MOT 2016

Oh yes, she passed, for the third time in a row!

MOT 2015

Oh yes! That's two years in a row with no advisories either. Obviously the buggered LH suspension gaiter, hole in the floor and blown main beam dashboard bulb don't count as a failure?!

Hurrah!

1000 miles in 3 years?!

Hurrah!

MOT 2013

Not a good start to the day as it broke down on the way! £20 worth of dodgy fuel from dodgy Datty and the chuffing thing wouldn't start. Thankfully, (Simon and) I rolled it down the little hill just outside the little garage (where the motor home place was) . The bloke turned up for work at about 08:15 and couldn't help but get his hands under the bonnet! Lots of revs and can of "start-ya-bastard" got it going.

The MOT then. Unbelievable! The rusty sills didn't appear to be an issue. It failed on 4x tyres, which I knew about, and the emissions, which I presumed. Excellent!

MOT 2012 part ii

It only failed on 7 things! I was quite pleased with that, especially as the usual TR7 failure notice would include the phrase "weakened by corrosion". The list then:

(Another) MOT failure sheet

• R rear light

• L internal indicator dashboard lamp

• Dead hazards / dashboard switch

• A lost wheel nut

• R wheel rubs against brake pipe on full lock

• Emissions are dung - 3834 instead of 1200

• R track rod ball joint

Tamed electrician

The first three have been done by my tamed electrician, in about an hour! Here he is re-crimping the rear light. The other four problems I leave to Jade Motors

MOT 2012 part i

Here we go...

MOT

It passed! Got an advisory for a rusty NS sill, it's a TR7, what's new. I have a brake issue though. I purchased green stuff standard TR7 pads and they were too small. So what have I got?!

Quick MOT Update

Ed has just seen the Beast being driven back from TravelGas. This means that a) I will get a call in five minutes to go and get it or b) the brakes/bush are still dodgy ...

Why I shouldn't have a classic car #642

All I needed to get was a top steering column bush and some brake pads. I decided to get some "green stuff" kevlar backed pads as they are better than standard and with standard 2 pot calipers, I need better pads.

I also decided to get two more SU piston things to replace the other two that I bent the last time I opened the bonnet. And some brake shim things and brake pin things. And a garage full of the four elements of the hood studs that keep falling off. I also got a poly lower bush. Even though the MOT suggested an upper bush.

By the time the bits arrived due to the fact that I only ordered it all on wednesday afternoon, I got the car to Phil's at 1130, which was too late to start the jobs.

I had a eureka that I had fcuked up with the bush and then spent an age contacting various people, Guy, Lionel and Ed, and various Motor Factors and specialists. To get a £4 piece of plastic next day AM, was going to cost £13 delivery. Oops.

Confession time. I phoned Phil. The carpet had apparently been rubbing against the bush and had pushed out off place. A quick fiddle put it back in the right place. And the brake pads, the kevlar posh ones that cost £10 more than standard? They are the wrong ones.

Thus, I have bought half a dozen press studs things, the wrong brake pads, the right bush even though it's the wrong one and it isn't needed anyway. Not a good day.

Although, I know now that the bush I meant to get is the same as the one in the (proper) Mini!

MOT Time

It's a miracle! No it didn't pass but ...

1) steering column top bearing excessively worn

2) front brake application uneven

And that's it!

It even pased the emissions. Although that could be because only 6 cylinders work?!

It's Back !

It's back! I picked it up today. It's much much much better and is driveable. BUT it still plays up at high revs.

The failure list this time was:
01) n/s fr position lamp not working
02) o/s rr position lamp not working
03) fr windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid
04) driers seat insecure
05) n/s fr wheel nut missing
06) n/s fr floor body or chassis has excessive corrosion (in a TR? Can that be?!)
07) as 6) but o/s rr
08) fr brake application uneven
09) parking brake efficiency below requirements
10) exhaust emissions carbon monoxide content excessive
11) exhaust emissions hydrocarbon content excessive

Anyway, the final bill included;
MOT, 2x front brake hoses; 4x front brake pipes & ends; 2x bulbs; washer pump; fuel (!); 3 plugs; seal & repair rear fuel; remove an drepair front seat; strip and free front brakes; strip and free rear brakes; strip andc lean carbs; Travel Gas to fiddle with the emissions.

The garage's suggestions included: new carbs as the current ones are worn; an oil and filter change

The MOT advisory was: Offside outer track rod end joint cover split

Nearly Done!

Should be back tomorrow!

Another MOT Update

Top Tip: Never say to your mechanic: "no rush mate as I am going on holiday for 2 weeks during August". 

This is now week 5, although some progress is being made. The stopping starting was a combinatkion of no fuel and me forgetting to tell him that the fuel pump works off a dashboard switch! I found out today that it was much worse than feared. I walked in to find the drivers seat out of the car, to the side, still smoking where he'd had to weld the back back together (yes it was broken but I quite liked it as it tilted back nicely thus helping ease in my lardy torso) as it was around the seat belt anchor and thus MOTable. 

The lack of brakes was down to virtually seized rear drums and front calipers. Some of the brake pipes and brake hoses have been changed as they were either leaking or rusty. Phil now says that when the pedal is pressed, you can feel some bite AND the pedal comes ack up properly, ie, the brakes come on and go off again! That has to be an improvement!

And there are now 8 cylinders and the carbs are balanced. I wait to see how it goes with my foot to the floor.

I will pay another visit on Monday as we appear to be nearly there. I fear the bill now mind.

MOT Update

Errrrrrrrr, it's still there, and I have been promised it working by Friday. It's still got broken emissions and it failed on the brakes again.  Also, since leaving my cosey warm garage, it has sprung an electic leak in one of the lights and in the washer wiper motor jobby. Oh, and there is also a small hole in the rear drivers floor!  And it's stopped starting too. Another update on Friday then ...

Uh oh!

On Monday, I limped the TR to the doctors as everything we can do with her has now been done. It was a very unpleasent journey, thankfully Simon followed behind, as did a couple of hundred other cars. I managed to get into 2nd gear a couple of times and once hit 20mph! The V4 didn't sound too happy. Simon enjoyed informing me that when I changed gear the reverse lights flashed on! That'll be the switch then.

I went to see the old girl on the way home from work. It wasn't there, it was at Travel Gas where the v8 man was having a look at it before the MOT. Phil had managed to get it running better, but reckoned that it was now a v6, and that there is something fundamentaly wrong somewhere. That don't sound good!

Good job I sold that Rover! Anybody out there got any more crap that I can sell on eBay!?

Tackling the coil springs

So, one of the MOT failures was due to the springs popping out of place when the car is jacked up. Solutions that have been suggested include using garden twine to hold them in place, cable ties or a clamp and bolt set from the likes of Rimmers, although SprintMan fromn the TRDC has suggested that these don't work.

Enter Paul. And his seat belt idea. Get 4 seat belts, cut off the bit that anchors the belt to the car body and join them together to make 2 straps. Whilst the spring is in it's I am about to fall out position, measure the shock and drill holes in the body to attach the strap too. The other end will fit on the bolt that holds on the bar thing that lives by the diff. 

This might help:

See the hole in the top centre? That's the one end.

This weekend, Simon and I also had a fairly good go at balancing the carbs. Paul then strobed the distributor. It doesn't backfire as much as it used to!

M O T

Sod it, I thought, I'll take it in and see what else is wrong. We have done all of the things that we knew about. The original TO DO LIST all that time ago is now complete or defunct and thus it is time to work on another. To do that, I needed to take it to MOT man. To do that, I had to part with £120 for insurance. I limped it up the road to the closest one a few hundred yards away called TyreSales. 

Oh dear! I knew it wasn't running well and needed a tune, but decided that rather than spending £s getting tuning done, I ought find out what else was wrong as potential big bills would mean another year in the garage. I was rather light headed at the end - the whole of the unit was clogged with rich v8 petrol fumes. I think the tester let me off a few things as he was slowly being poisoned!

The failure list then:

1. o/s/f brake application uneven
2. o/s/f brake binding
3. n/s headlamp not in good working order affecting beam image
4. n/s/r coil spring not correctly located
5. n/s/f coil spring not correctly located
6. o/s/r wheel nut missing
7. exhaust emissions carbon monoxide content excessive (5665 against a limit of 1200!)
8. exhaust emissions hydrocarbon content excessive
9. front brakes inbalanced

Next time I have a mid life crisis in another life in an other world, please encourage me to buy a Mazda MX5?