A very lucky escape.
 

As some you know I have had starting problems re The Flying Banana. Following on with advice from MarinaBrian and Simon SDi it’s been an on off 12 months to get the car sorted. Matt Darke aka Cable Tie said that as soon as the lockdown was lifted he would get the car fixed. I have been using Banana a couple of times a week just to keep the battery topped up. A new noise has also developed over the last 12 months.

The noise sounded like that there was something loose, like a frayed belt, that was catching somewhere. The noise started off fairly quietly but over the last couple of weeks the noise has got louder.
So this morning I bit the bullet and drove Banana up to Matt’s house, a distance of 45 miles. Banana behaved herself and the engine ran sweet except for this possibly flayed belt noise.

With Banana parked up in Matt’s front garden, and with Matt’s Uncle Pete they set about investigating the noise. Matt removed the cambelt cover and noticed that there appeared to be a dark patch on the inside of the belt. That dark patch has turned out to be missing teeth on the belt.

How lucky is that?

It looks like the belt was not changed at the last HGF incident some 3 years ago. The belt is certainly old as it is very stiff.
We have a cambelt specialist coming to sort the car out tomorrow. Matt took me to a local motor factors where we bought a replacement cambelt kit including a new water pump.

So to get home Matt has lent me the ex-Keith24 ZT V6 Auto aka Bumbles. Took me sometime to get used to driving an auto again, last one I drove was Matt’s Orange Grove ZTT CDTi which I took to the NEC on Matt’s behalf.

Returning to Banana’s electrical problem, Matt dismantled the under bonnet fuse/relay box. Some of the terminals were a bit corroded. So armed with some sandpaper I was entrusted to clean various terminals/pins. Matt plugged in all the relays into his magic box, only one appeared to be faulty. And that is the one that has been replaced a few times. Now please don’t shoot me down but it is the one that operates/powers the fuel pump. Remove it and Banana will not start, replace it and she fires up.

Matt has also stripped down and repaired the internal boot release. Again the terminals appeared to be a bit crusty. There are a few other jobs that need doing to ole Yella but will be done after the cambelt is replaced.

Matts other half, Shirley, very kindly cooked me a dinner. They are absolutely diamond friends to know. And I’m thankful for that.

Get some pics posted up of the belt Bob!

Glad you caught the belt in time Bob,what poor practice that it wasn't replaced with the HG.
Well done to Matt and his good lady :bowdown:

I’ll get some photos once the belt is off tomorrow.

I know. And I’m very grateful to Matt and Pete for diagnosing the noise.

I have sent you a photo via Facebook messenger. Photo taken with iPad.

Your more than welcome bob and a min of 12 teeth missing

Last cambelt change................
 

................................... was 21/01/2017. This was the last time we had HGF. Mileage was 178,900. Current mileage is 211,211.

Since I first heard the noise, last year, Banana has been to two different garages. One to find out about the starting issue, and needless to start she started up. But they never remarked or reported about the noise.

Second garage, local to me, had Banana in for her MOT and a change of radiator in January this year.again they never remarked or noted the noise.

Lucky Bob, thank God you caught it. I had a similar one with a V6 Omega, I left the house one day and within a hundred yards or so started getting a burning rubber smell in the cabin, turned round, went home again and phoned the AA. Towed to a local garage, where I'd bought it (was the boss' car), they discovered one of the cambelt guide rollers had seized!