one leak stopped -

indeedy the t-bar leak on the drivers has been stopped. That would be a result. Moral of story - when a bodge works, keep it.

The boot however is still leaking so I have dried it out and now an trying to identify the source of the leak. A bit of newspaper across the top of the boot should at least help me narrow down where the leak is coming from. I'll just have to move it around after every rain storm. With the current climate that's not going to be a long process.

Also had it pretty much confirmed my newly purchased wheels are
a: 5mm out in offset to fit cleanly under the rear wheel arch without rolling it. 245x40 will rub slightly and 255 will really bounce it
b: a half inch too wide to fit ^^ see tyre sizes above.

aw pish!

new grommet collected -

collected that earlier today and hopefully fitting it all tomorrow if it's dry. Going to move the cable and run it through the main engine loom grommet where it should have gone through originally. Then it's check the boot seals to see if they are leaking too :(

Hopefully move the exhaust clamp and thus stop the infernal banging against the subframe that soo irritates me! Stay tuned as they say.

I also removed the eccentric T-bar guides and put the old ones back in for the drivers side. Resealed the leading edge and hopefully this will stop the sodding leak onto the drivers seat.

grommets and leaks -

so er got a grommet but need to fix the wiring. Looks like I've sorted the water issue from the aerial but tonight the boot was very wet with water. The previously wet area was dry but the main section of the boot was awash with water. It has been chucking it down here recently but even then it sahould not leak at all far less that bad.

Not happy

another hole?

indeed, it would appear the aerial drains through another grommet that is placed underneath the motor and not the gaping hole I thought it was. Anyways, this weekend I'm off to the scrappies to get a grommet or two and jobs a good un. Might even get a fitting kit for the alloys......

pah boot floor and t bar still leaking -

yup, the rubbish clear silicon sealant I bought is proving yet again it's rubbish. So I'll go and get some black stuff and try and seal everything up again on the t-bars.

For the boot, I'll need to redrain the corner and stuff a cloth down the gap to try and get the hole dried out. I've got some rubber piping I can use to pad out the hole then I'll seal round that. Wonder where that grommit went originally and if I can retro fit another - bearing in mind the two cables going through the hole at present :(

well it started -

indeedy. Fired up like a good 'un. I've changed the piping for the washer jets now so it's all good. Took the car for a run and it started snowing! Eek. Anyways car is running ok, just need to get the boot all dried out and we're ready for the new wheels / tyres (if they fit)

new year - new level of stupidity lol

ok so I fitted some new windscreen washers last Saturday as the current ones were a bit rank. Now bear with me on this one and pay attention at the back.

So this afternoon I'm heading out to my parents for a New Year dinner. Get to the car, unlock and climb in. So far so good. Stick the key in the ignition turn and crank the motor. Except nothing happens. Well the power drops from the dash and everything goes dark. So I try again except this time I have a terrible sinking feeling in my stomach. Something new happens. I get this intense clicking noise from the engine bay, somewhere near the gearbox where you might expect to find a starter motor. Aw pish :(

So a quick phone call to a mechanic mate who suggests rocking the car back and forward in gear. Still nothing. So leaving the car in gear I try and crank the motor. Nothing. Absolutely no forward movement. Starter motor is not engaging at all.

Immobiliser is disarmed so there is power for the dash etc. All fans are turned off to conserve what power is left. So I'm parked in a bay with a slight uphill slope to the road which is itself on a hill. Sadly my AA cover does not include the Home Start so no help there. If I can get the car into the road then it's good to go for a bump start. After much swearing, grunting and a bit of wind release in distress, I inform my mechanic friend I can't move the car on my own. He then proceeds to call me a skinny wimp of useless strength and generally mock me. While I'm the first to admit that might be completely accurate and given I was at a low emotional level at the time it wasn't the best pep talk I could have heard.

As luck would have it some random bloke was walking by and after a holler the both of us started to push this frigging dead weight. We got it halfway with much ado but could not keep our feet to get the car all the way. Queue 2nd random person walking by who gets hollered and the three of us push this ungratefull lump of metal into the road. So now I'm facing uphill with about 50 metres of clear road behind me. Check it's clear, no bodies around and no other cars. Hand brake off and pop it into reverse and let the fecker roll back. Let the clutch up and **BOOM** it fires into life! A couple of prods on the gas pedal and it's definitely alive.

After thanking my helpers I pulled over to the side of the road and let the car idle for a bit. Couple of quick calls to tell folks it's alive and I'm on my way. So after a bit of idling I drive round to a big downhill and stop just after the brow. Turn off the engine and then deep breath and crank the motor. Spins like a good 'un and we're off. Drove to parents and the car restarted for the journey home nae bother.

Er right, remember I said about the washer jets??? Well on Saturday the car wasn't parked in an area I liked so several hours later on my way to the pub I decided to check if I could move the car. As I got walked round the car I realised the passenger door was slightly open and the interior light was on. Turned out I hadn't closed that door properly..... stupid boy. However still no spaces so I left the car where it was after closing the door (and checking the other one! ). Sunday I go out and there are spaces so I jump in and crank the motor. It's very slow but does fire up. I drive all of 30 seconds and park the car, shut down and walk away. Yup, the battery didn't get recharged in that extremely short journey hence the story above. Stupid stupid boy....