Bloody B***cks This Must Be Thursday....

M · Post by M » Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:52 am

....I never could get the hang of Thursdays.

Bx a NO-GO.

Today started badly, put new battery on BX last night - came to it this morning and it was flat - so old batetry (on charge overnight) pulled out and put on car - started. Ok I have a 3rd battery (ex Ford) and some leads, so will see if it retains charge when given a good run.

On way to work (bearing in mind this is 8 am, post office not open so no valid tax disc - all documents with me though - discovered I had forgotten my wallet - great cheque book, no cards though - passed a police camera check - looked @ speedo doing 60 in a 50! Great.

Then heard this rumbling - car felt ok, no noise at standstill, but rumbling when driving allong - thought its probably that ill fitting wheel trim, will pull it off when I get to work. then the car went all wobbily. Pulled over to find rear wheel has shed one of its bolts and the other 3 are loose. Feck.

Tighten them up continue to work, car handles great, feels good, sounds good, difficult to keep to an indicated 30!

STOP light comes on - with coolant level warning light, ah sh**. Pull over again and discover there is no water in the expansion tank - not a drop. Fill up from container I have continue to work (another 5 miles) get there and check fluid - empty again. No smoke, no steam (piddling with rain so whole engine bay wet). Decide enough is enough and pick up todays clinic and turn round to go home - car wont start again, have to prime the diesel pump and use jumper battery.

Car currently in lock up, wife currently in one of her "I told you so" moods, I am currently hacked off.

Stewart (oily!) · Post by **Stewart (oily!)** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 11:10 am

Just when you thught it was safe.............I expect you will find the leak when the rain stops...if it ever will, the battery problem is more of a nuisance, no doubt you will discover that in time too, you have done quite a lot of work on the car so there are likely to be a few teething problems

perseverence and suffering, cant suggest any remedy for the flak youre getting from the other half though, suggest you disconect battery when leaving the car overnight as a temporary measure
Stewart

M · Post by M » Thu Jun 02, 2005 5:47 pm

Wheel was the one even Dave struggled to shift the bolts on using a breaker bar on the wheel brace - Im wondering if they had been loctited on for a similar problem - they were tight when it went for its MOT.

Coolant problem, bloody annoying as had run and run and run the car with no indication of any leaks.

Battery was going to be solved by fitting an isolator switch in the -ve lead.

Wife giving me a LOT o grief at the moment over car - just swapped insurance back to other car for now - am leaving in the lock up for a "cooling off" period.

Mr B · Post by **Mr B** » Thu Jun 02, 2005 8:46 pm

Oh dear, a sorry tail indeed

The rear wheel was tight but I don't remember seeing anything like loctite on the bolts. I think maybe you kinda forgot to nip the bolts up

You didn't need me to say that did you

As for the coolant, strange as we ran the engine for a while and you've driven it since with no problems. Hmmmm.........

M · Post by M » Thu Jun 02, 2005 10:10 pm

Its a possibility about the wheel bolts - though I distinctly remember nipping them up with the hand brace after using the little impact wrench thing. they were tight when it went for the MOT (and there is no reason for them to have removed that back wheel)

I will have to get some more bolts from the scrappys as one is AWOL and the other 3 are now badly scored along the threads. I could live with having the battery on an isolator - not a big problem, or the end of the world - but coolant is frustrating and annoying (still at least I know the warning lamp works).

Currently drowning my sorrows.

AlanS · Post by **AlanS** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 12:11 am

I once had a problem with a CX rear wheel that had a stud that never wanted to tighten. This became 2, then 3....time to panic, so I ran a tap through the threads and ran a die over the bolts and lived happily ever after.
In my case, a close inspection showed the threads were on a kind of angle from the local Gorilla at the tyre shop giving a display of his super human strength over his mental ability to think one day someone might have to remove them.

It seems to be a trait with tyre fitters worldwide.

Alan S

Stewart (oily!) · Post by **Stewart (oily!)** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 12:20 am

Blunt fingered oafs,
LJK Setwright
look out theyre everywhere
Stewart

tom · Post by **tom** » Fri Jun 03, 2005 9:11 pm

Setright? Our Leonard was the best muttering rotter of the lot. He took the trouble to know what he was talking about.

Stewart (oily!) · Post by **Stewart (oily!)** » Sat Jun 04, 2005 3:29 pm

Yup , I pinched the Blunt fingered oafs from a piece comparing manufacturing BMWs shaft final drive with guys fitting chains and sprockets in the Triumph factory, was about one bottle of red wine down then though, not intending to cast aspersions on the mech ability of BX weekenders, I am sure Martys mystery coolant loss will prove blindingly obvious once the thing generates a bit of pressure and pees on the floor
for all to see, with any luck it will be as simple to fix as my LHM leak

Stewart

DLM · Post by **DLM** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 6:12 pm

Tough luck Marty - bad luck comes in ..... er...... fours by the sound of it. If you filled up the coolant yourself while not in BXclub company you may be just about to find out how to bleed a BX (on a slope, with a large coke bottle as a header). Hope it's not too serious.

M · Post by M » Tue Jun 21, 2005 10:09 pm

The latest disaster to hit SS Vera is that I cant get her out of the nice snug council lock up.

Some basket has had a do at the door (proably saw the BX sunk o its haunches and ran off) The upshot is I cant open the door enough to get the car out. Arse.

On to the council tomorrow then

Mr B · Post by **Mr B** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 10:21 pm

Marty wrote:The latest disaster to hit SS Vera is that I cant get her out of the nice snug council lock up.

Some basket has had a do at the door (proably saw the BX sunk o its haunches and ran off) The upshot is I cant open the door enough to get the car out. Arse.

On to the council tomorrow then

It nevers rains, it pours

M · Post by M » Tue Jun 21, 2005 10:41 pm

Fleetwood Bloke wrote: It nevers rains, it pours

Fortune vomits on my eiderdown once more. Still on the upside its an excuse for a pint and a natter.

Mr B · Post by **Mr B** » Tue Jun 21, 2005 10:44 pm

Mr Beer Fridge wrote:
Fleetwood Bloke wrote: It nevers rains, it pours
Fortune vomits on my eiderdown once more. Still on the upside its an excuse for a pint and a natter.

Oh aye

Stewart (oily!) · Post by **Stewart (oily!)** » Wed Jun 22, 2005 6:21 pm

To paraphrase mr Ian Kilminster "If it wasnt for bad luck we wouldnt have any" Do you have childhood memories of shooting robins? do you have your own personal black cloud? I tried to get a mate to have the TZD off you, scared of LHM, they are not real men

Stewart