Yeah, 2 Mk 1s -experience of- both the smaller engine, a Eunos (has A/C and the roof basically, had a removable hard roof as well) which my brother wrote off by wrapping it round a taxi and the later slightly reduced power version (I think) of an actual UK market MX5 which was more rust prone for some reason but is still just about around. They were / are my mum's.

Tbh I don't quite 'get' them. I know they're a kind of new 'Mrs Peel' Lotus type thing, but they are quite basic and tbh I think I preferred my old ex-chicken coop (really) 1.6CTI I had back in the day, front drive or not. Neither could match a 2.8i Capri for fun, not sure what I'd make of 80s Fords nowadays.

For all the above, I don't dislike MX5s - if you wanted a small car of that sort they're quite fine.

I kind of ignored the Mk2, the Mk3 I thought looked chunkier and sturdier back when it was new, I saw one in Maryport but didn't get a go in it. A friend's fiancee had a supercharged 1.6 Mx5 I remember (Mk1) - they both loved it.

If the Mk3 is going for a good deal and drives nicely it's probably not going to be a huge mistake. Enough of the older ones are still around and they aren't going to have lost refinement as the newer versions turned up.

One of mine reads 'unlocked' on the nanocom, but it isn't. It was when I got it, after it half locked down and deleted its codes I had it unlocked and sorted out by Rick at Callrova - he left it unlocked just in-case because I had an odd electrical problem at the time.
Of course I put the charger on one day but forgot to remember to take a lead off the battery. It didn't wipe anything that time but it did lock itself so the (luckily still correct) fob codes are blank. All the rest looks just as a locked BECM should (my other one is the same except that it says it's locked). I can't get it to actually lock with the nanocom, so it's currently pretending to be unlocked in a half hearted fashion.

leolito wrote:

• transfer box was brownish, cappuccino like.

Mine looked like a combination of old engine oil and mercury when I first drained it, 2x half drain and refills and a couple of years later and it probably still does tbh. Currently got the front propshaft off to replace the universal joints (front grease nipple fell off between greasings/checks) but need to re-check the transfer fluid next. The coolant looked a lot like screenwash when I got it as well actually, which makes the not-so-bad state of the old prop joints seem a bit weird. Somebody had a random approach to maintenance at some point.

It's not happy going backwards at the moment, which could be a number of things but I might be back inside the gearbox /TC sooner rather than later.

Gilbertd wrote:

getting them seated properly is the most important part of the job. Getting them in place and then giving the pipes a wiggle to make sure they have seated fully before doing the screw up fully.

That's really useful advice, I think the mistake I made the last time was to assume the clamp being tight was more important when it's actually the rings and seating of the pipes that does the bulk of the work.

I replaced the core and o-rings a couple of years ago - was either Allmakes or Britpart, somewhere I'll have a record of it. The o-rings started dripping again a week or two ago, replaced them yesterday - had a look at the 'end' of the cassette where the core slides in (RHD & only took out dash and ducts, so not a good going over but more of a check for any obvious leaks) and it seems to still be OK. Last time I had the heater box out of it.

Will find out after a proper run, it's 80% back together for now. It could be my lack of practice with o-ring replacement but it seems from that one sample that the cheaper core might be able to outlast them - and as both need at least most of the dash out to me that indicates there's not a huge benefit to getting an expensive version.

If I were totally confident that I can fit o-rings left right and centre then I'd probably get the Audi/equivalent core and do it. I don't mind the dash coming out except for the fact that most of it falls apart a bit more each time.

Bolt wrote:

memory seat functions

Mine works from standard lock - and only on one of my keys, I have key 1 and key 3. Key 3 on mine actually moves stuff but puts it all in random positions.

My '97 I think (it's raining but I can crawl under and check) has the same as the '99 fitted. Both have an identical ecu, relay and so-on. It's going to be down to the under-car connections I would think. Seems the earlier few years might have had the older type sensors, if mine have been changed then clearly they are swappable one way or another. If mine was built with the later type (which is likely as a few changed happened year by year) someone'll have the answer on here re. any ecu differences etc.

leolito wrote:

I think after the dash (top) is off, if you loose all the metal structure there is somehow a way to make it pass, also because you have access to the box perimeter bolts/nuts.

It's fine if you're leaving the lower a/c half in the car - took my dash out leaving the steering wheel in and loosened the 4 floor bolts/removed the centre metal bit that's across the heater control area, after undoing the screw that holds the top half of the heater unit on and with a fair bit of pulling on the metal (car coloured bits stay in place but loosened) it comes out. https://rangerovers.pub/topic/2219-although-not-oily-it-did-leak?page=1#pid31037 <-- Not sure if I can link to one reply but there's mine in bits on here at No 12.

dave3d wrote:

Also you can't have someone turn up in a Foden steam wagon for an MOT

Actually.. I know of at least one Sentinel where a curious owner persuaded an MOT garage to attempt to stick an exhaust gas tester in the funnel. It melted. I'm pretty sure that's not just one of those stories, although I can't remember who it was that did it.

The DG6 has long been exempt. There are oddities with exemptions.

The ban on solid tyres exceeding 12mph was, for years, in name only. It's written on the cab sides 'Max speed 12' - it's more like 30 (18-20 'cruising speed' according to the Garmin). I think that is now lifted, actually. (Side note - there are 'shower heads' over all 10 tyres as solids can get hot and turn to gel inside).

It's hefty but can be driven on a car licence. (Unlike a roller which requires a road roller licence). I have never known that to be an issue, not many Sentinel/Atkinson/Foden drivers are too keen to damage them for fairly obvious reasons. It would be prohibitive to some owners/drivers if that changed and their insurance (road) is cheap presumably for a reason. As a driver of vintage commercials it is not always in our own interests to rock the boat and remind the powers that be that we exist. The only Sentinel fatality I know of involved the vehicle that is sitting 100 yards from me right now, and was the fault of a car driver attempting to fit between it and the HGV/LGV towing it - years ago now, and under previous ownership, but neither caused by or due to the nature of the Waggon itself nor its age. Same result would likely have happened had it been anything on-tow. By the way they do have particularly good handbrakes.

On the MOT/Tax topic, I have amongst other things an older (than me by 2 years) Citroën which became MOT exempt in 2017. It is in need of some welding, and the brakes need work. Even if it is likely a 'minor' point, I would still like to be able to book it in and have it given the equivalent of an (age appropriate) MOT.

There are lots and lots of debates in vintage/steam/classic/you name it circles -

I have heard the point that not many garages would like to put their name to that, without actually MOT testing it, but that makes little sense - if I took the P38 for an MOT and then cut the brake lines round the corner, that is my problem and not the MOT centre's.

There is also an argument that tax exemption could lead to a future 'well you don't even pay road tax [vehicle excise duty] anyway' type argument if the topic of banning older/petrol/diesel etc ever came up. In truth, if they were to actually do that then they would do it anyway. Many classes of vehicle are tax exempt, not just classics and vintage.

EDIT to add: Re. the Bentley example, I actually got handed a Boat-Tail Auburn to work on back in the late 90's when I was a teenager in a rural garage. 2 speed rear transmission was jammed. Can't imagine that happening today. We had some fun cars come through there from time to time.

Happy Easter!

leolito wrote:

'shiny cap' in the rear parcel area

Mine's got something roughly like that at boot cover/shelf level, but no idea if it's original as some are black (similar to the ones lower down near the seatbelt routes that are hidden in the rear trim) and some are missing (lightstone car, but I don't think it was really that well looked after - certainly in the last ten years or so. A lot of odd parts like that).

Excellent! Mine's held up OK so far since replacing the OBD connector (it's clearly been wet for a while at some point under the glovebox).

The nanocom connects by firing a signal to the delay relay to kick into the EAS computer (somehow, no idea how all that works but that's needed it seems to let it get into the ECU). When mine was intermittent it was down to the connection from the under-dash port to the relay-pin slot. Taking it apart it was the actual OBD/similar to OBD socket itself - inside it was green and falling apart. I've put a new one in (on a lead and soldered the wires for now, old socket is still in place but not connected). The cheap e-bay socket had an incorrect wiring diagram, but having tested and decyphered it, if it is that that's wrong there are not that many pins in use, it isn't too bad to swap them. Of two cars, I haven't had ecu connector problems but both have had OBD connector problems.

JMCLuimni wrote:

drilling several holes in the lowest points around in a circle.

Actually that's not a bad idea. The well itself is thin walled and prone to condensation from any air moisture content (depending on climate) and it can build up just from sitting. Like an unheated spare room in a single skin brick house. Unless it's kept warm/in a heated garage there will be dampness collecting behind/under the spare tyre etc as long as there is moisture in the air. The weird little plugs in there look as though they ought to come out, although not at the low points oddly.

Sloth wrote:

Mostly caused by my tailgate seal

I thought I'd sorted mine, along with the leak that was on the rear vents by the wiper mechanism, but it looks like it's coming in on the nearside at the 'corner' of the wheel well now. There's a line of water along and down, and of course it soaks nicely into the sponge underlay. Spring/summer for that one probably - or I might just take out the rear carpet for a bit as it's hardly in fluffy new condition.

It's (according to websearching it) for 'maintaining the original function' of steering wheel controls when replacing the stereo. There's some comments on the web from a while back, other forums, that it might not work on older head units. (Depends what is meant by older I suppose). My controls are variable at best, will be interesting to find out how it goes actually.

As it is today, this is after having the rear carpets out and temporarily covering the whole well in Dinitrol.

Normally looks like that without the marmite coating, basically. Mine's always been a mess, the water ingress and/or condensation buildup is less than it was but persists. Need a dry weekend or two to look at it again. Carpets out again in the summer as the soundproofing just holds water.

The left side of the spare wheel's bit would have the polystyrene kit holder - that's in the shed with the spare atm.

AlanP38 wrote:

I was wondering if anyone on it has used rick the pick.

Yes. He's local to me and when my BECM went into nonsense figures he sorted it out - absolutely first class. (Thought I'd need him again actualy last week, turns out the starter was absolutely knackered).

mad-as wrote:

if you fix one thing another thing will follow

That's them making life fun for their owners. I know I won't be bored this weekend, lockdown or not.

Today I have mostly been moping around at work whilst putting off going back under the GEMS. Thought it had a flat-ish battery but it doesn't. Had to walk home from the post office yesterday. Weak starter has finally packed up. Solenoid relay clicks, in N and P a second click and the solenoid thunks it into position (jumping pins 3 and 5 has same effect) - no attempt to turn from starter.

The push-connect small wire is corroded at the spade connector but I assume it works as the solenoid kicks in, at least partly. Next I will check the starter with a + wire to bypass the solenoid, if it turns then it's not the main earth (probably) or starter itself (probably) - likely then to be either the little wire that connects solenoid to starter - which looks utterly rubbish tbh, or the contacts in the solenoid from what I've read so far. The workshop manual is fairly useful.

All of which is actually electrickery I suppose, but it's planned my next weekend out for me. Also the Thor has eaten a brake pad or something, heck of a grinding noise, so there's that to look at. For the next day or two it is Freelander time I think.