Don't you just love previous owners
Discussion
SPT28 said:
An example of the delights I'm discovering on a current project
That's just the bootlid... imagine the rest of the car supposedly 'fixed'
What's more impressive is that you're carrying out a restoration in the kitchen. I got a bollicking/bread and water just for degreasing a load of engine parts in the dishwasher.That's just the bootlid... imagine the rest of the car supposedly 'fixed'
Get it on eBay as a "Born in 1986? Here's a chance to own a cherished memento of the year you were born" sorta thing
I washed a plastic header tank in the dishwasher and the heat/salt/lethal bunny-murdering chemicals obviously didn't agree with it cos it split as soon as I put it back on the car. Needless to say, Mrs da Greek definitely didn't agree with it either
I washed a plastic header tank in the dishwasher and the heat/salt/lethal bunny-murdering chemicals obviously didn't agree with it cos it split as soon as I put it back on the car. Needless to say, Mrs da Greek definitely didn't agree with it either
Yertis said:
SPT28 said:
An example of the delights I'm discovering on a current project
That's just the bootlid... imagine the rest of the car supposedly 'fixed'
What's more impressive is that you're carrying out a restoration in the kitchen. I got a bollicking/bread and water just for degreasing a load of engine parts in the dishwasher.That's just the bootlid... imagine the rest of the car supposedly 'fixed'
Although in fairness SWMBO is understanding as there are many rooms full of parts due to the multitude of projects currently going on. A35 engine is in living room (in addition to standard V8 coffee table), newly upholstered seats in bedroom, interior and chrome from MG in the loft, bits from the celica (bootlid no longer) in downstairs bathroom... you get the picture
Reason it lasted for 30 years is that for just over 26 it's been sat in the same garage... thread here http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Hooli said:
Mercky said:
grumpy52 said:
This thread keeps nudging distant memories of old bangers that I have owned over the years with all sorts of bodges that usually caused the failure that made them cheap enough for me to buy .The choke cable reminded me of the Capri GT I got as a none starter .The wiring at the rear of the ignition switch had burnt out because the choke cable which on that model was fitted next to the ignition switch had been replaced with one that had a wound metal shroud insted of a plastic coated one .The choke over time had sawn through the main power cable to the ignition switch .
I bet that gave a few moments of excitment !
Talk of choke cables reminds me that on quite a few occasions after engine transplants I would smell the burning outer covering of the choke cable because I had forgotten to connect the engine earth braid..I bet that gave a few moments of excitment !
The lock barrel was sticky on my 348 and didnt work with the key even after lubricating so decided to strip it down to see what the problem was.
Its a common problem on 348/355s for the pin on the end of the lock barrel to break causing my symptoms so this was what I was expecting. See bit arrowed in red on the new one which isnt there on the old one.
Much to my amazement/horror a previous owner, rather than replacing the pin with an improved aftermarket one (£50) had decided to fabricate a bracket to hold the end of the lock cylinder and prevent it from falling off into the door. Quality! :-(
Due to aforementioned bodge they had also managed to lose the spring which can only be bought as part of a "repair kit" which was £150 so whole job cost ne about £200. Cheers mate! :-(
Its a common problem on 348/355s for the pin on the end of the lock barrel to break causing my symptoms so this was what I was expecting. See bit arrowed in red on the new one which isnt there on the old one.
Much to my amazement/horror a previous owner, rather than replacing the pin with an improved aftermarket one (£50) had decided to fabricate a bracket to hold the end of the lock cylinder and prevent it from falling off into the door. Quality! :-(
Due to aforementioned bodge they had also managed to lose the spring which can only be bought as part of a "repair kit" which was £150 so whole job cost ne about £200. Cheers mate! :-(
What always amazes me about some of these bodges is the amount of time, manpower and ingenuity they require - surely on the most part it'd be easier just to fix it properly most of the time. I can kind of understand the cost factor especially if you're only selling on (if you're an asshole that is), but what else? Is it just laziness or what?.
I've just been working on my MK1 Golf Rivage GTi where someone had replaced the ignition switch at some point - For the wrong type which didn't have a key active live - So instead of simply swapping it for the right one they proceeded to chop every single circuit associated with this key live and fed it into random permanent live circuits instead - They must have spent some serious man hours tracing, cutting, soldering and bodging things instead of swapping out a £5 part which they had literally just done. The mind boggles!
I also had an immaculate MK2 Golf GTi which was bought cheap as it had an intermittent starting/cut out fault (suspected ignition switch again) - The previous owner was clearly clueless with cars (he panicked when I removed the dipstick thinking I had puled something off!) and had sent it to a local specialist who had spent a small fortune chasing a fuelling issue instead. Within 24 hours I had the dash off and found the remnant of an old alarm system and nearly every major earth and live had been chopped, twisted together and just left - No tape, no terminals, nothing, just bare and twisted together (and they had obviously been like that for some years too). The worst being the major permanent live and earth at the ignition switch which were millimetres from touching each other - How the car didn't set on fire I do not know.
Indecently the starting/cutting out fault ended up killing the engine. It turned out that the main battery negative was also cut and twisted back together with old yellow sellotape of all things - Which ended up coming apart so the engine earthed itself through the ECU, frying it in the process and leaving the fuel pump on max and the injectors fully open. I went through £40 of petrol in minutes where fuel literally squirted out of the injectors at full power, filling the block, head, inlet which ended up coming out of the throttle body/intake pipework and pouring out of the airbox. Fun times!
I've just been working on my MK1 Golf Rivage GTi where someone had replaced the ignition switch at some point - For the wrong type which didn't have a key active live - So instead of simply swapping it for the right one they proceeded to chop every single circuit associated with this key live and fed it into random permanent live circuits instead - They must have spent some serious man hours tracing, cutting, soldering and bodging things instead of swapping out a £5 part which they had literally just done. The mind boggles!
I also had an immaculate MK2 Golf GTi which was bought cheap as it had an intermittent starting/cut out fault (suspected ignition switch again) - The previous owner was clearly clueless with cars (he panicked when I removed the dipstick thinking I had puled something off!) and had sent it to a local specialist who had spent a small fortune chasing a fuelling issue instead. Within 24 hours I had the dash off and found the remnant of an old alarm system and nearly every major earth and live had been chopped, twisted together and just left - No tape, no terminals, nothing, just bare and twisted together (and they had obviously been like that for some years too). The worst being the major permanent live and earth at the ignition switch which were millimetres from touching each other - How the car didn't set on fire I do not know.
Indecently the starting/cutting out fault ended up killing the engine. It turned out that the main battery negative was also cut and twisted back together with old yellow sellotape of all things - Which ended up coming apart so the engine earthed itself through the ECU, frying it in the process and leaving the fuel pump on max and the injectors fully open. I went through £40 of petrol in minutes where fuel literally squirted out of the injectors at full power, filling the block, head, inlet which ended up coming out of the throttle body/intake pipework and pouring out of the airbox. Fun times!
EnthusiastOwned said:
What always amazes me about some of these bodges is the amount of time, manpower and ingenuity they require - surely on the most part it'd be easier just to fix it properly most of the time. I can kind of understand the cost factor especially if you're only selling on (if you're an asshole that is), but what else? Is it just laziness or what?.
I've just been working on my MK1 Golf Rivage GTi where someone had replaced the ignition switch at some point - For the wrong type which didn't have a key active live - So instead of simply swapping it for the right one they proceeded to chop every single circuit associated with this key live and fed it into random permanent live circuits instead - They must have spent some serious man hours tracing, cutting, soldering and bodging things instead of swapping out a £5 part which they had literally just done. The mind boggles!
I also had an immaculate MK2 Golf GTi which was bought cheap as it had an intermittent starting/cut out fault (suspected ignition switch again) - The previous owner was clearly clueless with cars (he panicked when I removed the dipstick thinking I had puled something off!) and had sent it to a local specialist who had spent a small fortune chasing a fuelling issue instead. Within 24 hours I had the dash off and found the remnant of an old alarm system and nearly every major earth and live had been chopped, twisted together and just left - No tape, no terminals, nothing, just bare and twisted together (and they had obviously been like that for some years too). The worst being the major permanent live and earth at the ignition switch which were millimetres from touching each other - How the car didn't set on fire I do not know.
Indecently the starting/cutting out fault ended up killing the engine. It turned out that the main battery negative was also cut and twisted back together with old yellow sellotape of all things - Which ended up coming apart so the engine earthed itself through the ECU, frying it in the process and leaving the fuel pump on max and the injectors fully open. I went through £40 of petrol in minutes where fuel literally squirted out of the injectors at full power, filling the block, head, inlet which ended up coming out of the throttle body/intake pipework and pouring out of the airbox. Fun times!
Bloody hell I've just been working on my MK1 Golf Rivage GTi where someone had replaced the ignition switch at some point - For the wrong type which didn't have a key active live - So instead of simply swapping it for the right one they proceeded to chop every single circuit associated with this key live and fed it into random permanent live circuits instead - They must have spent some serious man hours tracing, cutting, soldering and bodging things instead of swapping out a £5 part which they had literally just done. The mind boggles!
I also had an immaculate MK2 Golf GTi which was bought cheap as it had an intermittent starting/cut out fault (suspected ignition switch again) - The previous owner was clearly clueless with cars (he panicked when I removed the dipstick thinking I had puled something off!) and had sent it to a local specialist who had spent a small fortune chasing a fuelling issue instead. Within 24 hours I had the dash off and found the remnant of an old alarm system and nearly every major earth and live had been chopped, twisted together and just left - No tape, no terminals, nothing, just bare and twisted together (and they had obviously been like that for some years too). The worst being the major permanent live and earth at the ignition switch which were millimetres from touching each other - How the car didn't set on fire I do not know.
Indecently the starting/cutting out fault ended up killing the engine. It turned out that the main battery negative was also cut and twisted back together with old yellow sellotape of all things - Which ended up coming apart so the engine earthed itself through the ECU, frying it in the process and leaving the fuel pump on max and the injectors fully open. I went through £40 of petrol in minutes where fuel literally squirted out of the injectors at full power, filling the block, head, inlet which ended up coming out of the throttle body/intake pipework and pouring out of the airbox. Fun times!
Sardonicus said:
Bloody hell
I've got some photos of that one somewhere. I remember pulling onto the M621 southbound from Leeds followed by a HUGE plume of black smoke, the car started hiccuping then just died the second I got onto the motorway; which happened to be roadworks/single carriageway and dusk. I managed to get it half on the verge, put the hazzards on where I had to jump to the passenger seat and run up the verge to safety. It was the worst twitchiest bum moment I've ever had - Every other car flew past at 70mph and only just saw my car at the very last moment so had to swerve (do people not look more than a few meters ahead of them!?). Luckily for me it only took a few minutes for the auto recovery truck (being in a road work area) to coarrivee. He took me one junction to safety and by the time we stopped clear fluid was pouring like a tap from the front corner of the car (we thought it was a bust coolant hose or something). 
EnthusiastOwned said:
I've got some photos of that one somewhere. I remember pulling onto the M621 southbound from Leeds followed by a HUGE plume of black smoke, the car started hiccuping then just died the second I got onto the motorway; which happened to be roadworks/single carriageway and dusk. I managed to get it half on the verge, put the hazzards on where I had to jump to the passenger seat and run up the verge to safety. It was the worst twitchiest bum moment I've ever had - Every other car flew past at 70mph and only just saw my car at the very last moment so had to swerve (do people not look more than a few meters ahead of them!?). Luckily for me it only took a few minutes for the auto recovery truck (being in a road work area) to coarrivee. He took me one junction to safety and by the time we stopped clear fluid was pouring like a tap from the front corner of the car (we thought it was a bust coolant hose or something).
When I worked for an Honda dealer back in the late 80's we had a late 2.0 EXI accord in for non-starting and smelling of fuel we presumed the customer had flooded it after a few months standing (although near impossible on that model) he wasn't wrong with the flooding bit this car had neat fuel spitting out of the tailpipes when cranking 
once spotted I stopped cranking abruptly after investigation turns out the rear wing had a small amount of crash damage inc a tear in the body work that had allowed water in over a long period and this then flowed down under the passenger seat which submerged the fuel only ECU totally thus reaping havoc inc keeping the inj wide open on cranking 
strangely enough that ECU made a full recovery to the workshop managers/techs amazement after I cleaned the PCB with isopropanol and cotton buds the engine also suffered no damage after an oil and filter but I did allow the exhaust to dry cure for a few days before fire up 
great stories chaps keep em coming 
Rather like that Trabant, but in a real steel classic, the DPO had melted bitumen and poured it between the wheel arch and the wing, scraped it flush and painted it. Looked OK if a bit rough, but when I needed to do some welding nearby, the bitumen melted, caught fire and dripped out of the wing like napalm. Welding sparks on your skin are bad enough, but they cool down. Burning bitumen goes on burning!
JOhn
JOhn
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