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I say "problems", I like to say "learning curves" when I get issues with my cars..

Personally I havn't taken part in a Round Britain Run as I have only recently acquired my spit, I was just wondering what type of problems people face on the run.. and mainly what the most common are..

So out of interest and curiosity can those that have done it possibly try to agree on what the "Top 15" most common problems are..

(After righting this I figured I should change it to "Top 15" from "Top 10" as there might be alot!)

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At the recent Round Denmark RR these were the top problems:

Wiper motor - 2 complete breakdows (due to 20 hours non-stop rain!). Still - we kept going.
2 cars had faulty speedos after a while
1 car har to retire due to worn out rear axle U-joint

Regards
Nick

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I have only ever suffered a knocking U/J on the RBRR (drove through it, turned the radio up a notch,......no problems!)

But, I know what the usual culprits are.

Tims list is spot on, but I would also add in,

Fanbelts snapping
Ingition systems (points/condenser/rotor arm, dizzy cap, and even electronic igniton faults)
Water hoses letting go
Radiators springing leaks

I tend to pack a good range of spares, and most of us carry other items so between everyone you should be able to find anything you need.

Having said that, years ago Dave2000 & I took our Triumphs to Germany for a weekend (long story!) and we were so worried (pre-RBRR days!) that we took spare EVERYTHING. I even had a spare diff in the boot just in case. Mine crapped out on an autobahn with a snapped alternator adjuster arm. Never thought of carrying one of those so we cable-tied the alternator to the battery clamps and carried on!

The moral is, take as much as you can of the serviceable items. Take plenty of "mackling" gear (wire, scotch locks, gaffer tape, hose clips, even super glue, instant gasket sealant, some cardboard to make up a gasket but more importantly make sure you service and check out your car throughly before the event and you should be fine.

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I think as other people have said, expect he unexpected. I've had different things happen each time on my 3 RBRRs, here's what I can remember.

2002 :  2.5TC saloon.
Oil : A small engine oil leak ever since I had it , over the course of 1200 miles caused an empty sump somewhere on the M6 at 2am. Pulled over, put 5 litres of 20/50 in, carried on. Now I check the oil religiously at every stop. Turned out it was the oil pressure switch leaking.
Brakes : Brakes faded badly over dartmoor coming down to Dartmeet. Loads of pedal pressure, just no pad grip. 4 Norwegian guys in the Dolomite behind exclaimed there was smoke coming from the wheels. Probably a combination of poor pads and me holding the middle pedal too much.

2004 : 2000 Estate
Headlights : Got through 2 sealed beam units and had gave one to another team. Weather was appalling so lights were on all the time. Ended up doing from the M6 - Lands End on high-beams with electrical tape over them. Have now upgraded to halogens.
Bushes : Aging big subframe bush slipped 3/4 inch, leaving anti-vibration strap rubbing on the subframe. Sounded awful
Ignition : On the long haul down the M6 kept getting minor losses in power. Felt like condensor/points problem - now have Aldon Ignitor.
Tailgate : Worn latch meant the tailgate kept opening, held down with a bungey in the end. Now have new striker plate.

2006 : 2000 Estate
Starter Motor : Became intermittent about half-way round, probably cooked by exhaust heat. Resulted in comedy bump starts at petrol stations and checkpoints.


I always take too much stuff. Part of the problem is having an estate, you can get too much in it!!

Russell.

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As I understand it, new stuff tends to fail. Starter motors, alternators, etc. As my car is right now I'd throw an alternator in the back, water, spare petrol, oil and some strong string. Bulbs are already there. If anything else fails I don't think I'm going to bother trying to fix it at 2am with no light. I've no reason to suspect my car will fail as it is right now. I've got a few gremlins to iron out over the coming months (my syncro on 2nd is going and I'm getting some strange noises from the rear), a good change of fluids and I'll need new tires.

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Jony5 wrote:
and only carry what your prepared to fix on the side of a road!


On the last RBRR the problem Mike and I had was that we reckoned we could do just about everything apart from change the engine at the side of the road, so we packed most of a spare car in the boot! Blunted the performance a bit.....

I the end we used a pin to unblock the washers and blagged an o-ring to stop the carbs leaking round the jet.

:-)

Colin

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If you follow this link as posted in the RBRR videos section you will hear my tale of woe.

You can also spot the fatigue by the time you reach Sunday morning in Devon ::)

http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g315/RaiderTR7/?action=view&current=Videonasty.flv

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Raider wrote:
If you follow this link as posted in the RBRR videos section you will hear my tale of woe.

http://s59.photobucket.com/albums/g315/RaiderTR7/?action=view&current=Videonasty.flv


Woo hoo, I got a mention, I'm famous at last.  It was only a matter of time... :P




...oh yes, and of course your tale of woe was truly sad Martin...  :X

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Tom.  I did my first RBRR last year. Had my vitesse for 18 months and wanted to see how she went. Took all bits and pieces, as previously mentioned, but no probs apart from wiper switch working loose. The main thing is if in trouble open your bonnet and wait for the next few Triumphs, who will stop and help. The comaraderie is fantastic and makes this run so special. Plus the route and marshalss and those concerned. I hope to have entered for 2008. Malc.

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i've done a lot of round britains, and have suffered on several of them.

water in the fuel system- it does seem to rain an awful lot!!!
new fuel pump and alternator failures- poor quality new parts
brake master cylinder failure- entertaining in scotland!
lighting failure- old connections not up to the job of new lights

these have all been inconvenient, but with help from the other crews, (usually Nigel Gair!!!) and a little time, we've successfully manage to complete the run each time

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Been quite lucky on the 4 RBRRs we have done. Lost a fan belt at speed on A30, and had the same failure of the main beam switch at almost the same point through Wales twice. Also burned more oil than petrol on the 2000 run. On each occasion, a number of crews stopped to help, which is one of the many great features of the event.

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