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Post by tyrednexited on May 6, 2018 14:13:22 GMT
....number one son has been at home for a couple of days (deigned to come home as he is owed a birthday present). He's running SWMBOs old Fiesta, which is serving him well as cheap motoring, not least as I'm doing the servicing on it. It's due an MOT (and service) towards the end of June, and, as we will be touring the Continent in the interim, I did a few preemptive checks such that I'll only be left with an oil-change when he comes back for the service and MOT. General good look round, wheels off to check the brake wear, bit of oil in, lights, wipers (needed replacing - and pretty obviously  ), and that was it. Decided that, as I had some, I'd just top the coolant slightly (it would have been quite happy without), so I removed the radiator header tank cap, except that I didn't  . The screw top came off, but the operative part (the pressure-relief valve) remained firmly in the filler neck. I didn't realise it was a two-part cap (and indeed, though it comprises of two parts, it shouldn't separate). It was completely jammed by the sealing gasket having stuck. Despite some imaginative attempts at removal, the stuck part was as immovable as Jacob Rees-Mogg is on the Customs Union. (There is no way you can non-destructively get much purchase on it to remove it - the cap that is, not JR-M). Accordingly, as it remains entirely operative in its "cap" function (though deficient in the "fill" one), the top half was refitted to allow him to go back South. I did what anyone would do, and Googled the issue, to find it was extremely common - to the extent that the item is almost considered a "service" part by some garages. Anyway, a new one will be sourced before he returns, and one of the destructive methods will be used to "hopefully) remove it. This thread sums the issue up nicely: www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=66&t=1604628 |
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Post by Humph on May 6, 2018 15:52:07 GMT
My son was complaining the other day that his car had started making a "whooshing" sound at any speed above 30mph. So I checked it while he was still in bed this morning.
I, having shut and secured both ( pivoting ) back windows which had been left ajar by who or whatever creature/s he last had in the back seat, invited him to try it to see if matters had improved.
He is labouring under the impression that I am some sort of mechanical genius now. A state I am not in any great hurry to disavow him of...
😉
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2018 16:22:53 GMT
>>he last had in the back seat
A euphemism or clumsy phrasing?
I am damned sure my Father convinced me he was a master mechanic, electrician and general problem solver the same way to me when I was young.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2018 17:23:00 GMT
Given the way the youth of today have little understanding of anything mechanical, those of us of a certain age, even if fairly useless, are Gods of fix and repair for most items.
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Post by Humph on May 6, 2018 17:32:12 GMT
All I did was shut some windows. But I'm not ready to tell him yet...
😉
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 6, 2018 17:35:19 GMT
By the age of 5 my children were convinced I could fix or solve anything and often voiced their blind confidence to others. I used to find it lovely and very flattering.
Sadly they've become quite disillusioned over the past 10 years or so.
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WDB
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Post by WDB on May 6, 2018 22:49:22 GMT
Mine used to laugh at my jokes. Now it’s, “Dad, you think you’re funny, don’t you?”
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Post by tyrednexited on May 7, 2018 8:10:21 GMT
Mine used to laugh at my jokes. Now it’s, “Dad, you think you’re funny, don’t you?” ....do they use a South African accent.....? |
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Post by lygonos on May 8, 2018 12:59:24 GMT
My 11 yo daughter thinks I have epic knowledge of youchoob as I occasionally send her some gems like this.
Over a decade of having b3ta.com as my PC home page helps.
As for mechanical stuff as far as the kids (and gaffer) are concerned, it just happens as if by magic.
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Post by commerdriver on May 8, 2018 13:26:12 GMT
Given the way the youth of today have little understanding of anything mechanical, those of us of a certain age, even if fairly useless, are Gods of fix and repair for most items. Convince them they need an old VW Camper My eldest's mechanical knowledge has come on more since he bought a 1972 Camper than it seemed to during his 5 years at uni studying aero engineering at university. |
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Post by tyrednexited on Jun 15, 2018 6:53:45 GMT
Son is back this weekend with the dual aim of getting me to service his car (only the oil-change remains to be done), and sorting out the MOT.
Having decided at his last visit that the removal of the recalcitrant radiator header tank cap was going to be destructive, I'd bought one in so that it could be attempted this visit.
Well.....
......it took over an hour simply to get the old one out, and I nearly gave up. Attempts with a variety of tools were entirely ineffective (and resulted in damage to the remaining part of the cap. Teasing out the pressure relief core so I could get a tool through and attempt to pull it out was a complete failure.
Having tried a few self-tapping screws into the plastic body (not much scope without damaging the header tank) and beginning to think I was urgently going to have to source a new header tank, I had one last go with another self-tapping screw. A combination of twisting and pulling using the screw for leverage for a few minutes finally freed the thing up!
I think the issue is that the seal is formed by an O-ring which enters into the header tank orifice (rather than a spring loaded "washer" that sits on to of a flange, as in older vehicles). This O-ring swells in use until it becomes immovable, and the "junction" in the two-part cap isn't robust enough to pull the now jammed lower part out of the neck (and the top part of the cap simply detaches when you try to remove it - given the force I need to finally remove the thing, I'm not surprised).
I have to say it was with much relief that I finally got the thing out.
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Post by tyrednexited on Jun 16, 2018 10:54:01 GMT
....it is also with much relief that I can report that it sailed through the MOT this morning........... ......as you can guess where the responsibility would fall for sorting out any issues if it had failed. |
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Post by Humph on Jun 16, 2018 11:04:09 GMT
Aye, indeed.
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Post by tyrednexited on Jun 16, 2019 14:41:16 GMT
......offspring was back for the weekend again. Coincidentally  , the MOT is due again shortly, and a quick run over it and a cheap service would go down very nicely thanks, Dad. In between the showers, oil, plugs and filters changed, wheels off to check brakes, a quick inspection underneath and confirmation that all lights, wipers, etc. were OK, and he's headed off back south today. It's proving a cheap car for him to run (thanks to a large amount to my labour costs); parts were less than £40 all-up (and frankly, I suspect he could have seen another year out with everything, though I would only chance the air filter and plugs - the oil-change is a given for me). Front tyres are good enough to get him through the MOT (c 2.5mm), but he's under orders to get some on order PDQ if it does. (only £50 a corner for the Dunlops he's got on). The main issue is that its due a cambelt change, and I'm not doing that, so he will have to lighten his wallet or take a chance (it's an interference engine). Anyway, it has since got him back home; fingers crossed for the MOT next week. That Fiesta has served the family well; around £10K 8 years ago, and so far, still going strong with no out-of-course repairs. |
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Post by Humph on Jun 16, 2019 15:05:18 GMT
Which engine does it have? ( I have a nephew who has just bought one with the 1.0 eco boost engine and I haven't the heart to say anything...)
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), and that was it.
. The screw top came off, but the operative part (the pressure-relief valve) remained firmly in the filler neck. I didn't realise it was a two-part cap (and indeed, though it comprises of two parts, it shouldn't separate). It was completely jammed by the sealing gasket having stuck.
, the MOT is due again shortly, and a quick run over it and a cheap service would go down very nicely thanks, Dad.