JakeT

It’s E46 based so will have a fucked occupancy mat. Kneeling on them (or a bony arse) ruins them and they go open circuit. One of my E46s had the issue and I put the box to stop it. I don’t think the seatbelt light is on for passenger, so you should be okay. On my few E46s the light isn’t on for the driver as standard. It comes on with the ignition and then goes off, buckled or not.

You're right though, it will fire the passenger airbags no matter what.

Ah right, okay. One option is there’s an E46 breaker called Nick Jupp. He’s the E46 whisperer in many circles and may have a pair of calipers available. Much cheaper than new ones, too.

Could you see if you can find a rear caliper for an E46 316/318i? There should still be plenty being broken, so a cheap caliper should see it right. That’s what I ended up doing after having so many ones go sticky over the years of owning E46s.

Probably 65hp in something small and light, I had a 75hp Fiesta 1.25 and did 45,000 miles in it in three years. It does help how willing something is, those Sigma engines will do all of the revs all day long.

The issue is how powerful other traffic is too, in 1985 100hp was good going, but now with modern turbo diesel automatics and EVs, gaps become a lot smaller and more planning is required for overtakes.

Very sorry, I can’t make it as I’ve got paving work to be doing at home this weekend. Can someone nip round and drop a slab on my head?

What a huge turd. I love it.

Been busy tonight, boss?

Currently in Reims. Glad the French are holding the side up.

4 hours ago, SiC said:

Just come back from a few days in Amsterdam. Never been and it's only a short flight, so thought why not. Very interesting place and I think we'll go back sometime to explore more. Mostly did the main shopping area and a gander through De Wallen. I think my wife was more intrigued than I was - even if there was some ... beautiful architecture there. 🤔 🤣

Went to a few museums. Some good, most not brilliant. Highlight was the very interesting Red Light Secrets museum. Disappointment was the Anne Frank museum. 

Not a huge amount of interesting automotive stuff out there unsurprisingly. Did see a few 80s Saabs and Volvos parked up, but their location wasn't somewhere I could get away with taking a picture - I don't think taking old cars as an excuse would have worked. 

Anyway there was quite a few of these tiny quadracycles buzzing around on the cycle lanes. Tbh less dangerous than the many high powered e-bikes carving up the lanes. 

Also quite a few electric car brands about that I've never heard of. Presumably the Chinese automotive invasion in action?

This is a terrible picture as it's just a reflection of me but can Google the brand. These shops are on the main high streets and take up a lot of retail space. So these brand must be going all in.

 

Presumably this beetle hit a tin can in the road, crumpled and became an art installation?

Old tram appeared on Saturday in the square. Didn't see this around until yesterday so I guess only comes out for weekends.

Quite a lot of the city stank of weed. Reminds me of University and doesn't bother me. However my wife hates it - not helped by the smell being ingrained into her mind that it's a welfare issue at work and something she needs to note down. So not the best smell brain contentions.

Bunch of 20-somethings Welsh lads in the queue to board the plane stank of weed and looked still stoned as they boarded. Naturally as they walked through the customs nothing to declare, they were picked out and went very wide eyed quite quickly. Rather silly considering customs will know exactly when a flight comes in from Amsterdam and will be like shooting fish in a barrel. We had to wait an hour for the bus, so hung around the airport. Didn't see them coming back out of departures door... 😂

Anyway definitely will be back to explore more. 

Ah yes, Amsterdam. Home to some of the best museums in the world (Rijksmuseum, Anne Frank House, Van Gough museum), and some of the worst (The Sex museum). The Heineken experience is good though, and The Louwman museum is a great car museum in the hauge, not too far away.

I used to travel to Amsterdam semi regularly with work, and getting off the first flight of the day with a load of lads and ladettes wondering where to get high, have a steak and giggle at wimmin in a window was always something.

With all of the activities, I would recommend a visit to all, just visit some of the former museums. Amsterdam is trying to clean up its act, and seems to be semi working. Either or, good city break.

I’d guess it’s done 128k on that half a tank though?

I’ll try and get along to this, albeit I seem to be very busy. But I’d like to attend something AS related.

A 75° would be a bit too cool to me. I think early M50s were 88° and then in the 90s on later cars. An 88° is a good compromise.

https://www.c3bmw.co.uk/thermostat-housing-m50-m52/p/578
 

I put this one on an M50 a couple of years ago, it’s been fine and I’ve added a little coolant in the time since which isn’t unreasonable. I don’t have a real love for Ali bits like thermostats and waterpumps. Plastic is fine 99% of the time.

^^ wot e said. I usually overfill it and raise the nose. Run it with the cap off so it can’t build too much pressure and give it a few revs.

I saw this earlier so had to find the Volvo collection, to bring myself to speed. Few points:

1. Sleeper trains ROCK.

2. Volvo V70 T6s ROCK

3. German cars that aren’t a boring shade of grey/silver/black ROCK.

Well bought. GT models with a reasonable spec are rare, and the late mk7 is probably the best golf to buy currently. Looks like the dealer took care of you well, too! I’m sure it will be reliable and a good driver too, also so you don’t have to take it to Uncle Arnie’s too frequently.

Focus on the positives, you’ve got this. You’ve fitted new parts and it will be fine. Just raise up the nose to bleed it up. I’ve done plenty, and messed a few up with no dire consequences.

I ended up doing some tinkering today, unplanned. I was home alone and couldn’t go out as we were waiting on a cherry picker to be delivered, so I thought I’d check into why there’s a mild belt noise from ‘the old bus’. My winter work on it was to look at the fanbelt bits and sort them out, while it’s seeing very little usage.

First, whip the fan out, and various plastic piece, and find it amusing how basic this plastic piece looks on early E36s. later ones are better. This looks almost plastic welded together.

Take a picture of the belts so as not to forget how the belt is routed (not that this one is complex).

Spin the ‘deflection pulley’ and tensioner pulley and find they’re both free spinning, and one is even a little loose. I suppose after 30 years they’ve done their part. Then receive a call that thy can’t drop it off due to the weather (?), so it will have to be next week. Realise I can go out, and decide to nip to our friends at euro nobheads for a couple of bits. A new deflection pulley and tensioner. Amazingly they got the right parts, and weren’t even that rude about it. Good quality bits, as this is a nice, low mileage car. BMW now recommend fitting a hydraulic tensioner, and sell a kit to convert it. While I’m sure it’s better somehow I never had troubles with the sprung ones, and they’re £50 cheaper. If this one fails I’ll fit a hydraulic one.

The original tensioner was a git to get out. It was close to removing the front pulley, but I was hesitant to do this. With 1/4” tools and a tiny bit of bolt rounding it came out. I had to take the pulley off of the tensioner to get better access. This shows how much easier it is to get the newer style ones in.

New bits back in, and belt on. I think the belt is just barely long enough, the current one is a 1540mm, and a 1555 would be easier to slip over the tensioner.

Put all of the other bits back on, test drive tomorrow as everyone was home now and I had to help out with dinner.

On 07/02/2024 at 23:55, SiC said:

While driving back from looking at a car, my neighbour phoned. 

His 2010 118d shat itself near home and he urgently needed a tow. Driving along to find it suddenly just cut out and die.

I did the right thing and assisted him. He did keep pressing the brakes and tightening the tow rope up. 

Anyway got him home. I did a quick scan to find cam sensor and low fuel rail pressure. He's fully expecting it to be dead. 

He's the type that never services a car. I think he's done 100k+ in it so far some how. 

I might unplug the cam sensor and see if it starts. The engine turns over but sounds lumpy and not an even note. My first thought was chains given the engine on it. But perhaps maybe it is simply a sensor gone and bad information is making it sound lumpy on turn over as it's injecting in at the wrong time?

This sounds like it’s shit its timing chain. Cam correlation and the HPFP is driven off of the timing chain too.

The Opel wheel for me. Then the Momo wheel can go In the S500! Unless it doesn’t fit…

I don’t have a lot to say apart from ‘YAY SENATOR’ because I have an unhealthy appetite for senators with 24 valves. Looks like a massive pain though, so well done. As you say one step closer.

And as for the tosser working on the E65… I’d give up and take it to a generalist garage that are actually helpful. What do people think when they don’t do work that it’s booked in for? That because it’s got a snapped spring that you’re going to weight it in? I had the same years ago getting an E46 rear wheel bearing done as I don’t have a press. I’d book it in, and on the day they would call and tell me actually they wouldn’t touch it. They all said they’d happily do a front, which didn’t help at all.

Good stuff, after following this through the initial buyers remorse and finding out it’s a nice Sierra I think you’re quids in. These small jobs are really satisfying, and should give you confidence that for buying an 80s Ford sight-unseen you’ve been very lucky.

As it’s known, ‘the old bus’ went straight through its MOT last week, and the insurance renewal for it was £30 down, so I had to buy something, as a result. I’m a sucker for period correct accessories, and spotting a genuine BMW OSRAM spare bulb kit, I came over all @LightBulbFun and it had to be bought.

How lean the number of models used to be…!

On 25/01/2024 at 07:49, Supernaut said:

I've been turning it anti clockwise from below already. As per the Haynes.

I don't want to buy a special tool...!

In which case I’d break it too. Effort for messing around is little!

E36 can do well for fuel range too, but a 65l tank will do that. If very gentle and on the motorway I can do 420 miles before the light comes on.

Just thought I’d weigh in here as I’ve had the renewal through for my E36 320i.

The price paid last year for insurance was £308, with me and the good lady (she’s had two at fault claims, car stolen, found, bought it back and then crashed it), for a classic policy doing 2,000 miles per year, garaged et al. I was concerned this year with the general rise in prices, and the level of pisstaking that seems to have happened I was concerned.

This year? £275. Well, okay. I’ll take that. I had a quick shufty on the comparison sites and nothing came all that close, or with breakdown cover included. Insurance is still a mystery to me, and I’m sure I’ll be suitably shafted come June when my daily renews.

Thank you for posting this. The only diesels I’ve owned are common-rail ones and wouldn’t take to diesel well (BMW M57). I used to live near an Olleco depot and walked past every day to get to where I parked the car. There was always a certain smell about it, and the pavement even was oily sometimes it seemed.

Some of the old farming types I know pull the batteries on things when storing them for the winter, instead of leaving them on the concrete floor. Wondering if even that will help your oils from blooming in cooler weathers?