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Oil change I believe. I popped out this morning to get some spices to knock up a Tandoori Butter Chicken as promised to the Bottle Opener and, at the same time, pick up some tap washers. Oops, let me go back a bit. First I had to produce an letter of authority to allow Kuya John, Madam's driver to renew her driving license. That took two hours. Not because I'm a slow typer but because despite imploring people not to, someone insists on randomly unplugging my printer. It obviously objected to this and was showing more faults than a knackered P38. Anyway, letter done it was off to Robinsons in Ermita to carry out the aforementioned tasks. Let's skip over the fact that it was easier to buy a tap than a washer and move on to the fact that that the hardware shop had my preferred oil on special offer. So I thought, well I've got filters and a garage, let's get on with it. I even bought a placcy container to drain into. I couldn't get away with using her pan twice! Anyway off with the plug, actually placing the container correctly and out with the old. Then came the filter. Now, ever since I was knee high to a grasshopper, I was taught hand-tight, right? This must have been tightened by the Godzilla look-alike that works down the We Changee Oil 2 place. 2 because it's not the usual one I've used. Never, in 44 years of changing filters have I had to muller one this badly. The filter wrench wouldn't touch it, even driving a screwdriver through it did sweet FA. Eventually I got it flat enough to get a large water pump spanner on it and, with a nasty pop from a shoulder muscle, it finally came free. Two hours for a twenty minute job! Just got it buttoned up in time for the school run. Got to admit she sounds a lot happier now we've got rid of the last of the dodgy Halvoline they used. Now I hurt and am having a recuperating beer! Cor blimey, that went on a bit, didn't it? 😊 Really good you got to go around taft avenue! I'm just really near your area then living in the vicinity of De La Salle university. Hope we can have a chat soon! or better yet when I find a pristine 38!  |
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Really good you got to go around taft avenue! I'm just really near your area then living in the vicinity of De La Salle university. Hope we can have a chat soon! or better yet when I find a pristine 38! Drop me a PM. I'm on the other side of Taft, about 400m from DLS! |
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joeytalent
Part of things
ITB Everything.
Posts: 440
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That's one of the great things about the 280Z's engine bay, there is nothing around the oil filter:  I feel your pain; I changed the oil on an ex-girlfriend's Micra after an engine management light came on. The filter came off in chunks until I could get some vice grips on it, and the oil was solid around the cap, to the point where you had to lever gooey oil blobs out. |
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That's one of the great things about the 280Z's engine bay, there is nothing around the oil filter That's sweet. In theory, I too could have that level of access, if I dropped the entire steering assembly! To be fair, if you only need a filter wrench - which should be the case, shouldn't it? - then there's plenty of room. It's when you need more leverage that things get tight (no bloody pun intended). I feel your pain; I changed the oil on an ex-girlfriend's Micra after an engine management light came on. The filter came off in chunks until I could get some vice grips on it, and the oil was solid around the cap, to the point where you had to lever gooey oil blobs out. I think it's safe to say that had the '38 belonged to a girlfriend, she'd be ex now as well!  |
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Those of you who follow Letter from Manila, and there's no reason why you should, will know that we had the hole diggers back outside the house on Sunday, This was followed, somewhat inevitably, by Monday, which sees me number coded and therefore grounded. So two days of immobility would have been an ideal time to set about giving the brakes a final sorting. However, My Little Bleeder decided to succumb to some sort of Jungle Fever and took to her pit. so what to do? One thing I do like is a clean engine bay, not only are they easy on the eye, you don't get covered in carp every time you so much as lift the bonnet. Obviously, with my earlier apartment living, I couldn't DIY this and the one place that had a go didn't do a very successful job. This wasn't all their fault as at some point in her life, someone has used hateful engine lacquer on it which, over time, has gone brown and manky.  A few weeks ago, I read somewhere about using carb cleaner to shift crud so thought I'd give it a go. So, carb cleaner, a small soft brass brush, followed by some degreaser, left me with this...  Finger notwithstanding, it's come up quite well. Especially like the way the alternator and aircon pipes have cleaned up, they really let things down before. And yes, I got mucky and did underneath as well! Of course, I then noticed the years of engrained grime in the textured finish on the grille. Neat washing liquid, a toothbrush, some baby wipes and a rub over with WD40 made a very nice difference.  Come up quite well for 22 year-old plastic. Happy with that. Now, where is she? Oh, and met up with gucci88 on Tuesday, who had an emergency Walang Pasok from university due to the ASEAN conference. So naturally it involved a few beers and a natter about Range Rovers and life in the Philippines. Very pleasant! |
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Last Edit: Aug 9, 2017 22:07:58 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! :)
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Mines a diesel so mines meant to be dirty. |
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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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So in an attempt to put this morning's discovery to the back of my mind, I decided to tackle something else that's been bugging me. The headlights. They were grubby and cloudy and really restricted light output. Being glass, at least it wasn't that lovely yellowing, so beloved of Japanese cars here. As I currently live in an ovenless abode, splitting them wasn't really an option so let's look at what we have to hand. Car shampoo? Yep. Bottle brush? Aye, bought the other day for this here very purpose. 7 screws removes the grille, two bolts and two nuts sees the light units away. Removing the indicators is optional. No biggie either way. Bulbs out ands carefully stored, shampoo, brush and hose at the ready. So let's have a look Left, before...  and after...  Right before...  and after..  And let there be light...  That's better! Next time (should there be one), I'll find a bottle brush with a wire handle, a bit more flexibility would have made things easier. But never mind, we got there. |
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Last Edit: Aug 15, 2017 5:01:13 GMT by georgeb
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Mines a diesel so mines meant to be dirty. Don't take it to heart. |
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In true petulant P38 fashion, I make her eyes all bright and sparkly so she decides she's got a problem "down there".
Three times today going from lock to lock at low speed, mainly coming in and out of the garage on full lock I'm treated to a lovely CRACK.
I'm hoping it's TREs. Not because I love to change the things but because I happen to have a full set, including a new arm, in stock. In addition I've already done ARB bushes and drop links along with Panhard rod bushes.
Tomorrow I shall investigate.
I remain optimistic about the job, as the one great thing about the winter free life she seems to have enjoyed is that everything I've had to undo (apart from that bloody oil filter) has come apart without a murmur.
Famous last words!
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Yup, TREs it is.
I'll pencil that job in for Friday or Saturday, as later today we'll be giving the driving lights the bottle brush treatment as well as fitting the nightbreaker lamps I bought an age ago. Then we'll have a matching set 😊
Time to go and blind some taxi drivers!
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More boring bulb tales! As said above, today was the turn of the driving lights. They were like two candles glimmering in the distance. I haven't got a good shot of the lenses but it's safe to say that one of them has spent a fair old time under water...  And this is what came out of it...  yes it did work! The left hand lens was nothing like as bad, as evinced by the old lamp...  Anyway, I couldn't use the bottle brush due to the lights' construction, so had to settle for swilling neat detergent around for several minutes. I also got 22 years of grot of the casings as well. A good rinse and let 'em sit to drain for a while, fitted them up with new Nightbreakers and TA DA...  A full set! Another free job, which leads to another. The bloody tell-tale on the switch doesn't light up!. |
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Last Edit: Aug 16, 2017 4:58:48 GMT by georgeb
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It's a wonder what fresh headlamp oil will do.
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Aug 16, 2017 10:15:44 GMT
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It's a wonder what fresh headlamp oil will do. Trouble is I still have to import that. Only Snake Oil available here! |
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Well, haven't we been a busy boy? First up this morning was handbrake adjustment and, with that sorted, it was time for the track rod. Of course, you can't just replace the ends. You get the rod with a crimped in TRE for one side and use the old adjuster with a new end for the other. As usual, the nuts came marching off with zero issue, but the tapers weren't for giving up with a light tap, even with a jack under. So out with my tiny gas soldering iron with the torch end fitted, five minutes and a hammer blow later, the first gave up. Repeat for the other side. That really is a cracking bit of kit. Strip the adjuster off the old one, give it a clean up and build up the new rod, with 1345mm between thread centres when fitted, as per the old. A couple of runs up and down the road with a few delicate adjustments saw the steering wheel centred again, tighten everything up and we'll call that job done! Very satisfying too. Hammers, big spanners, nothing fiddly. The old ends were seriously goosed. Steering arm seems okay though, so I assume that's been done in the recent past. Beer o'clock methinks. |
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Last Edit: Aug 18, 2017 23:50:40 GMT by georgeb
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Aug 18, 2017 23:48:57 GMT
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And for the hard of reading, yesterday in pictures! Pretty goosed.  New rod about to be built up.  And yes, I was right!  And just for giggles, I was scrolling through the information screens on the message centre. Now I don't know how far back it stores, but it tells me my average speed is 8kph! That's not very much, is it children? |
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Tazzy
Part of things
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let there be light?
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Just finished an Oranjeboom as I read this.
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And there was, there was! Just finished an Oranjeboom as I read this. Oranjeboom? Not had that since a night out in Rotterdam many, many moons ago! Hmm, heading slowly towards that time here now. Now I don't know how far back it stores, but it tells me my average speed is 8kph! That's not very much, is it children? Forgot to mention that it also tells me the average fuel consumption is 5mpg! However, if you equate that to the actual one hour of engine running time needed to achieve that 5 miles, then it's probably not too bad! It must be getting time to do a good run somewhere and see what happens. |
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Last Edit: Aug 20, 2017 3:47:37 GMT by georgeb
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Aug 20, 2017 18:08:16 GMT
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I've had the on-board calculator tell me I had 24mpg out of a fairly got 4.6 on a good long run in a P38 before.
Couple hundred miles at 65-70mph though. May present a problem in Manilla.
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