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Dollywobbler's Honda S-MX - Provisionally sold


dollywobbler

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Top tip - before going near them with a screwdriver give the face of the disc/ screw a damn good clout with an at least 2lb hammer .

Also you need a good no3 Phillips screwdriver . Hoping I'm not teaching you how to suck eggs but many mechanics can't tell the difference between screwdriver numbers and Phillips / pozidrive

 

I did deploy much violence, but they seemed very merry about staying just where they are. A friend has since dropped by with an impact driver, so hopefully the other side won't be such a ballache. I may need to get some new drill bits to finish destroying the other side though. My cheapy HSS ones just go blunt in seconds, even with lube.

 

 

I hammered a bigger torx bit into the last stuck disc retaining screw I had issues with, then got the ratchet on it.

 

Granted it was already a torx though. Drill the head off and not bother with it at all? Many of my cars haven't had one/its long snapped off. Can make fitting the wheels a mite trickier as it all moves about a bit but not the end of the world

 

I once forgot the disc retaining screws on my XM, and the discs rattled around like an absolute bastard until I refitted them. I didn't expect them to make that much difference. It sounded bloody horrible.

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Nope. Definitely wasn't. I expected the wheel to hold the brake solid, but apparently not.

There must have been something else that you managed to unknowingly fix when you took the wheel off again to put the speed screw in. You can quite happily run an XM (or anything else with that arrangement of brakes) without the speed screws fitted as they are only there to keep the rotational alignment of the disc and the hub while the wheel is off and mean you don't end up swearing like a trooper when you can't get the wheel bolts in. All the clamping force for the disc and the braking loads are taken by the wheel bolts.

 

If you try to put any braking load on the disc without the wheel bolts fitted, (IE car up in the air with driveshaft turning) the speed screw shears off in 1/1000th of a second, leaves a mangled stub of thread in the hub and pings the head off at enough speed to never be found again. Not that I've ever made that mistake. Nooooo...

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It's a strange one, I'll admit, but without the screws, the disc could move fractionally and make a hideous noise - one clue to it being brakes was that it stopped as soon as you hit the brake pedal. With the screws refitted, all was well again.

 

The Honda has studs, so that makes life easier all-round. Maybe I can get away with no screws.

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I guess it's down to varying tolerances between the disc holes and wheel studs/bolts

My old Fiats used a screw to retain the disc which also had a spike facing outward to locate the wheel onto

Soon got binned as locating the wheel took long enough without having to get it back on that spike as well....

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Can I just say, cobalt drill bits are bloody awesome! They went through the screws like they weren't even there. My mate's impact driver succeeded in getting one screw out, but the other on that side also rounded, even with that. Sodding things.

 

Apparently, the screws are used to keep the disc perfectly level between the pads - they allow some adjustment. I reckon I've borked the thread on at least one of the screws, so I guess I'm just going to have to go with no screws. Oh well. New discs are resting in place for now. Not got the new caliper, so no point rushing. Dinner seems more important at the moment.

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Got this back together earlier. Not too difficult.

DW0V7zkXcAYqFEZ.jpg

 

Ah, who am I kidding? It was sheer farce from start to finish. Brought the laptop down to the garage so I could watch Wales get thumped by Ireland, which was a bad start. I'm fitting a disc/pad upgrade, because genuine pads are difficult to get hold of (ie expensive). These use spacers as the disc sits in a slightly different position. Offside went together relatively easily. Picked up tools, fasteners etc and switched to the other side. Then lost one of the spacers. For over ten minutes. Wales had lost by this point. Eventually, I discovered the spacer had rolled under the car. The acronym FFS may have been uttered. In full.

 

The replacement caliper hasn't arrived yet, but I bought a lovely new G clamp, so I used that to push the piston back in, and it seemed to go in reasonably well. Decided to chance it. After all, swapping a caliper isn't a biggy, and it meant I could turf the Honda out of the garage. This is the side that currently has no disc retaining screws (the other side has one).

 

Fitted the wheel, but then couldn't find one of the wheelnuts. There may have been more anger, stomping around the garage and generally wondering how the f*ck I can be quite so disorganised. I hope the neighbours didn't hear. I wasn't recording video any longer, because f*ck off, which is a shame. I think it could have been amusing.  At the exact point that I decided 'f*ck this', I turned my head away from the car in disgust and found myself staring at the missing wheelnut, which had been sitting on the edge of the workbench the whole time. FFS. (the other nuts were all on the floor, right next to the wheel).

 

Then the battery was flat. UGH. Or hhhhhhhh depending on your accent. So, second jump of the day as the 2CV provided the juice. It was a case of connect cables, get Honda running, disconnect cables as quickly as possible and reverse 2CV out of the way, so I could get the Honda out before it filled that end of the house with fumes. Internal garages are SHIT.

 

Went for a drive. Something is making a slight, but nonetheless unpleasant noise from the nearside front. FFS. 

 

Cars eh?

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Aren't one of the main reasons for those disc retaining screws for when the car are assembled on the factory production line?

 

The instructions that came with the discs reckon they allow you to adjust the position of the disc to ensure it's running true in the caliper. Gawd knows. I'll be investigating when I pull the sodding thing apart again. Next week. When it's some way below freezing...

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then couldn't find one of the wheelnuts. There may have been more anger, stomping around the garage and generally wondering how the f*ck I can be quite so disorganised. I hope the neighbours didn't hear. I wasn't recording video any longer, because f*ck off, which is a shame. I think it could have been amusing.  At the exact point that I decided 'f*ck this', I turned my head away from the car in disgust and found myself staring at the missing wheelnut, which had been sitting on the edge of the workbench the whole time. FFS.

This made me snort with laughter! Only funny as I've done very similarly in the past :)

 

Also,

 

The acronym FFS may have been uttered. In full.

how the f*ck.

f*ck off,

'f*ck this',

FFS.

UGH.

SHIT.

FFS.

Amusing escalation of language there! I think that's the most I've ever seen you swear in a post. Did it help?

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This is me everytime I do anything. Whatever I put down 30 sec earlier completely vanishes the next time I need it 30 secs later and I only find it after much swearings, tantrums and walking off and coming back to it.

 

I've fitted discs without the retaining screw before, made sod all difference, it was just a pain keeping the disc lined up when fitting the wheel

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Get some magnetic parts trays! Fiver gets you a set of three neon coloured ones from Toolstation.

 

Our garage is internal too, but we don't seem to have any issues with fumes getting into the house...time to do some draught proofing?

 

Sounds like how most of my tasks too... especially the Saab. I learned eventually to multiply my time estimates for any tasks by at least a factor of four. I do love that car, but I hate working on it.

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The instructions that came with the discs reckon they allow you to adjust the position of the disc to ensure it's running true in the caliper. Gawd knows. I'll be investigating when I pull the sodding thing apart again. Next week. When it's some way below freezing...

They are a countersunk screw - it has one position - no adjustment

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Keep up the good work. When I used to do a lot on cars and bikes, I was always organised (sort of, honest) and rarely lost bits off the car (or bike) I was repairing. However, I frequently had a helper who didn't. His name was 'Leo' and he was a black Lab (before Chester) and he was, without a doubt, the best dog the world has ever known. He used to help by picking things up as I took them off and wandered around with them in his mouth, following me so that I would never lose them. I always knew exactly where everything was (Leos mouth) but getting them back off him could be somewhat, problematic on occassion :)

 

I really miss that dog :(

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Feel your pain dude - not fixerating, but general 'there all the time' moment Friday night........

Out of office, tram,Metro and to car - no key. FFS

Metro, tram, office - no key - double FFS

Security - "seen any keys?" - Nope - FFS escalates

2 shop visited that day - so popped in - off chance....... no key there either.

 

2.5hrs later - give up - off to GF's place (house keys in sodding locked car). Relate palava.....

Her - "Have you checked your breast pocket?"

Me - HA, I NEVER use that pocket

Her - "I do though - I put them in there this morning in case you forgot them"

Me - ................... afraid to check - but sure enough there they are.

 

Her - laughing uncontrollably for a looooong time

Me - still not really forgiven her if I'm honest.

 

We all have on of those days fella - it'll all come good in the end.

 

EDIT - and ANOTHER sodding flat tyre too - they better finish the bloody roadworks near us soon.

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Had to move the Honda for a wood delivery yesterday. It needed a jump. Thought it was probably time I ordered a new battery (£43 delivered from www.thebatteryguys.co.uk). Arrived this morning, which is nice. Got it fitted, and now it sounds like the alternator bearings are shot. Hoorah! Quietens down a bit after a run, but still not happy. I'm hoping its the alternator anyway, and not a timing belt tensioner or the water pump. Did we replace those back in 2016 Twosmoke?

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I can't really complain. It's a car I paid £700 for and it's generally been fine for 12,000 miles. Not niggle free, but always completes a journey and, until yesterday, has never failed to start when asked (though it has come close a few times over the winter). Whereas the Lexus owes me a ton more, and went through a very expensive phase over Christmas. 

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I can't really complain. It's a car I paid £700 for and it's generally been fine for 12,000 miles. Not niggle free, but always completes a journey and, until yesterday, has never failed to start when asked (though it has come close a few times over the winter). Whereas the Lexus owes me a ton more, and went through a very expensive phase over Christmas.

There speaks the voice of a man with other functioning cars..

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