The grumpy thread

[reb]

51 minutes ago, paulplom said:

Sounds like an airlock if it is a gravity system.

Get a bit of short hose pipe force it on the cold and hot taps. Open the hot first then the cold and leave it to run for 30 seconds or so. The mains pressure will clear it.

I don't have any suitable hose and the washing machine only has a cold feed.

I did however figure out I could force cold water into the hot feed by blocking my kitchen mixer tap and opening it biased towards hot. Done with the other taps closed it resulted in roughly the amount of water diverted coming out of the other taps when opened then nothing. I tried it with the bathroom sink tap open and the drain plug in, this resulted somewhat predictably in a sink full of water after about 30 seconds.

Think I need a plumber before I break something.

[paulplom]

Try it for a bit longer.

[reb]

23 minutes ago, paulplom said:

Try it for a bit longer.

Tried for about a minute this time. Got a few splutters out of the bathroom tap, then it ran hot for a few seconds, then it died again. Anything to be gained from trying again or is it totally fucking fucked?

[Fumbler]

49 minutes ago, Mally said:

It may be possible to trim a couple of ridges off the belt so that it runs square.

No guarantees like, but I'd try it. 

That'd do it, but I'd rather not. It'd certainly get me out of a fix.

[paulplom]

11 minutes ago, reb said:

Tried for about a minute this time. Got a few splutters out of the bathroom tap, then it ran hot for a few seconds, then it died again. Anything to be gained from trying again or is it totally fucking fucked?

Keep going. A bit longer. You can't break anything. At worse water will come out the overflow like @beko1987said.

 

It could in theory not be an airlock but you can't get a simpler system. A tank feeding a cylinder.  It could be a blockage in the tank but forcing mains water should shift it.

The only time it hasn't in my experience is was it was a maggot infested pidgeon in the tank blocking it. The mains water would shift it for a litre or two but then the suction would pull the decomposed pidgeon back down and block it again.

[reb]

4 minutes ago, paulplom said:

Keep going. A bit longer. You can't break anything. At worse water will come out the overflow like @beko1987said.

 

It could in theory not be an airlock but you can't get a simpler system. A tank feeding a cylinder.  It could be a blockage in the tank but forcing mains water should shift it.

The only time it hasn't in my experience is was it was a maggot infested pidgeon in the tank blocking it. The mains water would shift it for a litre or two but then the suction would pull the decomposed pidgeon back down and block it again.

I'll keep alternating between forcing the water through and trying to phone the emergency number that assures me they'll call me back within an hour.

[jakebullet]

I'm away on holiday. My sister has had a visit from a local rigger boot wearing moron, do I want to sell his m9 my escort, as it's just rusting away and an eyesore.

a ) It's a capri

b ) No.

c ) Definitely not to you so you can flip it on ebay.

[reb]

Honestly, what's the point in having an emergency out of hours number if no cunt is going to answer it?

[High Jetter]

@reb can you get to the cold tank to see if a) there's water in it and b) if anything's blocking the outlet? I presume no-one has accidentally turned any of the valves off recently.

[reb]

15 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

@reb can you get to the cold tank to see if a) there's water in it and b) if anything's blocking the outlet? I presume no-one has accidentally turned any of the valves off recently.

I'm not sure there is a cold tank, all of the taps seem to run directly off the mains.

It's probably worth mentioning I live in a 200+ year old cottage that hasn't seen any major renovation since... Well, ever.

[Mr Pastry]

38 minutes ago, reb said:

I'm not sure there is a cold tank, all of the taps seem to run directly off the mains.

It's probably worth mentioning I live in a 200+ year old cottage that hasn't seen any major renovation since... Well, ever.

If there is no cold tank then it is possibly a Fortic cylinder, which has a small supply tank with ball valve, mounted directly on top of the hot cylinder.  I'd be looking at that next if you want to get more involved.

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, reb said:

I'm not sure there is a cold tank, all of the taps seem to run directly off the mains.

It's probably worth mentioning I live in a 200+ year old cottage that hasn't seen any major renovation since... Well, ever.

The hot won't, or it wouldn't get heated. Have you looked in the loft/attic?

[ruffgeezer]

Minor in the scheme of things, but I've been trying to buy a V50 2.0d Sport now for a while and have now had 5 get passed me, the last one I messaged within 4 hours of the advert going live.

Fucksakes,  time to look at alternatives? 

[Lacquer Peel]

12 hours ago, High Jetter said:

The hot won't, or it wouldn't get heated. Have you looked in the loft/attic?

It's a downstairs flat. 

[Popsicle]

Made sure I had all the stuff to future proof the fleets underbelly's before winter set in, underseal, rust converter and primer. Even got some matching paint made up for the Vectra, Caddy and Beetle to do the sills and bumpers. I was going to take a long weekend and batter through em all with the nice weather we are having at the moment. Thats not the grump though. The grump is this bugger.

Had a short notice planned op last week, thought I'd be ok doing the motors slowly with my cack handed left hand, but no chance unfortunately, even having my arm at any angle not supported hurts like hell, by the time this heals up and the physio is done it'll be bloody dark by 4pm and wet, so I can't see me using this box of assorted spraying things till next spring ☹️.

 

Although being a stubborn old fart, who gets bored easily, I'm sure I'll try and fail before the cast is off! Just got to make sure the Mrs is out as she'll bloody bollock me.

[vulgalour]

Make sure you wrap the cast in clingfilm or similar to mask it from overspray.  The perfect crime!

This is going about as well as brakes ever do when I attempt it on my own.  Everything came undone nicely apart from this one union.  The stub of the flexi hose is seemingly fused to the hard line union.  I had the choice of cutting through the nut that held this to the bracket on the car, or twisting the bracket off the car so went with the former and so far everything I've attempted has been unsuccessful.  I can see me ending up having to replace the whole hard line that has nothing wrong with it, just because this poxy fixing is probably going to end up twisting the end of the hard line off which is too tight a fit to trim and re-flange.

[twosmoke300]

On 9/3/2022 at 7:09 PM, jakebullet said:

I'm away on holiday. My sister has had a visit from a local rigger boot wearing moron, do I want to sell his m9 my escort, as it's just rusting away and an eyesore.

a ) It's a capri

b ) No.

c ) Definitely not to you so you can flip it on ebay.

You need to be moving that car asap . Or someone will be removing it for you .

[jakebullet]

21 minutes ago, twosmoke300 said:

You need to be moving that car asap . Or someone will be removing it for you .

I have thought of this. It's why I stuck a 6 foot fence around it, and a security camera. Not totally hiab proof, but I'm here in the daytime so can only help.

I think the gentlemen* who ask about it are either £50 + broken xbox cash tonite ebay flippers, or want a V5 to ring a ding someone else's pride and joy.

[Pieman]

Interesting strategy on the above from a chap I know who restores vintage cars - he buys old bikes cheap that he doesn't need or want, then leaves them outside his yard so the local chavs will nick them and not think to look inside at the more prestigious old stuff he's got in there.

[Markeh]

Ah, bugger.

To be fair, they do have me bang to rights, I knew I was taking a gamble while I popped for lunch with a friend. Had I left my car in the city centre NCP any longer it would've cost me another £30 + getting a bus/cab to meet said friend, so really it's only what I'd have paid out anyway.

 And it honestly took me less than a minute to pay online. Was expecting it to be a real ballache to sort out but it was easy! Can't even be that mad, really.

[Popsicle]

3 hours ago, vulgalour said:

Make sure you wrap the cast in clingfilm or similar to mask it from overspray.  The perfect crime!

Hmm I'd actually not even given that a thought, good idea, saves any nurses or my Mrs wondering why my cast is dog dick red like the Beetle!

[Low Horatio gearbox]

The 2 minor * electrical issues on the page finally being started. Dash removal reveals  a fucking mess and a mass of loose and unconnected wires missing fastners and a damaged NLA control unit for the windows.

[Split_Pin]

I have waited 2 weeks for a vacuum pump seal to arrive for the red 93. It finally arrived today and I got it all boshed back together no bother.

I took the not inconsiderable trouble to completely rewire the drivers seat as the loom was shredded and the airbag light was on. Its been off since May when I fixed it. When I reconnected the battery today if fupping came back on!!! This coupled with the absolute war I had changing the coolant on the black 93 meand I am not feeling the Saab thing just now.

[Zelandeth]

Ugh, schools managed to be back for a whole day and a half before I wound up with one of the parents parking on our drive and buggering off for an hour.

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

Ugh, schools managed to be back for a whole day and a half before I wound up with one of the parents parking on our drive and buggering off for an hour.

Maybe you need a tiny sign and a clamp! Or just block them in.

[108]

1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

Ugh, schools managed to be back for a whole day and a half before I wound up with one of the parents parking on our drive and buggering off for an hour.

You need to pop out to the shops before the school rush*, then arrive back, park on your own drive and enjoy a leisurely breakfast while ignoring the doorbell** then suffer an unfortunate FTP***
 

* wait around the corner. 

** “sorry boss, I’m a little deaf / didn’t hear the doorbell 
 

*** ah feck, it’s an old car. I’ll walk to the nearest motor factors to get a new battery. 
 

Day 2: repeat

[MrGTI6]

4 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Ugh, schools managed to be back for a whole day and a half before I wound up with one of the parents parking on our drive and buggering off for an hour.

Used to happen to me all the time. Hence my pointless collection of wiper blades, aerials, wheel trims, dust caps, tow eye covers, etc.

Even helped myself to a spare wheel from underneath a Zafira once!

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, 108 said:

You need to pop out to the shops before the school rush*, then arrive back, park on your own drive and enjoy a leisurely breakfast while ignoring the doorbell** then suffer an unfortunate FTP***
 

* wait around the corner. 

** “sorry boss, I’m a little deaf / didn’t hear the doorbell 
 

*** ah feck, it’s an old car. I’ll walk to the nearest motor factors to get a new battery. 
 

Day 2: repeat

Sadly it's then me who is wrong in the eyes of the law as I'm preventing them from accessing a public highway.  I did block one asshole who did this in once and was promptly read the riot act by Thames Valley Police who turned up about 90 seconds after I parked up.

It's fucking stupid.  If we had realised how close the school was we really would have thought twice about buying this place.  Had we known how much idiocy there would be on a daily basis between 0800-1000 and 1430-1600, we *definitely* wouldn't have bought the place.

[cobblers]

If someone parked their car on my drive they would be leaving with a finger tight sump plug or loose oil filter, whichever is easiest to access.

[twosmoke300]

Or just crawl under and use a pry bar to push the calipers back . 
Would wake them up at the next junction 😂

Which would be at the school . Actually that is a terrible idea