Just bought a Marina!

[andrewwita]

well you managed to get home so thats got to be good . i collect mine tomorrow from glasgow. and live in london , so should be good fun driving it back

[The General]

we all like a good story, sp set a time and we'll all grab a beer.

[Philip]

well you managed to get home so thats got to be good . i collect mine tomorrow from glasgow. and live in london , so should be good fun driving it back

I wish you the best of luck.

[Philip]

we all like a good story, sp set a time and we'll all grab a beer.

Ok, let me order me chinese and grab a beer and story time will begin.

[Philip]

Right, find a comfy chair.

The Marina was advertised as Starts and drives well.

We got there and the car was already running. As it had been sold by auction on ebay and being as fair as I could possibly be I saw no point in looking over it as I had already commited to buy it.
We went into the office to pay for it, (this was a suprise as it was a garage.) I said, will it start ok if I switch it off? She said er...erm.....ah... dunno.
I jumped into it and revved it up and it was running on three. I thought it must be because it had been idling for an hour and it may clear. It stalled as soon as I went to pull away and as the battery was dead it wouldn't restart. She jumped it again and it conked out. Feeling quite cross now I said I would go and buy a battery and find some electrical cleaner to clean the cap out as I needed to go and tax it anyway before I drove it. We went off in our other car to get the tax and I bought a battery and some wd40 and a socket set to change the battery. We got back and I popped the old battery off and fitted the new one and popped off the dizzy cap and refitted a loose lead. It all looked quite new though. I started it up and it now started on its own but was still missing. I gently touched all the leads and three I didn't get a shock off but the fourth I did so as it was now running I drove it into the local town to find a garage with a HT lead I could buy. I bought a lead and misfire gone. Hurray!! Off I went and it was hesitating and popping still but not missing. I stopped at the next garage I came to and checked the level of oil in the carb damper. It was bone dry. I bought some 10w40 as the P4 is quite happy with that in its carb. Off we went again now running faultlessly. As we went onto the M5 it started missing and faultering again, I started saying nice things to it like delboy used to to his van and it cleared and was grand for several miles. Then it started again and conked out completely. I got out, checked the carb pot and found it empty. Filled it up and all was well again. Off we went. I got off the motorway to come cross country for the final stage. It conked out several more times, once I found the in line filter dry with no fuel sat in it at all so I disconected it and fuel gushed out the pipe so refitted that checked the carb oil, still full. Just about to reach for a branch to whack it with and it started. We did about another mile before it conked out completely. Now absolutely livid that it was dead I convinced myself that 10w40 was too thick for the carb and was causing it to conk out. As Jackie was following me we abandonned the Marina and went to Halfords for supplies. I decided to get some thinner oil, I went for 5w30, got some plugs, a new cap, a new arm and a sparkplug socket and some carb cleaner. Got back to the car very unconvinced any of my tinkering would work I fitted the plugs, cap, arm and didn't bother with the carb cleaner, filled the carb with 5w30 went to start it and it fired straight away.

Hurray!! I then drove the remaining about 100 miles in absolute bliss.
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[JoshWard]

Sounds like you done most of the servicing on the way back

It could be all those simple faults which caused it to keep being resold without anyone bothering to sort it properly.

After the first journey in mine it was decided the original engine was so worn out it had to be replaced so it could be worse

[MarinaCoupe]

Good story, glad you fixed it, did you notice anything else that will need looking at?

It's been said before, but it's worth saying again, Marinas are reliable cars, but they suffer from poor maintainance like any other car. Based on what you replaced, my guess would be cracked dizzie cap?

Get some pictures up if you can.

Have fun.

[Philip]

I will get some pics up later. Faults noticed:
massive oil leak from rocker cover so will get a gasket and do the tappets at the same time.
There is no margin for error between third and reverse.
There is a LOT of engine noise at about sixty it sounds very harsh and rattley but not when revved in neutral so maybe it's just lack of sound proofing.
Only a few scabs here and there. Needs a new rear arch welded in and maybe some front wings because there is expanding foam inside them?!

Not essential but will want, a period factory fit radio and one leyland wing badge as it only has one.

[TC-CLIFF]

fab story, typical simple marina woes easily sorted without spending a fortune.

when i drove my coupe back from Mold (top end of North wales so 200 miles to me) only had 2 probs.....twas a wet/rainy/dark night so of course the only things that went wrong were the wipers (blade fell to bits) & the main light switch (deceded after 38 yrs that it would explode when i switched it on at a petrol station in Newport!)......

you sound like you got a good un mate......my past 1300's always sounded thrashy at 60+, its just low gearing.

well done

[Philip]

Pics as promised.

What on earth is this? It was under the drivers seat.


Are those rear lights (reverse) and the fogs genuine?














Worst bit of the car, holed underneath lower hinge.



The passenger footwell is soaked. I have cut out the wet underlay to dry and mopped up the water incase its just had the window left open. The floor is solid under the carpet and has a thick sealer on it.

[AWG454]

the first pic looks like a ipod remote to me!

[Philip]

Thanks, I shall have to buy an Ipod to go with it!

[MarinaCoupe]

Buy another Marina, maybe it'll have the iPod.

[JoshWard]

That looks a lot solider than mine! Reverse lights are genuine.

Well done, looks like a nice car

Could the expanding foam actually be waxoyl? Good luck getting new wings, they are pricey. I need some but cant afford them Your arches look ten times better than mine.
Does yours have any boot wells? Mine doesn't....

[Philip]

What do you mean?