Li'l Darlin'

[PR20 Auto]

This is the Li'l Darlin' (attached)
Like many pretty little things, she is grumpy in the mornings and prone to throwing tantrums when she doesn't get her own way. (My wife is NOT like this, if she is reading)
For the last 5 or 6 years these tantrums have mainly involved throwing coolant out of her exhaust pipe in large quantities. Nothing I have done or said (mostly expletives) has cured her of this habit, despite vast quantities of money.
After my last bout of excessive expenditure, designed to cure the problem she was finally able to roam the roads, once again. For a little while. She is back to throwing coolant out of her exhaust pipe again.
Because of her annoying habits I have decided to change her name. However, I can't make up my mind between:
Maybelline (Chuck Berry - Maybelline why can't you be true. You've started back doing those things you used to do).
or:
Cecilia (Paul Simon - Oh Cecilia you're breaking my heart. You're shaking my confidence daily).
Any suggestions? Nothing rude, please. I've already used most of the rude names on her already. (She don't like that kind of behaviour. Don't be so reckless).
Thanks in advance.

[mrflibbles]

has it blown a head gasket?

[Glenn]

This is the Li'l Darlin' (attached)
Like many pretty little things, she is grumpy in the mornings and prone to throwing tantrums when she doesn't get her own way. (My wife is NOT like this, if she is reading)
For the last 5 or 6 years these tantrums have mainly involved throwing coolant out of her exhaust pipe in large quantities. Nothing I have done or said (mostly expletives) has cured her of this habit, despite vast quantities of money.
After my last bout of excessive expenditure, designed to cure the problem she was finally able to roam the roads, once again. For a little while. She is back to throwing coolant out of her exhaust pipe again.
Because of her annoying habits I have decided to change her name. However, I can't make up my mind between:
Maybelline (Chuck Berry - Maybelline why can't you be true. You've started back doing those things you used to do).
or:
Cecilia (Paul Simon - Oh Cecilia you're breaking my heart. You're shaking my confidence daily).
Any suggestions? Nothing rude, please. I've already used most of the rude names on her already. (She don't like that kind of behaviour. Don't be so reckless).
Thanks in advance.

perhaps the name on the back window says it all........

[PR20 Auto]

No Mr Fibbles,
I've replaced the head gasket about 5 times. Each time I've had the head off to machine the face or rebuild it. None of the gaskets have shown any signs of a leak path anywhere.
You're right Glen, that's one of the words I've been saying about Maybelline, or Cecilia or bitch, lately.

[Asroc66]

Well what gets in must come out......
If water is getting into the bores and its not through gasket failure, then perhaps a crack in the head or block............
J

[PR20 Auto]

The head is fine, J. Had it heat tested, put it back on, then gas tested and back on (you can see how the head gaskets are adding up). The face is dead flat. The block is also flat to within 0.5mm. The culprits are bores 2 and 3. Maybe cracks in the cylinder bores But I can't find them with scrubbing the bores with turps. Anyway the block has to come out so i can fix it or junk it and rebuild another.

[mrflibbles]

sounds like another block is on the cards, at least you can rebuild the new block so its fresh when it goes in.

[Farmer]

I have a suggestion. Brother Gary had a Crown that was filling 1 bore with coolant on standing overnight. He had to remove a sparkplug and suck the coolant out before starting it. It had had a full rebuild by the previous owner.
So he went to Supacheap and bought the big bottle of Rislone. Its either blockseal or head gasket fix, I forget, but the big bottle. About $75. He added it straight to the coolant as directed, no need to flush or remove antifreeze. Ran it the required time and turned it off. Next day it was dry in the bore. Fixed! Thats over a year ago and its still good.
This might be an inexpensive and quick thing to try.
Cheers, Matt.

[PR91]

Personally I can not stand cars being named.... Its beyond me why everyone seems to feel the need too.

[Farmer]

Personally I can not stand cars being named.... Its beyond me why everyone seems to feel the need too.

Yeah, I'm wierd. I name cars. Mostly the old ones. I think of names for new ones, but they don't stick.
I do other wierd stuff too, like have pet goats and chooks, and they get names too. Normal people have dogs. Normal people think cars are appliances.
When I was 17 I used to talk to my Bellett. Thats wierd. It didn't have a name, but I only had one. These days I have a few, so I guess its better than "the off white one" and "the grey one" and "the light blue Wasp, .....no, ....not the short one, the long one....."
Some cars have a personality, so names seem to fit. But thats just wierd. Normal says, drive the guts out of it, crush it and get another one.
I am glad I'm not normal. I like wierd.

Hope this helps.

Cheers, Matt.

[Gunna]

+1

[Stickman]

I think I might be slightly weird too
I name my cars, at least the ones I love and that have real personalities, and some have been named by others (like Donkey who got his name from a police officer who pull him over for hooning..... I got away with it though)
We name all our animals too: the cows, deer, goats, chooks despite the fact that we then eat them.... and refer to them by name as we do so (they taste much better that way) although all the roosters seem to get the same name "Meat Chook"
Then there are all the people who's real names just don't seem personal enough so they get called by nic names, like Farmer or Broom Broom Bruno, Yellow Perill (miss ya bro) GT Orphanage (MR Orphanage to me) Coona Mum and Coona Dad.

Brett doesn't name his cars and that's fine. Maybe that's why he's called "Brett" and not......... er I don't know........ something else other than Brett like um - somebody! a little help here???

I like being weird

[Farmer]

Old mate?

[Stickman]

Geeze Louise people, where's the love?
At least Farmer Matty knows how to play Sticky's fishing game

Brett AKA

Old mate

or "Brother B", "Big Fella" and as Donkey and Rufus call him "ZEUS"

Anywho that's enough off topic nonsense from me, back to Li'l Darlin'

[Farmer]

Fair enough.
Sounds like li'l darlin' is being a Cecilia by doing the Maybelline thing, cause she just wants attention. My mind wonders at this point why we tend towards female names......
My prescription is time. Li'l darlin' just wants your time. But I would try the Rislone, it could be the answer as if the coolant can get into the bore, the Rislone can get into the hole.
Heres hoping!
Cheers, Matt.

[Gunna]

And it's a hell of a lot cheaper and easier than an engine rebuild.

If it doesn't work, well then you can find another block which someone around would have as a spare.

Ps. Should call your beautiful little baby sweetheart. You obviously love her a lot

[PR20 Auto]

Thanks Farmer, Gunna,
I intend to try the Rislone treatment and see if it settles her innards. I'll also start work on another block if i can find another good one. I'll let you know how it goes.
Brett, I don't name cars either. I think it's silly, too. We aren't talking about a car here, though. Sometimes, with a bit of humour, a bit of affection and a bit of history, a pile of mechanical bits can transcend the sum of it's parts and become something else entirely. When a purely mechanical device develops it's own humanlike personality it's only human to treat it with humanity and give it a name. Li'l Darlin might not be a name as such but it describes her exactly.
And, yes Gunna, I do love the little thing even though she can be a bitch sometimes. Everyone who meets her has an immediate affection for her because she is so sweet. In fact I bought her with the intention of converting her to a manual. She was such a nice little thing to drive, though, that I didn't have the heart to change her (I still have the gearbox).

[Stickman]

I just use ground white pepper....... but I'm dodgy

[PR20 Auto]

Does that really work, Stickman?. I thought it was urban legend.

[Gunna]

Works on radiators I know that.

But pepper is soooooo expensive