Six Cylinders Motoring Notes - a Workshop Day Today

[Six-cylinder]

17 minutes ago, RichardK said:

Honestly, if I’d had an E36 instead of the XJ6 I’d probably have perked up a bit about driving & fixing cars a lot sooner.

I still have A4 RTK to go on something - it was going to be the Tavria but I’ve decided it must be possible to get an NI plate with ZAZ 1102 or 1102 ZAZ on…

Almost done gingerfication. Tracking down a not-DEPO/other copy coupe indicator has been tricky.

One stage closer to getting back on the road after winter storage.

[Six-cylinder]

Does my bum look big in this!

[richardmorris]

3 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

Does my bum look big in this!

Can you see anything in the rear view mirror when it’s “folded”?

[Six-cylinder]

1 minute ago, richardmorris said:

Can you see anything in the rear view mirror when it’s “folded”?

There is no problems seeing aeroplanes following you! 

[richardmorris]

5 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

There is no problems seeing aeroplanes following you! 

RAF aiming for the Germans still!

[AnthonyG]

3 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Does my bum look big in this!

That looks amazing compared to the sheddy looking thing that was at the last FoD meet.

Have you borrowed (or bought) another MX5 on the sly?

[Six-cylinder]

37 minutes ago, AnthonyG said:

That looks amazing compared to the sheddy looking thing that was at the last FoD meet.

Have you borrowed (or bought) another MX5 on the sly?

Friends Miata he bought used in the USA  and imported it to UK when he returned to the UK.

[Six-cylinder]

It's home, all legal and running.

[Zelandeth]

Any idea how buried in work your usual garage is just now?

I'm really wanting to throw the Xantia and a pile of bits at someone with a simple instruction of "stop the front end bloody clonking/rattling..."

I have neither the time, patience nor enthusiasm to do it myself as I've long since got past the point of being young and energetic enough to go taking bits of suspension apart if I can pay someone else to do it.  However my usual garage have told me that they reckon it would be about August 2023 that they'd get to it...so I'm looking for alternatives.

If you trust a garage that's a good enough recommendation for me.

 

[Noel Tidybeard]

FOD spannering session for a XAN71A?

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

FOD spannering session for a XAN71A?

If folks wanted to have a bash at it I'm fine with that...I just hate doing suspension work beyond sphere changes (those are shot to, but that's something I just need to get off my tail and order new ones for), so wouldn't have expected folks to want to touch it!

I think I've got spares of pretty much every bush involved in stock at least.

The front end has been rattly the whole time I've had the car since 2017 and it's never been sorted even after a few passes through a garage...and it's really started to grate on me lately.  It's never really got any worse, and is just annoying.

Especially as I'm half pondering selling it at some point...and I'd A: like to actually experience the car properly sorted for a while again beforehand, and B: Always prefer to have a car as well sorted as I can before selling. 

Just know if I wait for me to get around to it I'll be waiting until...well probably forever or until something actually breaks.

I know the creak is just something these cars are sometimes prone to and is coming from inside the offside front strut itself, so there's not much to be done about that.  If we could evict the knocking noises though that would be 3/4 of the battle.

 

[Talbot]

1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

The front end has been rattly the whole time I've had the car since 2017

When does it rattle/clonk and when is it quiet?  The front suspension on a Xantia is pretty simple really.. there cannot be that many places a clonk or rattle can come from.

[richardmorris]

11 hours ago, Talbot said:

When does it rattle/clonk and when is it quiet?  The front suspension on a Xantia is pretty simple really.. there cannot be that many places a clonk or rattle can come from.

This one is an activa though I think with more complex bits.

[Zelandeth]

4 hours ago, richardmorris said:

This one is an activa though I think with more complex bits.

I don't think it's actually that much more complex - main difference is just the additional hydraulic ram on one side if I remember right.

There are a couple of additional sensors I think, but from a "structural" perspective I think that's the main difference.

The clonk is mostly there on undulating surfaces, sounds to the ear like a ball joint or drop link on the way out.

[richardmorris]

37 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

I don't think it's actually that much more complex - main difference is just the additional hydraulic ram on one side if I remember right.

There are a couple of additional sensors I think, but from a "structural" perspective I think that's the main difference.

The clonk is mostly there on undulating surfaces, sounds to the ear like a ball joint or drop link on the way out.

Ah, for some reason I thought it was a lot different to standard.

[Noel Tidybeard]

a fcuked droplink will sound like a skeleton having a wank in a wooden box 🤣

[Flat4]

About to ask a silly question because I've forgotten the answer - where is the FOD?

[High Jetter]

2 hours ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

a fcuked droplink will sound like a skeleton having a wank in a wooden box 🤣

and you know this because...?

[High Jetter]

14 minutes ago, Flat4 said:

About to ask a silly question because I've forgotten the answer - where is the FOD?

If you have to ask...

[Six-cylinder]

A few weeks ago my BX failed to start in storage. When I returned for another attempt a couple of weeks later the started motor would not even turn.

Yesterday @Talbot came over to help me and the BX would not still would not turn its Starter even with my jump pack connected. Talbot had to remove the inlet manifold to get to the starter motor and found it was simply a furred up connector by the starter. The car now started easily, but as Talbot started putting some air ducking in place the engine cut out. Wiggling some wires by the air duck the engine cut in and out and he found another connector that was furred up. I think this was the original problem as to why it would not start.

It was a good day yesterday not having to transport a dead BX.

[Zelandeth]

36 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

A few weeks ago my BX failed to start in storage. When I returned for another attempt a couple of weeks later the started motor would not even turn.

Yesterday @Talbot came over to help me and the BX would not still would not turn its Starter even with my jump pack connected. Talbot had to remove the inlet manifold to get to the starter motor and found it was simply a furred up connector by the starter. The car now started easily, but as Talbot started putting some air ducking in place the engine cut out. Wiggling some wires by the air duck the engine cut in and out and he found another connector that was furred up. I think this was the original problem as to why it would not start.

It was a good day yesterday not having to transport a dead BX.

That particular car does seem to enjoy trying your patience!

[Six-cylinder]

2 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

That particular car does seem to enjoy trying your patience!

Lack of use is causing the problems, the last time I used it was Sep 2019 because of Covid. It had stood in a nice dry garage from Oct 2007 when my mother was taken ill until April 2017 when I revived it.

The plan is to take it to the local Citroen Show in September.

[richardmorris]

15 hours ago, Flat4 said:

About to ask a silly question because I've forgotten the answer - where is the FOD?

You’ll need to pm @Six-cylinder. But not too far from Milton Keynes.

[Six-cylinder]

Our C15 Van has been very difficult to start from cold turning but not starting. Talbot had a look and thinks it is the diesel filter seal allowing air in but I didn’t have one so have ordered one.

.

Sunday tinkering was spoilt by long periods drizzly rain.

.

Yesterday we started preparing the BMW 323i for sale, we polished out some scratches and n-s interior door card was repaired because the bolts on the arm rest were not fitted and all the pull was through the door card. We put some new wheel bolts on as the old ones were rusty and looked horrid. Then rain stopped play. Tomorrow I am going to collect the rear spoiler for it. I had already taken my son’s plate R88 KVS off it.

[hairnet]

6 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

Sunday tinkering was spoilt by long periods drizzly rain. Where i drank tea.

nice renault 9 on the left there

mmmm zx break

[Bear]

I’m having bad thoughts about making an effort to offload the Jaguar in favour of that BMW.

It would complement this well even if it isn’t the Compact I really want.

[Six-cylinder]

I collected its rear spoiler today.

[hairnet]

mmm panzer estate

 

[Six-cylinder]

2 hours ago, hairnet said:

nice renault 9 on the left there 

 

[Zelandeth]

Drizzly rain...Wouldn't think you were just down the road from us...It was ridiculously wet here! 

Maximum depth before it eventually stopped was about level with the second course of bricks - a.k.a. about 1.5" deep through most of the the garage.  Because some idiot built over the drainage channel that used to be here.