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Don't you just love intermittent problems? Surely a P38 ownership requirement? Sorry, I used the wrong terminology. It should have read "Don't you just love the mysteries of the Ancient World?" They're probably more easily understood! Surely a P38 ownership requirement? You know whats funny? My lasses stepdad had his for years and did 20k miles in it, mostly dragging a 26ft twin-axle caravan and he barely had an issue. Think I'll get him to pick my lottery numbers... This is but a mere hiccup on the road to perfection  . Better bloody had be anyway. It's got to wind up more reliable than her scabby Fortuner, ideally without resorting to sugar in her diesel tank! |
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Hi George,
I have a spare (old) driver pack I could send you if you get desperate.
Cheers.
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Hi George, I have a spare (old) driver pack I could send you if you get desperate. Cheers. I recognize that username. Welcome! Cheers for the offer buddy. Let's see how we get on. Since I played around the other day, she's behaved. The tell will be when I get over 80kph, but that'll have to wait until the Pope's gone now. No chance beforehand as Manila's on lockdown and he doesn't get here until Thursday! Have a nose around the site. If you like playing around with motors and some good people, it's a top place. |
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Jan 14, 2015 13:05:10 GMT
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I'm on my fourth P38 - all late models and my wife is Philippina and gorgeous, so I feel a link with you ...
Just let me know if I can help in any way.
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I'm on my fourth P38 - all late models and my wife is Philippina and gorgeous, so I feel a link with you ... Just let me know if I can help in any way. This is my second, both early models (P38s that is!). In fact the 20th birthday of this one is Jan 31st this year, so one of the earlier gen 2s. I have to admit, life's never dull with a Filipina - or in my case - four! Cheers for the offer, I'll bear it in mind if we have any more funny business. To be honest, I'd done the mod that knocks the EAS ECU off with the ignition and since I took it off again, she's been behaving. But I also had my last little height adjusting session as well, so I can't really point at one thing or the other. I'll have a highway blast and see if she drops to low without getting in a tizzy again. That'll have to wait until Da Big P has buggered off again though. We only live around 750m away from the Vatican Embassy where he's staying, so all the roads around us are closed for three hours before he makes a move anywhere. So this morning I can get out, but after 2pm I'll be stuck until around 8, when the roads open again. Tomorrow? Just forget it. Still, only five more days of it to go. I did wonder as yesterday and the day before the traffic was really bad (even by Manila standards) around us. Now, they've publicized quite well what roads will be shut and when during the visit but what they omitted to mention was they decided that a couple of days closing practice were called for and caused chaos amongst the unsuspecting motorists. I was supposed to meet a client for a beer at 4pm yesterday and he left his other meeting at 3.30. Three hours later, he rang and said he was giving up and getting the hell out of Dodge. The distance to be covered between the Philippine Railways HQ and me? Around 5.5km! We've also got a no-fly zone overhead and a 3 mile limit for shipping. Fortunately I can still get to th'Adriatico and back! TBH I would have gone away but given that hundreds of flights have been cancelled it sort of scuppered that idea and the girls, being good Catlicks, want to see the old feller, which fortunately they can do from the balcony. |
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Last Edit: Jan 15, 2015 0:30:32 GMT by georgeb
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Never dull, that's for sure!
I also did the Swedish eas off mod but it caused eas faults, so I've reverted to standard.
Currently in the middle of the heater o ring job, but have succumbed to the Audi core ....
Am shipping the car to Portugal and will need a heater!
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Never dull, that's for sure! I also did the Swedish eas off mod but it caused eas faults, so I've reverted to standard. Currently in the middle of the heater o ring job, but have succumbed to the Audi core .... Am shipping the car to Portugal and will need a heater! Don't tell them about the heater on RR.net! Half will say why didn't you do it years ago and the other half will call you a heretic for not just changing O-rings. Here, you'll get, "Stick a V12 in it and run without the heater"! No purists. |
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Jan 15, 2015 21:31:00 GMT
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georgeb..... you made me laugh tonight! Your comments on Philippina ownership are so true! On the train home, I wondered why a 'not so young' gentleman and a 'young' lady were sat at a table for four... the other two seats were full of designer bags full of shiney tat! I had to bite my tongue to stop laughing...
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Rover Metro - The TARDIS - brake problems.....Stored
Rover 75 - Barge
MGZTT Cdti 160+ - Winter Hack and Audi botherer...
MGF - The Golden Shot...Stored
Project Minion........
Can you see the theme?
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Jan 16, 2015 15:32:52 GMT
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Long time lurker here.... I love reading your updates George- so well written and great sense of humour about the place  a real insight in to how life works if parts of the world so different to here, things you never see as a tourist. Great work on the Rangie too! |
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Last Edit: Jan 16, 2015 15:34:17 GMT by lufbramatt
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pauls0
Part of things
Posts: 31 
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Jan 16, 2015 19:48:51 GMT
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Hi George, still loving the updates (and similarities to Peru!) next time you need some parts you might want to give Britcar a try - much cheaper than Rimmers and their customer service is very good. Have had a couple of orders off them now. Their website may not be as colourful as Rimmers, but it has more parts and options on suppliers, and quite happy sending stuff overseas.
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Jan 16, 2015 23:57:11 GMT
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georgeb..... you made me laugh tonight! Your comments on Philippina ownership are so true! On the train home, I wondered why a 'not so young' gentleman and a 'young' lady were sat at a table for four... the other two seats were full of designer bags full of shiney tat! I had to bite my tongue to stop laughing... Ah yes, a familiar scene here as well. "The next stop is bankruptcy" Long time lurker here.... I love reading your updates George- so well written and great sense of humour about the place a real insight in to how life works if parts of the world so different to here, things you never see as a tourist. Great work on the Rangie too! Glad you're enjoying it, it's certainly an interesting place to live! Hi George, still loving the updates (and similarities to Peru!) next time you need some parts you might want to give Britcar a try - much cheaper than Rimmers and their customer service is very good. Have had a couple of orders off them now. Their website may not be as colourful as Rimmers, but it has more parts and options on suppliers, and quite happy sending stuff overseas.
Cheers Paul. Really must get over to Peru one day. I'll have a look at Britcar. I tend to be one of those idle buggers who, having found somewhere, just sticks it in favorites and never really looks around unless there's no alternative. I'll get off my lazy  and have a gander.
Anyway, nowt on motors this week, mainly as all the roads are shut due to the presence of da BigP, so let me tell you a little tale from the other day...
Alexander Pope once wrote, “A little learning is a dangerous thing” and by gum, that lad knew a thing or two. I can therefore only conclude that at some point in the past he met the same person I did this last Monday evening.
Picture the scene if you will; a quiet bar, your correspondent peacefully contemplating the day’s accomplishments (didn’t take long) and quaffing the first cold one of the evening. A few seats along, a Filipino woman working on a laptop with headphones on. Nowt special about the scene, or the woman for that matter. Some time elapses...
“Excuse me, may I ask what country you are from?” broke me from my meditation with a start. Hmmm, makes a change from “Hellowhereyoufromwhereyoustaywhatyournamehan-sum-man?”, I suppose. Without thought, “UK” I reply. With hindsight, I should have lamped her with a bottle there and then instead.
“Do you realise you English are causing the mountains in Palawan to sink?” WTF? I know we’ve been blamed for many ills of the world over the years, but sinking mountains? Yup. Apparently, digging the Channel Tunnel meant that the element Frankium could now leak and combine with the Shakesperium which seemingly is a big no-no and thus, obviously, causing a slight upset on one of the Philippines prettier islands with regard to altitude. “It’s all to do with Catholic Astronomy” she continued to explain as if it made perfect sense and it was all on her website should I wish to investigate further. No ta.
This tirade, which just about blamed everything, even if it never happened, on everyone (especially the white guy), went on for a good half hour. Did you know that the Catholic church has been infiltrated (not sure who by) and is now partly responsible for climate change because of its invidious liberalising policy on contraception? No, I didn’t either, so there you go.
Eventually, I was forced to drop my usual English gentlemanly demeanour and requested that she, “Shut the f*** up, p*** off and leave me in peace”. Amazingly she did and buggered off muttering.
I should have known. The tell-tale signs were all there; the slightly smirky grins of the bar staff when they gave me a new beer, the rapid scuttling off to a safe distance, the fact that the woman wasn’t drinking and no-one was going near enough to fall within her orbit and ask her if she wanted one. They’d obviously been there before. Bastards!
Still, it’s not every day that you come into contact with a Grade One, industrial quality loony, is it? A dying breed I’m afraid.
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THE_Liam
Yorkshire and The Humber
If at first you don't succeed... HAMMERS.
Posts: 1,363
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To be fair, we get them in my local from time to time...
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Jan 17, 2015 22:39:45 GMT
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To be fair, we get them in my local from time to time... I'm used to meeting lots of mad ex-pats. Normally ones who've pretty much lost everything to a (or probably several) sweet talking Asian lass, but this was a perfectly normal looking office worker type Filipina. Obviously very intelligent and equally obviously very barking! In fact the last ex-pat was just a couple of weeks ago. Told me he'd been "mugged" and lost everything, couldn't get home to his beautiful Filipina girlfriend that was the apple of his eye and who, apparently, was heavy with child down in Cebu. Fortunately, someone had given (!) him some Platinum which he could sell, if only he could find a buyer... One of the more novel twists! |
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Last Edit: Jan 17, 2015 22:44:39 GMT by georgeb
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Smiler
Posted a lot
I no longer own anything FWD! Or with less than 6 cylinders, or 2.5ltrs! :)
Posts: 2,492
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Jan 19, 2015 22:29:51 GMT
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Wow, I feel enlightened and humbled...
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www.Auto-tat.co.uk'96 Range Rover P38 DSE (daily driver) '71 Reliant Scimitar SE5 GTE 3.0ltr Jag V6 Conversion '79 Reliant Scimitar SE6A 3.0ltr 24valve Omega Conversion '85 Escort Cabrio 2.0 Zetec - Sold '91 BMW 525i - Sold '82 Cortina 2.9i Ghia Cosworth - Sold '72 VW Campervan - Sold '65 LandRover 88" - Sold
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He's gone ..... are you coming out to play now?
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Wow, I feel enlightened and humbled... Erm...and that's good, right? He's gone ..... are you coming out to play now? He has...and I am. After being basically marooned for 5 days in the apartment, I'll be doing the first +80kph run this weekend to see if the EAS behaves itself. There's been no repetition of the random height changes since my major measuring/adjusting session though, so fingers crossed. Meantime, I've been sorting out the cooling stuff I've got to fit as well. I've got rad, hoses, water pump, 'stat and a big Kenlowe, so maybe that'll be next week's little job. Just got to find somewhere with the correct coolant now. |
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Water pup is OEM?
Does it have the cast impeller or pressed steel?
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Of course, the more astute amongst you will remember that the first week in January is Vehicle Registration week. And how did we fare, children? We failed, is how.
The local office is just round the back of us so on the morning of the 6th, I trundled round. Had the emissions pipe stuck up the exhaust and all fine and dandy. Next up the dreaded test where a little man takes a pencil rubbing of your VIN onto a form and signs it. Phew, no problems there.
Trip-trap into an office where I give them some money for 3rd party insurance (despite having a fully comp policy of my own) and then into the main building. I “go window 7”, as instructed, and take a pew. Ten minutes later my name is called. “Blimey” I think, “this office is certainly efficient”. Wrong.
It seems that as the Makati office never issued a registration sticker for 2014 that this means there is a delay in the Malate office being able to do so as well. Summat to do with a transfer of something or other from somewhere to elsewhere. At least, that’s the gist of what I understood. “You come back, two weeks”.
I do. No change. “You come back, one week”. Is that an improvement? I’m trying again tomorrow in a fit of (no doubt) misplaced optimism.
Of my first foray, Madam announces, “You should taken me” conveniently forgetting that on the night of the 5th, she went out with some of her ladyboy cousins with the avowed intention of getting “drunk as a fish”. Judging by the fact she never moved until 4pm, at least one of us had a result.
Oh, and we failed on the 80kph EAS test as well. Not because it threw a wobbly but because the day before I had a bit of unpleasant business in Tondo to deal with, and really needed a beer afterwards. This extended to lots and lots and next morning, whilst up bright and early, I decided that I was in no fit state to hit 8kph, never mind 80!
Anyway, off out in a while to get some coolant bought so we can get this here radiator swop sorted.
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A little excerpt.
Dear My Diary…
Thursday, 15th January:
Sitting happily in Adriatico. Lim, the Manager comes over at around 3pm and says that he now has to stop serving alcohol. When asked why he said, “Because Pope coming”. Bless him!
All roads in the vicinity closed from 3pm. Never knew I lived so close to the Vatican Embassy. Do now.
18,000ft air and 3 mile sea exclusion zones. Except for those ships already within 3 miles?
Pope lands at 17:45.
Tell girls they’ll be able to see him go past from the bedroom window at around 18:30. They spend half hour, unmoving, with their noses pressed up to glass, waiting in breathless anticipation.
“We seen Papa, we seen Papa” excitedly echoes around the apartment.
Pope on all TV stations.
Friday, 16th January:
All roads in the area closed from 6am.
Find out that the alcohol ban is compete for the entire duration of the visit. Point out that the Mayoral Ordinance actually says within 200m of where the Pope is likely to be and that Adriatico is a good 500m, minimum, therefore the ban should be ignored. “Ah, but we have had a memo”, says Lim. Can’t argue with that.
Try to persuade him to use the Thai method of putting the beer in a teapot. He ain’t having that one. Ah well.
Tell girls they can see the Pope again around 3pm as he heads over to Mall of Asia, I assume for a spot of retailing in the Pope Surplus Shop. They watch procession in silence.
Realise me and the Pope very similar in some ways, except he wears a frock and can get out and about, whereas I don’t and can’t.
Pope on all TV stations.
Saturday, 17th January:
Good job I’ve got two cases of San Mig stashed away along with 10 bottles of wine. Start to realise how the occupants of medieval castles must have felt during siege.
All roads closed from 4.30am and drink ban stands, despite that fact that he is not in Manila today.
Pope goes to Leyte to meet with Yolanda victims, the first big outdoor event. It rains all day there.
Tell the girls he’ll be coming past that evening. “So what?” and carry on with Facebook. Maybe Pope-d out already? More to the point, they’ve not been able to get near a mall since Wednesday.
Pope on all TV stations.
Sunday, 18th January:
We wander over to Tondo for an annual festival. Have to get a trike all the way there to avoid road closures.
Pope gives open air mass to between 3-4 million people in Rizal Park. Horses it down all afternoon. Do you think God’s trying to say something here?
Girls express no interest whatsoever in watching Mass on TV. Think they are rapidly becoming anti-Catholic.
Leave Tondo for Malate after a now very wet Pope goes home to put his feet up. Takes driver 6 hours to manage the 12km round trip. Road closures “lifted”, but 3-4 million aimlessly milling Filipinos will effectively do the same thing.
Finish last 6 bottles of San Mig and start another bottle of wine. Finely balanced rationing.
Pope on all TV stations.
Monday, 19th January:
Bright and sunny.
All roads closed from 6am.
Pope arrives at NAIA at 9.45.
Pope finally buggers off back to Rome at 10am.
Roads open.
Drink ban lifted.
Pope still on all TV stations.
Girls convert to Buddhism.
You have to love how things happen here. The mobile networks have spent a fortune putting up temporary masts all over Manila to improve coverage, and sending an SMS to all subscribers telling us how the service would be spot-on, only to be told on Friday by the government to switch them all off whenever the old feller’s either on the move or at a public event. Consequence? Millions of Pesos up the spout and phone signal only around 30% of the time he’s been here. Joined up planning, or what? I write this an hour after his plane lifted off and there’s still no signal. Dunno, do we have to wait for the valves to warm up or something?
Also, just before Christmas, Manila City, at great expense, built a load of little bar/restaurants along by the sea wall on Roxas Boulevard, just over the road. Nice they were too, sitting having a cold one watching the sunset over the Bataan peninsula, very picturesque. Two weeks ago Manila City, at huge cost, took ‘em all down again. Apparently they are due to make another expensive reappearance next week. Priceless – literally!
Moral to the story; if you are in a country threatened with a visit from Da BigP, get the hell out of Dodge for the duration, however you can. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
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a real insight in to how life works if parts of the world so different to here, things you never see as a tourist. Great work on the Rangie too!
