracy. No idea what later Xants are like, but I'm pretty sure the XUD engines had a separate belt for the LHM pump, as do all earlier LHM Citroens. Naturally, if the pump isn't driven, you'll lose PAS as well as braking.

Luckily I didn't have to brake! When the engine died I was far away from the car infront, and the road to my right was clear, and nothing was coming the other way so I knocked it into neutral, then tried to steer, which was bloody hard! Didn't have to brake at all, as I rolled to a stop in a massive gravel layby.

 

When the first AA van came we were looking at how to tow it and the system said that a Xantia has to be towed with the engine running, so he put a recovery job in! So you're probably not far off Superrnaut! I certainly put it on high whilst I could (must upload the video I have of it running like shit) so it didn't sink and cause a problem getting it dragged onto the truck

[Inspector Morose]

No, it's all on the aux belt. I know this as my xantia decided to shed it's belt in Birmingham in the rush hour. Luckily the handbrake worked, little else did but you know.

[beko1987]

That sounds like fun*! Sounds like I got away with it quite lightly, literally 2 minutes later and I would have been screaming onto the M40 entering L2 to get past the lorries going up the hill! 2 minutes earlier and I would have been on a B road with loads of corners and no places to pull over bar into a field via a hedge

[dollywobbler]

A second parking charge for the Nippa just a few days after the first. UGH!

 

Also, my computer is about as fast as the Nippa. Up a hill. With four people in it. UGH!

[Supernaut]

The LHM pump on my HDi Xantia is indeed on the far side of the engine from the gearbox, and driven by the aux belt.

 

However, no idea what the XUD arrangement is like.

[beko1987]

 

this is the last time I ran it, and tbh it didn't stall which was better than it was doing

[Mr Lobster]

Got a 2 week trial of some software for ebaying. Trial runs out today, and as it's a handy program I'll pay up. Except click pay, and it gives an error message and then does nowt. Emailed the bloke, and response is "Oh yeah it does that if you wait till the end of the trial. Install the trial on another computer, and register on that with the first computer's serial number".

 

Like I've got computers lying around doing nothing.

Just out of curiosity, what's the software?

[garbaldy]

I won't have time to strip it down until the weekend now, and the edges of the cambelt are a bit tatty now (it's got no upper cover so easily checked), for £25 for both ill buy both and hope! I can't really check without having it off to clean it up.

 

Oh right I thought it was just guessing about a jumped tooth,

If the cover is of it will be a doddle to check if the timing has jumped though.

[jakebullet]

Just out of curiosity, what's the software?

 

Aimco packing partner:

http://www.aimcosoftware.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?id=162

 

Main features for me are picking lists, and combining invoices for buy one, pay one people

[beko1987]

Oh right I thought it was just guessing about a jumped tooth,

If the cover is of it will be a doddle to check if the timing has jumped though.

it is a guess! but as I need to take the belt off to get the string and bits of the shredded aux belt off and clean it all up, for a tenner I may as well Wang a new cambelt on!

 

I thought it was squealing cos veg got on the aux belt after the fuel leak and had been ignoring it because of that. turns out I was wrong! lease I can clean the oily pulleys off now!

[Snipes]

I have two grumps tonight. First is people increasingly seem to ignore road markings, especially in larger supermarket car parks. Several times ive had to stop because people cut corners and drive straight across my path. Last time I gave the driver an annoyed blast with the horn and she looked at me like I was crazy.

 

Second is the hotels around Swindon literally doubling their prices over the International Air Tatoo weekend. I got very excited when domestic management ok'd the trip for next year, but only on the basis of no camping but just the price of tickets and hotel for 3 nights is get nearly £500. Travelodge are £124 a night!

So yeah, no jet planes for me next year.

[Tetleysmooth]

It'd probably cause ill feeling and arguments if they did, tbh.

It may also give members a chance to thrash out their differences and bloody well get on with each other, instead of behaving like schoolkids.

 

Life's too short etc. etc.

[Bren]

Busa has failed to proceed.

 

Started, went to pull away then it died.

 

It would start and run for a second or so then die.

 

According to the gauge there is a third of a tank of fuel and the low level light never even came on.

 

I wonder if fuel pump has gone?

[Supernaut]

I have two grumps tonight. First is people increasingly seem to ignore road markings, especially in larger supermarket car parks. Several times ive had to stop because people cut corners and drive straight across my path. Last time I gave the driver an annoyed blast with the horn and she looked at me like I was crazy.

Shit driving annoys me too. Especially lazy right-turners. This is due to somebody, during my driving test (back in 2005), doing a lazy right-turn into the junction I was approaching. It was so bad I did an emergency stop and stalled the car. The examiner went off on one at the other driver, and told me I did well as I avoided an accident. It doesn't matter that I stalled it.

 

 

However, I had a good one this morning. On my cycle to work, I turn right out of a side street onto a bigger road. As I approach the junction, I had to jam on my brakes and stop about 20 feet short of the line as a fat lazy bint in a totally fucked-looking Octavia took the laziest, straightest line through the right turn I'd ever seen, as if she couldn't be arsed turning the wheel any more.

 

I mean, come on. Put some effort into your driving!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

It may also give members a chance to thrash out their differences and bloody well get on with each other, instead of behaving like schoolkids.

 

Life's too short etc. etc.

 

Yeah cos publishing a list of who annoys you then 'thrashing it out' is what grown ups always do innit. Quielty ignoring them for the collective good is of course the infantile option.

[fordperv]

couldnt sleep last night and just as i was dozing off when the mrs walked out of the door to go to work, the dog ran as fast as she could up the stairs burst into the bedroom and jumped all over me

 

i am not a pillow

 

 

[scaryoldcortina]

Busa has failed to proceed.

 

Started, went to pull away then it died.

 

It would start and run for a second or so then die.

 

According to the gauge there is a third of a tank of fuel and the low level light never even came on.

 

I wonder if fuel pump has gone?

Symptoms sound right, and they are prone to duff pumps.

[Guest Hooli]

Busa has failed to proceed.

 

Started, went to pull away then it died.

 

It would start and run for a second or so then die.

 

According to the gauge there is a third of a tank of fuel and the low level light never even came on.

 

I wonder if fuel pump has gone?

 

Could be TPS as well, I've had that on a GSX1400.

[Bren]

It ran when fuel was added despite gauge showing a third and no idiot light. Obviously not to be trusted......

[Guest Hooli]

if the insides of their tank is anything like a 14 then you can change the fuel gauge by half just by picking the bike up off the side stand.