Another slight fuel problem

Yes, I found another one. Snowdrop was leaking petrol so I bought a couple of worm-drive clips & and a junior hacksaw, removed the rear section of fuel pipe and upon finding a pinhole I hacksawed the offending section off and joined the 2 remaining parts with what I had left of my fuel hose when I replaced the section that came out of the tank. The clips secured my new flexible section of fuel hose and it did the trick! I went to Blackpool and my handiwork is holding. Job done!

Slight fuel problem

As you may know I've put Snowdrop into daily use since she got her MoT. After I fill up with petrol there's a smell of fuel which I traced to the fuel tank sender so I ordered a new seal from Rimmer's and it has arrived today. I'd better fit it before I fill up tomorrow so that's a little job I can do tonight.

More fun and games

I finally got Snowdrop's front wheel alignment properly adjusted costing me £10. After that it was fresh oil and a filter. This was followed by a run along Snake Pass. All was well until after some 80mph motorway cruising when she wasn't quite running right for a while. Snowdrop performed perfectly after this little "hiccup". She obviously doesn't like motorways. Perhaps a carb rebuild could be on the cards at some point. The exhaust sounded like it was blowing again and when I started up this morning I decided to have a quick look. It was a good job I did because I noticed some liquid underneath the car. I couldn't tell what it was because it was before sunrise and it was raining so I touched it with my finger. It was engine oil so I immediately turned the engine off noting that the oil pressure light had come on. Had the sump nut come off? It turned out that the new oil filter had worked loose causing oil to eascape. I tightened up the filter and put what was left of my oil into the sump and started up. Fortunately the oil light went out so I carefully made my way to the nearest 24-hour petrol station and bought 5 litres of 20W/50 engine oil and topped up. I was lucky I didn't damage the engine and Snowdrop seems to be none the worse for it. Getting back to the exhaust, it turned out that it was blowing at the downpipe-to-centre section joint so after work I went to my local trusty tyre fitter who fixed it for only £2 which included a new clamp.

The end at last.

The saga is finally over. I've got Snowdrop back and it has cost me over £600 in addition to what I spent on parts. The problems didn't end there. When I left the garage I ran out of petrol at the first set of traffic lights. I was able to freewheel to somewhere and park her up and go fetch Becky to get some petrol. Priming the fuel system took some doing but I get Snowdrop running again and I left her and got my mate to take me back down after I'd dropped Becky off and all was fine once again. The tracking will need adjusting but it will be fine until I can get it set properly.

Testing times part 14

The brakes are done on Snowdrop. Unfortunately, Greg didn't have time to do the tracking. Once that's done she will be ready to roll with that elusive MoT certificate. I will be putting that car into more regular use.

The end is in sight...

Testing times part 13

The saga continues...

It turns out that the master cylinder I robbed off the Toledo leaks where the brake line screws in. That means it is useless. My next plan of action is to rob the one off the spares 1500 which is even older! If that doesn't work then I'm gonna have to take advantage of Rimmer's 14.89% off sale (equivalent to them paying the VAT) and order a brand new one for £60. I've also enquired about fixing the my mate's Laguna which I damaged in an accident last week. I've ended up having to buy it off him. If the inner wing can be repaired then I can just replace the rest of the parts because they all bolt on. There are plenty of Lagunas in the scrapyards at this time so I reckon it can be worth repairing.

Testing times part 12

I went back to the garage on Monday to be told that the brake master cylinder was still leaking. Aparently the bore is too worn and replacement is the only option. After a bit of ringing round and getting a few prices I ended up taking the master cylinder off the Toledo. I think that the money I've saved by robbing bits off it has covered the cost of that car! All being well, Snowdrop should be ready to roll with a fresh MoT. It isn't all bad though!

Mileage has been kept down.
Wear and tear is minimal.
It has cost me nothing in petrol.
Plenty of new parts, hard work and TLC has been lavished on her.
I've had 5 weeks of free dry warm storage.
The next MoT will be October 2007 instead of September 2007.

Greg commented on how good a starter she was. This is testament to my regular servicing and tuning. (as well as a new battery and reconditioned alternator)

Hopefully the end is now in sight. We shall see...

Watch this space!

Testing times part 11

I went to the garage and Snowdrop still isn't ready. Greg did show me where he'd done the welding which was just on the sills. Both front jacking points had to be plated and he said that the front wings at the bottom had just rusted away but he's done a good job and if the quality of the welding he did on Becky last year is any thing to go by it should last for a long time to come. There's just the brakes to finish off and the front wheel tracking to adjust and she'll be done. He's promised me he'll have Snowdrop ready for Monday. This meant I had to go to my RBRR stop in Becky. Apart from the wind it was a great night and things went quite well. It was good to put faces to names and to catch up with others who I already knew and met. The next best thing to doing the run itself and I was doing the Club Triumph a service.

Testing times part 10

I paid Viking Service Centre where Snowdrop is and Greg the lad who has been working on her has said that he will get her ready for Friday so she will be good to go for the Round Britain Reliability Run this coming weekend. I'm not doing the run itself but I'm manning one of the controls. These are like checkpoints in strategic places along the route where the participating crews have to get their roadbooks signed as proof the they've completed the run. The control I'm manning is in Corbridge which is up Newcastle way and at 110 miles each way is a 2 hour drive. I plan to be there 2-3 hours before the control is due to open to get settled in and ready. I've already been up so I know where it is and the layout of the control. I've got copies of the roadbook, hi-vis vests and a list of crews. I feel the the list could've done with the registration numbers of the cars to make them easier to identify.