Not that there'll be any pressure build up if there's a serious leak now but at any point following the work have you noticed a lot of pressure (by squeezing pipes etc)? If the rad has gone it'll need a new one anyway and they do seem to go wrong after being left empty of coolant for a while.

The only interpretation issue I've encountered was when I told an American I was nipping out to smoke a fag.
And I remember my old English teacher saying he once accidentally started a fight by saying an American's wife was dogmatic.
lol

Smug mode ;-) I've developed the habit of never leaving keys in a vehicle unless at least a window is down, I won't even do it with my own cars. P38s are among vehicles I'd worry most about breaking the habit with.

Done the Corsa nsf wheel bearing this morning without a press. Knocked the drive hub out of the hub assembly, circlip off, knocked the bearing out of the hub assembly, ground the inner bearing down from the drive hub, cut a slot in it and chiselled it off. New bearing in the freezer, heated the hub assembly and it dropped straight in no forcing needed. Drive hub in the freezer and heated the outside of the hub assembly to heat the bearing a bit and that went in with a gentle tap. Still some noise at the front, will be doing the other side soon and probably looking at CV joints if that doesn't completely quieten it.

Thanks to both of you.

The one Bri linked to is by far the cheapest 12ton rated I've seen, others on Ebay are double the price, triple the price at Machine Mart.
Nearly clicked to buy but it wouldn't be here before Tuesday and I want to get started before then, might just use my mate's press instead.

What does the internal diameter need to be? LPG suppliers sell water hose down to 10mm ID.
https://www.lpgshop.co.uk/10mm-water-coolant-semperit-hose-1-meter/
I haven't checked TinleyTech but they probably sell a wider range, their old Bigas systems used narrow water pipe.
Not silicone but is that such a bad thing?

Considering buying a press. I've previously managed without one even for jobs where a press would have made things much easier but I now have a few wheel bearings to change at around the same time and buying one seems to make sense. Don't want to spend a fortune on some massive 75ton overkill rated floor standing thing but don't want to buy anything that's not up to the job either. First use will be for wheel bearings on the ML and on a Corsa (just bought for the missus to learn to drive in). What tons rating should be on top of the job but without too much overkill / bulk / expense?

I know of a couple of Nissan Elgrand engines that ate little steel screws that hold plenum flaps in place (flaps that alter airflow route in plenum, short route for high rpm, longer route for low rpm torque).. Six flaps on the V6 engine one for each cylinder (port runner in plenum), each flap is like a little throttle butterfly but performs the different function. One engine was destroyed, another ate the screws but seemed unaffected - I found the loose butterfly, it must have somehow gone against airflow direction and uphill in the plenum to come to rest on top of another butterfly for a different cylinder. Owner had me removed them all to prevent the same happening again, couldn't tell any difference driving the car afterwards but it'd probably be a couple of ft/lbs down on torque at low rpm. The flaps would be too wide to make it as far as the valves but the screws...

Sorry to bring other marques into discussion again, almost on topic though!

Morat wrote:

My wife and I were in convoy during the boxing day floods a couple of years back. We had a BMW tagging along for quite a few miles using us a wading stick to see if he could follow us. That worked well for him until we were up to the doors and he was suddenly left in the middle of nowhere :)

Wonder if the water level had risen at earlier flood points when the BMW backtracked lol...

RutlandRover wrote:

Used to camp there every year with uni friends, was great fun watching people ignore the warnings about what times they can arrive and drive in, think they can drive through the water then get stuck.

Some would just stop in the water, some would drive off the edge of the road and suddenly find themselves in even deeper water and others would drive in to the rocks that marked the edge of the road when the tide was out.

Some people are really dumb.

Went at least a few times a year as a kid and through teenage years. Dad was mad on boating (and also Landrovers for a good few years), at various times had all sort from inflatables, little powerboats, big powerboats to yachts. I've known it snow there in June... didn't stop him from waterskiing all the way from Shell Island to Abersoch and back again a couple of weeks before having a hip replacement.

One of the few driving conditions I'd prefer an oldskool diesel with mechanical injection pump for.

Reminds me of one holiday on 'Shell Island / Mochras' in Wales as a kid, it's a peninsula and the only link road to mainland is a tidal causeway... I canoed over abandoned cars with headlights still lit on that causeway

I've now got a supposedly good engine on a pallet in the garage.
After I'd bought it the scrappies told me that if I want to know anything about the engine I could ask the dad of the bloke who wrote the car off... the dad runs a local garage and should be in the know! Oil in it is a bit black, would've thought a bloke who had spent so much on custom parts for his car and is also the son of a garage owner would have changed the oil before it got like that.
Scrappies removed it with the front subframe and gearbox, they asked me if I wanted to buy as an assembly.... If the price was right I might have if it was the 4wd version but this was the 2wd setup so the gearbox didn't have the transfer case I might have wanted, plus they (or the crash) had bent a bottom arm. If mine was 2wd and I was definitely going to go with Gilbert's method of putting in from underneath with the engine on the frame I might have paid the extra but I'd probably rather split the engine and gearbox than get into the unknown realm of seals etc between gearbox and transfer case on this setup.
No local mechanics I've asked so far want to take on the job of fitting the engine (begs the question why not?) so I'll probably end up doing it myself. Just two more garages to ask including the dad of the bloke who rolled the car. I'll ask him about the engine and if he says it was a good 'un I'll ask if he wants to fit it, if he says there was something amiss with it I might end up digging into the engine myself before I still end up fitting it myself.

Would love that sort of adventure even if sleeping outside with the crocs hehe.
But sods law says the next bit to go wrong will be a part he doesn't carry, crank sensor or something.

Morat wrote:

Lpgc wrote:
realised I may have some time toward the end of this month.

Oh, you do, do you?

(just kidding, they're both running great - thanks!)

Argh hehe!

Really need to do some work on my own stuff.. have an Elgrand that still has a dead engine, ML that needs at least one wheel bearing and probably a driveshaft, I write this sat in my 'outside office' Chrysler Grand Voyager with busted radiator, bad nsf wheel bearing and needs a battery (although I bought a new battery that I made sure would fit the GV on the caravan). Out of the 3 the GV would be the easiest fix unless MOT man found anything else wrong with it... I'd better check it's sills. I've been pestering the girlfriend to learn to drive for years but now she's up for it.. so will probably buy a little manual car for her before starting on the ML so will at least have a working car while others are off the road.

Gilbertd wrote:

Dropping the subframe is the best bet and you've got the gear for doing it already. Just unbolt it and let it sit on the floor then use your chain block to lift the front of the car off it.

The only place I can attach the chain block is on the girder above the high garage door, there's a bit of a rise on the ground under this area but it is the same place I've had many engines out of cars. The more I think about it the more your idea makes sense and I might end up going that route if I do the job myself. I may yet do the job myself, realised I may have some time toward the end of this month.

The last engine I swapped was a Sierra's for a mate, I assembled the engine we put back in with hepolite pistons, fast road cam etc and ported head according to one of David Vizards specs. Used the same gear I'd always used to shift engines, just a chain block suspended from a high beam.. had loads of heavy engines out with that over the years including a straight 6 Senator engine still attached to the autobox so quite a long combined unit..

But I've never had a proper engine hoist, don't need one for work as I only do LPG stuff. The Elgrand engine sits further back than the windscreen, it will come out forward and upwards or can (most say more easily) come out by dropping the entire front subframe.. I don't have the gear to do either method but will buy an engine hoist and use the forward and upwards way if it comes to swapping the engine myself. I'd rather pay someone to do it because I'm so busy with LPG work, if I take time out from that it'll probably cost me more than paying someone else who has gear to get it done faster.

So far I've only put a deposit down on the engine, hopefully they won't think it's worth more than my offer and 'find a problem' that'll prevent the sale going through. The scrappy's mechanic is back at work on Monday when hopefully he'll start removing the engine... and I'm wondering if he can remove the engine could he also fit one... or would it be a bad idea to task someone who might be used to removing stuff with a crowbar and angle grinder to fit stuff. Asked a few garages I know if they'd be interested but seems none are interested in fitting engines these days.

Gilbertd wrote:

Spitfire

Second time today Spitfire engines have cropped up in discussion, both times my head went off track and I was at first more impressed than I should have been!

What's that film where Clint Eastwood carries a small iron block V8 with one arm across his scrapyard... lol.

I remember that too, but the cheapest VQ35DE Elgrand engine I've seen advertised anywhere has been £950 and they go for up to £2500 without having being reconditioned. Jap import stuff though bah!

Phoned the scrappies today, he still put the onus on me to suggest a price so I said £500 engine removed by them and he accepted.
I'll pop in tomorrow, check the dipstick for metal flake and emulsion and if all seems OK put a deposit down on it.

Locking wheel nut turned up today cash on delivery.
I'm very pleased but also surprised because it was explained to me that I'd have to collect it! Plan was to collect it on Saturday on the way to pick up my daughter but I couldn't make it Saturday because had a few customers coming to collect / drop off vehicles and one was late.
Delivery guy said most of the firms he'd tried delivering to today had no-one around to deliver to, wonder why that is...

Know what you mean but I reckon whatever price I offered (unless it was very high) he'd have ummed and ahhed and told me he'd get back to me tomorrow... and maybe either think I'd tried to have his pants down or think I was more desperate than I am (hmm do I need to rephrase this? lol).

I get that... I wonder if they had an oldish bloke winding down toward retirement in the fitting bays it'd be a good idea for them to swap jobs.. Or for fitting bay guys to occasionally work the parts dept. Maybe they do and that's why it takes them so long to answer the phone... although the parts dept lad was suited up and had immaculate hands so I doubt it ;-)