Ups and Downs

It’s been an up and down week and a bit. Newquay was fun. The small static caravan we stayed in was damp and in the middle of a campsite which was probably put together before war, updated in the 50s and not been touched since. The argument that it was cheap is against the backdrop that any UK-based holiday is currently inordinately expensive. We paid £150 a night for four and a half of us, which seems like a lot to me (although for the first night it was just three of us as Bex and Steven were finishing off their wedding anniversary bash at a v swanky, seafront hotel). But it allowed us to do Newquay, to see Steven’s relatives, to take Henry crab fishing, to have breakfast at a lovely cliff top restaurant, and generally have a fab, but exhausting time. Henry was pretty perfect and clearly loves putting wet sand into a bucket and taking it out again.

a day by the sea with friends

When we got home Bex took C out for a birthday outing into Bristol, and Henry and I spent the day together walking into town and playing down the playpark. The next day, Thursday, I drove them all back up north to have their final few days with Steven’s parents … and since then C and I have been pottering about doing chores and admin.

Henry and I went shopping

One job was to replace Doris’s starter motor. For this my pal from down the road, John, was on hand. I managed to change the earthing strap, which is well into the body of the engine. Simples, with scraped knuckles. And then, on Saturday, John and I took the old starter motor off and replaced it with a new one. It went swimmingly and the big 3.0 litre lump spins like a top now. Job done.

Except it wasn’t. 

my mate John with the offending article

In order to do the work I had removed the top of the air filter housing and the air filter. Not a difficult job. And to prevent rubbish from falling into the filter housing I blocked the hole with some kitchen roll. Yes, you know what happened next: I forgot it was there and when I next looked it was gone.

mmmm, paper in the engine. Not good.

Now, if the paper had made it to the turbo it would have been an almighty thing, possibly with lots of noise and a very big bill. But, other than an illuminated orange engine light and a loss of power, no real damage. Everything seemed to work. The ECU reader told me there was a problem with the EGR valve (I know all about those from our original Doris), but I couldn’t see how. Anyhow, Bex and Steven were staying with pals of theirs, the husband of which is a pretty sharp mechanic (among other things). He explained that there is an airflow sensor (MAF) beyond the air filter which is shrouded in mesh. The paper might well have caught there.

Up early this morning, I found the MAF. It was just reachable, so I took it out of the pipework … and found the paper. Just sitting there. All fresh and new, but clearly blocking the progress of air. An hour later and after some teething problems and resetting the ECU error codes, Doris was back on song … with a starter motor that spins like a top. Hurrah! [Am I the only one who does one job and creates one more?]

met up with pals in my favourite town

It would be unhistorical not to mention that our Jen has been in the wars again and, as it always does, that impacts upon all of us. None of this has been helped by C and I having our focus on Bex, Steven and Henry … but we got through it. Bless her. 

I’m off to mum’s and Mary’s tomorrow, a sort of mad dash to see the rellies before we hit the Saudi peninsula. And then we’ve got three days of jobs, including a trip to Ikea, a visit to Jen, and general packing, before we head off. We’ve got a coach booked for Thursday to Heathrow. We’re meeting Bex and Steven at a local hotel on Thursday and we’re all flying on Friday. Next stop … the fan oven that is Saudi Arabia. I can’t wait?

Anyhow. Stay safe everyone.