ferny
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 983
Club RR Member Number: 13
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Tiny victories ferny
@ferny
Club Retro Rides Member 13
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Feb 12, 2021 19:26:29 GMT
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Seems to be some good vibes on the forum recently with threads about pointless and cool mods, so how about one about tiny victories? Stuff which has niggled you for ages but turned out to be a dead simple fix. Today, mine was on the Acclaim. I bought it in 2008 and the intermittent wipers were temperamental at best until they gave up completely years ago. The wiring diagrams don't match the car at all, which doesn't help trace non-contacting contacts! I've taken the switch out about four times now and made new contacts to no benefit. The last time being in the Covid summer with the use of only one eye after spraying phosphoric acid in the other moments earlier. I had to finish making the contact so I could get it all back together, including the steering wheel, so I could get to A&E! Today, whilst watching an icicle on the Herald grow, I decided to have another go. For the first time I noticed wear on another contact. Three blobs of solder later and a tickle with a file saw a barely visible build up of material added and the wipers work again, for now!  What tiny victories have you had recently? |
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Last Edit: Feb 12, 2021 19:28:13 GMT by ferny
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merryck
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 477
Club RR Member Number: 9
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Tiny victories merryck
@merryck
Club Retro Rides Member 9
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Feb 12, 2021 21:11:21 GMT
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Not recent, but when I was first getting into cars I was driving a 1989 Mini Mayfair. There was an issue with the indicators and horn, where if I indicated left the horn would sound.
Obviously this needed to be fixed, so I set about it, taking the steering cowl off, dismantling the indicator stalk etc. when all of a sudden the whole thing just exploded apart into what felt like a thousand pieces. Part of it was sprung and I wasn't ready to hold it in place.
I collected all the bits up that I could find and set about putting them together again with a real sinking feeling - I had definitely messed up. I finished putting them back together and tested it and it worked! I honestly don't know how I managed it, but it never gave me any trouble again (the indicator stalk anyway - the rest of the car gave me no end of hassle!)
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Feb 12, 2021 22:48:50 GMT
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Sorting out my E46 rear light cluster earth issues. About as common an E46 complaint as you'll ever get, but remarkably satisfying when all the little warning lights go out. I collected all the bits up that I could find and set about putting them together again with a real sinking feeling - I had definitely messed up. I finished putting them back together and tested it and it worked! I honestly don't know how I managed it ... Reminds me of the first time I did any 'major' mechanical work by myself. I had an XR3i with a blown HG, so bought a Haynes manual and borrowed my dads sockets and just had at it. After grinding valves, cleaning CROWNs and generally learning a lot very quickly I put it all back together and it fired on the second turn. I remember the intense sense of satisfaction (and relief) like it was yesterday. |
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Feb 12, 2021 22:53:29 GMT
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Audi A8 2.8 V6. Recentish acquisition. Has fly by wire throttle and an auto box.
Fairly early on I noticed that it was difficult to make a subtle getaway smoothly. Also the gearbox behaved slightly strangely when pottering in traffic at low speed, fidgeting between gears and sometimes changing up when accelerating gently before changing down again. Also some odd idle behaviour when cold.
I had dark visions of autobox or throttle body issues as they are noted for both.
Then oily smells led to some plastic removal under the bonnet revealing some very sad breather pipes. Ah, at least I can fix that problem. Not even especially expensive parts. Did that job. Wasn’t fun. Access is awkward (because Audi) and blood sacrifice was made.
No more oily smells. Win. But....also..... cold idle is now controlled, throttle response off idle more measured and the autobox is transformed. Joy! Mega win!
All makes sense now I know
Nick
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1967 Triumph Vitesse convertible (old friend)
1996 Audi A6 2.5 TDI Avant (still durability testing)
1972 GT6 Mk3 (Restored after loong rest & getting the hang of being a car again)
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Feb 12, 2021 23:21:49 GMT
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Silly little thing but my Aunt and cousins were visiting when I was about 16. She'd brought my Uncle's diesel Fiesta Mk2. We'd gone to Walton on Naze and parked the car. When we came back it was completely dead, no ignition lights, nothing. We had no breakdown cover, mainly because my Uncle was a naval engineer and could pretty much fix anything. Except he wasn't there.
Figuring it to be a loose or dirty connection I asked my Aunt if I could have a go. I twisted the key and at the same time gave the top of the dashboard an almighty thump, more from frustration than knowledge as there were no tools in the car anyway. The car fired up straight away with no issues! We immediately drove it back to Mum and Dad's and my Aunt phoned my Uncle who promptly drove from Hampshire to Essex to fix it properly.
My "fix" was enough to get us back home and probably saved my Aunt a fair few quid in garage fees. Think my Uncle fixed it and sold it a few weeks later.
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Tiny victories Mercdan68
@forddan68
Club Retro Rides Member 68
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Absolutely ridiculous win last night
Much to the wife’s disgust my lad has stripped a Volvo V70 on our drive, it’s ready to go today after the scrap man couldn’t pick it up due to the snow.......but the win oh yes he wanted the cat off and informed me the front pipe nuts were rounded off and could I cut it off Friday afternoon after work
Well a quick hammer on with a 12mm as apposed to the 13mm
And yes I got all four of , did I dance a bit and chuckle to myself oh yes!!!, small things please small minds I suppose
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Last Edit: Feb 13, 2021 9:38:58 GMT by Mercdan68
Fraud owners club member
1999 Jaguar s type
1993 ford escort
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ferny
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 983
Club RR Member Number: 13
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Tiny victories ferny
@ferny
Club Retro Rides Member 13
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Feb 15, 2021 20:03:17 GMT
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Another wiper win on the Acclaim today.
The passenger side wiper has always had a dead spot. It'd be fixed with new blades and last a week so I just took at as a quirk. I mean, I'm younger than the car and not all my parts function properly these days so....
Anyhoo, today I decided to accept my fate of fighting a seized wiper spindle and have a go at tweaking and reshaping the spring in the hope of fixing it.
It all came apart dead easy and I noticed the arm was straight but the drivers side had a kink. Vice + wiper arm × tappy tappy hammer action = fully functioning wiper clearance in less than five minutes.
Why didn't I sort this years ago? 😂
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,907
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Feb 15, 2021 20:34:18 GMT
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Couple of quick wins recently that tickled me...
Wiper blades weren't clearing the screen effectively...umm'd and ahh'd only to find that the wiper wasn't actually touching the screen.
Quick flash of the gun show and the wiper arm was bent into shape...problem solved!
Another was really wild front wipers with a mind of its own, the P.O. hadn't MOT'd the car because he knew it would fail. He'd been advised that it was the motor. I wasn't so sure...
A quick swap of the relays and I'd identified the shonky one. £5 and 39 seconds later job jobbed. Winning?
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