Golfing with Ghosty: IT NEVER ENDS

[camryv6]

Why the fuck did you take a photo before putting the fire out !!!

[Rust Collector]

Is it definitely not fuel leaking out? I seem to remember the fuel lines to the carb can go very brittle.

My V6 Mitsubishi pisses oil onto the manifolds, and hasn’t caught on fire. Yet. Makes a lot of smoke though - I’ve never really thought about what temperature it would ignite at.

[drewd]

48 minutes ago, Rust Collector said:

Is it definitely not fuel leaking out? I seem to remember the fuel lines to the carb can go very brittle.

My V6 Mitsubishi pisses oil onto the manifolds, and hasn’t caught on fire. Yet. Makes a lot of smoke though - I’ve never really thought about what temperature it would ignite at.

Worth checking this. My old B3 Passat started leaking fuel from a fuel line above the exhaust manifold. It didn't look too bad externally, but when I pulled the end off there were internal cracks in the fuel line that petrol was wicking though, then dribbling out the end of the pipe. It did stink of petrol though, so was easy to spot.

[schonker]

You should have let it burn the amount of trouble its given you

[Ghosty]

On 14/08/2024 at 16:37, Rust Collector said:

Is it definitely not fuel leaking out?

I'm pretty sure it's oil, it doesn't smell of fuel, more like a chip pan fire.

ETA: there's only one fuel line from the pump to the carb, and it doesn't pass through that space. If that was a fuel leak, it'd be coming from the base of the carb, and there's far too much for that, it's also black.

[Ghosty]

I know, I'll buy some new numberplates for the Golf.



Okay, no problem.



OH, COME ON.

Thankfully, as soon as I emailed them I got a very apologetic phone call telling me the plates would be remade and sent out asap.

[bangernomics]

One job.

[Ghosty]

Civic passed its MOT today. Needs new tyres though, the Rainsports have worn down to nothing in under 5k. They're nowhere near as good as they used to be...

After going to a classic car show on Sunday, I was idly browsing eBay of the evening, and something caught my eye. It had a ludicrously cheap BIN, and was listed as a non-runner, 'distributor cap/spark plugs'. In Manchester. Now, I read this, and thought 'hmmm, I bet I know what's wrong with that'. I looked at the photos and something seemed familiar about the location. Further sleuthing revealed the seller was based one town over, so I slept on it, the the next morning I thought sod it and hit BIN before anyone else did. I can fix that, I thought. I even have the bits.

Message the chap and he gives me a phone number of another chap who's brokering the sale, we agree a time and he says he'll get the address when he's on the way there tomorrow (today).

The car is dumped outside an MOT station less than a mile from my house, so dad and I amble down with a few spares and the tow pole, hand over the utterly reasonable £500 asking price, and crack on with it. Couldn't get it started there and then, but it cranks, and coughs like it will fire, even with an OBD1 distributor half-mated to an OBD2 car. We stuck it on the tow pole and dragged it home:



Yeah, that'll bloody do for half a bag. Auto, VTEC, aircon that seems to hold pressure (but a missing belt/seized compressor), good tyres, new radiator, new brakes... tonneau cover is present too which is pleasant. Dealer plates and tax disc holder, 94k, six months test, no major rust, dirty footwells, but clean seats - beige velour that someone bothered to put seat covers on. Found a speed camera detector in it too!
Story is that it seems to have been some sort of shared car - the keyring reads 'events car' which I think explains the dirty footwells (muddy boots?), and one of the MOTs has 'pool car' written on it. I was told the 'yard' it was in closed and everything was removed - for whatever reason the owner dumped the car on his MOT tester, and got someone else to broker the sale.

 

A quick wash, compound and polish has the car looking infinitely better already. We're all quietly impressed with it - the idea is that I flip it, but I get the feeling none of us really want to let it go...

[yes oui si]

That's lovely. Two randoms when the time comes? 

[Zelandeth]

Civics of that era are nice driving little cars I think.  Just a shame they always seemed to be a bit behind the competition in the rust proofing department.

What are they like to drive with an auto?  I'd always thought given that engine has such a peaky power delivery that it would really blunt the performance, but I've never actually driven one (heck, it's probably going on 20 years since I drove the manual one!) so I could have that completely wrong.

[Christine]

Yeah ghosty , i'm curious too ! How does the auto box cope ? That vtec hrv (manual)  i had ,had a horrible power delivery  .Utter slug ...  unless it was over 3k rpm  , then bhammmm..... all,  or nothing .. My civic 1.4  will pull from 1k rpm   clean  , any gear apart from 5th,  which is really tall.  

[Ghosty]

5 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

What are they like to drive with an auto? 

 

3 hours ago, Christine said:

How does the auto box cope ?

 I've had a lot of these Honda autos across Civics and R8s.

They're a four speed with lockup, and they're engineered so they're doing the same rpm on the motorway as a manual in 5th, or thereabouts.
Granted, the manual Aerodeck I had a few years ago felt like it needed a sixth gear, but that's the only manual Honda I've had that felt that way.
They do about 3500rpm at 70 on the motorway, and it's pretty agreeable and easy going.

First is ridiculously short, and the gears are very well spaced up to cruising speeds - they're matched to the power delivery really well: surprisingly nippy around town, and absolutely fly off the mark if you want them to - on the other hand, you can drive them with a very light foot and they just float about effortlessly. They're smooth, revvy, and not slushy at all - they have a really crisp gear change, and a kickdown that makes a difference, not just more noise. They make for fantastic all-rounders, and they're extremely usable - especially the ones where you can lock first as well as second.
The ones with VTEC-E (usually 1.5s, with an ECONO light on the dash) are a bit lazier, the throttle pedal feels different and they need working a bit harder. One of my favourites is the non-VTEC D16 with 115bhp. They're a hoot. 1.4 autos are a bit leggy on the motorway as they really struggle for torque, but anything else is more than capable.

Fluid changes are easy, and they just take Dex II, same as the power steering.

The Accord/Prelude box with the tiptronic shifter has a rep for being made of chocolate, but the ones without it are fine.

People scoff at the idea of auto Hondas, but I say don't knock em til you try em, they're alright.
Same goes for mk1 MX5s with the 3+OD gearbox - they're really good fun!

[Ghosty]

 

 

FOR FUCK'S SAKE.

A coolant hose from the block to the heater matrix blew up, dumped the coolant, and it overheated. Managed to limp the car to a Lidl for some mineral water, and on to Toolstation for some pliers and a knife. It seems to have survived unharmed...

The hose had perished, and tore off in my hand when I tried to remove it. I cut it back to good rubber and clipped it back on, normal service has resumed for now... new hoses will be ordered.

[Ghosty]

In better news:

 

 

 

Someone's been trying to fix the Aerodeck before, the spark plugs are brand new and the air filter is, too.
As is the cambelt, it's an INA one which is definitely not original - I'm wondering if it won't fire as it's mistimed: it has spark, fuel at the injector rail, and everything is working as it should.

There wasn't much oil in it, so I've got oil and filter, and a fuel filter as it's never been changed.

[Low ontime]

2 hours ago, Ghosty said:

 

 

FOR FUCK'S SAKE.

A coolant hose from the block to the heater matrix blew up, dumped the coolant, and it overheated. Managed to limp the car to a Lidl for some mineral water, and on to Toolstation for some pliers and a knife. It seems to have survived unharmed...

The hose had perished, and tore off in my hand when I tried to remove it. I cut it back to good rubber and clipped it back on, normal service has resumed for now... new hoses will be ordered.

Like you said it never ends…. 
good recovery tho… 

[Popsicle]

Oh man you are having a rotten run of luck with cars just lately - hope things pick up for you now.

[mk2_craig]

On 20/08/2024 at 23:13, Ghosty said:

none of us really want to let it go

The only thing to do with one of those is bolt a Rover 400 front end and rear badges onto it.

[reb]

8 hours ago, Popsicle said:

Oh man you are having a rotten run of luck with cars just lately - hope things pick up for you now.

It is rule 6 of autoshite that ghosty must have awful luck with cars. It is a sign of his good character that he hasn't given up and PCPd a Corsa by now.

[Ghosty]

 Aerodeck was mistimed: this is with the big end timing marks in line.

I pulled the belt off and set the cam back to where it should be.

The car runs! It's a bit ticky, but this soon calms down.

EML's on, for o2 sensor and a misfire. Bit of white smoke, and a lot  of condensation and rusty water in the exhaust. It bloody stinks, too.

Hang on, the radiator and o2 sensor are new...

oh no

Compression test.


60/150/150/150.








RELIABLE MOTHER FUCKING HONDA ENGINE.



WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?????




 

[Dave_Q]

9 minutes ago, Ghosty said:

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?????

Ghostys Law in action: all Reliable Honda Engines shall bust a head gasket when purchased by Ghosty 

[camryv6]

Bent valve ?

[Ghosty]

Just now, camryv6 said:

Bent valve ?

Sadly, this is plausible.

[camryv6]

Check the valve clearances on the low compression cylinder, that might give an indication ?

[Ghosty]

5 minutes ago, camryv6 said:

Check the valve clearances on the low compression cylinder, that might give an indication ?

They seemed fine - I have had this sort of HGF before, it's gone into the water jacket not another cylinder, they're open deck blocks.

[camryv6]

That makes sense, i had a Hillman Avenger do the same into an oilway once

[Low ontime]

Off with its head then… 

[vulgalour]

On 22/08/2024 at 07:38, mk2_craig said:

The only thing to do with one of those is bolt a Rover 400 front end and rear badges onto it.

I blame this guy, everyone knows Rovers always OMGHGF so the Civic just decided to get it out of the way early for you. ;)

[Ghosty]

 

 

The bores are all full of a gritty substance, and scored to absolute fuck.

Pistons have pitting, and there are matching marks on the head.

MLS head gasket that's gone into the water jacket in multiple places. MLS gasket is very much not OE, it should have a composite gasket.

Head's already been skimmed.



It's fucked. Might lob a gasket in it and hope for the best.

[Ghosty]

It's not HGF, it's catastrophic blow by.

The rings are shot, that crap in the cylinders is _the contents of the sump_ . Needs an engine.

[Ghosty]

Guess I just need to try and get £500 back out of it.

Witter towbar, anyone?

Tempted to try and trade the Golf for something 'sensible', but even that will shaft me somehow, guaranteed. I just keep getting bitten, and I can't sustain this any more.