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Should I really own a kit car?
MK Charlie - 8/5/08 at 11:00 PM

Had my MOT in the Indy on friday and not had the best of luck since. An hour and a half after my MOT the alternator fried itself. Luckily it was under warranty so got it changed sat morn free of charge. This lasted untill 4pm on saturday and then stopped charging. Phoned the guy on his mobile and he said he would meet me at his workshop on sunday morn (really nice of him, especially as it was bank holiday weekend) fixed it then went out for a drive. At midday there was an aweful rattle from the engine bay. Turned out the key in the alternator had been chewed up. Managed to get this fixed by about 3pm on monday. Went out and at 5pm the prop started bangin in the tunnel. Turned out I had snapped a diff mount. Got my mate to weld it back up on tues evenin and worked fine all night. Took it out on weds and my clutch release bearing went. Annoying noise but still driveable. Took it out tonight and lost 2nd gear. I suspect its the syncro's.
What else can go wrong???

twybrow - 8/5/08 at 11:12 PM

Oh Charlie, that is a bad few days with the Indy. Just get it sorted ASAP, and thank the heavens that all your bad luck came at once. You'll have a trouble free summer from here on in....!

grahamgg - 8/5/08 at 11:16 PM

Really bad luck,keep your chin up. hopefully for the rest of the summer ( if we get one) you wil be problem free

MK Charlie - 8/5/08 at 11:34 PM

I really hope so guys. Car still shifts into 2nd, but only if i take it over 6000rpm in 1st! As for the clutch release bearing, it didn't seem that bad tonight, but if the gearbox is coming out i will put a new clutch in anyway. I'm really not prepared to take any risks so looking at shelling out some fairly big money on a recon gearbox or possibly a second hand straight cut. What do you reckon?
I have lost all confidence in the car now and I'm scared to take it more than 10miles from my house as every day for the last week something fairly major has gone wrong!
What is next???

Charlie

twybrow - 8/5/08 at 11:40 PM

quote:
Originally posted by MK Charlie
What is next???

Charlie


A speeding ticket?

neilj37 - 9/5/08 at 07:02 AM

Catches fire !!

nib1980 - 9/5/08 at 07:04 AM

don't worry i'm currently going through a phase of dropping my coolant every other day can't for the life of me work out the problem.

DIY Si - 9/5/08 at 07:46 AM

I've spent the last week or so blowing slave cylinders and faffing with my clutch too. If only blackbirds had a cable clutch!

Mr Whippy - 9/5/08 at 08:17 AM

just be glad you can even see the engine, most moderm engines are no fun at all to work on in the car.

wilkingj - 9/5/08 at 08:28 AM

quote:
Originally posted by neilj37
Catches fire !!


Did'nt quite get there with the full on FIRE bit

Had some smoke from the Hazard warning switch area (sierra switches).
I now realise this was down to the proverbial soaking I got on the way to Newark last year.

Water got in the switches, and corroded the contacts, causing the smoking etc.
This caused my flat battery, and not the Revotec fan controller (as I had originally thought - I had two faults not one!). That just had a dry joint on the main power feed on the encapsulated circuit board.
Revotec changed it without quibble at Stoneleigh. Although they were not overjoyed that I had dismantled it and could explain their excellent circuitry (I'm not the sort to rip it off).
10/10 to Revotec for their excellent customer service.

I found a reference on the net to squirt some WD40 (or similar - White Grease??) into the switches on a regular basis.

Not sure how good an idea this is, but getting water into those exposed switches is not a good thing.



[Edited on 9/5/2008 by wilkingj]

worX - 9/5/08 at 08:36 AM

Stuff like that happens to loads of people at some point Charlie, and I know what you mean by losing confidence. But there is a solution, do all the bimbling around driving you like and then on one fine day on a good stretch of road, just nail the living crap out of it and prove to yourself it's all in your mind and remind yourself why you own it in the first place!

Obviously, nail the crap out of it safely!

Steve

wilkingj - 9/5/08 at 09:50 AM

err forgot to add... Dont give up. You have a very non standard car (in general motoring terms), basically built from a pile of bits (either new or not).

Dont loose heart.. we all have these sorts of problems.
You built the car, therefore you can / should be able to fix anything on it. Even if you can't, You are on the right forum with others who can... and I dont mean the RAC!!. (no offence if anyone works there)

Life is full of crap, and sometimes it comes in big piles. The trick is not to give up, and keep shovelling. You will clear the crap, and then be able to go for a nice drive in the car that YOU built. No one can take that away from you. Nothing gives me more pleasure than getting that look from people when they find out that YOU actually built the car.

So... Eyes to the front, head down, and keep shovelling mate.. Its worth it.

Or.. I can offer you £50 for the car if you want.

twybrow - 9/5/08 at 12:12 PM

quote:
Originally posted by wilkingj
Or.. I can offer you £50 for the car if you want.



I'll make it £75 as long as you throw in whats left of 2nd gear!

rusty nuts - 9/5/08 at 05:10 PM

If your using a type 9 box and you have to replace it look at a BGH Geartech high first or sporting close box . Fitted one to mine and am well pleased, worth every penny.

MK Charlie - 12/5/08 at 06:01 PM

Well I decided to go away for the weekend with sum mates to get away from the car with the good weather.
The plan was to chill out for the weekend, and come back with a straight head to get the engine and box out.
Only set back with my plan is that it was soo hot this weekend that all I did was chill out on my boat with the lads and my best friend in the world Stella Actatwat so now I put a lobster to shame. Can barely move so will have to wait longer for MK to be back on the road. Atleast I'm in the right frame of mind now though!

Charlie

MK Charlie - 13/5/08 at 12:41 PM

HUZZAH! Think I may have found my problem. One of my engine mounts has dropped which has left it free to rock. Is this likely to cause clutch and gearbox problems?

Charlie

t.j. - 18/5/08 at 06:18 AM

This could be the problem with shifting.

But you lost the differential mounting, and now the engine-stands? On a MK-build chassis ?

That would scare me about the other welds too, so better check on regular base for little cracks..

About the rest. Mechanical things can break, so after repairing everything is just fine. Keep up...

Grtz

RK - 20/5/08 at 06:19 AM

"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"
Eric Idle