Squig's CDX v6; WIP

[Squig]

Well I have good news and bad news then some more good news...
Good news 1; the battery survived the night and the car fired this morning and throughout the day... the new battery (read second hand tatty thing from the mother-in-law-to-be's old golf) is performing very well and appears happy with the 120A alternator.
Bad news; This evening I broke down... a loud bang, some slappy noises, and running on fewer cylinders than the norm. Complete engine death, I thought as I trudged through knee high grass at 4:10pm, sun setting and my breath clouding before me, towards the motorway cash removal hotline. At this point, readers, I need to make you aware that I lost my mobile phone charger a few days ago and subsequently have no mobile phone (not that I ever buy credit).I spoke to a nice lady who even called 2 of the precious few numbers I can ever remember and as Emma wouldn't have answered being a strange number while she was working I called the mother-in-law-to-be, who had, in a mad bout of tidying, disconnected the land line... bugger...
Skip to phone call 2; the only other person who I figured would answer the phone and had even a remote possiblity of aiding me in this plight. Gaz.
Give the man credit, he answered... but was still working and couldn't help... bugger again...
So I stumped up £141 and some pence and waited for 30 minutes in very cold and windy conditions, to be rescued and driven... half a mile. Then the guy asked were I would need taking to and as it turned out he could add me to his route back to the yard so he took me to the edge of my driveway and went on his way.
After a warming brew and a chicken sandwich (the first thing I'd eaten today, I was on my way back home to get a late lunch) I checked out the damage.
No damage, but number 2 and 4 cylinder ht leads are disconnected (I think it's 2 & 4 on the front bank)... wtf? and I appear to be missing the sparkplug from number 2, then it hits me like a ton of bricks, 3 months ago I removed 2 to test it in the corsa (different story) and both me and a mate both forgot to retighten it, being so engrossed by the corsa fault finding.
So a plug held in by a few loose turns has been forced out by compression after 2 days of driving and didn't do so quietly, and caused a bit of collateral ht disconnection. Causing £140 of wallet damage, no engine or vehicle damage, and a large embarrassment factor.

What makes this worse is I have breakdown cover, but no mobile and having only my card but no wallet meant not being able to call them.

The other good news? I fitted a used plug for now and she ran beautifully and I ran her onto our drive under her own steam.


Please be gentle...

[TurboDan]

Sorry squig this is as gentle as i could possibly be.......................





What a loser!

[planetc]

Few lessons learned I guess. Always look to the bright side, it could have been worse mate.

[iangsi]

Morale of the story ! don't work on corsa's

[TurboDan]

At least it was an easy fix for a change, as said it could of been allot worse. Has it dented your bonnet?

[Gaz]

No just his wallet.

[TurboDan]

lol

[Squig]

Serious dent in the wallet... not a mark on the car.

[humbucker]

lucky you didnt do any damage to the bonnet or worse... seriously though dude, you don't have much luck do you?!

[Squig]

That one was my own stupidity and forgetfulness... luck didn't have a hand in that.

[cavboy180]

I love your honesty!!

[planetc]

I love your honesty!!

We all make mistakes, as long as we learn from them they are all part of the process.

[Squig]

Too true matey... I certainly will never leave something incomplete in that manner again. To bloody expensive for one... and the breakdown cover card is now in the cav, not my wallet.

[btcctroy]

It's easy done. I left the the alternator bracket bolts loose wen I replaced a few years ago. I broke down outside wickes where I bought some threaded rod and nuts to refix it back on. Good luck I guess lol

[jimmy]

Lol never mind squig it happens to us all at some point

I had a spark plug shoot out before on one of my old cars and it put a lump in the bonnet like in the cartoons when it rises up on they're head lol

[humbucker]

it put a lump in the bonnet like in the cartoons when it rises up on they're head lol

[jimmy]

[Envoy CDX]

Could have been so much worse.

[Squig]

Indeed... a bit of wounded pride is about the worse of it.

Feeling better now though, my cover arrived today and went on tonight;

It's not a great pic but you can get the idea.

[TurboDan]

Its downhill from here you know, once you get a cover it becomes a real project!

[Squig]

I've written a little list of the parts I want too.

Lots of rear bushes... well 4 so far but it may get bigger.

[humbucker]

...furry dice, louvred rear windscreen spoiler... oh yes...

[Squig]

Largely it's because the neighbour keeps pidgeons and our cats sit on the cars...

[TurboDan]

Oh dear, a list of parts and a car cover and you allready have a "runabout" i reckon a week before he has it up on 4 axel stands with all 4 wheels off.

[Squig]

Still no axle stands in sight and the covers off for the moment as the corsa decided to breakdown just before christmas! lol