Feeling the Maverick love? Still here. MOT Fail.

[dollywobbler]

Well bought! Looks tidy, and a bit of a rarity, certainly round these parts! Is that a whitewall tyre?

 

I think it might have been, once upon a time.

[Father Ted]

Not sure it has a timing belt, though one problem I'm fast discovering with these is the lack of a Forum-base for tech stuff. I think it's a timing chain. I'll have a closer look tomorrow.

 

KA24E?

 

Timing chain if it is

[eddyramrod]

Looks like a good deal there! Once you get the smell out you should have a decent wagon, well done.

[dollywobbler]

Jeepers. Just took the truck in for a pair of new tyres. The fronts were getting a bit naughty and certainly wouldn't be any help off-road. As it was sitting there, I checked to make sure it didn't have locking nuts. Not only did it not have locking nuts, but two nuts were missing entirely on the wheel I was looking at! Others were 'a bit loose' according to the tyre fitter. Note - when buying cheap chod, check the nuts before driving 70 miles home!

 

Happily of course, the spare wheel is bolted on to the rear door, so pinched a couple of nuts from that and stashed the wheel inside for now. I know someone locally breaking a Terrano, so I plan to visit this afternoon...

 

I'm going to bleed the clutch too. The level is ok but the bite is right on the floor and the crunch into reverse suggests it isn't disengaging fully.

 

Also purchased engine oil, rear diff oil (LSD friendly) and fresh coolant. £65!! It's been an expensive day, though I'm still within the £800 budget I originally set myself.

[hairnet]

pics of it on top of pointy welsh bit then............

[Guest Tony Hayers]

[dollywobbler]

pics of it on top of pointy welsh bit then............

 

I did! First pic of it was taken in the Brecon Beacons. Wasn't the best as we wanted to get back home. I'll try and get some nice shots over the weekend.

[M'coli]

Perhaps with a nice café in the background?

[dollywobbler]

Perhaps with a nice café in the background?

 

I'll leave that to the Frontera folk!

 

EDIT - looking again, it looks like the nuts were missing when I took the first lot of photos.

[gdhaydock]

Pic of it on Strata Florida would be good .....

[dollywobbler]

I'm sure I'll end up on Strata at some point, even if it isn't quite as OMG EPIC as everyone seems to think it is. Waiting to see what my local laning chums have planned. Should be a trip in mid-Feb if not before.

[dollywobbler]

Decided to tackle the appalling handbrake today. Certainly some improvement with the rear shoes adjusted up, but I don't seem to have any footbrake power at all at the back. I'd noticed that the front tended to lock up very easily on gravel...

 

Not sure what the issue is, or whether the rear footbrake was working before I started meddling! I was checking the load compensator valve when the inevitable bits of muck fell into my eye, so I've come in to wash it out and have lunch!

[dollywobbler]

Tried bleeding it. There's no fluid coming out at the back. Load compensator valve thingy looks like the problem. I'm due to head to Derby on Tuesday to collect some BX bits. Not sure they'll fit in the 2CV so was going to go in the Mav. Perhaps not! BX still reluctant to run properly too. The joy of shite!

[Father Ted]

Actually just ignore me.

[dollywobbler]

Is that a reference to the timing chain question? If so, sorry FT. Kind of just didn't get around to replying to that point as I was too busy finding other issues to worry about.

 

Now trying to find a replacement brake valve thing. Have found some local contacts via the Terrano forum, though have also found somewhere willing to flog me one for £30. Full service kit has been ordered now too. Quite cheap on Ebay for plugs and various filters.

[Father Ted]

No, I posted a big post about removing the Break Force Distribution thingy to get the rear brakes working, but whilst I would do it its a bit of a safety risk, so not something I would recomend anyone else doing unless they knew hoew the car was likley to handle with a 50/50 bias instead of the more correct 80/20 bias.

Sorry.

[dollywobbler]

Ah, no worries. That had crossed my mind as a possibility, but given that these can be a bit twitchy anyway, it's not a route I'd like to go down. Gave the thing a good lubing last night, so I'll see if it feels like working at all today.

[dollywobbler]

No joy, though it's been a bit bloody cold for tinkering, so I helped work on the house instead.

 

However, discussion with the Terrano folk has revealed that even if the load sensor is borked, there should still be SOME stopping power at the back. There is absolutely none at all. Now suspicion is focusing on the master cylinder. They can apparently stop pushing fluid to the back (which is on a separate circuit) so I plan to try using my newly purchased Easi-bleed first and if that doesn't work, I think I can safely say that either the master cylinder is knackered, or there's a fault in the pipework. I'm not ruling out this possibility, even though it had all new rear brake pipes for the MOT last summer...

[meggersdog]

Have you checked the flexi-hose.As you mention "all new brake pipes at the rear" some people use molegrips instead of the proper clamps which have been known to crush the flexi-hose thereby restricting the fluid flow.

[dollywobbler]

Thanks. Certainly worth a look. Thanks to my skinny construction, I can just about crawl under the Mav without having to jack it up, even when wearing several jumpers! Hoping we don't get snow overnight as that may affect tinkering ability...

 

What I have discovered is a hole in the reservoir cap. Clearly someone before me has used a pressure bleeder! I'll have to replace that.

[M'coli]

What type are the rear brakes, disc or drum? If drum, could it be as simple as the cylinders are siezed?

[dollywobbler]

Drum. I would still expect the rears to bleed up, even if the cylinders were seized though?

[M'coli]

The siezed rear cylinders would mask the spongeyness of any air in the system - the Avenger had a siezed piston in the front left caliper for a while, and a sudden stop and thus added brake pedal pressure free'd it up one day - from then on, the brakes were softer, but better. Get those drums off and check the cylinders out.

[dollywobbler]

The pedal's as soft as you like already though. I have had the drums off, but not sure how you check the cylinders. Still doesn't get away from the fact that I'm getting absolutely no fluid out of the bleed nipples then pressing the pedal. Regardless of the state of the master cylinders, I'd expect fluid to come out.

[M'coli]

Take a drum off, place sellotape across the top of the shoes where the wheel cylinder is; press the brake pedal - if they work then the sellotape should stretch/break/come unstuck.

 

If the cylinders are full of corrosion, then it might block the path the fluid takes.

[dollywobbler]

Still not sure about that. As the bleed nipple is before the wheel cylinder, I'd still expect fluid. Having done a fair bit of reading about this tonight, I think all I can do is undo the various unions from master cylinder to wheel to see if fluid comes out.

[M'coli]

Still not sure about that. As the bleed nipple is before the wheel cylinder, I'd still expect fluid. Having done a fair bit of reading about this tonight, I think all I can do is undo the various unions from master cylinder to wheel to see if fluid comes out.

Hmmm...

Interesting.

[dollywobbler]

The trick worked. Clearly getting pressure at the master cylinder. With a bar shoving the brake pedal down, I went around finding fluid in all the right places. Popped open the right-rear bleed nipple. It made a bit of a noise, then spat out fluid and air. Ah-ha!

 

With the wife aboard, I bled the system properly - loads of air came out of the right rear. Brakes now work, though there's a slight pull to the left. Wonder if there's some air still in there somewhere? Or it might be that I haven't adjusted up the rear shoes equally. I'll see if it improves.

 

Very cold, very pleased! Tea time.

[catsinthewelder]

Well done Mr Wobbler

[M'coli]

Spiffing stuff!