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Im sure most of you have seen her, well big thanks to James for his hospitality, help and generally being a gentleman thoughout what I'm about to tell you . The wife and me flew from Luton Airport last Saturday to collect Lor for Northern Ireland, told her be a nice drive back though Ireland ,North Wales etc. So that was the co driver sorted if I got carried away with the black stuff. James timing was spot on we walked out of the airport terminal the other end and he was there within a few minutes to collect us and take us up to Coleraine. The business was done, cup of tea and directions plus map given to us
.Quick trip to the petrol station where we encountered a rolling police escort around a load of silly cyclists, we brits think they're a pain in the aRSe here well the police forced the traffic to a standstill while these plonkers in lycria pedalled passed. Back to James's where he gave us some euros for the Dublin tolls 
and we are on our way.
Trouble free motoring and enjoying the views for 1.5 hours, then got stuck in traffic where I noticed steam coming from the bonnet
(temp gauge not working) pulled over and had a look under the bonnet it was the bottom hose just a slight weeping split near the jubilee clip. So we sat for a while limped to a petrol station had a coffee and gave the car some water, then we was off again. Stopped 10 miles up the road to check, and everything was A1. Got out of Northern Ireland and we where travelling fine with about an hours journey to Dublin, decided to take advantage of the cheap petrol pulled off the motorway. Stopped tanked up checked the water (hadn't moved) had lunch and we where off again.......for approx 4miles. All of a sudden the engine starts knocking and at 60 mph it was proper loud. Popped the bonnet and theres water pi55ing from the bottom hose and oil seeping from the head gasket the engine is red hot. My heart sank i'd killed it
not only that, i'd killed it in another country with my bigest critic sitting along side me, now im going to have to listern to she who must be obeyed moan about everything and anything whilst in a state of depression. I got straight on the phone to the AA who where very helpfull and said they would have someone to us within an hour.I reported the breakdown at about 2 o clock a very nice man turned up at 7.15
he informed us that it was the bottom hose and proberly some head damage:winka: 
Of course the ferry being booked for 8 oclock didnt stop him pulling us to a garage on the way topping up with water and having a chat with some other complete tosser about how the car has the wrong seats and should have capri wheels on it
Pulled into Dublin docks at 8 o clock on the dot, the cars cooled down enough to limp onto the ferry so we bid farewell to the AA man
and wait in line to book in , only to be told we are at the wrong terminal
At this point we where willing to push the car around the streets of Dublin just to get back home, no need thankfully as we tore around the docks sounding like a london tube train. Crawling up onto the ferry loading bay both the wife and I where shattered and couldn't wait to get to the bar to drown our sorrows. There must have been something going on in Dublin that night because the bar was full of Welsh football or rugby surporters grabbed a couple of pints before finding a quite seat to contenplate the next 250 miles home.
Upon departure the car was running ok sh the water the aa man had put in was still there but so was the tapping/knocking noise. Plan was we would get as far as possible before phoning the AA again. We made it just past Bangor services before she started knocking bigtime . 1pm back on the phone to the AA who say they will have someone out within an hour, no problem we are parked up in a little Welsh village and sit in the car watching the locals crawl home from the pub. By 3.15 Im back on the blower where im informed theyr'e having problems getting someone to recover us all the way back to London. A few choice words and Mr recoveryman turns up 15 minutes later, same old shit about the car' don't see many of these blah blah'. Said he whould pull us back to the services and another guy would take us home shortly, ok I thinks cup of coffee and matey number2 will be along. Services is shut the petrol station only has cans of cold drink and the wife is gone from moaning to crying and telling me she hate the car with a passion
Finnally get recovered at 6 o clock in the morning, by a nice old brummie guy, walk though the front door at 11.30.
Ive not been in the mood to have a look at the car all week, but today I stripped the head off only to find the headgasket had blown between 1 and 2 with the gasket reinforcing ring split and sitting completly flattened in the middle of the bore. The head was cleaned and checked for any damage but it appears to fine, so ive gone from one extreme to another and can't wait till tomorrow to refit the head fingers crossed start enjoying the car.
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.Quick trip to the petrol station where we encountered a rolling police escort around a load of silly cyclists, we brits think they're a pain in the aRSe here well the police forced the traffic to a standstill while these plonkers in lycria pedalled passed. Back to James's where he gave us some euros for the Dublin tolls and we are on our way.Trouble free motoring and enjoying the views for 1.5 hours, then got stuck in traffic where I noticed steam coming from the bonnet
(temp gauge not working) pulled over and had a look under the bonnet it was the bottom hose just a slight weeping split near the jubilee clip. So we sat for a while limped to a petrol station had a coffee and gave the car some water, then we was off again. Stopped 10 miles up the road to check, and everything was A1. Got out of Northern Ireland and we where travelling fine with about an hours journey to Dublin, decided to take advantage of the cheap petrol pulled off the motorway. Stopped tanked up checked the water (hadn't moved) had lunch and we where off again.......for approx 4miles. All of a sudden the engine starts knocking and at 60 mph it was proper loud. Popped the bonnet and theres water pi55ing from the bottom hose and oil seeping from the head gasket the engine is red hot. My heart sank i'd killed it not only that, i'd killed it in another country with my bigest critic sitting along side me, now im going to have to listern to she who must be obeyed moan about everything and anything whilst in a state of depression. I got straight on the phone to the AA who where very helpfull and said they would have someone to us within an hour.I reported the breakdown at about 2 o clock a very nice man turned up at 7.15 he informed us that it was the bottom hose and proberly some head damage:winka: Of course the ferry being booked for 8 oclock didnt stop him pulling us to a garage on the way topping up with water and having a chat with some other complete tosser about how the car has the wrong seats and should have capri wheels on it Pulled into Dublin docks at 8 o clock on the dot, the cars cooled down enough to limp onto the ferry so we bid farewell to the AA man
and wait in line to book in , only to be told we are at the wrong terminal At this point we where willing to push the car around the streets of Dublin just to get back home, no need thankfully as we tore around the docks sounding like a london tube train. Crawling up onto the ferry loading bay both the wife and I where shattered and couldn't wait to get to the bar to drown our sorrows. There must have been something going on in Dublin that night because the bar was full of Welsh football or rugby surporters
grabbed a couple of pints before finding a quite seat to contenplate the next 250 miles home.Upon departure the car was running ok sh the water the aa man had put in was still there but so was the tapping/knocking noise. Plan was we would get as far as possible before phoning the AA again. We made it just past Bangor services before she started knocking bigtime . 1pm back on the phone to the AA who say they will have someone out within an hour, no problem we are parked up in a little Welsh village and sit in the car watching the locals crawl home from the pub. By 3.15 Im back on the blower where im informed theyr'e having problems getting someone to recover us all the way back to London. A few choice words and Mr recoveryman turns up 15 minutes later, same old shit about the car' don't see many of these blah blah'. Said he whould pull us back to the services and another guy would take us home shortly, ok I thinks cup of coffee and matey number2 will be along. Services is shut the petrol station only has cans of cold drink and the wife is gone from moaning to crying and telling me she hate the car with a passion
Finnally get recovered at 6 o clock in the morning, by a nice old brummie guy, walk though the front door at 11.30. Ive not been in the mood to have a look at the car all week, but today I stripped the head off only to find the headgasket had blown between 1 and 2 with the gasket reinforcing ring split and sitting completly flattened in the middle of the bore. The head was cleaned and checked for any damage but it appears to fine, so ive gone from one extreme to another and can't wait till tomorrow to refit the head fingers crossed start enjoying the car.
good luck with it 
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