Topic: 'Climategate' scientist speaks out

[sam]

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=climategate-scientist-Mann

Phil Jones holds himself defensively, his arms crossed tightly in front of his chest as if shielding himself from attack. Little wonder: Jones has spent the past three months being vilified for his central role in what is now called "climategate."

[Clive]

They are forecasting an enormous amount of snow for us tomorrow afternoon Sam.  Expect the UK to grind to a standstill!   

[Simon]

[Clive]

I'm not very happy about it either Simion.  I have to take my car for a service and gearbox repair tomorrow.  It jumped out of 2nd gear again today when I drove it down a steep hill.  The Germans should have stuck to making U2 submarines. 

[Simon]

I too have car trouble.  Mine has developed a tapping noise in the engine, and the mechanics think either the big or little end is on the way out. 

[Clive]

What sort of mileage has the car done Simon?  Engines should be good for 100,000 miles these days unless the oil level has been allowed to run too low. 

[Simon]

The mileage is only 45000 on the clock, but it was unverified, as it had had a new speedo fitted.  It certainly hasn't run low on oil since I've had it, and the guage still shows full oil pressure.  My last Peugeot did 340,000 miles!

[sam]

They are forecasting an enormous amount of snow for us tomorrow afternoon Sam.  Expect the UK to grind to a standstill!   

we had 4 inches over night yesterday... everything as normal on the commute.

[Simon]

I'm hoping, once again, that it will miss us.

[sam]

eventually it will get you again.

[Clive]

The mileage is only 45000 on the clock, but it was unverified, as it had had a new speedo fitted.  It certainly hasn't run low on oil since I've had it, and the guage still shows full oil pressure.  My last Peugeot did 340,000 miles!

That's a very impressive mileage Simon!  With a new speedo fitted it's impossible to tell how many miles the car has done so perhaps it really does need an engine overhaul.  It may be cheaper and quicker to have a reconditioned unit fitted by a specialist company.  You can find a reliable one in your area from
http://www.fer.co.uk/fer/portal/main/HomePage.asp 

[Simon]

Thanks Clive, but luckily, it turned out to just be a 'cam pully' ( ), so not as serious as I first feared.  Thanks for the link, though, that's firmly bookmarked.  The car gets serviced every six months or so, so next time, I will get them to do a more thorough check over.

Re the new speedo, I was thinking it was a bit suspect when I was considering buying it, but a Google search revealed that it was quite common for speedos to go on the 806 models, and the guy was up front about it, so I thought it worth taking a chance, as the car itself is in really good nick.

[Clive]

That's good news Simon.  If they are changing the camshaft pulley it may be prudent to ask them to renew the belt (assuming it is a belt and not a chain) at the same time.  Belts have to be changed periodically and since it will have to be removed to change the pulley it would be short sighted not to renew it at this time.  If the belt snaps then the engine is often wrecked and may cost £ thousands to repair.  Very good news about the speedo too. 

[Simon]

The job is already done, Clive, and I have the car back at home, but will check if they replaced the cam belt next time I'm in.  As you say, it would have seemed logical to do so.

[Clive]

Glad to hear you are back on the road Simon.  The Ford agent could find nothing wrong with my crappy gearbox as their mechanics are no longer allowed to test drive vehicles on the public highway.