ZX 1.9td - Farewell faithfull steed!

[Lacquer Peel]

I'm not sure, you probably need to go around the hubs and check them manually. I think these have a driveshaft support bearing for the long driveshaft on the driver's side, they can shit themselves.

 

Do you think the steering has got heavier since you first got it? For a PAS setup these have quite heavy steering anyway compared to other cars.

[320touring]

All clunks groans and whirrs can be sorted with MOAR BOOST

[beko1987]

The steering is noticably heavier since I first got it, I'd say heavier since I got the tracking done, but it was fine for a few weeks after that. The voltage dips whilst driving which I never noticed before though, it used to stay fairly consistent, so maybe I need to look at the aux belt state

[beko1987]

So, can I fix my current ball joint issue before it's time to leave for holiday, and save myself from 120 miles of vauxhall? Stay tuned for possibly exciting updates*. First step - ECP for doors open, and google maps is already mentioning slow traffic on the road I need to go down.

[beko1987]

Well that didn't take as long as I thought it might

 

[alf892]

Because there was no traffic on this trip the parts will be wrong.

 

When you go back later to get the correct parts you will sit in a queue and/or get stuck behind an old giffer

[beko1987]

Ah but there was traffic on the way back, a good omen hopefully

 

 

Here we go

 

[oldcars]

Can we fix it, yes we can 

[beko1987]

Can we fix it? No we can't. The berlingo/picasso one is too big for the hole in the hub. Old one re-fitted. Mmmm, 

 

Plan B is forming

[oldcars]

Is plan b a Meriva shape?

[dean36014]

Was going to say there are two different bottom balljoints. Just done mine using a GSF one, don't use the bolts GSF supply they foul the pinch bolt going through the bottom balljoint locking the steering up one way.

[beko1987]

No, plan b was to drive the zx to Poole euro car parts, who had 1 l952nwk ball joint

 

And then fit it in their car park, having bought just the right tools to do it!

 

 

 

 

 

Done!

 

 

Found a big tesco to have a wee and wash my hands, and have now found amy and we are checking into the holiday park!

 

Plan c was the meriva, and no one likes a plan c. The steering is still heavy, although not quite so, but at least I know the balljoint wont fail!

[oldcars]

Good work. Enjoy the hols.

[beko1987]

 

Get in the sea... No, wait...

[oldcars]

Have you added a boot spolier to it as well now? Looks good, get the wing painted

[beko1987]

Its always had the boot spoiler, the plastic has faded to near white now though.

 

I quite like the white wing now, it adds character, and portrays an 'this guy doesn't give a shit' image as its not had a car park ding ever!

[beko1987]

 

Heres the outside of our caravan that I took upon returning from the communal bins this morning.

[beko1987]

So, as per the News 24 thread, my steering is becoming annoying in it's stiffness.

 

I had planned to go and check every suspension joint over, but dave21478 spoke alot of sense and it's probably not any of the joints. Plus I replaced them all last year, and I doubt they have fully failed that quickly.

 

So, I got her up on stands, and took some crap pictures of the rack from underneath

 

 

Oil and shit everywhere

 

 

Shit this side of the ram

 

 

and shit that side.

 

But nothing properly blatent.

 

I then gave the wheels another wobble up in the air. Drivers side, fine. Passenger side, movement! The same movement as there was before I changed the lower balljoint in Euro Car Parts Poole's carpark (I didn't actually wobble the wheel before setting off from that...). However, whilst wobbling, I can see the strut top moving... Do I need to change the top bearing/strut? Never done that before, can you even get the parts still? Or is it like with the XM, where bye bye strut top means bye bye car unless you get lucky?

 

Spinning the wheels off the ground also results in some noise, which I think is the pads rubbing on the discs, and against the lip. Hope it's not wheel bearings, but it spins smoothly and freely, just makes a slight metallic noise. Brakes are smeggy all round, and I've noticed some wheel wobble braking from 80 to 40 to come off the M40 every night...

 

CV boot is almost split on the passenger side too, I can see a bit of grease making it's way through. Drivers side is perished too but dry still. I may just buy new driveshafts, joints and boots together as their not much more expensive than just the cv boot kit.

 

Still the drove at 50, although the other night, it went! Normally too, if I push against the gear stick at 50 or above, it rattles and shakes about, release it and it doesn't. I did that the other night, and it was smooth as silk. Got back into it the next day to go to work, back to normal...

 

Noticed a bit more wispy smoke with gentle acceleration too generally, although I haven't nutted it up to the redline through a few gears for a while, and it probably needs a service. Engine is generally oily, but wont rust...

 

Sadly, I can't really afford to do any of this at the moment, so will acquire knowledge and see which one to tackle first. I've lost my chod friendly MOT place too, so this needs to be sorted by January (bonus is in bloody march, sods law, could chuck a few hundred at it then...)

 

When Amy gets back, I might get someone to dry steer it and film the strut top and ask for some knowledge from the experts on here.

[mouseflakes]

I can only imagine ZXs have standard McP struts, so there shouldn't be any of the strut-through-the-bonnet fun you get with XMs/Xantias.

 

On the same theme, McPherson struts aren't known as 'McWobbly' struts for nothing (it might only be me that does that to be honest). I've only recently had cars with them and there seems to be quite a bit of flex on the strut top when viewed from under the bonnet. I think it has something to do with the change in angle of the strut as the steering turns - there needs to be some flex to allow for it? Someone who actually knows something might be able to tell you I'm completely wrong on that though.

 

Double wishbones FTW (and the extra cost of course).

[beko1987]

I dunno, mine isn't flexing, but moving with the 'clonk'. I'll see if I can get a mate to film me doing it later.

 

Although having just watched this fine scottish chap

 

 

It doesn't seem too bad a job to change the bearings, I just want to diagnose them fully, although there is a high chance they have done 288,670 miles... and the ones on the video fell apart when he removed them, and he said he had stiff notchy steering as a symptom

[beko1987]

But I don't have this issue

 

 

Maybe my rack is just dying

[beko1987]

Snake oil? Or a way of saving having to spend 3x the value of the car on a new rack?

 

[dean36014]

The strut top mounts are available on Ebay for not a lot of money. easy to drop the strut out, just need spring compressors to compress the springs. Logically it can only be either rack or pump, strut tops, track rod ends or bottom ball joints causing the problem. 

[beko1987]

Cool, thanks for confirming a strut drop isnt too tricky

 

So, I will rule out bottom ball joints and track rod ends, as they are both fairly new, and I don't get many clonks whilst driving , mainly:

 

One when leaving our gravel parking area onto the tarmac road, get one then

Turning sharp right out of the road from Eva's school onto another road, the road is proper fucked, get a good few knocks then

both of those are from the passenger side... Nothing else to note, turning sharp left from the road from Thame to Postcombe (right by breadvans) I get nothing bar the sound of the tyre complaining about the shit surface. So, every noise I get is when turning right, from the passenger side...

 

So, strut tops, will get some more info on those later when someone comes home to sit in the car and lock to lock it whilst I film stuff

 

Pump - Possibly, doesn't make noise though, and I did dribble some of the fluid onto some kitchen roll earlier and it is fairly red. Are there any filters in the system I should check? Has a 3 week old aux belt fitted, which I checked earlier and it's still as tensioned as it was

Rack - How would I diagnose that? Or is it a case of eliminating everything else first?

 

I did just go out again and have the cowling off under the steering wheel. The UJ in there was a bit dry, so I covered it in spray grease, and I'd like to say there's a small improvement, but it's still notchy inbetween the smoothness. Only went 20 yards up the road and turned round though. Also noticed a bracket move with the steering under there, I tightened it up a tad but then realised it should move a bit, as there's rubber washers. I'll get a pic up after this, it's on my phone and I'm on the laptop/.

 

Also shat myself when turning it on after doing all that, I tidied up the wires under there incase they were rattling, and when I turned the key the glowplug light didn't come on... I'd slicked the switch the previous owner fitted off, which it seems turns off the glowplugs. I cabletied that up out the way, I flicked it off whilst the engine was running too and it cut out. Handy safety feature there.

 

So, unless anything more urgent falls off I may be wise to get some new strut top mounts and bearings. I'll leave it notchy for shitefest, if you're coming, feel free to take it up the road and see what you think!

[beko1987]

Le wobbly bracket

 

[beko1987]

So, something odd happened tonight.

 

I was crawling along the bypass, as one often does, and I noticed a banging type noise when 'jerking' the car around with the clutch/revs. It's most strange. I did this for a few miles, then got off the bypass and onto the m40. Up to 75/80, happy days.

 

But then, my fuel needle 'turned off', dropped to the stop. I was just thinking how odd that was, and wondering what would happen next when it came back. How strange. I had to brake, and it died again, then came back. Car still running fine. It went again as I came off the M40, braking and steering at the same time.

 

When it was working ok, the needle moved about more than usual, normally it's a bit crap, but on the way home it went between 1/2 and 3/4 ALOT, even when not turning corners which is what usually makes it be wierd

 

So, the question I would like to ask is: How does the wiring run from the sender to the guage? It behaved like I'd unplugged it (the sender not the pump), then came back. Also, what side of the car does the wiring for that run? The rear drivers side was submerged in Veg a few days ago, and is probably still spooing wet with veg underneath, possible cause?

 

When I got out at home (I decided not to pull over and have a look as I just wanted to get home) I lifted the bonnet and could see nothing untoward. I then wobbled the drivers side arch liner and it made a similar clonking sound, so will cabletie that up at some point. It's either that or driveshaft clonk.

 

Either way, it's a bit strange. I'll see if it happens tomorrow

[Noel Tidybeard]

because PSA end of!

[dean36014]

My fuel gauge wanders all over the place too. Oh and the tripometer is jammed too and won't reset, so i just fill up every fortnight and that seems to work for me! Great cars though, does everything it says on the box, nothing more or less

[beko1987]

It was ok tonight, is weird.

 

Its usually vague, but it just 'unplugged itself' it seemed.

 

Im filing it under 'meh' for now and carrying on

[Lacquer Peel]

TADT, S.