Dollywobbler's Car Fail - 3 out of 4 working...

[dollywobbler]

Oh what a winter. Not only are the driving conditions 'interesting' but every one of our car has broken.2CV. Changed the engine as the heater was poisonous. It's still poisonous with fumes still coming in via the heater. Just slightly different ones now. Not nice to drive.BX. Steering has intermittent power assistance. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it isn't, sometimes it suddenly appears mid-bend. Which is a bit too exciting for my liking. Battery is also kippered but waiting for the glow plugs to turn off (after discovering that they keep going after the dash light goes out) and holding the clutch down just about enables it to start.Mini. Wife drove it to work on Tuesday. As she was de-icing it to come home, it conked out and refused to start. It's been sitting there ever since.Saab. The one dependable car? Er, no. Today, one of the front brakes has started binding. Badly. This seems to have knackered the wheel bearing as it's got so hot that all the grease fell out. I've had to abandon it at a garage.Bedford. Don't go there. Not seen it for weeks.Renault. As everything else keeps knackering up, the poor brown beast hasn't even got a look in.Oh, and we're going on a driving holiday around Scotland. On Thursday. Gah!On the plus side, my courtesy car is a 'bubble' Rover 200 1.6 CVT and it's darned good fun. Most peculiar. Press throttle, engine races to 4000rpm and stays there while you go from zero to 70 quite briskly. Very odd!

[Mr Lobster]

Oh dear, epic fail indeed Saab should be a relatively quick fix if it is deposited with a garage shouldn't it? What were you planning to use for the holiday?

[VWPowered]

only if they can get parts delivered ib the snow i suppose, bugger not good, we in down to the polo atm scirocco's not legal yet, passat needs a driveshaft as we got given the wrong one

[dollywobbler]

Well, ok, it's all little things. But I'd just like one car to actually work! Especially given that we're about to undertake a road trip. Choice so far is take 2CV - wrap up and open window or die from carbon monoxide poisoning. Take BX, and probably crash. Take Saab and die of boredom. Take Mini - er, no. That's not even an option!I wouldn't mind so much if I hadn't recently spent a fair bit of money on each of these cars. They're not cheap these car things are they? (If you're too lazy/unskilled/busy to do the work yourself, like me!)

[rocco1504]

Blimey, I thought bad luck was supposed to come in Three's, Not six's Hope you manage to get sorted soon

[whitevanman]

Where are you going on your road trip? not country but areas/town etc

[dollywobbler]

Absolutely no idea. On Saturday 16th, we're taking part in a 2CV road run - Raid Wanlockhead. That'll see us starting near Gretna (not too near...) but apart from that, and a silly idea of taking part in two subsequent 2CV rallies the following weekend in North Wales and North Yorkshire respectively (on subsequent days!) we've got no plans at all. We'd like to get up to Ullapool, but that rather depends on conditions!

[garethj]

Bad luck indeed.Does a 2CV's carbon monoxide poisoning come from an exhaust heat exchanger or somewhere else on the engine?Not that it helps, but my £200 Polo hasn’t missed a beat since I bought it in August - it’s happily skipping through the snow now and it was happily doing 90mph up the motorway before Christmas.

[M'coli]

Wanlockheid? Good luck...

[Mr Lobster]

Ullapool

*Shudder*That brings back bad memories. Was getting the ferry to Stornaway a few years ago. Was very early so went to the local pub to pass some time.Had a few pints.Then a few more.Then got on the ferry.Had another pint.Ferry got out to sea. Was very rough.Turned green.You can guess the rest.

[dollywobbler]

Well, Saab's been bullied into release the pressure on the pads, but ultimately it looks like it'll need a new caliper and probably the wheel bearing too. I think that'll have to wait until our Scottish adventure. I can't bring myself to use the Saab, even if it is working!Hopefully some work on the BX tomorrow will render that useable again (and a new battery) while I'll have a look to see if I can find out where the 2CV is leaking. It's either exhaust manifold or cylinder head.

[M'coli]

Hopefully some work on the BX tomorrow will render that useable again (and a new battery) while I'll have a look to see if I can find out where the 2CV is leaking. It's either exhaust manifold or cylinder head.

I found that a vacuum cleaner hose was ideal for listening to find where an exhaust was blowing from.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Is your saab wheel bearing rumbling now? If not its quite likely to have survived the brake disc incident OK. Its

[Father Ted]

Has the BX had a new / replacement barrel at any point? I had one once that came from Crewe that had a bodged barrel and the glow plugs never shut off - even when the engine was off.In line switch soon fixorated that.The PAS could be a simple a fix as hydraflush and filters, then again it could be the FDV thats causing the grief - how is it at getting up?

[dollywobbler]

Mr Bol - bearing seems ok now. Perhaps I was lucky.FT - the glowplugs work as they should apparently. They do shut off, but not when the light goes off - that just indicates that they're warm enough for action. Am hoping flush and filters will sort the BX. It gets up well enough.M'coli - not the first with the hose trick. Plan to give it a go over the weekend!

[Father Ted]

Another reason for PAS Phailiure on the BX is a weak pump - the (ex Bernie, ex Mr B, ex Father Ted) green TZD Turbo with retrofit air con that Dave took on for his landlord had this issue - brake and turn at the same time and the front end dropped. Occasionally (more when cold) the steering would go stiff, then come right again. Im not sure if it wasn't the pump that caused the eventual destruction of the engine.

[chaseracer]

BX... PAS could be a simple a fix as hydraflush and filters...

This was the case with my XM (remember that stupendous Gallic shitebarge, Ian?) A proper flush with new filters and LHM saw it right.

 

Till it broke the next time

[dollywobbler]

Yeah, everyone on BX Club seems to think it's the pump too, so I plan to check that tomorrow as well. A flush is a damned good idea anyway - I doubt it's ever had one - but it'd be nice if it could be a cheap, simple fix. At least for now.Feeling a bit more positive at the moment. The Saab got me home without melting its brakes, the BX is booked in for attention, a rescue plan for the Mini has been formed and the 2CV has an appointment with a vacuum hose...

[j-j]

Ian - you're going on a driving holiday around Scotchland? Has one seen the weather of late?I'd like to tag along on part of the 2cv thing - is that possible?

[dollywobbler]

Yes, I have seen the weather of late! Rather than worry the wife, it's just made her more excited. This is why I was favouring the 2CV - it's the best in snow.Oh and J-J, Catherine in Glasgow is organising this 2CV run. No reason why you can't tag along I'm sure! I think it was half ten on the 16th at the Gretna services on the M6. I would confirm but the club website (that I administer!) doesn't seem to be working. Arse.

[j-j]

Catherine in Glasgow is organising this 2CV run.

Uh oh! She's a fruit loop! - when I joined 2CVGB she sent me an angry email ranting about how I'd broken the sacred forum rule of using your 'real' name on the forum! Later turned out she was WRONG and there was no such rule it had been the 2CVTV forum for that rule... She's never spoken to me since I even ended up right next to her on the M8 once when she joined at a slip road in her Dyane and I waved to absolutely NO response... what a -blank- However, the sight of a 2CV convoy is something I love! however I'll taint with the anachronism of a CX

[dollywobbler]

Well, it's easy to have a virtual paddy on t'internet when even a little thing can flare up in a way it just wouldn't in the real world.And I'm yet to meet a sane 2CVer!

[HillmanImp]

Good luck with the drive round Scotland. Its pretty grim here let alone up there. Unfortunately i can offer any help with the mechanical side of things as i have not got a scooby doo what i am doing with these horseless carriage things but can feel your pain. I cant get my Rocco running at all and am not sure what to do with it. The GT6 is a nightmare in the winter as it freezes up on the inside whilst i am driving it and the Imp is obviously still in bits. Its too snowy to ride my bike too probably but think that is the way forward.

[chaseracer]

However, the sight of a 2CV convoy is something I love! however I'll taint with the anachronism of a CX

You'll be fine! I'm doing the Welsh event to Sportsmans Arms near Denbigh on the following Saturday in the B'lingo...

[dollywobbler]

Right. BX is behaving itself a bit more now. Steering feels better and while it needed a battery pack to get going this morning, it now has a new battery. Two down, two to go...

[dollywobbler]

Mini now also working again. Adjustment of the points gap (again) was all it took, plus a bit more juice from my battery boost box. BX was the rescue machine - much nicer to drive after yesterday's work.So, bit more positive now. All four cars are driveable, though I've not yet had chance to examine the 2CV's fume issue. Perhaps this afternoon. I need tea first! The Saab may yet need a new caliper - was reading on RR about how pistons can corrode all too easily in these salty conditions - but I plan to drive it tomorrow and see how she goes. After the piston was freed off on Friday, the last thing I should probably have done is left the Saab parked up for two days...

[Timewaster]

Right. BX is behaving itself a bit more now. Steering feels better and while it needed a battery pack to get going this morning, it now has a new battery. Two down, two to go...

Just a thought.. Would a borked battery cause the alternator to work overtime and drag down the power steering pump if its on the same belt?

[Rusty Pelican]

Dolly , fit Pertronics leccy ignition in the mini , hall effect jobby that are 100% reliable and seem to cope well with even the most knackered dizzy , available for 25D and 45D Lucarse dizzys as well as for everything else as well i suspect

[dollywobbler]

Right. BX is behaving itself a bit more now. Steering feels better and while it needed a battery pack to get going this morning, it now has a new battery. Two down, two to go...

Just a thought.. Would a borked battery cause the alternator to work overtime and drag down the power steering pump if its on the same belt?

Nope. Not on the BX. The hydraulics are very different with a direct drive from the camshaft via another pulley to the pump.

Dolly , fit Pertronics leccy ignition in the mini , hall effect jobby that are 100% reliable and seem to cope well with even the most knackered dizzy , available for 25D and 45D Lucarse dizzys as well as for everything else as well i suspect

Ah, interesting. Might follow that one up as the Mini is a pain in the arse. It's always playing up and never stays in tune for long.

[Timewaster]

Would a borked battery cause the alternator to work overtime and drag down the power steering pump if its on the same belt?

Nope. Not on the BX. The hydraulics are very different with a direct drive from the camshaft via another pulley to the pump.

Doh! Of COURSE! How could I have forgoten about the hydraulic system?!