My Blog- Attempting the spherical challenge (GS rear spheres) 04/06/18

[320touring]

"Paul is a spark to trade, and the kind of top chap who will drive 100 miles round trip in snow to have a gander at a shonky old car"

 

I know my red CX would run again with the aid of a Paul!

They are fairly easy to catch and tame- Tea (milk, 2 sugars) and a chocolate biscuit is enough to lure them out..

 

try hunting some round your way:)

[Six-cylinder]

Since our best Auto sparks when to work for a Porsche specialist I have struggled, the last one I used did quite a bit of damage to the under dash plastic on my Visa. No power to the coil is my problem, before it stopped working altogether I used to wiggle the wire behind the battery if it refused to start and then it would work for months.

[Lacquer Peel]

Good work on getting the CX going and buying FOAD's Niva, does it need a new alternator or electrical magic?

[320touring]

Cheers re the CX. Looks like FOAD is keeping the Niva, so I'll need to find sommat else to play with:)

[Barry Cade]

Bloody French electrics- spent a good bit of my week off sorting out the next door neighbours Renner van, real proper pain in the arse it was- wouldn't start, immobiliser on and no comms.  Turned out it was 1 broken wire in the loom. Wasn't green tho..

 

 

 

 

And in other news, the Zafira had a rumbly front bearing. Changed it and now it's quieter found the other side is a bit rumbly too. bugger.

[forddeliveryboy]

CXs are beautifully simple electrically, as they are generally - but different from a Ford/Vauxhall so brain seizure for most. Now that you've seen the congregating point for what appears to be most of the wiring on injection models, remove the battery and check/clean/grease all connections, I'd consider remaking them as there'll be some oxidation to the wiring after 30 years in the last 10mm of cable.

 

The cars don'tlike sitting around, use it as much as poss.

[320touring]

CXs are beautifully simple electrically, as they are generally - but different from a Ford/Vauxhall so brain seizure for most. Now that you've seen the congregating point for what appears to be most of the wiring on injection models, remove the battery and check/clean/grease all connections, I'd consider remaking them as there'll be some oxidation to the wiring after 30 years in the last 10mm of cable.

 

The cars don'tlike sitting around, use it as much as poss.

We checked all the connections for issues and all seemed ok. I'd previously stripped and cleaned the connection(subsequenty putting one back in the wrong way hence the non start)

Just need the bloody thing to put out more electricity than it uses..

 

Hoping to get the stuck alternator bolt seen to this week- then can get a new one fitted!

[320touring]

The 306 got new glowplugs today (or at least 3 out of 4)

I wrote a simple guide -this was the first time I did the job, so thought it may be helpful for others:

https://fuguttycars.wordpress.com/2016/01/21/plugging-the-pug-aka-xud-glowplug-changing/

[Lacquer Peel]

The intercooler is easy to remove and makes the job easier.

 

Glow plug behind the IP is difficult because of a coolant pipe flange thing bolted to the cylinder head beside it, you really need to remove or loosen it before you can proceed, it's quite fiddly.

[320touring]

The intercooler is easy to remove and makes the job easier.

 

Glow plug behind the IP is difficult because of a coolant pipe flange thing bolted to the cylinder head beside it, you really need to remove or loosen it before you can proceed, it's quite fiddly.

I'm still at the "it's working, don't break it" stage with this car..

 

will bear in mind your tip re coolant flange:)

[Bren]

There are not many that are easy to remove nowadays - my vectra was a PITA and I took it to a garage.

 

The focii nee new ones but it's too cold to be messing with cars.

[Lacquer Peel]

I've replaced the two glow plugs behind the injection pump on a Volvo 940 diesel, it had a bill in the service history for 6x glow plugs but 4 were new and 2 were buggered and not replaced. Guess which ones. Some guides recommend removing the injection pump.

You don't have to but it's bloody awkward.

GLOW PLUG PRO.

[320touring]

Fu'gutty cars managed to get a fair whack done over the last couple of days, but only worked on other people's cars!

https://fuguttycars.wordpress.com/2016/01/24/a-fair-bit-of-fleet-faffery/

 

[320touring]

Fu'Gutty cars opens a swimming baths..

 

https://fuguttycars.wordpress.com/2016/02/08/hiring-a-lifeguard/

[Kiltox]

Can get those weird offset bulbs on eBay for a pittance - had to buy some for a 407

[Arthur Foxhake]

I've given you my opinion on the cause of the wet footwells and I stand by it.

I have seen with my own eyes,what causes this but was shot down in the other thread about it.

[320touring]

An indepth Alfa 156 commuting experience.. may be updated later in the week (assuming it plays nice)

 

https://fuguttycars.wordpress.com/2016/02/17/applying-the-alfa-to-the-commute/

[flat4alfa]

I've been commuting 40 miles a day all weathers in my 156 for 6 years

 

Broke down only the once when the AFM spat out a code making it limp mode.  Mind you, we're not talking about a Renault here, even in limp mode I was continuing along the Motorway at 50mph and got off the next junction and home and even did school run next morning across the estate before I dropped it in for a new one off the shelf

[320touring]

Mine has managed 5 days before shitting out its brake fluid whilst drag racing.

 

Combine that and a tawdry engine and I dunno how long it'll be here for

[320touring]

Fu'Gutty cars was lumbered with a 1.0 3 cyl Pug 208. what else could we do except make a vid of it getting fu shoe?

https://youtu.be/EW7W-PAlN9s

[320touring]

Behold!

 

A full review of the turgid puglet

 

https://fuguttycars.wordpress.com/2016/03/05/poor-show-peugeot/

[beko1987]

That looks awful! Lol ay the instrument obstruction! Although the zx can be as guilty for that, but I dont use the foglights so it doesnt matter too much that the wheel blocks those

[Lacquer Peel]

Hideous. I don't think I could live with that interior, lack of performance and only low-40s MPG.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Behold!

 

A full review of the turgid puglet

 

https://fuguttycars.wordpress.com/2016/03/05/poor-show-peugeot/

 

You must try the 1.4 version ! I had one as a rental car in Corsica and spent many hours pretending I was Gilles Panizzi :

 

 

They're ugly as sin, but the handling is spot on - much better than anything PSA has made in the last decade. If I had to buy a new car (which I thankfully don't), I reckon the 208 would be the one I'd go for.

[Noel Tidybeard]

i think you're missing the point re steering wheel/dash obstuction

 

it was designed so the steering wheel sits a little lower and the gauges higher so that you look OVER the wheel at the dash rather than through which has been the norm

 

if you cant see the dials you have the wheel too high- simples

 

i've been using the 1.4 dizzler version (we have 10 of them) for 2years now and they are a far better place to be sat than the kwailidee vw polos we have before them- both for comfort and performance

 

no i prolly wouldnt spend my own money on one i'd play safe with an jazz

[320touring]

i think you're missing the point re steering wheel/dash obstuction

 

it was designed so the steering wheel sits a little lower and the gauges higher so that you look OVER the wheel at the dash rather than through which has been the norm

 

if you cant see the dials you have the wheel too high- simples

 

i've been using the 1.4 dizzler version (we have 10 of them) for 2years now and they are a far better place to be sat than the kwailidee vw polos we have before them- both for comfort and performance

 

no i prolly wouldnt spend my own money on one i'd play safe with an jazz

I may have missed a trick but I had the wheel and seat adjusted to suit:)

 

I don't think the layout of the dials helps either.

 

build quality was not gereat on mine, but as you say you can aim such observations at large swarhes of the market!

[Pillock]

It took me a few days to realise on the whole wheel/instruments thing when I had a 2008 long term hire car. It actually feels quite good to have the wheel lower and look over it, I needed to juggle the seat around a bit too to make room for my legs but when I got the sweet spot, I could see the point they were going for.

 

Mine was a higher spec than yours - Feline - but that blue colour is a running theme, it was also on the 208 I had for a few hours prior to the 2008 arriving. The Feline one made me smile, genuinely, by having striplights in the headlining, instead of a courtesy light dome thing it had fibre-optic style zigzag lines that lit up. I actually really liked that. The touchscreen device was shit, I even got as far as doing a firmware update on it (I told you it was a long term hire! I had it for four months, did about 14k in it) because it kept dropping bluetooth connections, cutting tracks short on USB and generally misbehaving. It still did the same afterwards. Amusingly it's called a SMEG, and it runs Linux.

 

Mine wasn't as crap as you found yours to be, it was still a bit "ewww all new cars are shit" but the stop-start worked well, the seats were nice and it had enough power with the 1.6 HDi ticking-time-bomb engine that it could keep up with the repmobiles yet still hit an average of 61.3mpg (measured over 6000 or so miles, because the trip computer takes an arbitrary number around that level and won't measure over more, just keeps a rolling total). Being a 2008 it also had a relatively useless computer controlled diff with selectable traction modes like snow, sand and poor people. The button looked nice though.

[320touring]

In an attempt to bolster my low "old scrap" Mojo, I set about trying to sort both the CX and the e30 320i...

 

care to guess how it went?

https://fuguttycars.wordpress.com/2016/03/17/a-sodden-sweary-sunday/

[320touring]

Behold our adventure to the Northlands in the Super Scandi Scaaaaab

 

https://fuguttycars.wordpress.com/2016/03/27/scandinavian-sojourn/

[320touring]

Fairly mundane subject (saab 9-5) but I'd be interested in your thoughts and comments please chaps..

Few slow moments where i try to recall stuff so that could deffo be improved upon

https://youtu.be/i4zmfZraaJ8