Burnside

'Ooft, must eat juice being a V6'

The autobox seems to change up early, meaning you're never stressing the engine, it just wafts, BUT press the sport button and its a different version of events, I can see why they chose a V6 in the mental Clios.
A few weeks (month ?) Of wafting around in this, and I won't lie it is THE most comfortable car I've owned, I even lent it to a friend, and even he said 'this floats along similar to my old Bentley, just needs less aggressive tyres to be silent' , genuinely not making that up !!! .
Anyway non of this work would have been worth it, if it couldn't pass a MOT

MOT WHILE YOU WAIT. 🙈 These sort of places never normally end well, but:

Yep, advisory free PASS.

This nifty chap turned up (old one pictured)

So we've had new plugs, new coils (x2 - Still awaiting others to be in stock) , new injector and a new Airbag plug.
Checked everything was plugged in before refitting the inlet manifold, broke open the new gaskets, torqued down to spec, and ...
It fired straight into life 🥳, so decided to treat it to a new air filter, as I wasn't too sure when the last service was (Juley ?)


A quick trip around the block, and I could still hear a air leak - Can't be manifold as all gaskets are new here, but peaking beneath the throttle body, I found this

Rang up Peugeot/ Citroen dealer, and they basically said 'LOL NO', so unfortunately had to sleeve it, with some pipe. Refitted and no more unmetered air. The idle seemed to be much smoother now too.
So the next few days I put some miles on it, as I wanted to make sure all this work (and more) was worth it.

267 miles later, I can confirm it's a good car.
So with that in mind, it got MORE NEW STUFF

New brakes all round - discs, pads and shoes.
 

At this point I was waiting for the injector to turn up, so turned my attention to other things.
Airbag light was illuminated, thankfully the previous owner @406V6 was spot on with his diagnosis - Drivers seat being the culprit. Didn't grab any pictures of this, as I was kneeling on gravel, and just wanted to get done, but found the offending item:

With that snipped out, a new plug and socket was fitted

 
Did it work?
Did the injector turn up ?
Will it ever see the road again ?
*Dramatic music* Stay tuned for updates 

So with everything out the way and a  compression test done, I had a niggling in the back of my mind - 'Do we actually have good spark, is the injector getting a pulse??'
One way to find out

Apologies for the poor picture, but with a noid lamp -  (Freshly purchased from https://www.sealey.co.uk/product/5637205125/6pc-noid-light-set ) , it was confirmed we had injector pulse.
And Halfords spark tester  (https://www.halfords.com/tools/hand-tools/electrical-diagnostics/laser-ignition-spark-tester-in-line-208694.html ) , it was also confirmed we had spark, but a rather weak looking one. Tried a new coil and things looked much healthier, result.
Old plugs removed and replaced 

I actually forgot !
You have to take the inlet manifold off, in order to get to the rear bank -

As you can probably see, it covers the back 3 cylinders.

Hhmm lovely, lots of instant gasket.
Thankfully before pulling anything apart, I thought to order a set of gaskets (Did so too, as I was adamant I could hear a vaccum leak)

Also making an appearance is the new coil (No idea why Beru / Behru came in BorgWarner boxes)

Obviously I missed Ceri dropping this off, so he as always, parked and secured this in a Professional manner. 
Once home I cracked on:

Lets try understand what is going on 

She's certainly unhappy about cylinder 5, but why ?
The previous owner told me he'd spent good money on having new coils and plugs fitted, so at first I ruled them out and ordered an injector, so whilst waiting for that to be delivered I cracked on, removed the engine cover and investigated further.


Three different makes of coil, now my OCD / finicky head really dislikes mismatched brands, so I hit up euro car parts - Non in stock, tried local factors - no, Autodoc - x2 Behru in stock. Ordered, and add to email list when back in stock.
Lets not waste time waiting for parts 

Checked compression of all cylinders, and all returned satisfactory results.

Innocently scrolling through various pages, and a certain V6 406 catches my eye.
It has good 'bones', and appears to have been well looked after, but is suffering with a few issues.
Before getting giddy the resident shite shifter @worldofceri is contacted for a quote, (as one of its issues means a collection mission is off the cards). A plan with the now previous owner is hatched, all I could do is sit and wait.

Before long, I'm greeted with the above WhatsApp picture. Exciting times.

I did pop over and ask 'Is the person I know on a forum as Saabnut here' but was met with a bit of confusion 😂
I did better by pointing at your car but the lady I was speaking to said you'd gone for a wander. 
Enjoyed the show, was there for about 3 and a half hours and there was enough variety to keep Imp Jr interested. 
His favourite car was this. 

Which is fair enough when you're 8. They are pretty cool. 
He did get very excited about the Fiat Panda though. We spotted one a while ago in an industrial estate near home and he was saying that he hadn't seen one yet just before seeing this one which he was chuffed to see. 

 

Do come and say hello







 

@DodgeRover I contacted ukdac@forddac.co.uk this morning, they responded almost immediately, asked for proof of ownership and a photo of the VIN plate, which I promptly supplied. In response, I received confirmation that the Sierra was built in March 1987. I will be receiving a letter to confirm this. Nice, thank you.
Whilst the interior of the Sierra was already clean, I only feel comfortable in a new to me car once I have given the interior a good clean and hoover. @SiC is with me on this one.
I gave the seats and carpets a good hoover.


The driver's seat rear mount plate looked ugly and was letting the interior down.

I removed the mounting plate fixing bolt, which was tight as something very tight, lifted the seat, placed a piece of cardboard under the mount, rubbed it down, surrounded it with newspaper to prevent overspray and gave it a squirt of black.

Once dry, I will remove the cardboard and re-fix the bolt.

And yes, I squirted black on the bolt and washer too.

A piece of handbrake trim is broken.

I would like to source a replacement, however for now I have fashioned a cunning repair with a length of black insulation tape.

Speaking of replacement trim, I need one of these ashtrays. I will have a look on eBay later.

This piece of trim, which should be fixed under the dashboard, over the pedals, was in the boot when I got the Sierra.

The two front mounting holes were torn, hence it dropped down and was consequently removed.


I punched a couple of new holes in the fabric.

And re-fitted the trim. Much better.

My brief drive on Sunday revealed that the clutch pedal biting point is a bit high and the pedal squeaks. I suspect the latter is caused by the clutch cable becoming dry inside the sleeve. Looking in the footwell, it is evident that the clutch pedal is positioned a good inch and a half higher compared with the brake pedal. 
Looking up at the clutch cable mounting, I can just about see where the cable connects but I can't see any adjustment mechanism.

@lisbon_road @sierraman Any ideas whether there is any method of bringing the clutch pedal down a bit?
I noticed that the clutch pedal wasn't right when I drove the car from the main road to my house the day the Sierra was delivered and I have budgeted for a new clutch and cable, however it would be nice if I could sort out the high pedal before Monday's test drive. Any ideas?
 

The Saxo passed its MOT yesterday with a few  advisories, nothing too serious though. Also, 23 months after clocking up 61K, this happened.

As you can see it doesn't get out much, maybe it's time to move it on.

Yes, I do still have the 205. It was nearly sold but at the  last minute my self sabotage kicked in and caused me to change my mind about selling because (a) it's probably my favourite on the fleet and (b) I felt that as the issues that it has had happened on my watch I should be the one to get them sorted. The potential buyer was understandably unimpressed by the decision but at the time it seemed the right thing to do, although since then I've realised that it wasn't. 
Last week it went to the local garage to have the driver's door lock looked at and although they got the door open they couldn't get the lock to work despite apparently spending 3 hours adjusting it, so now instead of not being able to open the door from inside or out you can now open the door from outside but not lock it and inside you still can't open it as it sounds like the linkage inside the door has been disconnected. They said it would 'likely' need new locks or the key and door.  Tomorrow I might remove the door trim and look inside the door to see what they've done to it. The MOT runs out on Friday so I'm concerned about what to do with it after that date. 😕

As or the rest of the fleet, the Fabia went in for a service and MOT at the end of January. The EML was on when it went in but was off when I collected it. Twelve days and 50 miles later it came back on again. 🙁 
On the 4th of February I'd owned the Rover for 5 years, since when I've done 5200 miles in it.

A few months back I noticed that the Saxo's front tyres were both cracked and as one of them was an advisory on last year's MOT I booked it in for a new pair.

Hopefully with the new tyres it'll pass its MOT when it goes in next week. It certainly handles better than it did on the old tyres, the steering feels lighter too.

Time for the yearly mileage update. Going in order from low to high we start off with the Saxo, which did 596 miles, taking it to a total of 61803. It was SORNed at the end of August but I taxed it the beginning of the month and gave it a run out to Merry Hill. I was pleased to find that the sticky brake issue seems to have gone away, if only temporarily.

Next up is the 205, which did 825 miles, leaving it at a total of 46881. As mentioned in my previous post it'll probably be looking for a new home soon. 

Runner up again was the Rover with 1122 miles, taking it total mileage to 36100. A few days earlier, however, this happened...

which might not look significant but it meant that  it has now done 5000 miles since I bought it back in February 2019. I've been thinking of selling it as it costs the most to tax and insure but as this year is the 120th anniversary of Rover cars I might keep it and take it to some shows, plus it's had more money spent on it since I bought it than the rest of the fleet combined.

Finally, the Fabia did 2710 miles, which took it up to a total of 38567. It had a trip out to the FoD after Christmas where it was parked next to a proper car.🙂 

So, another year over and all four cars did more miles  than in 2022 and a total combined mileage of just over 5200, which isn't a lot. In fact the total mileage of the fleet over the last 2 years is less than 10.000, which some folk on here can do in a few months. 
 
 
 

Today marks four years since I went down to that London and came home in a £200 Citroen Saxo. 🙂 To mark the occasion it came out of the garage for the weekly run to Sainsbury's.

The front brake sounded better than it did last week so it might have just been sticking a bit due to lack of use as it's only done about 730 miles since April 2022. I really need to get the heater control working again though as it gets a bit* warm this time of year, which means I can't use it as much a I'd like. 🙁
In other news, the clips for the 205's rear valance arrived today. 🙂 Hopefully fitting them won't be too difficult.

As I've mentioned before I could really do with reducing the fleet as I never meant to have four cars. The idea was to have the Fabia for my daily and an 'old' car for high day and holidays. I've worked out that if I sell the Rover, one of the smoll Frenchies and give up the tenancy on my garage I'd be around £1700 better off going by this years costs, which will of course be more next year. 

The Rover went in for the mot work last week so it's OK or another year and my wallet is a fair bit lighter. The rear wheel arch looks a lot better than it did in the previous post.

The weekend before it was the Fabia's turn to visit the FoD, where it found itself next to @bobdisk's DAF. On the way down it clocked up 37000 miles, not bad for ten and a half years.

While I was there I had a brief drive around the  field in the Mk2 Daimler and a ride to the chippy in the back of the Rolls Royce.

Thanks to @Six-cylinder and @Mrs6C for a great day, it was nice to see the fleet lined up. 🙂
Back to my fleet and the Saxo had a little run out last week. The o/s/f brake sounds like it's rubbing a bit, the front suspension clonks a bit and the heater still doesn't work but apart from that it's OK. 

Finally I found out which clips I needed to reattach the 205's rear valance so I've ordered some so I can get it sorted out.
 

I really ought to do this more often but most of the time there's not much going on. Anyway, back in April the Rover went to Pride of Longbridge where it lined up with a lot of its siblings.

At the end of May the 205 was the chod of choice for this year's first visit to the FoD, where it found itself next to the 205 of @barrett.

The next day it was the Rover's turn. On the way down the offside  front brake started making occasional grinding noises, more of which later.

In July the 205 went to Shitefest. While driving down Llanberis Pass it clocked up 3000 miles since I bought it back in June 2019. Unfortunately I left the SD card for my camera in my laptop, which was at home, so no photos. Also unfortunately, while doing some tight manoeuvring in the dark and rain I backed into a low wall which broke some of the clips holding the  rear valance to the bumper, leaving it hanging low at one end. I was able to strap it up with some string and some cable ties from @rml2345.

Which takes us to today, when the Rover went in or its MOT. I knew it would fail on the brakes, which it did as the o/s front pads were down to the metal and the calliper may be seized, hopefully it'll just be the sliders sticking. It turns out it also  needed some welding on the floor and the back of the n/s sill.

It'll be going in next week to have the work done, then it'll be good for another year.
 

As it's been 8 months since the last post I reckon it's time for a fleet update.  
Going in age order first is the 205, which did 811 miles last year, finishing 2022 on a total mileage of 46056. Most of the winter it was tucked away in the garage. It went for it's MOT at the beginning of March, which it passed with a few advisories but I was told that it's running rich and needs to be sorted for next year or it would fail on emissions.

While it was out I took it for a run out in the country.

With the Saxo going in or it's MOT just over a week later it was back up to the garage to swap them back over. As they aren't seen together too often I took the opportunity to get a picture of them together. 🙂
 
Which takes us on to the Saxo, which did a meagre 548 miles last year, taking it's total mileage to 61206, the highest on the fleet. During the cold weather during February it did suffer from a sticking rear brake, which I managed to free off.

It went for its MOT just over a week ago and passed wit a few advisories.  The alternator belt still squeals a bit on start up  and the heater controls still don't work but apart rom that it's running fine. #NotMyCat

Next is the Rover 45, which did 960 miles last year, taking it to 34978 total to the end of 2022. 

It passed its MOT in August last year with the usual advisories and since then has done limited miles due to the battery still going flat if it isn't used or a few days. It has done enough miles for this to happen though. 🙂

I'm still in two mind over whether to sell it or not but I've renewed my owner's club membership so it'll probably be around for a while yet.
Finally, and making its first appearance here since its 10th birthday in January is my Skoda Fabia, which I've owned since September 2015. It's a 1.2 with 70 bhp but that's still enough to get to over 70 on the motorway if you aren't careful. 

Last year it did 2364 miles, taking it up to 35856 total up to the end of last year.  It passed its MOT at the beginning of February with a few advisories but before then this happened  in mid January when I went to a model show in Bolton .
 
As you can tell I don't do a lot of miles and definitely not enough for four cars so one or two of them might be looking for a new home later in the year. 

No battery problems since the last update as the Rover has been in regular use including a couple of visits to the FoD, where it was joined last weekend by one of its younger siblings in the shape of @MrDuke's 45.

A couple of months back it was my lowest mileage car but with  a few long runs over the past few weeks the Fabia is now lowest again by 40 miles. On the French front the Saxo has been put in the garage as a car with a non functioning heater fan blower isn't ideal for summer. On the plus side this means that the 205 is out for the first time since the end of March. 🙂 To mark the occasion I took it out for a run to the countryside.

I have been thinking of reducing the fleet again but I can't decide which one to sell as I like them all plus I wouldn't know how much to ask for if I did decide to sell one. 

Last Saturday the Saxo, which is the highest mileage, or should that be least low mileage,  car on the fleet clocked up another 1000 miles.
 

In other news I decided to sort out the Rover's loose battery clamp. As I mentioned in the previous post even with a shim on the post it won't tighten up enough to grip the post.

A quick trip  to Halfords and I had a clamp that fitted. 

Unfortunately after removing the old clamp and trimming back the insulation on the cables it wouldn't reach the post.
 
I have bought a new cable so it does reach now but I'm wondering if I should buy a clamp with a 2 way connector as at the moment it has a cable coming in from each side of the clamp and I'm concerned that it may cause problems if I use it like it is.  Any suggestions welcome.

As it's been seven months since the last post I think it's time for a fleet update.
The Saxo passed its MoT yesterday with a few minor advisories. The back box on the exhaust had been blowing so that was replaced last week. One thing that should be blowing but isn't is the heater which stopped working a few weeks ago and will need investigating.
The 205 passed its MoT a few weeks ago with a few advisories. It's still running well but I need to get the tracking done and possibly a pair of tyres on the front as they're both worn on the inner edges.
The Rover is still running well when there is some charge in the battery as if it's left for more than a week it goes flat. The problem seems to be that the + post on the battery is too small for the clamp to grip it as even with a shim over the top of it I can tighten the clamp as much as possible and it's still loose. I don't know if battery posts have got smaller over the years so the clamp is now too big but I had the same problem with the previous battery too. 😕 It is also now the lowest mileage car on the fleet at 33800 as the Fabia passed it a few weeks back.
The Fabia is still doing 'an car' stuff. It'll be 10 years old next January so maybe it'll qualify as 'proper' shite instead of modern. 🙂

Did you need a new lock?  got a few for the non tilting column but they dont come with the fixing shear bolt or lock barrel
 

Made a bit of progress. 
Slight issue with the calipers. One was fine and went straight on, the offside one was actually for the other side, despite what it said on the box. I had a think about this, then realised that actually the calipers are completely symmetrical and fit either way around (the only difference between sides being the location of the bleed nipple. I had my draw through compressor tool so I could bleed it with attaching it (so air didn't get trapped in it). Not sure what the MoT man will say about that, but I can always keep an eye out for another part. 
I also removed the rear wheels and bled the rear system as well, not being sure whether air had got in there as well. This was worth doing as the fluid looked quite dirty. 
Both rear tyres were fucked, and there was also a missing wheel lug, happily just missing not snapped off or anything. The only other issue on the shitlist is that the steering lock is inoperative, which apparently an MoT fail point*. Yes it is near to not needing a yearly inspection by law, but morally (and legally) it should be roadworthy.
This came in during 2013 revisions to the test, although apparently I could fit an immobilizer to get it past the MoT man. Preferably something simply like an ignition cutout. 

Not really dumped, but was stolen last night and being recovered this morning as I went by on my bike..