Project Domes shonky autos - Car that lived by the sea in Scotland in rust shocker*

[Supernaut]

I've had a drink, so maybe I'm being sentimental... but why did I get rid of that?

 

Glad to see somebody looking after it, unlike me.

[dome]

It's quite often parked on a steep part of my drive so I'd rather have a working handbrake. I don't trust just the parking brake pawl on a steepish hill. It would cause several thousand pounds worth of improvements to my neighbours Juke parked across the road if it failed...

 

Supernaut don't worry, it's being looked after and driven often. And chances are it'll end up getting roffled on here when I want to pass it on.

 

That's not going to happen just yet though, I'm enjoying it too much

[cort16]

If it's going to fail can I park my juke behind it?

[dome]

Sigh.

 

I'd been hoping to enjoy the Clio a bit more now it's timing belt was replaced. It decided otherwise however.

 

It was running a bit rough with no obvious  problems and only a vague error code (P0300) The injectors were removed and checked (by my hungover mate while I was at work...) that they were seated correctly but it made no differrence to the running. There was nothing else obviously amiss under the bonnet

 

 I took a punt and changed the coil pack over and it seemed a wee bit better. I thought a run might help it so loaded my bike in the back on Sunday and headed for Dunkeld. Fueled up wih V Powers finest and as i pulled out of the petrol station it dropped on to 3. I limped it home, stuck the bike in the BMW and went cycling. Late...

 

It sat on the naughty part of the driveway for a bit until I could be arsed. 

 

I got another couple of used injectors off my tame Clio breaker and last night replaced the failed one-in about 10 minutes. I'm getting good at these. I should really go new but he object is to make money off this thing...

 

Fired it up, no fault codes and running well. Yaas

I celebrated by taking it a blast along one of my favourite back roads near me. This reminded me why I go to all the trouble. At first i wasn't revving it hard enough to bring in the dephaser but still covering ground at a fair old rate. At the end of the road i turned around and did it again, this time keeping the revs up which really makes the car fly. I was pushing it fairly hard on the back roads but not getting close to the (very high) limits-these are seriously capable wee cars. With the stainless exhaust and panel filter it sounded great too, echoing off the surrounding scenery. 

 

However...

 

As I rolled into the first of a series of villages leading back to mine the first signs all was not well reared their head. Some random warning lights started to appear on the dash. It had done this before so i wasn't too concerned and carried on to limp it home. This got worse with the radio cutting out and eventually the headlights going and the car running rough and threatening to stall.

 

Shiter reflexes kicked in and I managed to stop it under a streetlight facing downhill. Under the bonnet nothing was obviously amiss as I prodded wires and searched for the issue. At this point I suspected a dodgy earth. 

 

With nothing obviously fucked I rolled it down the hill and it bumped started and behaved normally. I decided to chance it to get the 2 miles home but alas the little ungrateful French sod decided to die on a dark, narrow, twisty hill about half a mile from home. 

 

At this point my saviour arrived. Thanks to the bloke in the T reg Frontera who rocked up and towed me home and wouldn't accept payment. You sir, are a gent of the road.

 

Back home and still dead I plugged in my little cigarette lighter voltmeter (well worth having) and it was reading aroung 8 volts. I fitted the battery off the Locost and the Clio fired right up, however the voltmeter was only showing 11-12 volts with the engine running. Bastard. i still need to measure the voltage coming off the  alternator itself but it looks like I need a new alternator. The wiring is still a bit* suspect aswell.

 

Question for the more knowledgeable types, is it normal for the alternator light NOT to be on when it's only putting out about 12 volts?

 

 

Guide to changing the alternator

 

Step 1 Remove the front bumper.

 

 

[Supernaut]

Guide to changing the alternator

 

Step 1 Remove the front bumper.

[rainagain]

 

 

Question for the more knowledgeable types, is it normal for the alternator light NOT to be on when it's only putting out about 12 volts?

 

 

 

 

When the alternator failed in my Volvo there was no warning light on the dash, only a message in the info display saying low voltage. When the alternator failed in my OH's Megane it did the same thing you described your Clio doing, lots of strange warning lights coming on the dash, but again no warning light.

[Tickman]

I liked your post, that doesn't mean I like what the ungrateful sod has done.

At least all the fixings for the bumper have been freed off recently, just looking for the silver lining really!

[dome]

Ever the optimist, i'm going to see if there's any way to replace brushes etc without removing the alternator. I rebuilt the Lucas alternator on my old Series 3 Jag, not sure how easy this Valeo one will be though.

[cort16]

My Panda was like this. Every turn it just kept kicking me in the baws.

[SiC]

Question for the more knowledgeable types, is it normal for the alternator light NOT to be on when it's only putting out about 12 volts?

 

Basically yes it is possible. You may get away by just replacing the regulator on the back too.

[dome]

Had a prod at this earlier, there's zero volts coming out of the back of the alternator and more worryingly the whining noise I had noticed but chose to ignore is coming from the alternator. If only I'd given it a spin when I had the belts off, I might've noticed it then.

 

I'm weighing up a used one versus rebuilding mine but it looks like the fucking bumpers coming off. Again...

 

In other news I changed the air filter on the Lexus seeing as there was a new one in the boot. I was going to hoon down to Ayrshire in the Clio this weekend but it looks like I'll be wafting instead...

[Supernaut]

Had a prod at this earlier, there's zero volts coming out of the back of the alternator and more worryingly the whining noise I had noticed but chose to ignore is coming from the alternator. If only I'd given it a spin when I had the belts off, I might've noticed it then.

 

I'm weighing up a used one versus rebuilding mine but it looks like the fucking bumpers coming off. Again...

 

In other news I changed the air filter on the Lexus seeing as there was a new one in the boot. I was going to hoon down to Ayrshire in the Clio this weekend but it looks like I'll be wafting instead...

Leave the lid off, for the extra noise!

[cort16]

It's worth keeping an eye on the euro car parts discount codes for the alternator. When my panda seized its alternator the new One wasn't too expensive with the 30% discount code.

[dome]

Leave the lid off, for the extra noise!

 

Nah, I've put it back on. I've got cars for hooning, this is more fun to waft in discretely. Sometime I waft at speeds that I won't admit to on a public forum, but it's still wafting.

[rainagain]

I picked up a replacement alternator for my Volvo from upullit in Inverkeithing for £24. Although access was a lot easier, so if my second hand one failed it wouldn't be the end of the world to swap it again.

 

Just a thought but given the hassle involved in changing yours I can see why you would be interested in getting a new one.

[Split_Pin]

Dislike, this wee car is fighting you! I presume access to the alternator is piss-pauvre?

[rantingYoof]

Nah, I've put it back on. I've got cars for hooning, this is more fun to waft in discretely. Sometime I waft at speeds that I won't admit to on a public forum, but it's still wafting.

I might know that Mason defies most laws of science by getting quieter as he picks up speed even approaching tree-figgers, if you know what I mean.

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[Richard]

This guy's video guides are good https://www.youtube.com/user/WestronicsIrl and his eBay shop is reasonable http://stores.ebay.co.uk/goldlion-autoelectrics?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

 

It's likely to work out at about £40 to replace everything, but then it's effectively a new alternator.

[dome]

I might know that Mason defies most laws of science by getting quieter as he picks up speed even approaching tree-figgers, if you know what I mean.

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

Yep, the only thing that lets it down is a noisy sunroof seal, if I could fix that it'd be spot on

[dome]

Dislike, this wee car is fighting you! I presume access to the alternator is piss-pauvre?

Bumper off, slam panel off and maybe headlight out. Now I've done all that once already it shouldn't be too bad.

[dome]

I finally got round to taking the alternator off this last night.

 

It looks pretty knackered to me, although the only obvious damage is one broken wire there is a lot of corrosion. 

 

The bearings feel pretty smooth so I may have been barking up the wrong tree with the whine I thought was coming from it. 

 

What's the collectives opinion on this? Do I try and fix it myself or stick it in to be repaired? 

 

 

I replaced the regulator and brushes on my Jags alternatror successfully before, it didn't look as bad as this one does though... 

 

 

[Tickman]

Get a price for repair, one for a new unit then order the parts and have a nightmare trying to fix it because of corrosion and end up buying a new one.

 

That is what I would end up doing anyway!

[Dave_Q]

The bolts look pretty grim but hopefully it's better inside?

 

What's the price difference between recon and diy?

[cort16]

How much is a new one ?

[dome]

I've taken it to a local place to be tested, they're going to resolder an obviously fucked wire and test it for a tenner. Will take it from there. Reconditioned ones start from £80-£90

[Sigmund Fraud]

Are those alternators unique to the Clio ? Surely, a petrol Laguna II one can't be too* different, and there's dozens of those in every scrapyard !

 

It probably will be completely different from a Laguna alternator, though, because modern Renault.

You also don't really want to add any Laguna II parts to your car, just in case it gets contaminated with MOAR FTP...

[cort16]

Are there no cracks in the case or anything? I found for the panda a new one wasn't much more expensive and at least you know it'll work.

[dome]

The local place have came back and said it needs a new rectifier(easy) and a stator (less easy for my soldering ability) I'm waiting for them to come back with a price.

 

I've been offered a used one for £28 posted too so will wait and see what the come back with to repair. Might do used and chuck a set of bushes in myself if the quote is too dear.

[vaughant]

Well you've gone this far with the dephaser etc so to me get the alternator done properly as you are and you get a good reliable motor then.

Not had much experience with the sport model but on the 1.2 same shape there's a stupid metal band that covers where the wiring interconnects on the top of the engine, I think this is for theft purposes. But what happens over time is that it rattles about and wears the wiring to the injectors and you get random then more serious misfires.

Great* news is the wires were all white on the one I did which meant meticulous unpicking of the loom to make sure I resoldered in the correct ones to each other.

Worked great after that for years (was my apprentices car).

I've been doing a few jobs on the 172/182's this month with a lad from my unit share, he fitted an engine to a bare she'll, 2nd hand loom, probably work out the rest yourself, wouldn't start, much head scratching eventually came up with us going back to basics and testing resistance etc. Found a dodgy main feed to the ecu (precious poor repair), also fuel pump relay same shoddy repair methods, blown 30A fuse that controls the immobiliser, loads of poor connections yet after all that it started and ran mint.

Seen a nice revvy car but typical French electrical nonsense.

He's broken a few if you need bits too, although yours looks very nice.

[dome]

Fleet Update:-

 

Used alternator arrived and was fitted by me yesterday, however it was dead too. In it's defence it's not as bad the old one and after testing can be resurrected with a new rectifier which is on order. Pain in the ass but it was a gamble and still cheaper than a new or reconditioned one.

 

The BMW has developed a noisy wheel bearing at the rear. I tried changing the diff oil first in case it was that but no joy.

I may just stick it in to the garage to get this replaced, I rapidly run out of patience anytime I have to work on the thing and it looks a pain in the ass without taking into account the fact that mine has fought every step of the way every time I get under it and everything I touch will be seized. It's done over 4k miles in the last 2 months so I can't grudge it some attention I suppose

 

keep looking at E91 330d tourings as a replacement but I don't know how good an idea that is...

 

The Lexus is currently holidaying in Ayrshire having been swapped with my Dads 2012 Fiesta. He's giving up driving which is a good thing going by the amount of scratches on it... Anyone want a cheap Fiesta Edge 5 door? I'm trying to sort it out prior to selling it.

 

The Locost hasn't been forgotten about, I'm gathering parts to replace the fuel tank and add a swirl pot as it was suffering from fuel starvation on hard cornering. I also feel that there are more suitable ways to secure a fuel tank than with a ratchet strap... I'll update it's thread as and when work starts.

 

But first, I'm off to Rome for a week. Arrivederci!