|
|
Post by three5 on Jan 14, 2019 17:53:59 GMT
I remember them well Bob. Having to take the grill off the Mini to get at the oil filter! I still think that the exhaust clamp on the mini manifold was designed by a sadist  Not forgetting the little rubber bypass hose between the block and the head on A-series engines. Proper little swine! Don't know if I'd forgotton the bypass hose or my mind was trying to blank it out! It was when you'd reground the valves and torqued the head down on a shiney new gasket then found the bypass hose - argggggg!
I had two minis, the first one a bog standard 850 and the second a 998 Riley Elf. The Elf was a much better motor in that it had that extra bit of power and leather upholstery. My final A series was a 1275 Midget - a lot more fun! ( I definitely don't want another one though! )
|
|
|
|
Post by unclebob on Jan 14, 2019 18:17:41 GMT
MG metro was a new model when I worked for Austin Rover ..have fond memory of the black ones with red carpets and seatbelts 🙂
|
|
|
|
Post by davrav on Jan 14, 2019 19:47:09 GMT
MG metro was a new model when I worked for Austin Rover ..have fond memory of the black ones with red carpets and seatbelts 🙂 MG Metro turbo - what a hoot :driving: |
|
|
|
Post by jasehutch on Jan 14, 2019 20:25:48 GMT
MG metro was a new model when I worked for Austin Rover ..have fond memory of the black ones with red carpets and seatbelts 🙂 MG Metro turbo - what a hoot  Had one , loved it for a while then the problems started. .. Remember that SU dashpot that could empty itself of oil weekly. |
|
|
|
Post by davrav on Jan 14, 2019 20:38:13 GMT
MG Metro turbo - what a hoot Had one , loved it for a while then the problems started. .. Remember that SU dashpot that could empty itself of oil weekly. Not exposed to the problems personally - I used to drive one belonging to someone else.......... |
|
|
|
Post by charliefarlie on Jan 14, 2019 21:11:23 GMT
I love it when you old boys reminisce....... Like a scene from Last of the summer wine......... 😂
|
|
|
|
Post by three5 on Jan 14, 2019 21:56:19 GMT
I love it when you old boys reminisce....... Like a scene from Last of the summer wine......... 😂 Hey! - that's getting a bit close to home for me. Young wippersnapper...........  |
|
|
|
Post by unclebob on Jan 14, 2019 22:02:40 GMT
I love it when you old boys reminisce....... Like a scene from Last of the summer wine......... 😂 I’m sure there is a place for you around the table Charlie 😉 (Sorry pressed edit not quote )🤭 |
|
|
|
Post by three5 on Jan 14, 2019 22:05:51 GMT
MG Metro turbo - what a hoot Had one , loved it for a while then the problems started. .. Remember that SU dashpot that could empty itself of oil weekly. I remember experimenting with a whole variety of different viscosity oils AND different springs - but I could only dream of getting the oil to last a week. I think that the first time you put your foot down it all exited via the exhaust pipe. Those were the days when I understood what was happening under the bonnet.
Did the "a" series engine in the original mini become an "o" series unit when the Metro was launched? I had a good friend who left school at the same time as me and got an apprenticeship at Longbridge. He told the story of the new works at Coften Hacket ( built for the Maxi ) and how it became known as Often Cockit during the development programme.
|
|
|
|
Post by unclebob on Jan 15, 2019 0:10:27 GMT
Had one , loved it for a while then the problems started. .. Remember that SU dashpot that could empty itself of oil weekly. I remember experimenting with a whole variety of different viscosity oils AND different springs - but I could only dream of getting the oil to last a week. I think that the first time you put your foot down it all exited via the exhaust pipe. Those were the days when I understood what was happening under the bonnet.
Did the "a" series engine in the original mini become an "o" series unit when the Metro was launched? I had a good friend who left school at the same time as me and got an apprenticeship at Longbridge. He told the story of the new works at Coften Hacket ( built for the Maxi ) and how it became known as Often Cockit during the development programme.
The "A" series always stayed the same in 850, 998, 1100 and 1275 format, the "O” was an overhead cam unit fitted to late Ital’s , Ambassador in 1.7 or 2.0 guise ...piece of poo but kept me in a job like all Austin Rover cars 😉 only car you never saw between servicing was the Triumph Acclim (being a Honda under the skin ) . |
|
|
|
Post by Paulus17 on Jan 15, 2019 10:42:37 GMT
Sorry to interrupt folks  but when I put the old oil from the oil change into suitable bottles to dispose of I noticed that is was pretty thick and had lots of quite big lumps of debris in it which considering it was supposed to have been serviced 3k miles ago when we bought it I was surprised to see?? So Is this usual and I have since been told that I should have used a thicker viscosity oil been an older engine with highish mileage, again would this be correct?? Anyway back on topic  I was told I was one of the first from outside of Longbridge to have seen the Metro in production as when I was an apprentice Patternmaker I had to go along with old Charlie the driver to go and pick some things up from there for a job we were doing. I remember having to wait in what I think was the observation room where I could see all the Metro body shells on the conveyer belt way up in the air moving slowly round. Mrs P had a mini and a Metro, the Minis floor had all rotted and was scrapped and the Metro which was given to her by her Dad got nicked and never saw it again  |
|
|
|
Post by firemac on Jan 15, 2019 11:35:39 GMT
I remember experimenting with a whole variety of different viscosity oils AND different springs - but I could only dream of getting the oil to last a week. I think that the first time you put your foot down it all exited via the exhaust pipe. Those were the days when I understood what was happening under the bonnet.
Did the "a" series engine in the original mini become an "o" series unit when the Metro was launched? I had a good friend who left school at the same time as me and got an apprenticeship at Longbridge. He told the story of the new works at Coften Hacket ( built for the Maxi ) and how it became known as Often Cockit during the development programme.
The "A" series always stayed the same in 850, 998, 1100 and 1275 format, the "O” was an overhead cam unit fitted to late Ital’s , Ambassador in 1.7 or 2.0 guise ...piece of poo but kept me in a job like all Austin Rover cars 😉 only car you never saw between servicing was the Triumph Acclim (being a Honda under the skin ) . I had an "O" series 1.7 Princess as a company car for a couple of years and quite a few thousand miles. Contrary to most experiences, it was one of the nicest (and, shock horror, reliable  ) cars I've had. Apart from having to change the front brake calipers to 4-pots to cure a persistent brake judder, it was great. Lots of room and the ride was fantastic. Not great fuel economy - not surprising in such a large car with a relatively small engine - but it never missed beat and its only down-time was for servicing. |
|
|
|
Post by three5 on Jan 15, 2019 11:55:40 GMT
The "A" series always stayed the same in 850, 998, 1100 and 1275 format, the "O” was an overhead cam unit fitted to late Ital’s , Ambassador in 1.7 or 2.0 guise ...piece of poo but kept me in a job like all Austin Rover cars 😉 only car you never saw between servicing was the Triumph Acclim (being a Honda under the skin ) . I had an "O" series 1.7 Princess as a company car for a couple of years and quite a few thousand miles. Contrary to most experiences, it was one of the nicest (and, shock horror, reliable  ) cars I've had. Apart from having to change the front brake calipers to 4-pots to cure a persistent brake judder, it was great. Lots of room and the ride was fantastic. Not great fuel economy - not surprising in such a large car with a relatively small engine - but it never missed beat and its only down-time was for servicing. I had a 2.0 Ambassador for a few years. When I got it the fuel consumption was dire. It turned out to be the automatic choke sensor/controller. Replaced it and all was well - for about 6 months! In those days I went to Birmingham ( family ) fairly often so I booked an appointment at SU customer services on Tyburn Road. The guy there said "it's the auto-choke system that has failed, needs a new controller" After I explained that I'd replaced it 6 months ago he said "I can fix it but I'm not allowed to" He went on to tell me that there was no manual version of those carbs but the guys there had unofficially designed and tried a modification that allowed manual operation of the choke - but they weren't allowed to do it. He then took pity on me and said "wait there" and disappeared into the factory. Half an hour later he returns with a modified body that allowed a manual choke. He refitted the carbs and set them up and left me with the job of fitting the cable into the dash - and a car that was totally different!
THOSE WERE THE DAYS! ( before Charlie was born? ) |
|
|
|
Post by unclebob on Jan 15, 2019 13:19:32 GMT
Sorry to interrupt folks  but when I put the old oil from the oil change into suitable bottles to dispose of I noticed that is was pretty thick and had lots of quite big lumps of debris in it which considering it was supposed to have been serviced 3k miles ago when we bought it I was surprised to see?? So Is this usual and I have since been told that I should have used a thicker viscosity oil been an older engine with highish mileage, again would this be correct?? Anyway back on topic  I was told I was one of the first from outside of Longbridge to have seen the Metro in production as when I was an apprentice Patternmaker I had to go along with old Charlie the driver to go and pick some things up from there for a job we were doing. I remember having to wait in what I think was the observation room where I could see all the Metro body shells on the conveyer belt way up in the air moving slowly round. Mrs P had a mini and a Metro, the Minis floor had all rotted and was scrapped and the Metro which was given to her by her Dad got nicked and never saw it again  How dirty was the oil on the dipstick before you done the oil change and how clean does it look now after the change ? |
|
|
|
Post by Paulus17 on Jan 15, 2019 14:00:13 GMT
Sorry to interrupt folks but when I put the old oil from the oil change into suitable bottles to dispose of I noticed that is was pretty thick and had lots of quite big lumps of debris in it which considering it was supposed to have been serviced 3k miles ago when we bought it I was surprised to see?? So Is this usual and I have since been told that I should have used a thicker viscosity oil been an older engine with highish mileage, again would this be correct?? Anyway back on topic I was told I was one of the first from outside of Longbridge to have seen the Metro in production as when I was an apprentice Patternmaker I had to go along with old Charlie the driver to go and pick some things up from there for a job we were doing. I remember having to wait in what I think was the observation room where I could see all the Metro body shells on the conveyer belt way up in the air moving slowly round. Mrs P had a mini and a Metro, the Minis floor had all rotted and was scrapped and the Metro which was given to her by her Dad got nicked and never saw it again How dirty was the oil on the dipstick before you done the oil change and how clean does it look now after the change ? I thought it looked dark when we test drove it Bob but was assured and shown documentation that it had had a service 3k miles ago, so when my mate popped round to have a look I asked him about the oil and he looked and smelled it and said it could do with a change soon, which was why I thought I would do it. Comparing it to the Blue Rav it definitely was darker on the dipstick and does look cleaner now?? |
|
but when I put the old oil from the oil change into suitable bottles to dispose of I noticed that is was pretty thick and had lots of quite big lumps of debris in it which considering it was supposed to have been serviced 3k miles ago when we bought it I was surprised to see??
I was told I was one of the first from outside of Longbridge to have seen the Metro in production as when I was an apprentice Patternmaker I had to go along with old Charlie the driver to go and pick some things up from there for a job we were doing. I remember having to wait in what I think was the observation room where I could see all the Metro body shells on the conveyer belt way up in the air moving slowly round.
) cars I've had. Apart from having to change the front brake calipers to 4-pots to cure a persistent brake judder, it was great. Lots of room and the ride was fantastic. Not great fuel economy - not surprising in such a large car with a relatively small engine - but it never missed beat and its only down-time was for servicing.