Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Honda acty for style points, citroen berlingo for function.

Suspect it is easier for them and their reputation to just install a new ECU. I'd be narked that they didn't pick up a possible issue on pre inspection. Then I seem to have issues everytime I get a car fixed/worked on by a garage.

I think you are right. Look at what happened with toyota hilux post top gear.

Mines going in to ML for a rummage, service, MOT mid April. Will mention the drains...
Took a stone to the windscreen on the motorway today, now there’s a crack right down the middle of it. Looking forward to getting that sorted in an acceptable fashion (I demand a matching grey tinted band!) next week.

Sylvie lives!!!

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had bluetooth speaker on 11 before i clicked that. Cat's dead, thanks.

The wins keep coming!

Sorry bout the cat though

she had a good innings.

any plans to mad max / v8 / razor wheel the fuck out of that MG?

Which drains were blocked?
There was a Quality Enhancement to remove the drain grommets in the left and right plenum chamber so that it was a straight through hole that could not get blocked. Might be worth a phone call to BMW if they had not been removed

51 80 14 notice

https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=941823&page=2

Wouldn't an inspection have checked for the recalls? Or am I expecting too much?

The saga of the w203 mercedes continues.
Finally worked out what is killing it, known as 'saddle tank syndrome' or half tank = empty syndrome. A weakness in the design which relies on a particular speed of fuel movement exiting the low pressure return line to the left hand tank which if too low means all the returned fuel stays in the left hand tank and not splashing back over to the right hand tank. Which means when you have anything less than an indicated 30 litres of fuel (between the tanks) it starts sucking air, as the right hand tank is basically bone dry.
Its either.... 1 or more injectors leaking off too much (providing a short cut for the return fuel), o ring seals (in 1 of 4 places within the fuel rail) leaking (providing a short cut), high pressure pump isn't quite strong enough but not so weak as to trigger an EML or even show up on my live feed, low pressure pump not strong enough (no data for this, you just have to watch it coming out of a tube back into the tank), return line clogged, feed line (any of them) sucking air through a perished o- ring causing air to be in a fuel line when there shouldnt' be (which gives same symptoms as above), or a combination of the above.
Had a mate who is an ex mercedes main tech (now works an independent) who can't track it down, other than we reckon the injectors are fine, he would guess HPP/LPP (get it rebuilt or just buy a new one).
Fuck me, why did I bother, should have just stuck it with the volvo engine rebuild. Newer cars are too complicated!
ALso changing the thermostat because looking at service history it has failed every 3 years like clockwork (mercedes/behr, mahle, circoli and most recent has no name all failed the same). Car never really warms up, sits at 60-70C when it should be about 80-85c. Easy to change but the new 'Behr' part that just arrived in the post is a fake, yeay.

Wanna buy a nice little panda?

Now I don't know the exact system but the diagnostic are similar. Stupid questions first -What is the fuel filter brand and condition, Ford Diesels seem to like ford or bosch filters, over other brands for some reason causing similar symptoms of drawing air. Have you tried adding a little 2 stroke oil to the fuel, pumps are still lubricated by the fuel, and modern fuel isn't so lubricating, so a little extra lubrication can help a pump live longer. Or at least confirm on of the pumps. Are the pumps rebuildable. Are you rebuilding or a garage, as that can decided on the cost efficiency. Really stupid question have you tried draining the fuel system and refilling with 15 or 20l of fresh fuel?

The injectors have had a leak off test so if the lines are suspected a vacuum or pressure test find the particular line, but as you say it could be a small issue on all of them.

Then the thermostat thing is odd, especially over the different brands too.

Yes and no etc.
Fuel filter was first call, been changed every year with teh right one (made by Bosch/Hengst/Mann), there are two variants, one for the older CDI2 engines and this one is a CDI3 (has an electric lift pump in tank which CDI2 doesn't have). Blew lines through forwards and backwards, none are leaking but they may be letting in air on the feed line (fuel is sort of under vacuum, sort of static because of the lift pump). New filter took off and can blow through it super easy (yuk lol) as was worried maybe something is floating around inside the feed line.
Fuel drain, yeah only a few weeks ago though, had just been adding 5 litres at a time until it worked. Took it all out, let it sit in 20 litre jugs then skimmed off the good stuff at the top. For 30 litres it only had around 1.5 litres of water/disgusting globby stuff which I was impressed with, assume it must have been done in the past as a car with 170k/15 years should probably have more than that.
Haven't put 2s in it yet, do that for the volvo (bosch vp33) and it helped before it got rebuilt (was doing weird things), might be worth a shot to see if it helps pump just make a bit longer?
Do the rebuild myself, its a bosch OP1 (?) pump, see them on loads of diesels that age, all the washers/o rings/clips inside are only £20 for a bosch kit, obviously won't fix mechanical wear but I assume whats happening is the relief valve is failing, or rather the o ring that seals its housing is failing (allowing full high pressure diesel to escape past into the leak off side and escape back to the tank somehow fighting the low pressure pump thats also trying to do the same thing).
Thermostat I guess all the pattern companies copied the same problem! I think its as simple as the shaft on the stat itself corrodes and the tolerance is so fine that it stops the spring being able to shut the valve fully. A stat with a sloppier fit might actually continue working longer. Its had a continuous coolant leak for around 8 years by look of history, the EGR cooler has a really small split in it (changed yesterday, wish I'd spotted it when I had the inlet manifold off as it would have been a 3 minute job!) so they've probably been topping up with water = internal stuff is corroding faster than it should.

Will try some 2s oil in it when new thermostat housing turns up. Then rebuild pump with bosch seal kit, if that doesn't work, fire, lots and lots of fire.

New ecu has fixed the car. Taking the opportunity to get a handful of other recommended bits done while it's in with munich legends, and an oil and brake service. It's lucky we can't go on holiday this year because I couldn't have afforded it!

Picking our new outlander up today, a few weeks ahead of schedule as father in law needs his car back to go hide from corona in the country. I hope I ordered a black one, will soon find out. I know it's only a facelifted old crappy SUV thing but it's new and 4wd which will hopefully allow me to mangle all the plebs during my escape when the apocalypse starts in earnest in a few weeks.

Been enjoying Cleetus McFarland on youtube.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh8f8vssLddD2PbnU3Ag_Bw

Yeah, they've done a clever thing, think he used to /still does work for 1320 video? Managed to attract some millions of subscribers and get enough views that even on the current much lower youtube rate system, earn enough to... build epic stuff/have fun/bought a track!?
I was never ever interested in drag racing, even when I had a mildly interesting car I was not interested in drag racing, been to watch a few in US and here, and have zero interest in drag racing. Watching Cleetus and co have fun trying to make bits of an old Corvette into the fasted stick shift GM drag car (and street legal, ish), night and day just trying to get to the events and get down a good time, then battling all the usual problems actually got me interested in drag racing. Also the guy from Georgia on RoadKill that builds mad stuff in his garage under his house, much less fast paced and less followers, but some serious workman ship and passion, and of course cool tools.

had an offer on the landbrover - 1500 squid short. fuck that, anyways looks like i might need a post apocalyptic deathmobile so no shakes.

had MOT done, some cunt at the garage cocked around with all my pre-loaded radio station settings. KISS FM instead of Radio 4? that's a Karen-ing!

KISS FM

MOT testers fucking LOVE kiss!

I love KISS. Just not FM.

#godofchunder

Is it a bad time to buy a classic car?

Here's another old Alfa for you :)

The door colour doesn't quite match, but still a lovely looking car.

And there's an absolutely amazing totally rust free Fiat 850 sport up on the ramp in a garage near me, which I've never seen before, and have yet to wangle a picture of, but knowing we have the same taste in old Italian motors, I'm sure you'd love that too. I'll try and pap it over the next few days.

@BRM the wheel-less hover car looked cool ;)

I had to look it up as I'd never heard of it, and even then I'd still never heard of Turner cars. British racing car in British racing green, whats not to like.

And on the subject of green cars, saw this very dreamy coloured one today. I am bowled over by how amazing looking they are every time I see one.

That alfa lives in a garage on my road. Got chatting to the owner recently. He bought it something like 40 years ago and was planning to get a lot of work done on it