:: Sunday, December 7, 2003 ::
The Scottish winter is not conducive to carefree blatting. Reason 1 - It's effing freezing, although this is not necessarily a major deterrent. The possibility that others may be out skiting about on the ice does, however, introduce a certain caution.
Reason 2 is that when the local Council throw salt on the road, they do so as if they individually owned shares in a Ukranian salt mine. Aside from the detrimental effect of salty water against 14-year-old steel, these copious quantities can actually INDUCE loss of traction, as you flail Tom-and-Jerry-like on a carpet of salt-crystal marbles.
So the car stays at home.
:: Saturday, December 20, 2003 ::
A brief enjoyable blatt is spoiled, right at the end, by the appearance of steam around the edge of the bonnet, and a strong smell of antifreeze. An examination indicates no obvious leaks, although the coolant level is low, and there is evidence that the radiator cap has been blowing.
Refill with antifreeze mix, check security of the radiator cap, all seems to be OK. Very brief test drive confirms all is well.
:: Friday, December 26, 2003 ::
Santa brought a nice radio / CD player. Spent all of last night making up a wiring loom to convert the car audio connector to the ISO standard connector on the radio.
So today it was a simple matter of removing the old radio, adding the wiring connector and shoving the new radio in. Sorted.
:: Saturday, December 27, 2003 ::
Having read the manual, I tuned the radio into the right stations rather than the pre-programmed pop-pap. A test confirmed 2 things:
1. It all works now.
2. Leaving the interior light on in a TVR under a waterproof cover for a day (ie since fitting the radio yesterday) , does nothing to preserve the battery charge. A brief check revealed that there was insufficient power to turn over a gnat's flapjack, far less 3 litres of fuel-injected cast iron. A jump start is required - but I cannot open the bonnet where the car is, because of the slight slope in the drive, so I must first push the car up the slope a bit. Except it's too bloody heavy, so I'll have to tow it up a bit to get the bonnet open so that I can then turn the tow car round to jump start it.
The alternative is to leave it till tomorrow and hope that it starts with the last feeble kick that the battery might accumulate having been left for a day. Guess which I'll be trying first.
:: Sunday, December 28, 2003 ::
I extracted the TVR from the stable of vehicles alongside my house, mainly with the objective of recharging the battery. It started first time!
I then decided to check the antifreeze concentration with an ickle tester, which my frost-number digits then proceeded to drop into the radiator header tank, whereupon it sank to the bottom. Its retrieval, according to the textbook, would require draining of all the coolant, removal of the header tank, and then rebuilding the coolant system and refilling it. Not an attractive option.
My option was to observe with a torch that the tester was in fact floating just below the surface, like a goldfish using its swim bladder. A swift deduction led me to the aspiration that, as the specific gravity of antifreeze is higher than water (ie the principle that the concentration tester works on!) then if I filled the header tank with neat antifreeze, the tester's "swim bladder" would propel it to the surface, (like a submarine would just after the captain had released his most fetid fart which he'd been keeping in a special ruminant festering chamber since that balti house in delhi) and thence through the neck of the tank.
And it did! Jammy or what?
I am still not convinced that I have sorted the overheating problem though.
A short drive confirms that the car is still overheating and I can hear the pressure cap venting coolant. This doesn't sound good though.
:: Tuesday, December 30, 2003 ::
A nice crisp sub-zero dry day. I have to go in to work today for a bit. I think I'll take the TVR.
The damn thing is a swine to start - well starting is ok but it won't run - although I think it's just overfuelled on full choke in freezing weather.
This problem is overshadowed a mile up the road, when the car boils over big style, having heated from freezing in no time at all. I nurse it home and abandon it in the drive.
The symptoms point to a sticking thermostat, or an airlock in the radiator or hoses. Or a broken automatic fan switch. Or a slight leak. Or a broken water pump. I buy a thermostat and a radiator cap, so that I can fix it (hopefully) tomorrow.
:: Wednesday, December 31, 2003 ::
These are the voyages of the Car Ship TVR. Her 1-year mission - to seek out new forms of torture, to inspire diabolically-complicated diagnostic thought in amateur mechanics, to boldly blow out steam where no car has steamed before..
-------------------------------------->>>>> Whoosh!!!
Captain's log, car date 31point12 timeline:10.00
Start up car which proceeds to run like a pig - won't idle, won't rev, not enough power to pull the skin off a rice pudding. Getting it onto a set of ramps is a challenge which I leave to Spock "Fuck that" he says, "I'm fucking sick of getting the shite jobs just cos you think I don't care, ya baldy bastard" I must ask his mother about that Klingon ambassador she met on holiday.
Timeline 10:05 - car on ramps, atmosphere honking of primitive carbon-based fuels, hole in ozone layer visibly opening.Leave engine running while I flit gracefully around the car groping hoses, radiators, pumps, etc to compare relative temperatures as car warms up.
10:07 - car boils over big style - yet radiator is still cold, top hose warm so thermostat has opened, bottom hose freezing. Engineer Scott arrives "It looks like a blockage in the radiator core Cap'n - it's those header tanks, they canny take it". Rack brain then go to shed to check that I did indeed retrieve all of that tester from the header, and that there isn't a bit still in there blocking the flow. Nope, all ok.
10:15 - order Lt Uhuru to carry out full diagnostic check using the mother ship's computers "What, on that old heap?" she retorts, "get real!"
10:20 - check for leaks while waiting for car to cool. No leaks evident, although I notice that the front of the radiator is wet, but not with antifreeze. Strange.
10:25 - stare at engine waiting for inspiration.
10.35 - still staring.
10:40 - eyes starting to bulge. brain still in neutral.
10:45 - idea! why is radiator not warming up? COS THERE'S MAYBE NO WATER IN IT! Switch on car again and let it heat up. Check radiator surface more closely as the thermostat opens - and yes, it gets slightly warmer at the bottom, but not at the top. This is not right, and maybe indicates air in the radiator.
10:50 - free bleed valve in top of radiator and listen to air hiss out. Diagnosis seems spot on. No fluid coming out though - there should be liquid in there under that air! Check header tank - it's empty. Refill header tank till fluid comes out of bleed valve, close bleed valve and top up system, noting that it takes a worrying amount of water.
11:00 - start car, which runs sweet as ever, warms up to right temperature, hoses and rad warm up properly, then fan cuts in right on cue.
12:35 - return from 5-minute test drive, after finding that all is now ok, or seems to be. All that trouble from a bubble of air...
Warp factor 4 Mr Sulu
4, aye sir!
Not a sweetie paper in site either... might chuck an egg in later though, just for voodoo luck...
Oh - and the ambient temperature outside during all of this was minus 5...
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