Passed yesterday!

Gilbertd wrote:

I was recently talking to a trade customer of Britpart and it seems they have been taken over by a larger parent company. They are, allegedly, working hard to counter the reputation they have and dropping the sub standard parts and replacing them with a lot of OE parts. Apparently the Britpart XS range of brake components are OE.

Now that would be good, as we now have a large Britpart outlet in Manila. Mind, this is probably where they're sending all the sub-standard stuff first!

Gilbertd wrote:

Don't you have one on the passenger side already, or is that something they missed off on EU spec? The actual handles have a hook to take the force of someone hanging on them, the screws just stop them from falling out.

Don't have any A-pillar grabs on my Euro spec.

Well, lawks a mercy, well I’ll be, knock me down, who’d have thought it, etc.

So, last Friday was designated vehicle registration day. The time off was duly booked and Tania (the lovely step-daughter) volunteered to accompany me, mainly on the promise of a Full English afterwards at a little bar I happen to know.

Now, just to double check, I’d been on the Land Transport Office website just to confirm they were still doing walk-in and that I didn’t need an appointment. No mention, great.

07:30, up we roll. I’m greeted by my little mate who tells me that they can’t do emissions tests any more and that I’d have to go to this other place (which I’d basically driven past on the way), get tested and then return.

Off we pop and finally find the place but, hold up, this isn’t an emissions test, it’s a full blown “MOT”! Ah well, in we go and park up. I’ve no idea how it all works and, it seems, neither do many of the staff.

Seems to go like this. Pull in and directed to a slot by a little chap who gives you a number (of course). You then go and pay and are told to go to the waiting room. Now, I’d espied some brake rollers and, keen to not have my gearbox climb into the passenger seat, went and spoke to someone about how they tested permanent four-wheel drive vehicles. He didn’t know, but he thought he may know someone who did.

Eventually another chap arrives and asks me what the problem was. I repeated that I was only curious about their brake testing methods for full-time 4x4 vehicles. He smiled and led me over to the roller area and pointed to a set of dummy rollers that went under the non-tested wheels. He said he’d make sure they were used on mine. We also chatted about testing prop acting handbrakes and I went away reasonably happy.

Anyway, instead of sitting in the waiting room, I left Tania in there Netflixing away and went to stand outside to watch. Good job too. After 15 minutes or so, the manager of the place, Mike, came over and asked me if I could open the tailgate for them. Every day’s a school day!

Got chatting with him and said that whilst I applauded the move towards more stringent testing, I was a bit peed off that there was no mention of it on the LTO website and, had I known, I’d have given her a quick pre-test check and come here first, before going for registration. He replied that it only opened last Monday and he’d been getting grief ever since then from motorists who, like me, were told just to nip there for emissions, no mention of a full test. Anyway, we chatted for a bit whilst his minions crawled all over, round and under the P38 until eventually we had a verdict.

It failed! First thing was a gearbox oil leak. This isn’t, it’s from where I was refilling the box via the dipstick hole, with inevitable overspill, but never mind. Second was the lack of an early warning triangle, easy fix and third was a bit bizarre. Brakes. They told me they worked and stopped within parameters, but they thought the pedal went a “bit too far down.” Hmm, no point arguing, I’ll give ‘em a quick bleed.

So there we are, not bad for it’s first, and unexpected, test in who knows how many years. More fluid on the way, as I haven’t quite got enough in stock to be sure, warning triangle, ditto, and “gearbox oil leak” already wiped away. I’ll give it a wash off when I bleed the brakes, so it’s nice and clean under there for them.

Oh and emissions? CO = 0.02 and HC = 43.8, an easy pass.

I’ll aim to return this Friday morning and, probably because I didn’t curse word and moan, Mike said they’d do the retest for gratis, rather than the normal 50%. Nice guy. I’ll get some pics of the place as well. I'm also guessing that it’ll probably involve another breakfast too!

Interesting.

When I got mine, it had an original alloy/plastic radiator. Whilst the coolant level never moved, the temperature would creep up in our wonderful traffic jams.

On the advice of a local '38 owner, I had a "traditional" radiator made. This was a lovely job, fitted perfectly and, more to the point, I can get it repaired in any radiator shop.

However, topping up to the "Cold" level, it will drop to about 5mm below, then never move. Of course, when I first fitted the rad, and replaced all the hoses, I was paranoid. Now, I'm used to it and don't top it up any more. Temp stays bang in the middle, no matter how slow the traffic.

This weekend...

Find out what is blocking my sump drain and why.

DavidAll wrote:

A little more digging shows that the company is based in Hong Kong. How it is possible to sell a battery with free postage at that price seems hard to believe. However I have had a confirmation of the order - number 11- and an email detailing tracking and delivery time.

Is it there yet, dad?

Welcome on board.

Just to update, I lied.

The last update has now killed the screen functionality. There's a tiny little bit in one corner that still works. Unfortunately, this isn't the bit that allows me to enter unlock codes.

So it's dead.

RIP Evo.

Put a post on the Nanocom forum, so maybe I'll get a response.

Here, they used to be really strict.

You'd have an exhaust emission test then the tester took a pencil rubbing of your engine number, signed a form and you were done.

It's easier now, they've dropped the pencil rubbing!

So this last weekend, I'd decided that I was definitely going to fit the new - second hand - drivers window regulator.

The '38 thought differently, "I'll decide what he does next, not him!"

No sooner than I'd got the EAS compressor working as it should last week, she dropped onto 7 cylinders. Bloody ingrate!

So Saturday passed in a blur of relaxation but Sunday morning saw me heading downstairs clutching 8 new plugs, an air filter and, whilst I was there, a new drive belt.

Now, a left hand drive P38 is an interesting beast, in that everything is on one side of the engine bay. Whereas a RHD vehicle has obstacles to plug changing distributed on both sides, on a left hooker, we have steering, brake modulator and associated pipework and pump, EAS kit and lines, air box and feed. The bloody lot. All this conspires to make changing four of the plugs a ahem, challenge. On the upside, having fought, grazed knuckles and sworn for 30 minutes on one side, using every combination of extension bar you've got,, you come round the other and there's nothing, and I mean nothing in the way at all. 10 minutes and the other four are gapped and changed. Good stuff.

To be fair, having seen the state of the plugs, I can understand why she was complaining. Virtually no mileage on them, but many, many hours spent achieving the no mileage. Yeah. they were seriously due.

Filter and belt replaced, although the former could have lived to fight another day, but hey, I'd got one in stock, so...

1st result? eight cylinders all doing their stuff, as they should.

2nd result? No regulator replacement.

In the meantime, I've ordered up:-

Lower tail-gate cables, one snapped last week, the other probably won't be far behind.
Upper tail-gate struts , the last only did six years.
Rocker cover gaskets, as there was some oil in a couple of the plugholes.
Spare set of plugs.

Be a week or so before that lot arrives so, this weekend, if the floods recede enough for lubricant delivery; oil and filter.

mad-as wrote:

he turns around and gives me his p38 , so now i have 2 complete cars and lots of parts .
apparently it doesn't matter where you park them they still accumulate, safety in numbers.

I wish!

Been suffering from reluctant suspension the last couple of times I've had her out so decided to have a look on Monday.

Removed the intake filter off the pump and nothing. The pump's running but not pulling air.

On strip down I found the piston "ring" and bore to be good but the o-ring under the output reed valve was goosed. Hmm, none the right size in stock.

Fortunately, when I went back to air, I rebuilt a second hand pump, but it was always a bit noisy, which is why I fitted a new one. Dug it out and pulled the "head". Ooh, what a lovely o-ring, so a quick head swap was on the cards. Done, pump refitted and she rose like a young salmon.

Don't we love a free fix.

I use Rimmers mainly. Fast, parts in stock and, given where I live, normally send the right ones!

Malaysia and Singapore too, obviously, but not quite sure why Thailand joins in.

A nice little trip there, Richard.

With our average speed in Manila, it would take almost exactly a month of solid driving, with no pee stops, to complete that!

I got stopped here the other week for not wearing a mask in the car, only a few days after someone in the government was saying to use common sense and wear them only when necessary. He didn't like it when I pointed out that I was merely out for a run and had, until he pulled me, no intention of interacting with another soul. His mate saw sense though.

It's not the "law/guidance" it's how a particular muppet interprets it!

And we like a nice easy fix!

Clive603 wrote:

I'm surprised that folk are only getting 3 or so years useful life from a battery. Mine is over 6 years old and still working fine despite lots of standing around and charge ups "when I think about it". Dunno what brand it is. Just whatever the local independent tyre & exhaust place was selling back then as a decent mid range choice.

Don't think I've ever put two batteries on a car but as I've had the P38 since 2011 it may be the first.

Clive

I've had my '38 for seven or so years now and on battery number four!

The heat kills them and after two years, you're on borrowed time. A pal of mine in KL moved his battery to the back, away from the engine heat but still only got another 12 months or so out of them.

The one good thing here is an outfit called Motorlite, who'll have a new one with you in around 20 minutes from calling them. Their number's on my mobile speed dial!

A bit late in replying.

Richard is quite right. I couldn't find the proper stuff, so it's just got a waft of satin black and we'll have to see how it gets on.

It wasn't that the plastic was faded, it was the fact that the colour coded section around the spots wasn't Epsom Green, and there was no chance of getting any made up any time soon. So it was satin or nowt.

Better than looking at a gaffer taped hole any day!

Marshall8hp wrote:

George, you mention removing the little jumper. What do you mean by that? Are you pulling the unit apart and deleting something off the circuit board?

Updated the other post with a picture.