oprn Posted January 13, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 175/65R 14. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted February 6, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2022 Had a snow and a blow here that added to our driveway drift. Snow blower turns out to be a bit undersized for this one and won't even climb the hill. Rototiller did though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted February 6, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2022 It took 4 hours alternating between the blower and the old David Brown to get a hole through big enough for Franklin. That stuff was packed like cement! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted February 6, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2022 Right after the storm the sun came out and gave us these lovely sun dogs. The old timers say that sun dogs predict a drop in temperature and true to form we woke up to -36* C the next morning! As you can imagine, no proper English tractor would think of starting in that weather even with the block heater plugged in! I had to wait a few days for the weather to moderate before attempting to start it. Good tractor, just not built for cold weather. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted March 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2022 Had another blow! Sun is getting stronger now so spring is not far off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted March 15, 2022 Report Share Posted March 15, 2022 OMG, that is a lot of snow! I bet you guys hate snow... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted March 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2022 (edited) Really and truly we don't get that much snow here, it's the wind that piles it all up in great heaps that we hate! It's just relentless! The fields are nearly bare but the ditches, bush patches and our yards have huge drifts in them. The sun has warmed the snow up and settled it now so the fun part begins! I got the old sand rail out and went drift climbing in the yard. In the first picture you can see that the drift goes right over the barbed wire fence. Notice the fields in the background are bare. Edited March 17, 2022 by oprn Add text Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted March 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2022 Seems Franklin has developed an exhaust leak. He is sounding a bit like a tractor these days so I need to get him up in the air to see what the problem is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted March 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2022 Franklin just turned over 180,000 km yesterday and still running great! How long do these little 1.4 liter engines last? Anyone worn one out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 29, 2022 Report Share Posted March 29, 2022 Rings, valves and valve guides all wear out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted March 30, 2022 Report Share Posted March 30, 2022 Yup. But lots of oil changes help. And not working the engine hard until its warmed up. We included code in a few manufacturer's ECUs to restrict RPMs when cold (plus a timer in case of sensor failure). I think every engine should have that function. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted March 31, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 I took a peak under Franklin, the muffler has let go and is dangling from the rear mount. Hmmm... short stubby little devil, going to be a challenge to find something to fit on this side of the pond! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 Something from a Hyundai or Subaru might fit. But yeah they are small. The way the tail pipe is welded in where it doubles back on itself makes it tricky. The middle box is pretty much a standard thing that you could find for many cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 31, 2022 Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 2 hours ago, oprn said: I took a peak under Franklin, the muffler has let go and is dangling from the rear mount. Hmmm... short stubby little devil, going to be a challenge to find something to fit on this side of the pond! Weld it back on already ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted March 31, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2022 (edited) It has been dissolved by the salt Gods or I would! Maybe it's time for a straight pipe? V - O - O - M - BA, V - O - O - M - BA!!! Na... Edited March 31, 2022 by oprn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted April 5, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2022 You are correct Rich, the muffler is not in that bad of condition. It has an outer skin that looks tough but the basic muffler seems sound. I get under the car now and discover that every exhaust hanger is broken front to rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted April 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2022 I got it all welded back together and Franklin is freshly washed, oil changed, summer tyres on and back to his quiet cheerful self. What a great little car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted May 20, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2022 (edited) It seems now the flex pipe is cracked! It looks like the replacements are weld in only. Am I seeing that correctly? I am looking at the Autodoc site. While I am ordering parts I would like to buy rotors and pads for the front, looks like I might need them soon but wow! There are so many choices on that site. How do I choose and get the correct ones? Were there that many different brakes for the Lupo? Also the window switch for the right side door glass quit working. The window goes down but not back up. Can these switches be bought new or do I have to find one used? Edited May 20, 2022 by oprn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted May 22, 2022 Report Share Posted May 22, 2022 The switches are fixable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted May 31, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2022 (edited) Tried that, couldn't see anything wrong with it but still won't work. I switched plugs so now it's the left window that goes down and won't go back up... from the driver's side that is but it works fine on the left door switch. Edited May 31, 2022 by oprn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted September 24, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2022 Franklin is pulling a new trick, the oil light comes on randomly it seems. Flashes a few times and usually goes off. Sometimes it stay on and the only way to turn it off is to shut the car off and re-start it. Any ideas? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted September 24, 2022 Report Share Posted September 24, 2022 Swap the sensor/switch thing? Apparently the whole of little canada is about to get hit by a hurricane... or so says bbc news! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted September 26, 2022 Author Report Share Posted September 26, 2022 Ya that hurricane thing is 3600 km from here. You are nearly as close! The news will inform us both equally on that front. No I need to try that. Is it the same as the pressure switches in the TDIs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk2 Posted September 26, 2022 Report Share Posted September 26, 2022 I dunno TBH. But probably... you could try grounding the wire or leaving it off if it works in the old skool way (not a sensor- just a plain jane switch). Or measure it and see what's going on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oprn Posted November 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2022 (edited) Sad day today! Franklin has a new home. Sad to see him go though, we have some good memories. Some young English chap saw him and had to have him. Well, there is a couple reasons we let him go. The first and foremost is that with the steady upward creep of parcel volumes coming through the mail it has been increasingly difficult to fit it all into Franklin in one trip. Also there has been a number of electrical issues cropping up that are a bit frustrating. We will be going back to the Forester for now until something more suitable comes up. Looking for a Golf/Jetta/ Passat variant for the cargo room. I will still be lurking about here in the background now and then just because I have a Lupo soft spot in my heart... A big "thank you" to all who have shared their Lupo wisdom on this site. You have made the journey much more enjoyable! Edited November 12, 2022 by oprn 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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