The grumpy thread

[Datsuncog]

21 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

What should have been a simple half-hour job to change a set of drop links has now become a two-day fuckabout, with the car currently immobile.

Threads on the lower bolt remained impervious to being doused in penetrating oil, and now the hole for the H5 allen key has rounded off.

Looks like it's gonna be an angle grinder job to cut it off - if only it'd stop raining for long enough...

Got it off using the magic spark machine.

Put the new link on, then tried and failed to torque it up to the correct 45Nm because my wrench was too long to fit under the wheelarch - so just nipped it up as tightly as I could get it, popped the wheels back on and dropped it... 

...and it still makes a loud clonk from the front o/s at random intervals.

Bumhats.

[Split_Pin]

If it's any consolation, my Civic needed 2 drop links and a damper for the MOT but it still makes exactly the same knock as before. It was good enough for the MOT man so I'm just ignoring it.

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 06/12/2021 at 18:39, Talbot said:

Had you hit said cyclist, I'm fairly sure you'd not have been held responsible.  This reminds me of a similar incident that was shown on some police-camera-action type programme where a car had hit a completely invisible cyclist, not realised what had happened and just driven home.  The cyclist was killed, the driver not held responsible.

 

iirc the cyclist was tested to be pissed as well as having no lights whist wearing dark clothing

[Datsuncog]

11 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

If it's any consolation, my Civic needed 2 drop links and a damper for the MOT but it still makes exactly the same knock as before. It was good enough for the MOT man so I'm just ignoring it.

I think what's bothering me the most is not knowing what the knock is... It's a substantial, metal-on-metal thwack that I thought was the anti-roll bar banging off the shonky link, but it's all nipped up tight now - so clearly not that.

Just a smidge disquieting after what happened to the previous Subaru!

[Split_Pin]

Hmm, the knock in the Civic is quite muffled, like a worn bush, not a metal on metal clunking.

Jack it up, put it on a stand before jacking the bottom arm up to take the tension off the anti roll bar should let you test to see if it's worn bushes on that. Unless it's some sort of awkward design, I wouldn't imagine that's too onerous a task for either you or a garage to sort.

[juular]

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Hmm, the knock in the Civic is quite muffled, like a worn bush, not a metal on metal clunking.

Jack it up, put it on a stand before jacking the bottom arm up to take the tension off the anti roll bar should let you test to see if it's worn bushes on that. Unless it's some sort of awkward design, I wouldn't imagine that's too onerous a task for either you or a garage to sort.

Are these double wishbone on the front like the Accord? Ours had an annoying knock that perpetuated several MOTs and it turned out to be the upper wishbone ball joint. 

With the car on the ground you can usually feel it by rocking the top of the wheel towards you.

[Datsuncog]

58 minutes ago, juular said:

Are these double wishbone on the front like the Accord? Ours had an annoying knock that perpetuated several MOTs and it turned out to be the upper wishbone ball joint. 

With the car on the ground you can usually feel it by rocking the top of the wheel towards you.

No, there's just a control arm at the bottom, and then the damper strut goes on up to the top of the shock tower.

There's no clicking noise, so I don't think it's a driveshaft - but a bush of some kind seems like a probable culprit. It just has a tendency to produce quite an alarming 'clonk' when moving off, slowing down, or steering.

I should probably bash some pics up on my own thread to show what's under there, and see what the consensus is!

[mintwth]

2 hours ago, Datsuncog said:

It just has a tendency to produce quite an alarming 'clonk' when moving off, slowing down, or steering.

Any play in the strut top mount &/or its bolts? 

[wuvvum]

That didn't go well.  Went out to the Mazda at lunchtime to check the coolant level, noticed a drip from under the thermostat housing so removed it to check whether the gasket was seated properly.

Well shit.  That's that car out of action then until I can source a replacement.  Only possibilities I've found so far are a new housing from a site in the Philippines which won't post outside the country, and a rather overpriced used Ford Festiva housing on eBay US. @gricer do you have any hot tips for sourcing bits for these?  I could try JB Weld I suppose but that's unlikely to be a long term solution...

 

[Pieman]

To the bloke in the bright blue BMW who nearly ran me down by ignoring the red light on the pelican crossing I was using earlier today, I hope you catch Omicron and snuff it, you fucking blind cunt.

(It's not the first time I've nearly been hit by an ignorant twat on that crossing either.)

[mitsisigma01]

You should know BMW drivers are probably busy trying to find the indicators , they couldn't possibly multi task 🤨

[Pieman]

Just now, mitsisigma01 said:

You should know BMW drivers are probably busy trying to find the indicators , they couldn't possibly multi task 🤨

If I remember rightly he WAS indicating for the roundabout further ahead.

[mitsisigma01]

It was probably the roundabout before. ....😕

[chaseracer]

2 hours ago, Pieman said:

If I remember rightly he WAS indicating for the roundabout further ahead.

Swan Island?  The one near Morrisons can be a bit tasty too...

[New POD]

2 hours ago, Pieman said:

To the bloke in the bright blue BMW who nearly ran me down by ignoring the red light on the pelican crossing I was using earlier today, I hope you catch Omicron and snuff it, you fucking blind cunt.

(It's not the first time I've nearly been hit by an ignorant twat on that crossing either.)

I know you shouldn't have to. But perhaps wait until all the cars are stationary before you cross. 

[Merryck]

3 hours ago, Pieman said:

To the bloke in the bright blue BMW who nearly ran me down by ignoring the red light on the pelican crossing I was using earlier today, I hope you catch Omicron and snuff it, you fucking blind cunt.

(It's not the first time I've nearly been hit by an ignorant twat on that crossing either.)

There used to be a really bad crossing for this when I was at uni. One day I lost my temper and kicked the door of the car that nearly hit me. I didn't realise the car behind was a police car. Lights went on, I shat myself a bit and they pulled him over and didn't give me a second look. I was a bit more careful after that. I wonder if he was too.

 

[Pieman]

4 hours ago, chaseracer said:

Swan Island?  The one near Morrisons can be a bit tasty too...

It appears I have a stalker.

[Talbot]

11 hours ago, New POD said:

I know you shouldn't have to. But perhaps wait until all the cars are stationary before you cross. 

Victim blaming at it's finest.

[dozeydustman]

Why can’t this lurgy do one. 8 days now I’ve been laid up with all sorts of snot, coughs, headaches and joint aches. I had a second PCR yesterday morning and that’s come through negative.

Bronchial infection and a heavy cold really isn’t fun.

[Sir Chocolate Teapot]

I have been vaccinated abroad, i have had 3 vaccines for covid, i am registered here in uk with a doctor now.

Nhs says now possible to register foreign vaccines on nhs for covid pass.

I queue online diligently and with true British patience to make a booking to physically show my papers and get them registered.

I tell them where i am in the country.

They give me my nearest centre able to deal with foreign vaccines.

Sheffield.

I live in Basingstoke !! 150 miles away.

A 300 mile round trip to show some papers.

 

[New POD]

3 hours ago, Talbot said:

Victim blaming at it's finest.

Yes.

 No use being right and dead.

The green man doesn't mean it's safe.  Stop look and listen before you cross. 

[Pieman]

What's the weather like up there on that high horse of yours?

[reb]

Hard acceleration up a hill has yielded this:

Restarting the car didn't clear it, so I suppose I'd better get the obd cable from the unit!

[Yoss]

What is that symbol under the P? I don't think I've ever seen that. Looks it could be a letter of the Greek alphabet which makes me think itcoykd be alerting you the next variant of covid. 

Edit:

Just went to look at the Greek alphabet and found this. 

It looks like this. I didn't know Lambda was a Greek letter but I'm guessing it's a lambda sensor warning light. Top deduction by me there. 

[vulgalour]

JAYSUS.  That wasn't even main beam.  Range Rover headlights are a blight.

[EML]

9 minutes ago, Yoss said:

What is that symbol under the P? I don't think I've ever seen that. Looks it could be a letter of the Greek alphabet which makes me think itcoykd be alerting you the next variant of covid. 

It a Volvo thing, something to do with the engine management

[artdjones]

10 hours ago, Sir Chocolate Teapot said:

I have been vaccinated abroad, i have had 3 vaccines for covid, i am registered here in uk with a doctor now.

Nhs says now possible to register foreign vaccines on nhs for covid pass.

I queue online diligently and with true British patience to make a booking to physically show my papers and get them registered.

I tell them where i am in the country.

They give me my nearest centre able to deal with foreign vaccines.

Sheffield.

I live in Basingstoke !! 150 miles away.

A 300 mile round trip to show some papers.

 

It's called levelling up.

[Mally]

On 12/13/2021 at 2:44 PM, wuvvum said:

That didn't go well.  Went out to the Mazda at lunchtime to check the coolant level, noticed a drip from under the thermostat housing so removed it to check whether the gasket was seated properly.

Well shit.  That's that car out of action then until I can source a replacement.  Only possibilities I've found so far are a new housing from a site in the Philippines which won't post outside the country, and a rather overpriced used Ford Festiva housing on eBay US. @gricer do you have any hot tips for sourcing bits for these?  I could try JB Weld I suppose but that's unlikely to be a long term solution...

 

As a last resort it is possible to have something similar made that would do the job.

I could have done it at one time, but due to my son's impending job change it's not easy. @JimH may know a man/lady  who can.

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, Yoss said:

What is that symbol under the P? I don't think I've ever seen that. Looks it could be a letter of the Greek alphabet which makes me think itcoykd be alerting you the next variant of covid. 

Edit:

Just went to look at the Greek alphabet and found this. 

It looks like this. I didn't know Lambda was a Greek letter but I'm guessing it's a lambda sensor warning light. Top deduction by me there. 

Yup, hence lambda sensors on modern stuff with cats. 

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, Mally said:

As a last resort it is possible to have something similar made that would do the job.

I could have done it at one time, but due to my son's impending job change it's not easy. @JimH may know a man/lady  who can.

It looks like a Mk1 MX5 housing would probably fit on - the pipe exits at the wrong angle but that's not insurmountable.  The main issue is that on the 121 the temp sensor is in the housing, and there's no hole for one on the MX5.