The grumpy thread

[Timewaster]

Persevere with the Mini.

 

Get it running sweetly.

 

Make it look minty.

 

Sell it for a massive profit.

 

Spend profit on vodka in an effort to forget horrid mini.

 

Go on eBay, buy some other tat.

 

Circle of shite.

[chaseracer]

She has an S-Reg Seicento. I wonder if that can jumpstart a VAG 1.9 PD. Might be fun to try.

 

Should turn it over OK.  The Fiat, that is.  Onto its roof... 

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Should turn it over OK.  The Fiat, that is.  Onto its roof... 

 

Hah!  It's her first and only car and she's been driving about 8 years?  She regularly pays more than it's worth to get it repaired.

 

She's emotionally attached to the car.  To say the least.  It's bright yellow.  I don't know why the colour is relevant, but it is.

[MarvinsMom]

Sell it?

that could well be the final outcome

 

That little black mini may be horrible to drive and have annoying little problems, but it just looks so right.

and that is more praise than it deserves....

 

and that is the problem.

 

i want to love it, like really LOVE it like i do with Marvin the metro or Cocopop the orange mini. but then i'll drive it even a little and it just doesnt. dunno why, maybe cos i cannot get the seat "just right" or something will either fall off or fail to operate. the seat is the fixed back veriaty and the back is pretty much vertical. i'm hoping that further adjustment will help. 

 

i bought it cos i wanted an early mini. now ok, by 1974 the mini was well into middle age, but it hadn't really changed all that much since it went on sale. and having seen its reflection in shop windows when driving by, i do think its such a pretty car.... hell i thought that whenthe it was stuck in the PO unit covered in dirt and crap, and in bits!!

 

but. the gear change is no where near as nice as either of the other 2. surely it should be very similar? all are transverse A-series engines with rod change mechs but the black one is much harder to use. now that could be cos its done nothing in years, or it could be cos its clutch isn't all it should be. certainly that is what i'm hoping. i'm hoping that if i can get the seat somewhere near where i would like it to be, and also getting some miles on it (so i have more confindence in it) and then i maybe allowed to love the wee thing.

 

kerry says its not cooperating cos i use harsh language with it when it don't work.......

[MarvinsMom]

Swap the horrid little black shitbox Mini for a lovely large green V6 MG ZT! I happen to know of one that would be available..... 

 

before i bought the 75 i had a look into buying a ZT.

 

the insurance for one is 3 TIMES that for a Rover 75..... 3 TIMES AS MUCH!!

 

for the same bloody car!! if the Rover dies though i might have to get an MG one just to try. 

 

or a Volvo station wagon. but kerry doesn't like volvo's......?????

 

todays grump is instead of playing with cars, i'm at home cleaning carpets. now ok, they need doing cos the kitchen one especially is minging. but its lovely outside, and i'm in the house, cleaning carpets.

 

but the mini is in the lockup in Pickering. and today the bicycles are raceing through the town, so it will be RAMMED. thats me been all selfish, i know.

 

the B&B's and pubs are fully booked, plus the weather been so nice means the businesses should be doing some brisk trade, which is a good thing. i like pickering, i like trains (Pickering has trains, steamy one too) so no wonder i like Pickering. its a bugger to get around though when it busy.

 

none of this matters though, i've still got a couple more carpents to clean...... bugger.

[artdjones]

The main starting problems I have the pd engines is when they are hot . The ecu has to see 150 or 200 rpm on cranking before it switches the injectors on . After 10/15 secs it fires them anyway but ten secs of cranking feels like a lifetime . It has a different map when it’s cold so I’ve had loads of them in that start instantly when cold but crank for ages hot . Usually the battery but had a few slow starter motors too

Don't know about the older pds but the newer 1.9s ,the 105 hp ones in MK3 Caddy's need even more speed, around 300 rpm before the injectors switch on.Changed a few starters where cold starting was fine but on hot starts they would stick on 240 which still sounds fast.But is not quite fast enough.So a lot of cranking.

[AlabamaShrimp]

The words kitchen and carpet nearly as bad as bathroom and carpet.

[twosmoke300]

Don't know about the older pds but the newer 1.9s ,the 105 hp ones in MK3 Caddy's need even more speed, around 300 rpm before the injectors switch on.Changed a few starters where cold starting was fine but on hot starts they would stick on 240 which still sounds fast.But is not quite fast enough.So a lot of cranking.

Yeh they seem to change the min crank speed from one engine code to the next.

[Noel Tidybeard]

but. the gear change is no where near as nice as either of the other 2. surely it should be very similar? all are transverse A-series engines with rod change mechs but the black one is much harder to use. now that could be cos its done nothing in years, or it could be cos its clutch isn't all it should be. certainly that is what i'm hoping. i'm hoping that if i can get the seat somewhere near where i would like it to be, and also getting some miles on it (so i have more confindence in it) and then i maybe allowed to love the wee thing.

 

kerry says its not cooperating cos i use harsh language with it when it don't work.......

 

try a later bigger gear knob- seriously did wonders for my 1973 1000 and the family 1500 allegro

[richardmorris]

I think I jumped to conclusions the other day: so paranoid about Head gasket failure, I assumed... Thought about it yesterday and realised, the water level was still fine and there was pressure in the expansion tank, so HGF unlikely. I said as much to SPecialist cars and they checked the water level and it is still up so they don't think it;s HGF either. So, what in the hell makes a car misfire then stop and lock up solid? I suggested a faulty injector could have failed open and dumped all the fuel into the cylinder which is why it's locked. It was running really well though it had started 'oddly' a couple of times before in the previous few days but running, was fine apart from a slightly rough idle and higher than normal fuel consumption. The engine remained silent with no nasty noises or other symptoms.

 

On the bright side, whatever is wrong is probably a lot cheaper than a head gasket.

 

Wiring loom? Mice etc?

 

By locked do you mean it won’t turn over? Could it have dropped a valve?

[Guest Hooli]

 I think I jumped to conclusions the other day: so paranoid about Head gasket failure, I assumed... Thought about it yesterday and realised, the water level was still fine and there was pressure in the expansion tank, so HGF unlikely. I said as much to SPecialist cars and they checked the water level and it is still up so they don't think it;s HGF either. So, what in the hell makes a car misfire then stop and lock up solid? I suggested a faulty injector could have failed open and dumped all the fuel into the cylinder which is why it's locked. It was running really well though it had started 'oddly' a couple of times before in the previous few days but running, was fine apart from a slightly rough idle and higher than normal fuel consumption. The engine remained silent with no nasty noises or other symptoms.

 

Glad to hear it doesn't seem fatal.

 

That relay someone posted sounds possible, it'd explain it being a bit crap as it failed too.

[Christine]

I feel the same love for my Mk1 fiesta , sad innit ?

[richardmorris]

I feel the same love for my Mk1 fiesta , sad innit ?

No, it’s your car. Value isn’t important in such things, nor is the opinion of others. It’s just a bigger kick to the nether regions and wallet when a Bentley fails to proceed.

[The Moog]

Inner washing machine gasket band.... They can get in the sea. The spring one was an absolute bastard.

 

Ordered a bolt one which came today. Utter fuck to fit. Ended up modified it a bit and had to get help to fit it.

[Christine]

Inner washing machine gasket band.... They can get in the sea. The spring one was an absolute bastard.

 

Ordered a bolt one which came today. Utter fuck to fit. Ended up modified it a bit and had to get help to fit it.

Ah i had this trouble , 3 of us trying to stretch it on , and the gasket  coming off the flange .. I was trying to put it in the wrong groove !!!   I did it on my own in 20 seconds after watching the youtube guy  and realising my mistake ! Utter piece of cake    

[The Moog]

Definitely not the wrong place.

Just couldn't get spring to stretch enough.

 

You can get special pliers but are £60 a pair. Hence bodging a new one

[Christine]

No, it’s your car. Value isn’t important in such things, nor is the opinion of others. It’s just a bigger kick to the nether regions and wallet when a Bentley fails to proceed.

I meant Marvin Mini..

[Christine]

Definitely not the wrong place.

Just couldn't get spring to stretch enough.

 

You can get special pliers but are £60 a pair. Hence bodging a new one

I'd happily take mine off and refit it everyday  Hotpoint . It would be awkward in situ though , I had the drum out to do it

[richardmorris]

I meant Marvin Mini..

 

I’ve got sunstroke and trying to follow a timeline......

[anonymous user]

I’ve got sunstroke and trying to follow a timeline......

Have you spent too long next to the uranium?

[richardmorris]

The telegraph is claiming that the safest car in the uk is the Volvo XC90.

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/15/britains-safest-car-revealed-no-road-deaths-16-years/

 

On their evidence the x1/9 or 2cv ( I have no stats about my merc) are equally as safe as neither have had a death in this period.

[The Moog]

I'd happily take mine off and refit it everyday Hotpoint . It would be awkward in situ though , I had the drum out to do it

Oh I just did it in situ. Happily pay man to do it next time

[richardmorris]

Have you spent too long next to the uranium?

Possibly too much next to a couple of west Berkshire brewery’s best and ipa.

[MarvinsMom]

we have spent a very pleasent afternoon in the the beer garden of the ship inn.

 

several light ales have been consumed. (timmy taylors landlord - hand pulled)

 

while watching the sun go down.

 

all is well in the world........ 

[danthecapriman]

we have spent a very plesent afternoon in the thebeer garden of the ship inn.

 

several light ales have been consumed. (timmy taylors landlord - hand pulled)

 

while watching the sun go down.

 

all is well in the world........

 

Simple pleasures are the best ones sometimes.

 

It’s been absolutely glorious today, warm and sunny without a cloud in the sky. I’ve been sat out on the decking sunning my fat pasty ass this evening while drinking a cold Magners. Does me just fine!

[eddyramrod]

My computer chair broke yesterday.  Like I needed anything else to go wrong.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

The telegraph is claiming that the safest car in the uk is the Volvo XC90.....

Yes, this is the same paper which has trouble keeping half-decent editors to monitor accuracy....

[MarvinsMom]

My computer chair broke yesterday.  Like I needed anything else to go wrong.

oh look at you, a chair, for the computer??

 

will wonders ever cease? everyday is a school day.....

[Guest Hooli]

My computer chair broke yesterday.  Like I needed anything else to go wrong.

Make it sit on a desk like everyone else's.

[Jams]

You know what!? I've been a happy sole of late!

 

But today.... today can piss off! Woke up to a lovely lie in the sun was shining the little one was sleeping mrs was snoring but you can't have everything! Oh but whats that pain in your stomach? Oh best Get to the toilet! Where ive been most of the day!!! Im currently out shopping and spent more time looming for toilets!