Mr Fro

I had exactly the same sound when I did my turbo project. Given that I stripped and modified the engine, I thought I'd dropped a major bollock but after much chasing around it was just a leaky exhaust gasket. It was a combo of the headers I made having one of the branches slightly on the squiff and higher exhaust pressures. Seriously, don't sweat it until you've had a proper look at how the exhaust mates up.

Relax, it sounds exactly like an exhaust leak.

Outrageous isn't it. The second I saw the flat cap I switched off.

Yeah, you might take a load of the sump off! I use these on @fastbob's recommendation: https://www.toolstation.com/contour-sanding-pads/p10736. I'm really impressed although I still use a blade to remove gaskets.

The only EV I've driven was the shitty Pug 106 kept at the Bluewater police station. I had to take some scrote to Gravesend nick and the battery was pretty much flat by the time I got back. ... That was around 15 years ago though!

I tell you what mate, you've done a superb job of knacking the old one! I use a dulled Stanley blade to remove old gaskets - just run a new blade through some cardboard a few times to take the really sharp edge off. I hold the blade in my fingers rather than putting it in a holder - that way I'm less likely to damage things... Go slow and steady with the blade to avoid gouging the sump & block too much and you'll be fine. Ideally you'd do both mating surfaces.

Before anyone goes getting over excited, what exactly are you seeing? Is it one of the top or bottom row that's got oil coming out of it? I can't find any good pictures of the head layout but from what I've found, the studs back on to the rocker box i.e. not galleries. If that's the case and you've broken through then I wouldn't be majorly worried. A bit like Stu said, the hole could be bored to 8 - 10 mm, sleeved and re-tapped for the stud. I would make the sleeve an interference fit, pop it in cold (CO2 or nitrogen cold) and peen it over to make doubly sure it didn't move. Welding cast can be a problematic and I don't think there's a definite need for it. You might even find that drilling the rest of the bolt out, re-tapping and bunging a new stud in will be fine.

Silly question perhaps... Do you have it mounted to drip on the top run or bottom run of the chain?

I'd definitely try left hand bits if you have them. Personally I'd not be too bothered about drilling out to 6.5mm and then tapping it to M8. Helicoils can be a right pain when you come to take them out.

If it's AC he can bung a TIG lead on it and do it proper like! I've DC MIG welded aluminium before - it sure wasn't pretty but it held together alright.

I've got one on my ZXR750. It's definitely firmer and much less bouncy than the 20 odd year old original! The build quality is very good and it works well on the road and track.

You need some hot chocolate - that's what it was invented for.

Not just me then! Best one I had was at my gran's funeral - I was supposed to give some lifts from the crem to the wake but couldn't get the doors to unlock. Enjoy the new car @Stu!

I won't mention the Christmas tree dash lights on my V40 then. Or the times every warning message comes up. Or the times the dash simply stops working altogether while driving along. Or.... You get the idea.

Yeah, that was week 1 of the HNC. Now, in the final year of the degree, we're in deep intellectual discussion about which end of it to hit with a hammer.

I really like them - the serrations on the pokey end grip even scabby screw heads.

Halford are an okay brand, they do the bizzo at a reasonable price. Personally, having spent some years running Halfords stores, I wouldn't be in a rush to take the word of a bike builder. Vessel make nice screwdrivers including JIS. Teng are also good, as are Facom but you're talking at least twice the price of Halfords.

I wouldn't mind IR heaters but I've already got what I've got! I've keep a dehumidifier going in there to stop my equipment going rusty which takes the edge off a bit. The major problem with getting cold in the garage is not so much being cold, it's old man drippy nose.

Yeah true. Layers and gloves help - I dug out an old lab coat the other day which works as well as overalls and is less of a pain to get on and off.

I've got 2 oil filled rads and a fan heater. It takes them all to get any sort of heat in there!

It's all you can do really. Wife begrudgingly understands that once I get something in my head, I usually get it. Sometimes she's alright about it, sometimes there's a week or so of the silent treatment.

I'm not married.

Nice one @bonio. Shame you didn't get a response. I'd like an electric car - nice little snooze in a Tesla on the way to work or maybe a chewie from a floozie. Who knows. Look at the French (sorry) they've got stacks of spare electricity as they're over producing because they've got nuclear. That what we need.

*Possible thread derailment alert* This is interesting as I am doing my dissertation on EV vs hybrid technology and associated infrastructure. As @S-Westerly pointed out, we do not have the infrastructure to supply the power needed to run significant amounts of EV, nor do we have the power generating capacity - we're nowhere near! The main focus of switching to EV is the cost to the consumer which is valid however, the other aspect is fuel efficiecy. The UK generates most of it's power from gas and oil with a bit from nuclear and some renewables with a smidge of imports. When you consider the efficiency of burning the fuel to what you get out of the plug, it's around 48% (from memory). A good diesel car will convert ~45% of the fuel energy in to usable power. Now add on the losses incurred in charging the EV which are around 16% and all of a sudden, EV are less efficient than diesel. That's a non-hybrid diesel. Chuck regenerative braking and exhaust energy recovery which could grab you an extra 12% efficiency and you've got to question why anyone vaguely interested in emissions or fuel efficiency would want an EV. Then there's the "where exactly am I supposed to charge my car" question...

No, I'm telling you that I had bollock ache last week while I had Covid.