Sodd's Law!

rossnunn · Post by **rossnunn** » 21 Dec 2003, 04:52

Why is it when you buy another car, and put your old one up for sale, the old one break's!
My little ZX was had a problem with the float in the tank, so the guage goes a bit mad now and again. The other day it packed up completely - not a problem as I'm up the breakers to find a new one before I sell the car.
On Friday, on my way home from work I run out of fuel! - PRAT! on a main road at 5pm - PRAT! so a drouge across to the nearest petrol station to buy a can and fill it up. Got back to the car all ok. Put the petrol in and sat turning the car over to pump the petrol round. It has never started since!
I quickly tore the for sale signs out of the windows and used one a a sign asking for a jump start. A guy stopped, and the thing still wouldn't start. A qick nosey under the bonnet, and the inline filter I had installed (as I do on every one of my cars) is empty, uncliped the pip and sucked until the sweet tast of...pah! petrol. So I came to a quick conclusion that the pump has gone - I was freezing my butt off!! so a tow home and dumped on the drive - and now there forcasting SNOW!!!. I'm trying to sell it!!
Bloody SODD'S LAW!!!!
R

AndersDK · Post by **AndersDK** » 21 Dec 2003, 10:18

This is such a silly unhappy event - that you have to laugh to survive it [:D][:D]
- my goodness - never thought that this could happen to others but me [:o)]
2 weeks after I bought my proud 2. car ever - I pushed the locks on all 3 doors and slammed the drivers door locked - with my key-bundle in the ignition switch. Did'nt notice untill I was at my home front door - lot's of dapping & tapping on all pockets - no keys ???
Took me 2hrs busdriving back & forth to my wife's job to lend me her set of keys [xx(]
Sodd's laws for ever [B)]

mbunting · Post by **mbunting** » 21 Dec 2003, 14:04

Are you sure the pump has gone, and it's not electrical ( pump fuse, immobiliser etc ? ).
Seems a bit strange to me, although petrol is a solvent, so god knows what's it's done to the pump internals over the miles !
At least if you had a diesel, you could have saved the walk to the garrage by keeping a few litres of veg oil in the boot !!!!

lhm_leak · Post by **lhm_leak** » 21 Dec 2003, 19:18

The very day I was about to advertise my petrol Xantia, the heater matrix let go and left me with an evil smelling swimming pool in the passenger footwell. It's not worth a great deal of money, so it'll have to wait until the warmer weather to get fixed...

rossnunn · Post by **rossnunn** » 21 Dec 2003, 20:59

Ok work this out. Today I had a proper look. I took the input pipe off the pipe and cranked it. No suction. So I removed the pump and manualy operated it. Pumped fine. mmmm maybe a cam belt them. Removed the top cam cover, nope belt still ok. gingerly put my finger in the hole where the pump went and cranked can feel it all doing its thing. Sucked some petrol up the pipe and angled the inline filter so it didn't run back. Bolted the pump back in & reconnected the in/output pipes. Cranked, and cranked and... VROOM it started! so I let it run for a little while turned it off again, put the warmer cover back on the pump, replaced the cam cover, made sure everything is tight and upright and started her again. Left it running for a few min, took it around the block & it's now running like nothing's happened!! SODD's LAW!!!
So if anyone is interested in it im selling it for offers around £450 - 500 mark.
Cheers
R