Does the Robin Still Overheat?

[@mrjed6912]

Fun fact: In between 1995-1999 Reliant was making their cars out of anything they could find while also using worn fibreglass mould and trianing new staff. Your model is a 1999 so not only is it way worse than a Rialto or MK1, but it has clearly been badly maintained in the past Edit; The MK3 was not made by the same people anymore or at the same running cost.

[@Bleats_Sinodai]

Yeah, it used to be a Fish & Chips delivery car

[@not_on]

@@Bleats_Sinodai Can't get much more British than that, though

[@3wheeler1000]

No true. These were made out of new moulds at Fletcher speedboats with skill and quality moulds. The last Mk2s were made from knackered moulds but the engineering got better once the Indian sourced drivetrains weren't used.

[@3wheeler1000]

Also mrjed6912 that looks like my image as your avatar.

[@mrjed6912]

​​@@3wheeler1000If those speed boat experts were doing such a good job how come they have massive panel gaps and wrinkles which no older Reliant has? Also when I say lower quality I don't mean less reliable. Plus I assume you might be Andy Plumb if so, I took some of this knowledge from you personally on email and if you want me to change my avatar, sure. But I'm not convinced that the Mk3 made outside of Two Gates was good quality, that's including the ones I've seen for sale. Peeling paint, same bad interior and so on. There was a very limited budget and more importantly time. The design looked great, but was it pulled of well? I have serious doubts. Maybe I'm wrong.

[@TheOfficialDanman]

DO NOT TURN THE HEATER OFF! One of the many interesting design "features" from Reliant is that the water will not flow through the back of the motor without the heater being on. So if you turn the heater off then cylinder number 4 will overheat, and the motor will break.

[@Locane256]

lolwut

[@FurryWrecker911]

Ahhhh, that moment when limp mode is just the normal operational procedure. Splendid!

[@junatah5903]

​@@desertPersoncompany failed cause coal mining was no longer a thing. XD

[@MrDuncl]

@@junatah5903 The company failed because the Motorcycle test (which also allowed you to drive a Reliant) went from ride three times around the block without falling off in view of the examiner to numerous layers of tests finishing with the examiner following you for about 40 minutes looking for any mistake. Proving the point. My sister passed her bike test doing three laps of the block on a Honda C90. That entitles her to ride the largest, heaviest Harley Davidson made, even though she hasn't ridden any Motorcycle for years.

[@MrDuncl]

​@@gilburton Thanks for the comprehensive reply. Things were still the same in the early 1980s when both I and my sister took our bike tests. From experience I can say it was far easier than the car test. A cheap car is no use if you don't have a licence to drive it. I passed the bike test first time but needed three attempts on the car test. Since then I can ride any Motorbike and drive anything up to 7.5 tons despite passing my tests on a Honda CB100N and in a Talbot Sunbeam. Proving the Motorbike to Reliant route back in 1981 a colleague who had a Triumph Trident then got a Reliant, which he always referred to as "the plastic pig", for when he had to take his wife and child somewhere.

[@eddiestevenson-kaatsch6306]

A great friend of mine was contracted to Reliant, towards the end of its production when yours would have been made, and tackled the overheating problem they had started experiencing. Essentially the modern radiators carried less coolant in narrower fins, which places a greater resistance to flow from the weedy little water pump. Earlier designs with brass radiators, had bigger channels that enabled the water to speed through more quickly, and thus rush into the block and spread around more evenly. The effect of the modern radiator designs was, although the coolant cooled more efficiently, the flow rate through the block was insufficient. What happened was that the front cylinder would get the lion's share of cooled coolant, and very little moved to the furthermost cylinder as it wasn't getting resistance to flow because of inadequate flow. I hope I'm making some kind of sense? Anyway, the cure was to cut a tapering shroud of thin stainless steel sheet (with a bent bit to pinch it into place) down the back of the water-pump where it exited into the lower part of the block. It went up to the end of cylinder three by by being slid into the gallery space lengthwise and up near the cylinder liners, and metered the flow in such a manner that each cylinder still got its fair share of cooled coolant, without the back cylinders effectively being bypassed. The taper was upwards towards the top of the gallery, thus that any coolant always started at the bottom of the wet-liner and would rise upwards as it heated up. The bent bit simply pinched between the water-pump gasket and the block by a few millimetres, just enough to hold it without creating a leak-route. This friend of mine is a very respected development-engineer, who has been involved with many of the most famous names in the motor industry in his long career. He's still involved, doing vintage racing cars for well-heeled customers, even in his seventies.

[@ptonpc]

A lot of engineering went into something that, if it works, no one would even notice.

[@chechnya]

I know exactly who you're talking about! He's a good man!

[@obeseperson]

@@chechnyait’s crazy seeing all the people with a hand in making or designing this Reliant Robin in this comment section. Cool

[@TheRogueBro]

I know woodworking projects are few and far between these days, but i really miss your Under Dunn episodes!

[@onthewater5504]

Chicken Coop 2: Electric Baglaoo

[@TheWinjin]

I think the electric stuff takes up all the time in the world currently, it's a huge project)

[@criggie]

@@TheWinjin "currently"

[@spokehedz]

The Robin is my third favorite vehicle on this channel, and I am glad to see that it is now going to light on fire approximately 50% less more often!

[@pioneerAv]

What are 1 and 2?

[@another3997]

​@@pioneerAv1 and 2 are numbers. Unless they're one and two, in which case they are words. Well, you did ask! 😁

[@spokehedz]

@@pioneerAv A gentlemen never tells.

[@boredom.victim]

proof that a smartass will be a dumbass at least 50% less than normal (hopefully)

[@Dave_Sisson]

Number 1 has to be the Trabbi, everyone loves a Trabbi. 🙂

[@SatterfieldMusicArchive]

No filler, no bullcrap, just short, perfect aging wheels content

[@obsidianjane4413]

And yet manages to be funny too.

[@AndyClements]

I know its just the image stabilization, but it was funny watching the steering wheel dance forward and back when going down the road.

[@jamesbennettmusic]

was almost hard to tell if it was a video artifact or if that's just... what they actually do in real life

[@piuthemagicman]

​@@jamesbennettmusicit wasn't and they're not that bad...

[@NanoMan737400]

I think it could be a combination of shutter distortion and the wiggle of the car on the road that makes the wheel all twisty and twitchy

[@kg-Whatthehelliseventhat]

Oh man!! Now I can't unsee that

[@CoPoint]

"It's alive! ALIVE!!!!"... I mean, it wouldn't really surprise me, on THAT car 😁...

[@tacticooldennis]

Sometimes they run a little rough when they first start as it's detecting and installing new hardware updates.

[@RWBHere]

heh!

[@gafrers]

Love the videos on the Robin. Not waterless coolant. Please don't fall for that marketing sewage. Nothing cools better than water, unless you want to put liquid heavy metals, Sodium, Some Acids or Silver and Gold in your coolant system.

[@Gassit]

Totally agree, waterless coolant is snake oil, you cant go wrong with a 50/50 glycol/water mix.

[@gafrers]

@@Gassit So many fell, shilled, and still fall for it. 50/50 is the Best. Only important thing is the right one if engine is Iron or Al. Iron in this case i assume.

[@Zeem4]

@@gafrers The Reliant engine is famously all-alloy.

[@gafrers]

@@Zeem4 Thanks for the correction

[@Thomas_Bergel]

I had some matt vs. evans flashbacks going in my head...

[@CueBeanKa]

I appreciate you making this video exactly as long as it needed to be.

[@criggie]

Agreed - quality, not quantity.

[@Boemel]

watch at x1.5 speed

[@BenMaxson23]

One of those channels I immediately leave a like before the video even starts

[@ChrisLhamon]

The Robin not starting sounds a lot like my Suzuki Katana. It behaved the same, and the problem was the fuel filter. Everyone said it couldn't, but I took it out and it rattled when I shook it. If it got in a certain spot, you couldn't blow air through it. Randomly, it would fix itself too. Replacing the filter stopped that.

[@Dozeji]

Lovely end to the mini-quest. I am pondering what these little green cells are for

[@pb_magnet]

They hold electricity. ;)

[@MyHandleIsGood]

@@pb_magnet They don't look like capacitors. They look more like electrochemical cells to me, which hold chemical energy rather than electricity.

[@stevetaylor8698]

@@MyHandleIsGood Witch craft

[@another3997]

They are full of gunpowder, with a small detonator inside... and he's going to blow up the Reliant the next time it goes wrong. 😂

[@crackedemerald4930]

Very small electric car project

[@kyledexter485]

Thank you for a new video. A short video is better than no video at all.

[@rycudas]

Y'know I love your videos. Friendly, warm, even if everything's gone wrong and you're struggling to find motivation you're still you. Short videos, long videos, big project videos, or just you talking while sweeping up the shop. I continue to be delighted when I see a new video arrive from you.

[@berndb.5097]

Congratulations, you have now passed the first part of the Reliant Robin Superspecialist exam. I'm so proud of you 🙂

[@philgoodinc2]

There is a certain charm and humour to your videos that I absolutely love. Keep it up! One of my fave channels🥰

[@TheRealAlpha2]

Yay! The Robin lives! ...let's not discuss the obviously compromised batteries on the table just yet though.

[@dodgydruid]

Ah a monumental day indeed, my garage rang me to say my Robin is all fixed and is currently undergoing a tune and service... 8 months long wait finally over yay :D

[@EnvAdam]

2:00 this oddly reminds me of my mother talking about her classic mini cooper that would only run well when she talked to it nicely.

[@paulterhaar4862]

Yup, some cars have a personality of its own... 🤣

[@luviskol]

Was it called Christine?

[@frglee]

There's an anecdote about a car owner taking a garage mechanic for a ride to show him a problem she was having, saying "You better let me drive - she knows me" 🙂

[@bndodge83]

I appreciate the Bojack Reference. Thanks for that.

[@ITBlanka]

Can we have more of these 'shorts' ? Any video with your humor is great!

[@andreasbayer]

For the bad starting after the repair: check the connection of that one ground cable if it has (again) good contact to vehicle ground.

[@the-shork]

always nice to get a satisfying ending, no matter how long it takes

[@yodasbff3395]

It's always good to see a video from Robert, even if it is short 👍.

[@deneb_tm]

i appreciate not stretching the video a second longer than it has to be

[@frglee]

Makes for good content, and you seem to greatly enjoy owning this little car. Glad you are sorting stuff out on the Reliant bit by bit. Here's hoping for many more appearances of it. How about a longer road trip in it? Someone crossed America in a Robin from the Atlantic to the Pacific a few years back, even braving snow in the Rockies - so they can't be that bad!

[@mumblbeebee6546]

Hooray! Sometimes throwing parts (and jumper batteries) at stuff works :) I absolutely love that the lens distortion, rolling shutter and compression artefacts turn your steering wheel into a ghostly snake, but because it’s a Robin Reliant, that did not even register for the first 20seconds or so, it fitted right in with my expectations 😂

[@FirstNameLastName-tp5bu]

At 1:18 there's a ground wire attached to the thermostat housing by one of the thermostat housing bolts. That might give you trouble down the road due to the silicon sealant on the threads and as the bolt oxidizes. Might be better to connect it directly to the block using a bolt and internal star washer to get a good bite.

[@alpo789]

I think the bad ground may even have caused the starting issues

[@williamk5998]

I'm so happy for your videos on interesting unusual cars that are ICE powered.

[@Toyotajunkie]

So glad you got it figured out! Its feels great to "solve" a problem.

[@petem6291]

Hey Bob , I worked in a shop for a number of years and we would have every radiator flow tested if we did a cly head or engine and what we found was after about the 8 year mark you have A flow restriction . with fords much less they don't wash the casting sand from the block. before assembly. But the bottom line is you need to just change out the rad after 10 years it's just good medicine , also you can clip off that jiggly thing in the Thermostat it's there because the engineers say it should go there but if you clip it off you won't get and air bubble under the thermostat one of my co works would drill a 7/64 hole in the thermostat install it , put the pressure tester on it when he was cleaning up and doing the bill ,He would drive around the block with the heat on and give the car back to the customer no air pocket problem . any way you have a great channel keep up the good fight.

[@MaxKuehn]

And the saga continues ❤

[@1mandanceparty]

Excellent video! I’m glad you got it running right and thanks for updating us!

[@forresttm]

Great result. Must be pleased to have the car on the road again.

[@TheQuestionableGarage]

I’ve heard Hims helps you last longer so your videos aren’t so short. Maybe you could send some to Florida Man.

[@mediocrefunkybeat]

You're a braver man than I, taking a Robin to an Earth-shattering 65MPH.

[@DaveO-te1iv]

Those thermostat housing bolts that came from the UK might be at least a little bit special. If that car uses British Standard Whitworth threads, you'll need those. BSW threads have a different thread angle and profile than the unified threads on fasteners used...most everywhere else.

[@Rekuzan]

You could also possibly install an after market electric fan on the front of the radiator maybe for additional cooling?

[@AlexB-qf9te]

Funny you posted this today, the radiator in my MB W140 catastrophically burst today and just pissed every fluid incl transmission onto the concrete. Nice to see you are having better luck than me with this! Best regards

[@felixreali7101]

Robert, you are, by far, the funniest guy on YT. If only the world had more people like you in it!!!

[@AtomSquirrel]

Glad it’s working. I can’t explain that rough running at first as anything other than it’s a Robin

[@luviskol]

Probably a sticking carb needle if it's been stood for a while Think these are fitted with SU's but Strombergs can do something similar

[@dcallan812]

Nice job, my dad had a brown Robin he used it every day to get to and from work 👍👍

[@Carstuff111]

I am happy to see the cheerful little bugger isn't overheating now! Also, isn't this sudden snap from the heat so nice?! I live in Northwest Arkansas, for a bit there I was thinking we all lived on Venus with the heat and humidity!

[@jayhom5385]

Unfortunately it's back that way for a bit in CA as of Aug. 29 so I suspect you'll get a week or so of heat in a couple weeks or so.

[@AveragePootis]

Nice work, now next up a winter video for the Robin

[@chilleddriving1455]

What happened to the Coda video?

[@DrathVader]

A surprising but welcome conclusion.

[@benjaminbeebe9182]

Loved it, so nice when things actually work as intended. Crazy! 😂

[@darthclaytor]

What a tease!!! We want more.

[@JConnollystudio]

Short or long, i always enjoy your videos. Maybe a bit more short videos on mindless things so you always have a video out each weeks would be good for the channel 😊 keep it up, love how you do your video montage

[@lonelyzombie3128]

Glad to see you got your "blue suppository" running again. Cheers.

[@OrbeezRando]

Bojack Horseman reference in the opener? I enjoyed it nonetheless.

[@M00j3]

Well done mate. Success is success 👍

[@CullenJWebb]

I wasn't ready for how short that was.

[@123jrh1]

yes that was short but sweet , glad you fixed it

[@armo0325]

Hey Bob, would love to see the daily videos of 2020 make a comeback sometime in the future :)

[@JustLovett0]

I still really enjoyed the short video. If you have a project that’s taking a month or two to do with no uploads, even a two or three minute video makes me happy just to see what you’re up to.

[@SuperStareGry]

There is not enough content about this little car. Please upload more.

[@tunerrestorations]

Best video ever. Love it when things work

[@TenOfZero1]

I appreciate these short videos!

[@edmonk4912]

Is it just me, or did anyone else want a full 45min update including the full montage of the trouble and tribulations of putting in thermostat and housing?

[@codyrobbins5667]

Soooooo @Aging Wheels I was 95% sure I saw you driving the Robin the other day cause honestly how many are there here in the US haha and Saw something very Particular in the back ground of one of the shots and Holy Cow! youre super close to me! thats super cool! hope to see it out and about to get a close up look of it!

[@triverbike1368]

At the risk of sounding like a jerk…one of your best videos so far 👍

[@B.D.B.]

I initially misread the title as "... Still Oversteers", and thought that doesn't seem right, read it again and went, oh that makes more sense.

[@Orxenhorf]

Went up climbing the hill..... might have an air bubble that shifted in the coolant system, or .... might just be a tiny underpowered engine. Option 2 is my guess.

[@ghostlyninja125]

its always good when its a simple fix like this

[@papafrank7094]

Congratulations! I really enjoy your videos. Keep it up!

[@lowbobcattdi7624]

Just seen you out at a jimmy johns in the Robin! I Didn’t want to bother you so I didn’t say anything. It was cool to see the Robin in person!! Glad it’s still on the road lol 😂 My brother had never seen one and was thrilled at the sight of a three wheeled car

[@Wordsnwood]

excellent job making us hold out to the VERY end of the video, expecting you to do some tease about those batteries in front of you. I bet you have great retention stats on this video. 😁

[@nicholasbuckley3842]

Even tho the video was short I appreciate and like it.

[@rpavlik1]

You deserve one of these once in a while 😅

[@sempi8159]

Gotta say i love the 3 minquick update video

[@OntarioTrafficMan]

Short & sweet. Awesome!

[@pavelandreev4727]

It's the bolts that did the trick, surely!

[@IstasPumaNevada]

Congrats!

[@KostasTsakalidis]

not short. Perfect.

[@zalfred2890]

Didn’t know the robin’s steering wheel was made out of soft rubber bands 😂

[@richieb7692]

It's so you don't get impaled when you crash. A thoughtful safety feature way before air bags were invented.... 😅😅😅

[@iangrice329]

I think it was quite common to fit a second radiator on reliants,

[@froobanator]

ok, first thing that threw a flag up for me was the earth cable that is routing to the thermostat housing. i have never seen this done in a robin, an extra earth is always a great idea but most people like myself run it to the engine block stud that also holds on the oil dip stick bracket. the starting issue sounded like either very weak spark or fuel evaporation which was very common with robins- so much so they made a catch bowl of sorts that hides behind the passenger side wall near the door to reduce the problem. yours may be gunked up badly. lastly and most importantly, you must and i mean must do a full flush from the back of the cylinder block ( where the drain plug is and usually snapped off requiring a drill and re tap) the shear amount of casting silt that builds up at the back of the block makes number 4 run very hot this is made worse when the car is run with the heater water valve closed as this stops water circulating from the back of the motor letting all the silt just sit at number 4. this will be your issue. it was mine!

[@sobertillnoon]

I'm shocked the video was actually short.

[@WayneTheBoatGuy]

Isn't it nice to FINALLY get to check SOMETHING off a list??

[@petermiddo]

Your videos always give me a smile, and this one no exception. Same bone dry sense of humour.

[@888johnmac]

yay , a win .. enjoy it Sir

[@genevieveard2246]

IT WORKED! YAY! happy dance....

[@paulmetzgar2604]

Congratulations! Something worked well for you and no major random curve balls appeared!

[@Rouverius]

Great job!👍

[@keithdosik]

This dude is just pretending like he didn’t buy a new little red car

[@keving3456]

I didn’t see anything new. You talking about the lada?

[@agingwheels]

🤫

[@keithdosik]

@@agingwheels lol fine I’ll keep my mouth shut

[@Zer0Blizzard]

Well done!

[@dietznutz1]

Was the Intro a bojack horseman reference? 😂

[@robertobuenrostro2781]

This short-format is great, I'm able to pay attention . 😅

[@gamemeister27]

God that heatwave was brutal. It hit like 104 on Friday, which thankfully was the last day of it

[@RobsNeighbor]

Great Job! Love your content! Thank you

[@tommink2577]

"Told ya the video was gonna be short". 😆 Perfect ending.

[@djhakase]

My #1 and #2 favourite vehicles are the EV battery trolley and the mop bucket. Just thought you'd like to know.

[@skid_valve]

Lol possibly greatest aging wheels video of all time 😂

[@DollyBoy_1923]

This is my literal dream car

[@mrjed6912]

Just don't buy a 1995-1999 model. Those ones were terrible quality as Reliant was making them out of anything they could find in the factory, causing the model badging to get mixed up, larger panel gaps, wrinkles and thinner dashboards which cracked easily. My Rialto stood in the sun for 11 years (abandoned 1994) and the dashboard is perfectly in tact.

[@DollyBoy_1923]

@@mrjed6912 I always kind of dislike the look of those generations. Needless to say, I’m probably not gonna get one anytime soon as I would have to get one imported because they weren’t originally sold in my market. Plus, i’m more interested in the Mark3 or the Fox (the four wheeled truck they made for a short time).

[@FeralSparky]

Sounds like my Honda Helix Scooter. Chasing cooling issues to finally just replace the thermostat which I checked... and it did open in boiling water..... never overheated again except it did get really warm in some very thick stop and go trafffic.

[@Labergemusic]

Ahhh just the update I needed

[@davrulesdawurld]

Just wanna say your vids always make me smile :)

[@melterofsnowflakes]

Success! Good job!