Supernaut

Hurr.

2 hours ago, loserone said:

Gone for scrap?

Yup!

Nobody else seemed to want it, and it was showing all the signs of the ECU going loopy. Don't worry, the good floor mats from it are in the Megane now.

Talking of; just done a 40 mile roundtrip not driving remotely economically and the average mpg over fuck knows how long is already up 10% with the new thermostat. TBH I was in a bit of a rush and was keeping it on boost the entire time. Still that noticeable mpg bump!

Fuckity bye!

I'm bored, it's raining, and I have a 50mm prime lens. With the aperture all the way open at F2.8 it looks good.

Think of it as a better attempt at the photo from yesterday.

The fact I dumped the BMW in the shed yesterday and I'm too lazy to move it, and the fact it's raining are both reducing the possibility of much car shenanigans today.

However I had a wee look at the Megane. First, I attacked the front seats with some interior cleaner again. This time with more generous amounts of cleaner, plus the use of a horse brush. I wanted a compact, stiff-bristled brush. What do I have an abundance of here? Horse brushes! I rinsed it off afterwards, but the horses may benefit from some car upholstery cleaner too...

I also found out how easy it is to access the mirrors. The cap on the inside of the door just unclips, and there are 3 bolts holding the mirror on. I unplugged the wiring from the passenger side mirror and the temperature gauge on the dash went out completely. Good. A replacement sensor can be obtained for under £10 and simply requires soldering on. I may order one.

I also found out I can get a pair of front drop links for about £20. I'll attempt to confirm those are the source of the rattle before ordering though.

The joys of having a relatively ubiquitous (at least parts-wise) modern car, eh?

Admittedly, E36s also have really good parts support to this day as well.

As for what I'll do with the Megane's horrible bare steelies... Well, I have some drill-mounted wire brushes and very wide masking tape coming tomorrow (via a friend who works at Screwfix) and I have already obtained two big tins of wheel silver. Mwuhaha. I suppose the BMW will actually have to go back outside for all that.

"I'm ready for my oil change now..."

I thought about cropping out the wheelie bin, but this is Autoshite!

2 minutes ago, loserone said:

Have I dibbsed this yet?

You have indeed.

That's what we want to see!

It was only showing the first block on the temperature gauge before.

The car came with fuck all service history, so it's a bit of timing belt roulette. The mileage suggests it's about 40% through its second belt. I had a look under the timing belt cover. It's rubbery and belty, with no cracks or signs of perishing. It can stay.

I just put some fresh 5w30 fully synth in it too, plus an air filter. The new oil filter I got was 10mm too narrow! The filter on there seemed fairly recent and in good condition. Good enough for the girls we date, as Derek says.

The air filter I took out wasn't even too bad, but I had a new one anyway.

It then got the obligatory Opie Oils strong as fuck air freshener hung from the mirror.

I should really get hold of a drill brush and give the seats a good going over.

Perhaps I should investigate the light rattle from the front suspension too. Sounds like a drop link. One of those rattles you only hear but can't feel.

One could almost argue that getting set off by somebody calling Fords over rated is also a form of brand snobbery, sorry, loyalty.

For the interests of balance, despite owning and enjoying a BMW from the 1990s I wouldn't touch one from after about 2005 with somebody else's bargepole. They're, in my opinion, vastly over rated junk.

I did run it briefly after filling it with coolant earlier. Just to move it back to its hiding spot in the corner of a paddock.

I got distracted by going out in the Kia Sorento with the trailer on the back to get half a tonne of compost. As you do.

Anyway, the Megane doesn't seem to be leaking or anything. I'll leave the heater set at full when I next drive it. Until it gets up to temperature anyway!

Meanwhile the rear calipers on my E36 are alright, but I replaced the fronts because they kept sticking!

Have a look at RTG Group on eBay for brake stuff.

That was about a medium amount of fuckery to do. Did some small plastic clips that hold hoses get launched into orbit? Maybe.

Did I pummel the plastic slam panel with my magnetic torch because seemingly the entire engine bay is plastic so I couldn't get the torch to stay anywhere? Once or twice.

I still need to pour some coolant in there, but it's lunchtime.

The thermostat housing even has a wee cap like a tyre valve on the side. I assume for bleeding the coolant through. Very thoughtful of them.

We need to start compiling all these jakebullet tales into a book.

It would make any reasonable person's toes curl.

Nah.

You're just going over to mumsnet and making stuff up based on a cocktail of their latest topics.

There's no way one person's life is so full of drama and sheer fucking stupidity.

2 hours ago, PhilA said:

There is, and a full electric adapter setup to get the computers talking to the GM hardware.

Oh, come on!

You know it makes sense.

It also needs an absolutely filthy lumpy cam, with a hidden but very free flowing exhaust system.

No.

I'm calling it.

Jake is actually a joke account trying to wind us up.

Aye, just like a PC.

I'm gonna liquid nitrogen cool it, then overclock it.

2 citybugs and 2 grand loaded onto a fuel card.

22 minutes ago, artdjones said:

You can tell which engine you've got, its stamped into the r/h side of the block as you look at the engine from the front. But hard to see as it's partly obscured by the plastic mouldings of the cylinder head cover.

I think the actual eco engine came with the small facelift that happened around later 2012. So your engine could be an 836. It doesn't make a huge difference, just a couple of mpg. And for some reason the 836 and 636 have a different timing belt, with the newer engine having 4 teeth less.

Fair enough! All useful info.

Like I said, I had a proper good nosey at it and it definitely looks like the earlier thermostat housing. I've already ordered one.

This has been an expensive morning, as I also ordered oil, an oil filter and an air filter for the Megane. Plus oil (all 7L of it) and an oil filter for the BMW. The air filter on it is spotless so can stay. That little lot topped 3 figures from Opie. However, most other places want £50-odd just for the 5L of oil for the Megane alone, before adding anything else!

On 08/04/2024 at 20:08, artdjones said:

As yours is down as an Eco on car checking sites it's probably got a k9k 636 engine, which has a different stat housing. I'm fairly sure the working part can be swapped over, though.

This is the one off the 636

Having had a good look under the bonnet, it appears to have the standard thermostat housing.
One pipe in the back, one pipe out the front, and a sensor plugged into it right next to one of the pipes. Not the Eco style one with the sensor coming out the side there.

Remember how I posted about a month ago about having a tooth extracted?

Guess what just happened today?

The first one was right at the back and mostly filling, so I don't really miss it.

The one today was in the middle, and was a several year old root canal that had run its course. It fucking hurt when it came out!

The thing is, even with it running cool for a modern eco diesel it still somehow kicks decent heat out of the vents.

After a good 20 mile drive...

Aye, time to order a thermostat. It feels like almost every car I buy needs one.

I wonder if there's a subtle* clue in the thread title...

53 minutes ago, artdjones said:

As yours is down as an Eco on car checking sites it's probably got a k9k 636 engine, which has a different stat housing. I'm fairly sure the working part can be swapped over, though.

This is the one off the 636

It has the Eco sticker in the rear window, so I'd belive it!