Turbocharger

As far as I can see, you'd only need another master cylinder and tee's in the relevant brake lines on the driver's side. The accelerator is easy, just another cable in series. You could even use a LHD throttle cable - the injector pump will just give fuel according to the pedal with the greatest demand (whichever's pressed harder!)

But the manual makes your arms tired when you're trying to initiate combustion manually in all six cylinders at 3000rpm on the motorway. I'd go for the diesel diesel, they're better.

Three years ago, 300Tdi. Today, with the expertise that the racers have built up around fooling ECUs and workarounds, I'd say Td5. If the ECU goes pop I could swap one in before you've opened your tool box.

Thanks for that - I like the idea of differential measurement using two t/c's. I have to say Tonk (if you're still reading after the o/t tech!) that if I was starting again, I wouldn't buy a full lights'n'noise EGT setup. I'd use the multimeter I bought recently - Maplin multimeter with temperature test - £15.99 which uses a K-type thermocouple. You still need to install a K-type thermocouple on your engine, then run the lead into the cab and read the temps using the meter. It's not lit and won't fit in a 52mm hole, but once the fuelling's set up and stable, you don't need to know any more. Mine seems to max around 650degC in 5th gear around 85mph, I can push on to 95mph and 745+ but by that point you know you're taking the p!ss and have to remember that the figures could be +/- 50deg depending on thermocouple position, accuracy, no cold-junction compensation etc. My point is, once you're in the right ball park you know when you're being silly. David - Six slugs of gas - what engine are you running?

There's reports of poor quality or contaminated fuel in the south-east that's been destroying lambda sensors on vehicles, meaning some 'limp home' and some can't even limp. I love my diesel

On the dieselmax it was the limiting factor, they were running 4 bar manifold pressure and the pistons were special units to take the beating. Remember, the BMEP of that engine was over 25bar and the expected life was minutes. In practice, the Tdi will put out well over 700deg EGT at turbine inlet and, since this is the concensus limit for the standard turbo, I've backed off my fuelling settings (or my right foot, in the shorter term!) as a result.

Since I have an EGT-ometer, and K-type thermocouples are relatively cheap, is there a way to switch the inputs from thermocouples to the meter so I can look at more than one temperature? As far as I can see the official answer is no, but if both junctions on the switch are at the same temperature then the generated voltage will cancel? Or will this not work because a tiny resistance in the switch contacts will screw up my readings? I'd like to put TCs in the inlet tract too, to see how much work the intercooler is doing etc.

Pigster - I'm not saying you're wrong, but why will less back pressure make a turbo go pop?

Time to start removing props I'd guess? It could be a UJ, diff or internal bits of the gearbox or t-box. I'd start by checking the UJs, I've had them tinkle when they're on their way out. Otherwise, "allow the fault to develop"? I've got a nasty death-rattle below 1000rpm at full throttle from somewhere in my powertrain. Nearly 100,000 miles later, it's not developed yet.

Did someone mention buses? In seriousness, I caught the bus there in 2004 - it's not easy, I ended up lost and then hooked a lift with a mad Frenchman in a Disco who was also lost. Then I enjoyed the benefits of the beer tent and fell asleep under Matt Neale's 110. I feel I may have strayed off-topic. Good luck in the driving test!!

I'd have thought most airbag-equipped cars would have ABS, so no locked wheels? Mine certainly did, it was rattling heavily as I nuzzled up to the Clio.

NO! Never listen to me! Go and buy them! Mark must have been on the sauce this evening, none of my ideas are ever any good But now I have another quote for my signature

I can testify that the threshold is reasonably high for the airbags if the car is wearing standard bumpers - they didn't deploy on this ten-year old Discovery.

On that subject... did the police have black'n'white "blue" strobes on their cars back then?

<counts to ten>

You've got a lathe/milling machine and boxes of nuts'n'bolts - sounds like a mini-project

Mum - get down and step away from the soapbox

My vapour-truck is at the very light-weight end of the scale. I'm thinking single-seater, spindly little axles, small-ish tyres and absolutely no weight. Without loads of power (Perkins Prima with chunky intercooling) it'd still be a hoot on the road and with a little winch at each end it should be pretty competitive in challenges etc. Chris Abel's Rhino was a fascinating step in this direction, but now he's gone all 'portal' - so last year. B) Of course, I've not started this supermicrotruck yet because I don't have the time or space - it'd all go Pete Tong Will Warne.

I've just remembered why I like Billing. It's not the overpriced 'show deals' or the stress of camping in a badly organised site. It's not even the immense cost of a weekend in Northampton. It's the massive variety of ideas and tweaks to go away and steal innovate along the same lines.

With headlights below your eyes and rooflights above your eyes, no shadows in dips etc. BUT! Fit cowls so they don't light up the screen and cab, then you'll find them useful.

Indeed - my jump start pack was available from Thursday for a week.

Whenever I've seen the pods at shows, the lights are mounted to the fibreglass and I can't see how they wouldn't vibrate enough to give a 'Blair witch' effect to the road ahead...

Excellent tip. I put them at the plug end though - if I've got up & walked over there, it encourages me to unplug it first. We don't need a roll call of everyone who's started the grinder while gripping it to undo the centre nut...

After the "photos on a closed private road that certainly wasn't a motorway" post, I'm admitting nuthin'.

Is it affected by oil?