miketomcat Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 My mother-in-law lives on the outer Hebrides, North Uist to be precise. Obviously with COVID etc we haven't seen her in a while. At Christmas plans were made to go up there this summer holidays, the ferry got booked along with time off work. All loaded up ready to go, I'll just check the water.....hmm that's suspiciously low. Well nothing for it top it up and keep an eye on it. We fill up on Skye and as we pull away there's a load of white smoke....well that answers where the water went and it also explains the lock up whilst doing the stem seals a couple of weeks ago. The head gasket has blown I'm sure of it. Well can't do anything about it now, must get to the ferry and I'll order one to be delivered to mother-in-laws. We made it across on the ferry but not without it hydraulicing on start up (needed to rotate it buy hand to clear it and then start it quick) then getting a bit warm on the other side due to water lose. We made it to mother-in-laws field to set up camp in the rain. The first week was mostly spent walking the beaches whilst waiting for the head gasket set and bolt to turn up. Nice spot. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post miketomcat Posted August 7, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted August 7, 2022 Wednesday I stripped the head off to make sure it was only the head gasket. Thursday parts arrive so I put it all back together and get it running again. Not bad for field mechanics really. We spent a few days enjoying the beaches and living off grid completely in our tipi with wood burner for cooking on. Now because our holidays are never dull and we purposely intended to do very little this year. Someone had other ideas.... We end up stubbling across an RTC which left a pick up on its roof in a ditch. It happened moments before we arrived and we were first on the scene. Suffice to say no one was injured, we checked on everyone then directed traffic till the police arrived. (We met the couple in the pick later in the week and they confirmed they'd got off very lightly with just bruises and stiffness). Obviously with a holiday going this well getting home wasn't going to be boring. We learned there was a problem with the ferry and it had been taken out of service. But that's alright because they're putting on a replacement boat on the Friday we're due to leave. Trouble is there's three days worth of cars trying to get home and we now find out they are only running one trip. We get packed up the night before we planned and crashed on the mother-in-laws floor so we can get down to the port to see what can be done. We end up in the stand by lane with little chance of leaving the islands that day. We didn't get on and are told to leave the truck in the stand by lane but with even less chance of getting on the next day. Long story short we finally manage to get booked on a ferry from Stornoway late Saturday night. The up side is I'd always wanted to see Lewis and Harris. However it ment a 5am start to get the ferry across to Harris. The ullapool boat didn't get in till 2am Sunday morning and we've just driven around 700 miles in 14.5hrs back to Southampton after precious little sleep in the preceding 48 hrs. I'm home now knackered and ready for bed but I doubt we'll forget this trip in a hurry. Mike P.S. I know want to go back and do Lewis and Harris properly....... 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 Well done !! And thanks for sharing. When you come back up - call in for a cup of tea. You’ll pass me on the way 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 5 minutes ago, Anderzander said: When you come back up - call in for a cup of tea. You’ll pass me on the way 😊 Cough... You've missed the boat...he's already back Regards Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 He says he wants to go back ! So two opportunities for tea on both legs of that journey 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted August 7, 2022 Author Share Posted August 7, 2022 I keep meaning to but going up it's normally the small hours when we pass your direction. As for coming back this time well we're a day later than planned and I've got work in the morning.... That not going to go well is it. 😴 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 Oh there’s no pressure - just an open offer 😊 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 When you go back up I might have some bits for @Stellaghost that could maybe be dropped north of the border Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted August 8, 2022 Author Share Posted August 8, 2022 7 hours ago, FridgeFreezer said: When you go back up I might have some bits for @Stellaghost that could maybe be dropped north of the border It won't be this year. Fuel prices made a significant impact on this trip. We are also re-thinking our camping arrangements. The tipi and caranex worked fantastically well, the stood up to the wind very well. The downside is the tipi is designed for cold weather and when the sun did come out it became quite warm, don't get me wrong it has very good ventilation and it wasn't any worse than any other tent. The caranex and trailer worked really well for storage and toilet tent. However on a normal campsite you would get charged for two tents and it took far to long to set up (2hrs) and pack away (3hrs) especially when you need to do it in a hurry to catch a ferry that didn't run. Again it could be simplified with less kit and a bigger trailer. Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daan Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 Sounds a bit like doing Ladoga with the kids. Glad you had a good time! Daan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted August 8, 2022 Author Share Posted August 8, 2022 4 minutes ago, Daan said: Sounds a bit like doing Ladoga with the kids. Glad you had a good time! Daan I think I had less go wrong on Ladoga. Mike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger110 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 22 hours ago, Anderzander said: Oh there’s no pressure - just an open offer 😊 I can confirm Sam’s great company 👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted August 8, 2022 Author Share Posted August 8, 2022 1 hour ago, Badger110 said: I can confirm Sam’s great company 👍 I would dearly love to meet and spend some time with a fair few on here but unfortunately life always seems to get in the way. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elbekko Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 Beautiful scenery, but terrible luck. Glad you got home ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post miketomcat Posted August 9, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted August 9, 2022 The wife is better at taking pictures than me. Mike 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 Cracking picture ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaklander Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 On 8/7/2022 at 9:38 PM, miketomcat said: We made it across on the ferry but not without it hydraulicing on start up (needed to rotate it buy hand to clear it and then start it quick) Mike I understand that it’s pulled water into a cylinder or two, due to the failed gasket and that can’t be compressed. So how do you empty it? Do you mean by removing a glow plug or injector and then turning it over (socket on crank?) to push it out? I can’t imagine any other way. Also was there no pushrod damage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 Do it slowly and it will seep past the rings.... 🤠 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miketomcat Posted August 10, 2022 Author Share Posted August 10, 2022 8 hours ago, Bowie69 said: Do it slowly and it will seep past the rings.... 🤠 And valves. It doesn't need much water to hydraulic so there shouldn't be much in there. If you also turn it back the wrong way the valve is open befor tdc. A combination of all three cleared enough to get it to start which was all I needed. The push rods were fine. Mike 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Poore Posted August 11, 2022 Share Posted August 11, 2022 If it's any consolation Mike our trip north wasn't plain sailing either. After meeting up with a mate in Johnstonebridge the 110 developed a rattle. Whilst at a pee stop for the group in Invergarry I drove in circles around him and he said prop UJ. Strange as they were fine when I set off from Wales and greased regularly, anyway to appease him I went underneath and checked, and there was a slight side-to-side play in one of the spiders. So cue calling into our neighbours yard whilst the group do the first track (decided might as well sort it since I can do that track whenever we want as it's partly ours, partly our neighbours and partly his brothers). Only to find that neither of us had a big enough UJ for the prop so what was a 15 minute removal (amazingly the first UJ I haven't had to resort to a grinder) ended up in a 3h round trip to Inverness to pick up a new one. We didn't have the luxury of sitting on the beach waiting for parts to arrive. Suffice to say rattle was not cured, after finishing the trip and spending a couple of nights at my nan's I decided to have a look and found the culprit. One of the bolts holding the handbrake drum onto the transfer box had worked loose and was rattling around in the drum. Copious amounts of thread-lock and some jerry rigging of a chainsaw sparkplug spanner to a 17mm socket meant I could tighten it up. Worth it for the views though 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaghost Posted August 11, 2022 Share Posted August 11, 2022 37 minutes ago, Ed Poore said: Awww @Ed Poore I always take my cuddly toy dog with me wherever I go as well........ Regards Stephen 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Poore Posted August 11, 2022 Share Posted August 11, 2022 46 minutes ago, Stellaghost said: Awww @Ed Poore I always take my cuddly toy dog with me wherever I go as well........ Regards Stephen Mimi the alpaca also made an appearance too... Think there was a teddy bear somewhere in the back of the Land Rover too as well as a rucksack of a load of other cuddly toys that didn't really make an appearance. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nonimouse Posted August 15, 2022 Share Posted August 15, 2022 We (me and the kids) went to Denmark. To meet up with my brother, for the first time in 34 years. I met my neices and sister in law. I fell in love with Denmark. opeted to fly over this time (so I could go to Legoland, a lifetime's dream). Billund airport is at Legoland! Hired a Deisle, manual Kia, which turned out to be a Toyota C-HR Hybrid. Wonderful time. Very emotional. Then I took my youngest to Nash Oakland for a week - the weather was almost too good. I might get round to downloading the pictures of my camping set up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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