What's made you grumpy today?

[irc]

Picked up a yellow Panda 1.1 Active Eco yesterday. It's been sitting around for 18 months getting greener.
Didn't want to start work on it while it was filthy, so got the pressure washer out, sprayed on some snow foam and had a cup of tea.
10 minutes later, went outside and started cleaning it. After a couple of minutes I felt raindrops. Thought "Oh well, it'll help clean the car".
Released trigger, looked up, no rain cloud, but a definite mist on the other side of the car.
Then it suddenly turned into a stream of water, and the pressure washer started by itself.
Pop.
Now theres a big hole in pressure washer pipe, followed by a struggle to get to the power switch without getting soaked.
Car still covered in snow foam, and no sign of rain.
Oh well, out with the garden hose.

 

[portland_bill]

Hopped in the Panda this morning, to be greeted by the sweet smell of coolant. Level ok, temp staying on normal. No smell or evidence under the bonnet, smell inside the car only.
So that'll be the heater matrix then. Possibly only the two seals in the pipes, but now have to grovel on my knees to find out/replace. When it stops raining.
There's a cover over the pipes. Haynes says two screws. @varesecrazy wrote a guide, and says three. He's right, thank you.

 

[varesecrazy]

Hopped in the Panda this morning, to be greeted by the sweet smell of coolant. Level ok, temp staying on normal. No smell or evidence under the bonnet, smell inside the car only.
So that'll be the heater matrix then.

18 years in Service..?

There's a cover over the pipes. Haynes says two screws. @varesecrazy wrote a guide, and says three. He's right, thank you.

My matrix failed early..
Around 10 years IIRC

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Hopped in the Panda this morning, to be greeted by the sweet smell of coolant. Level ok, temp staying on normal. No smell or evidence under the bonnet, smell inside the car only.
So that'll be the heater matrix then. Possibly only the two seals in the pipes, but now have to grovel on my knees to find out/replace. When it stops raining.
There's a cover over the pipes. Haynes says two screws. @varesecrazy wrote a guide, and says three. He's right, thank you.

18 years in Service..?

My matrix failed early..
Around 10 years IIRC

Brace yourself young Jock, Becky's now over 14 years of age!

 

[portland_bill]

18 years in Service..?

My matrix failed early..
Around 10 years IIRC

First registered Jan 2006, so it has done well.

 

[Cheest]

I had kind of a make me grumpy last Sunday when the Ural started running crappy on the way back home from hockey. My first thought was a stuck float on a carb but I had a checklist to go through first. Turned out it wasn't the PITA to access Hall Effect sensor. It wasn't a bad plug, or the valve adjustment, nor the spark plug cap...it was crap in the right side carb from a disintegrating cheap Chinese fuel filter. I use one of these on each cylinder. The left one has never given me a problem. This is the third failure on the right side. I took the rest of the filters I had on the shelf and tossed them. Then I bought a pair of hoity toity metal and glass filters that can be dismantled and cleaned then put back in service.

I installed them yesterday. Started the rig up to head out last evening and it starts running on one cylinder again, before I even got out of the driveway. Crap. I figure I didn't get all the crap out of the system. I have places to be and say tahellwidit and I'll look at it in the morning.

This morning. Hot and humid. Joy! Having spent almost 10 years doing all my own work on this beast, the first step to pulling the carb is to drain the fuel out of the bowl. You'll still wear some, just not as much. I open the drain screw and not a drop of anything comes out of it. Hmm!? I disconnect the line from the carb and open the petcock. Nothing is going into or coming out of the new filter. Oookkkaaayyyyy. Something ain't right with the new filter. I check the left filter and I have flown, but it's not great. I pull both filters and take them apart, cuz I gotta troubleshoot. Well, one of these things is not like the other.

The left stud has two holes. The stud on the right has only one. Grrr! Ten minutes with the drill press and now there are four holes in each stud as I drilled through to each side. The fuel flows really well now. I rode about ten miles and all's right with the world.

Well, almost.

Though no longer my circus or my monkeys, my confidential informant at the shop sent me the above pic of a wheel mounted backwards on a new machine. The other three look the same. Sigh.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I had kind of a make me grumpy last Sunday when the Ural started running crappy on the way back home from hockey. My first thought was a stuck float on a carb but I had a checklist to go through first. Turned out it wasn't the PITA to access Hall Effect sensor. It wasn't a bad plug, or the valve adjustment, nor the spark plug cap...it was crap in the right side carb from a disintegrating cheap Chinese fuel filter. I use one of these on each cylinder. The left one has never given me a problem. This is the third failure on the right side. I took the rest of the filters I had on the shelf and tossed them. Then I bought a pair of hoity toity metal and glass filters that can be dismantled and cleaned then put back in service.

I installed them yesterday. Started the rig up to head out last evening and it starts running on one cylinder again, before I even got out of the driveway. Crap. I figure I didn't get all the crap out of the system. I have places to be and say tahellwidit and I'll look at it in the morning.

This morning. Hot and humid. Joy! Having spent almost 10 years doing all my own work on this beast, the first step to pulling the carb is to drain the fuel out of the bowl. You'll still wear some, just not as much. I open the drain screw and not a drop of anything comes out of it. Hmm!? I disconnect the line from the carb and open the petcock. Nothing is going into or coming out of the new filter. Oookkkaaayyyyy. Something ain't right with the new filter. I check the left filter and I have flown, but it's not great. I pull both filters and take them apart, cuz I gotta troubleshoot. Well, one of these things is not like the other.

The left stud has two holes. The stud on the right has only one. Grrr! Ten minutes with the drill press and now there are four holes in each stud as I drilled through to each side. The fuel flows really well now. I rode about ten miles and all's right with the world.

Well, almost.

Though no longer my circus or my monkeys, my confidential informant at the shop sent me the above pic of a wheel mounted backwards on a new machine. The other three look the same. Sigh.

New filters probably made in France LOL Seriously weird a fault like that. How???

 

[bugsymike]

Today's grumble is weather forecasting.
I wanted to put car up in the air and check for an oil leak, also steam clean underside. Weather forecast gave 22mph NE wind with rain from 2:30 pm til around 7pm, so gave up on that job, sun continued to shine, blue sky , no clouds all day.
Even the BBC Local news which relies on the Met Office cannot be relied on, I had thought after they relocated to Exeter and spent millions on new computers we would have something to trust. I felt like saying next time open your bl**dy windows and tell us what you can see as it will be more accurate than the forecast!!!

 

[The Panda Nut]

Today's grumble is weather forecasting.
I wanted to put car up in the air and check for an oil leak, also steam clean underside. Weather forecast gave 22mph NE wind with rain from 2:30 pm til around 7pm, so gave up on that job, sun continued to shine, blue sky , no clouds all day.
Even the BBC Local news which relies on the Met Office cannot be relied on, I had thought after they relocated to Exeter and spent millions on new computers we would have something to trust. I felt like saying next time open your bl**dy windows and tell us what you can see as it will be more accurate than the forecast!!!

My dad had a fir cone collected from the Alps decades ago. He used to laugh at the weather forecasters and see if the fir cone was open or closed. He, and it were nearly always right. A lady rang in today and warned of a hurricane moving in. But dont worry there isnt...... You have to ask if they have the first idea.

In fairness it is much better than it used to be. I always used to say they dished up yesterdays weather as tomorrows forecast.

 

[bugsymike]

I always liked a good old Barometer as you could see when pressure changed.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I always liked a good old Barometer as you could see when pressure changed.

I have three. An antique mercury filled one inherited from dad, his Frnch analogue and one my own. They have been very stable for the last five days just over 30" and set fair. They are currently all falling slowly. My forecast tomorow more cloudy but much the same as today but going off in the late afternoon. Do your worst in the morning.

If you have MES you can use the car for air pressure.

 

[bugsymike]

I have three. An antique mercury filled one inherited from dad, his Frnch analogue and one my own. They have been very stable for the last five days just over 30" and set fair. They are currently all falling slowly. My forecast tomorow more cloudy but much the same as today but going off in the late afternoon. Do your worst in the morning.

If you have MES you can use the car for air pressure.

Does that work if you drink real ale?

 

[The Panda Nut]

Does that work if you drink real ale?

Only after 15 pints!

 

[bugsymike]

Only after 15 pints!

I will take your word for that, I did manage 12 pints of Guiness during an afternoon and evening a long time ago, mainly because a soon to be ex wife wasn't speaking to me for the entire day of one of my daughters weddings.
Needless to say my "father of the bride" speech was not one to be cherished

 

[The Panda Nut]

I will take your word for that, I did manage 12 pints of Guiness during an afternoon and evening a long time ago, mainly because a soon to be ex wife wasn't speaking to me for the entire day of one of my daughters weddings.
Needless to say my "father of the bride" speech was not one to be cherished

If my girls ever get married I wont be permitted to speak, so you'r ahead of me.

 

[bugsymike]

If my girls get married I wont be permitted to speak, so you'r ahead of me.

So far one out of four girls got married, which sadly didn't last as I thought he was a good bloke

 

[Cheest]

I didn't make any speeches at either of my daughters' weddings. I wasn't allowed an opinion on anything with both weddings. Just sign the checks and nod in agreement.

 

[Cheest]

Grumpy old man shouting at clouds today.

Tuesday morning is the so called slow club bike ride. Billed as 12-14 mph. Maybe when they leave the parking lot. Very windy today and when I checked the sign up sheet last night, there was a total of five signed up. I figure, good, they’re not going to abuse me. Twelve were signed up this morning and the bulk of those were the ‘go faster than anyone’ group. Gonna have my ass handed to me again.
Part of this ride is on a path with much of it on rural roads. As soon as we were off the path, everyone but moi lit their afterburners and were gone. I managed a 13 mph pace as best I could as I watched the rest of the group get tinier and tinier. A couple riders waited for me at a crossroads as we headed in a 25 mph headwind. I’m killing myself trying to make 8 mph when one of the guys says that the pedal assist on his bike made the headwind easier. I flippin’ lost it. “You’re riding a carbon fiber e-bike? WTF!” He says that is what most of them are riding. I said, “Really? I’m busting my ass on a 34 year old steel touring bike while you guys are riding plastic and you still have to cheat? This is my last ride with you guys. I’d rather ride with dopers.”

We’ll see how this plays out at the next club meeting. I’m either going to be asked not to renew for next year or I’ll be tasked to lead rides ‘slower riders’. I wouldn’t mind setting something up for vintage bike riders. No batteries allowed.

 

[bugsymike]

Grumpy old man shouting at clouds today.

Tuesday morning is the so called slow club bike ride. Billed as 12-14 mph. Maybe when they leave the parking lot. Very windy today and when I checked the sign up sheet last night, there was a total of five signed up. I figure, good, they’re not going to abuse me. Twelve were signed up this morning and the bulk of those were the ‘go faster than anyone’ group. Gonna have my ass handed to me again.
Part of this ride is on a path with much of it on rural roads. As soon as we were off the path, everyone but moi lit their afterburners and were gone. I managed a 13 mph pace as best I could as I watched the rest of the group get tinier and tinier. A couple riders waited for me at a crossroads as we headed in a 25 mph headwind. I’m killing myself trying to make 8 mph when one of the guys says that the pedal assist on his bike made the headwind easier. I flippin’ lost it. “You’re riding a carbon fiber e-bike? WTF!” He says that is what most of them are riding. I said, “Really? I’m busting my ass on a 34 year old steel touring bike while you guys are riding plastic and you still have to cheat? This is my last ride with you guys. I’d rather ride with dopers.”

We’ll see how this plays out at the next club meeting. I’m either going to be asked not to renew for next year or I’ll be tasked to lead rides ‘slower riders’. I wouldn’t mind setting something up for vintage bike riders. No batteries allowed.

It's certainly taking the pi**, the E bikes are so powerful that one thing is for sure, the E doesn't stand for Exercise!
Sometimes me and one of my daughters and her three year old park by a river and do a several mile walk up to a pub (my incentive) for lunch, beside the river walk is a cycle path where all the Lycra gang reside. The whole journey is near enough flat and grand daughter manages without carries. I am forever moaning to my daughter about all the E bikes racing along, no danger of fitness involved, Mr Blobby could manage it!
Recently we did a walk on Forestry Commission land that has been expanded to include the biking fraternity, car park was almost full and without all the brand new MPVs the bikes alone in the car park must have cost over a million quid!

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

It's certainly taking the pi**, the E bikes are so powerful that one thing is for sure, the E doesn't stand for Exercise!
Sometimes me and one of my daughters and her three year old park by a river and do a several mile walk up to a pub (my incentive) for lunch, beside the river walk is a cycle path where all the Lycra gang reside. The whole journey is near enough flat and grand daughter manages without carries. I am forever moaning to my daughter about all the E bikes racing along, no danger of fitness involved, Mr Blobby could manage it!
Recently we did a walk on Forestry Commission land that has been expanded to include the biking fraternity, car park was almost full and without all the brand new MPVs the bikes alone in the car park must have cost over a million quid!

There's definitely a small but noticeable increase in people using bikes around here. Which I'm pleased to see considering the astronomical amount of money that's been wasted on making bike lanes and other little used facilities. However with this increase in presence there badly needs to be an educational and legal process taking place to upskill and make riders liable for the frequent infringements of road law which I'm seeing more and more. Every time I go out in the car I can guarantee you I'll see a cyclist either running a red light (pretty much a standard sight all the time now) or riding on pavements or dangerously speeding up the inside of slow moving traffic - I could go on and on - People are going to be seriously injured and killed and the motorist is going to be the one held responsible and have to pay both financially and emotionally. Bikes need to carry insurance just like any other volume road going machinery.