Rave's Motors - 12/4/19 ST170 Step 1: MOT Step 2: Profit

[Rave]

Thought I'd start a thread to document the vehicles I own, and my general appalling neglect of them- and to try and rectify some of my egregious failings. My problem is that I have no idea how to do most jobs on cars- I'm actually reasonably OK at wielding the spanners once I figure out what's needed, I just rarely get to that point. I have quite a reasonable collection of tools and no objection to buying more, if the job requires it.

 

Anyway, first up a quick update on the ex-WW Pug 106 (as collected here: http://autoshite.com/topic/28487-raves-first-collection-thread/ ). A picture tells a thousand words, in this case:

 

 

They showed me the ripped boot, and the big gap between the pipe and backbox, while it was up on the ramp. I googled changing the CV boot while they finished the rest of the test and it looked like a pig of a job, so I was quite surprised when they quoted me 50 quid to do it. I was therefore not particularly put out when they called me later to say that in fact they needed to replace the whole driveshaft at a cost for the part of 50 quid; by the time they'd dismantled the old one I'd have been paying that in labour, I reckon, so might as well go with the new one. They managed to bodge the exhaust up with a bit of welding and some paste apparently. So, including the test the car now stands me at 365 quid; it's somehow even nicer to drive now it doesn't sound like a barrymobile. It seems to be doing about 60mpg in mixed driving, and I absolutely love tooling around in it, so I'm pretty delighted all round. If he's got them and they work, KruJoe is going to be sending me some rear seat belts so I can reinstate the back seats, but it's ever so useful as a tiny two seat van in the meantime. All I really need to do to it now is do something about the nasty looking patch of rust at the back of the boot, and think about treating the various little blebs (the worst of which is on the bootlid). I ought to try and fix the wobbly gearstick too I suppose, but it shifts fine so that's not at all urgent.

 

Anyway, on to the big car, my Mondeo, as previously interfered with here: http://autoshite.com/topic/27281-raves-alternator-arseache/

 

It's been OK since I fixed the alternator and I'd done a couple of thousand miles in it up until yesterday, but it has started knocking when going over bumps and potholes. It only knocks when one front wheel moves independently of the other, which leads me to think that it's something to do with the ARB. The droplinks are still fine, despite having been undone a couple of times when I did the alternator, so I reckon it might well be the central bushes. I got the garage to stick it up on the ramp when I went to collect the Pug from its MOT, and they poked all the suspension with a pry bar and couldn't find anything obviously wrong. I asked them to do the ARB bushes anyway, they got them in, then claimed that they'd need to start dropping the subframe, so I just bought the rubbers off them and took the car away. They had also removed a loose bit of heat shielding from above the exhaust, which improved the rattling a great deal, though I now presumably need to remember to put my ice cream on the right side of the boot on hot days. I decided to ignore the grinding noise from the brakes as both the fronts appeared to have plenty of pad material left.

 

So on to Saturday; despite the aforementioned issues it was the only car available capable of taking me and my four large friends to Metz for the day to see the Palace friendly, so the ferry was booked, insurance and breakdown cover sorted etc. I left home at 1.25 AM and returned at 2.25am Sunday morning, having reset the trip counter and MPG meter before setting off:

 

Despite general chaos at Dover on one of P&O's busiest days of the year we made it to the game in good time, and then the 300 miles back to Dover in time to catch the last ferry of the day, which would have been expensive to miss. I didn't particularly enjoy the drive back, however, as I'd been sitting in the back for the stint there, and realized that the grinding was actually coming from the NSR wheel. Sure enough, when I looked at it when we parked up in Metz, there was a dirty great gouge in the disc!   It didn't seize up or fall to bits though, so happy days. I was pretty pleased with 33mpg from a fully loaded 3.0 V6, we weren't hanging about.

 

Anyway for obvious reasons the car now isn't going anywhere until the rear brakes are restored to full operation, which will require at the very least new discs and pads. So, the first few questions of what I assume will be many in this thread:

 

Is it worth paying the extra for Pagid pads and/or discs at ECP? Two Eicher discs and a set of pads come in at £49.65 with their usual 30% discount, or whatever it is this week. Pagid come in at £64.16. I can easily afford the extra £15, just wondering if it's worthwhile? I could split the difference with Eicher discs and Pagid pads too, of course (or vice versa).

And- how hard a job is it likely to be? Will I need to buy a wind back tool of some description? Can I refurbish the calipers to any extent without having to remove the brake lines? From reading other people on here saying that Mondeo rear calipers are notoriously shite, I reckon I've already done well to get 4 1/2 years out of them with no maintenance. Would be good to clean and grease them, if that's possible.

 

Thanks in advance for any replies. I'll post up pics of the job when I attempt it!

[Kiltox]

The new red box Eicher stuff isn't that bad in my experience but someone will probably tell you that you'll die if you fit them

[Captain Furious]

I have a 3.0 V6 Mondeo in ST220 from and I've had the usual rear brake calliper woes, both sides have been replaced during my ownership, one side twice! It's the handbrake mechanism that fails, either it will start sticking and bind on or the handbrake will go slack and hardly work on that side. If you still have a decent firm handbrake then they're probably fine. Once they're gone, they're gone, you can attempt to free them off, work the mechanism, grease it etc but at best it's a very short term temporary fix, you will need a replacement. There isn't a lot of user serviceable parts on there so there isn't a lot to clean and grease, the mechanism is internal, just clean up the usual areas where the pads sit.

 

I don't know about pagid vs eicher etc, I have pagid on mine from ECP and they seem fine, when I bought it the previous owner had put some really nasty cheapo discs and pads all round and the rears were destroyed in 20k miles. This was and still is the only time I've ever worn out rear brakes! Maybe they were eicher? You could tell just by looking at them they were cheap monkey metal

 

On the subject of brakes in general, Mk3 Mondeo brakes are appalling and they're the same whether it's a 1.8 or a 3.0, however the front brakes from an ASBO Focus are a straight swap and really firm up the pedal a lot. I got lucky and found a set of callipers and carriers on eBay which were local and got them for a bargainous price, £150 for some genuine discs and pads from Ford and now it really does stop quite well. as you can see there is a bit* of a difference in size

 

[Captain Furious]

Oh yeah, re the rear brakes I forgot to add the most important part, do not, ever, for any reason operate the handbrake leaver on the calliper while the discs and pads are out, otherwise instant bolloxation shall result.

 

Also you don't need a wind back tool, I can't remember exactly what I used but it wasn't a wind back tool.

[The Moog]

Good to see another car thread.

 

I have tended to put cheap discs on and spend more money on the pads. Saying that I don't hold on to cars for that long so no doubt new owners curse me!

 

If it is a keeper I would just spend extra.

 

Oh and upgrade to to those calipers! They are massive!

[Rave]

I briefly looked into the 'Asbo conversion' when I got the car, but TBH the brakes are fine as far as I'm concerned; I've been nutting the screen recently when hopping in after driving the 106, so god knows how sharp a car with good brakes is supposed to feel...

 

If / when the fronts need doing I'll have a look around and see what prices are like for them I suppose; but as an unnecessary mod I'd be just as keen on a cheap set of 16s with winter tyres if they came up on ebay, and asbos only fit under 17s.

 

Oh yeah, re the rear brakes I forgot to add the most important part, do not, ever, for any reason operate the handbrake leaver on the calliper while the discs and pads are out, otherwise instant bolloxation shall result.

Also you don't need a wind back tool, I can't remember exactly what I used but it wasn't a wind back tool.

 

The car's on a flat road, so I guess just leave it in gear and release the handbrake before I start the job?

 

You see that's what I mean by me being a numpty, it wouldn't have occurred to me to release the handbrake before starting the job! 

 

Edit: Anyway I put in a click and collect order for the Pagid pads and discs, no point being a cheapskate I reckon, I've no plans to get rid of the car and so I might as well put decent bits on it. Annoyingly ECP had the discs and pads in stock at my local but...no flipping brake cleaner . I have bicycle degreaser here in various flavours, can I use that? Alternatively Screwfix do a big can for £2.99, and I've been needing to get down to Lewisham where there's a new branch, so I might just do that.

[Captain Furious]

I couldn't say whether they fit under 16's, they fit under the space saver spare though, as I found out on a cold wet night on the M6...I was practicing my surprised look for the AA man expecting it not to go on, but it did.  If you're happy with the anchors then its probably not worth it, mine were terrible, your foot was through the firewall before anything actually happened.

 

Yeah just release the handbrake before you start.  The piston looks like this

 

 

I just remembered I used a hex drive extension bar on a ratchet, but a suitably large allen key would suffice or some pointy nosed pliers - it shouldn't take much force to wind it in.  I think on the estate they're opposite handed so you wind the drivers side in clockwise and the passenger anti-clockwise (but don't quote me on that!) it is possible to wind them too far so don't go crazy, sometimes you need to combine the screwing motion with some pushing in motion....if you get me

 

 

[KruJoe]

 

Stuff is occurring at Castle_Cleland.

 

 

Rave, I've sent you some questions in a pm.

[Rave]

On Thursday a package arrived while I was out. My wife informed me of its presence and said "I think it's been broken, it's clinking and rattling". Opened it up to have a look:

 

 

 

Anyway, I finally got organized to try putting them in yesterday. It turned out to be a much easier job than I had feared. Joe had supplied them in one long chain; the lap belt connects the two side belts together. First order of business was to remove the boot interior panels; they come off fairly easily after removing the two T20 screws. The inertia reel then bolts into a hole; there are locating nibs stamped into the frame that mate with the bracket on the chassis, and it just bolts in. The bolts came out no trouble, I guess the car has never been damp inside.

 

 

Note the wires for the useful boot light. Pretty sure my old 106 Rallye didn't have that; it certainly didn't have central locking. Not sure what else 'Escapade' spec got you, but I'm not complaining. Anyway, bolted up the upper hanger next, following the clearly labelled side guide:

 

 

The car actually had all the bolts in place; I'm still none the wiser as to whether someone took the original belts out for some reason, or whether it never had any- was that legal in 1996? I doubt it. Anyway, Joe included the bolts just in case there were any incompatibilities, and I tended to use his ones just as they were on the various brackets already. These belts are out of Bub's old 5 door Saxo. In most cases the bolts were identical, but the upper hanger washers were slightly different:

 

 

I opted to use my ones, as I can't see any benefit to having the bracket positioned further from the pillar, and in an accident that would slightly increase the twisting force.

 

Installation of the reel and hanger on the other side was just as simple. So then I climbed in the back and set to bolting it all in there; the anchors for the three point belts each side, and the lap belt and clasps in the middle. All pretty easy, except for the fact that the middle bolts seem to have picked up a bit of grot- are they maybe exposed to the elements under the car?- and were a little bit siffer than the rest. They were also harder to start properly when putting them back in. But a bit of fiddling got them in OK.

 

 

Then it was just a case of installing the seat cushion again- it had been loose, with one bracket not attached and one not installed at all when I got it, so I just pulled it out completely for the MOT, which slightly increased its utility as a van as well. It'll be a 5 minute job to pull it out again should that ever prove necessary. Anyway the clips just attach to these captive bolts:

 

 

All done...apart from the fact that I need to give the belts a bit of a clean before I actually take any passengers in the back, they are a little bit mouldy, but should come up fine when I can be bothered.

 

[Rave]

Anyway, there's a couple of areas I need to look at next. A small patch of rust in the NSR corner of the boot, and bubbles all along the seam:

 

 

 

And this even nastier looking patch in the OSR corner:

 

 

I really have no idea where to even start with it. Do I get, say, a flap wheel or a wire wheel on my angle grinder, take it all off, and see if it's holed? Presumably if it isn't I can just paint it with hammerite, and if it is, I get my welder out?

 

I'm also not amazingly keen on the look of the driver's seat belt anchor bar:

 

 

Again, I guess I start by taking the rust off and seeing what it looks like underneath?

[somewhatfoolish]

 

Again, I guess I start by taking the rust off and seeing what it looks like underneath?

Employ No.1 percussive maintenance tool followed by a vigorous application of a wire brush in an angry grinder, or if you have one a finger belt sander.

[theshadow]

don something similar cut out,rust coat,than slapped fibreglass solid as rock now,better than black tape covering it up..dodgy weather,so sod welding.. :-D :-D

[Jifflemon]

Re: asbo front brakes.... I'm guessing that they're the same as a Volvo XC90. Fitted the buggers to the v70. Discs aren't cheap but 336mm dinner plates will stop the v70 dead in its tracks with minimal effort.

[Rave]

Focus ST discs are 320mm apparently. Would be nice if you could stick a complete XC90 setup on as I assume they're not worth much secondhand, but it doesn't seem to be that simple from an initial google- there are two different centre bores to worry about, and it seems the Volvo calipers need the Focus ST carrier, which presumably isn't going to be sold separately to the calipers, at least not by anyone who has a clue?

 

Also, my brakes are fine as far as I'm concerned .

[Captain Furious]

You're right, it's the carriers that you're paying for really, otherwise you can get the ST callipers from places like ECP relatively cheaply. I dropped lucky and got the whole setup for about £140 - (i'd put a max bid of £300 but nobody else bid on them) it was a local guy who had bought them new brand from Ford for his Jag X Type and was now selling the car and putting it back to standard. So it cost me about £300 all in with the new discs and pads - which I needed anyway

 

And you're also correct that they're 320mm.

[Mally]

I'd just cover it with thick paint for a while, 'what rust'?

[Rave]

Well, the thing is it's a lovely car, and I've scrapped or given up on too many of those over the years due to sheer indolence and incompetence; I really would like to do the job properly as there's not much else wrong with it that I can see. Perhaps I ought to investigate the oil leak from the engine before I invest too much time and effort, admittedly!

[Noel Tidybeard]

These belts are out of Bub's old 5 door Saxo. In most cases the bolts were identical, but the upper hanger washers were slightly different:

I opted to use my ones, as I can't see any benefit to having the bracket positioned further from the pillar, and in an accident that would slightly increase the twisting force.

 

 

because the saxo has pillar trim and you puglet doesn't

[Rave]

The new seatbelts in the 106 got used properly for the first time yesterday when I drove the wife and inlaws home from my niece's birthday party. Putting an extra two people in the back did mean that I had to press quite noticeably harder on the brakes when pulling up to a T-Junction on a hill  but it otherwise got us all home with no fuss. My 67 year old, 5'11 MIL didn't particularly enjoy climbing in and out of the back, though.

 

Anyway, for better or worse, my brother has started turning to me for advice on keeping his car going; whether that's a good thing is open to debate, but I am undoubtedly saving him money in the short term; I did him an oil and filter change for 30 quid all in using fully synth last year, although he seems to have decided to sign up with the main stealer's 'servicing plan' again now. Anyway, his front tyre had a slow puncture, and he'd been repeatedly paying 50p to top it up at the garage 100 yards from his house, despite having a perfectly good bicycle track pump, because he didn't realize you could use them on cars as well. I told him to inspect the tyre, and he found what looked like a nail embedded in it. I told him that Kwik-Fit or any other tyre shop would be able to fix it properly for about 15 quid, but that I could do it for less, and he took me up on the offer. First he bought one of these:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EMERGENCY-Car-Van-Bike-Tubeless-Tyre-Puncture-Repair-Tool-Kit-With-5-Strip-Set/201619464057?_trkparms=aid%3D555014%26algo%3DPL.DEFAULT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20151005190540%26meid%3D730ee598ac074859848373faf730274c%26pid%3D100505%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26&_trksid=p2045573.c100505.m3226

 

...which arrived within a couple of days. Then today he came round to me so I could show him how to use it. His car is a late 1st-gen C-Max 2.0 Auto, which has already had a replacement gearbox at a cost of over a grand due to a known weakness in them. Still, it could have been worse, he could have bought the 1.6 CVT. Anyway, it turned out to be too low to get the trolley jack under, so we had to get the scissor jack on the case to lift it an inch before I could get the trolley under the subframe mount (which is just as ideally situated on these as it in on my Mk3 Mondy).

 

 

Anyway, we assumed this was the cause of the air leak:

 

 

It came out easily enough. I gave the hole a quick test poke with the needle thing from the kit, and it didn't seem to want to go through, so we used the reamer tool to open the hole a bit:

 

 

I've previously used this method to fix 3 punctures on various other chod I've owned in the past and it has always worked perfectly, but I must admit that damaging the plies around the hole, which reaming inevitably seems to do, does worry me very slightly. I have told him to check the tyre around the repair for bulging regularly; none of my repairs ever showed any signs of distress afterwards, though.

 

Anyway, then it was a case of threading one of the sticky rubber worms through the 'needle', putting some of the vulcanising cement from the kit in the hole, and on the needle and worm, and thrusting it in 2/3rds of the way as per the instructions. The needle then came out easily, leaving this rather disgusting looking tyre chalfont behind:

 

 

I then trimmed it off with a kitchen paring knife. The worms turn out to be reinforced with what looks like cotton thread.

 

 

Anyway we left it to cure for a couple of minutes, then pumped the tyre back up, it passed the back of the hand / cheek / ear air leak test. Only problem then was whether to try and drop the car back from the trolley jack on to the scissor for the last inch, I decided against that so as not to risk hurting the sill. So, we'll have to wait and see how it turns out, I guess, though I am optimistic.

 

The offending item turned out to be this:

 

 

...my best guess is that it's a bodywork retaining fastener from a bus or lorry, though it could be half a Dzus off a bike fairing even. As an aside, I have become obsessed with screws and nails being left in the road, and I make a point of trying to pick up as many as I can when I'm out on foot or on a bicycle (though I don't always stop on the bike if I'm in a hurry to get anywhere). Here's a pile I've picked up in the last couple of months alone- picked up at least 20 in one hit outside a house with a skip in the garden. I really can't get my head around the mindset of people who think it's OK to just leave them in the road; and this episode means that I'll redouble my efforts, I guess. I reckon I probably save at least one puncture for every 100 or so I pick up; and although I feel silly for picking up thick bolts and other random not-particularly-pointy bits of metal as well as screws and nails, I'll carry on picking up those, too.

 

 

I'd encourage you all to do the same!

[Guest Hooli]

I pick up all the spare screws etc around here in my bike tyres, it's much easier* than having to bend down for them...

[Rave]

This afternoon I cycled the 5.5 miles over to my mates house...at a rather slow average speed according to Strava, because I kept stopping. This was my haul from that one trip:

 

 

Unbelievable TBH. The bolt at the top of the pic was actually in that position when I picked it up, sat poking up into the air ready to embed itself in the nearest passing tyre. It's a wonder that anyone manages to drive anywhere round here without getting a puncture every other trip. I only picked up one screw on the way home admittedly, but it was getting dark and I was under strict instructions not to be late for dinner.

 

And then...literally as I was turning the corner into my mate's road...I twatted into a pothole and got a snakebite puncture. Fuck's sake!   Fortunately I had a spare inner tube in my bag and matey hadn't lost the pump I lent him a couple of months ago.

 

Anyway, I take it from the fact that the thread's had about 50 views since my last post and no replies along the lines of "what are you playing at man" that my brother's not in any imminent danger of a high speed blowout next time he drives somewhere!

[matty879]

The new seatbelts in the 106 got used properly for the first time yesterday when I drove the wife and inlaws home from my niece's birthday party. Putting an extra two people in the back did mean that I had to press quite noticeably harder on the brakes when pulling up to a T-Junction on a hill  but it otherwise got us all home with no fuss. My 67 year old, 5'11 MIL didn't particularly enjoy climbing in and out of the back, though.

 

Anyway, for better or worse, my brother has started turning to me for advice on keeping his car going; whether that's a good thing is open to debate, but I am undoubtedly saving him money in the short term; I did him an oil and filter change for 30 quid all in using fully synth last year, although he seems to have decided to sign up with the main stealer's 'servicing plan' again now. Anyway, his front tyre had a slow puncture, and he'd been repeatedly paying 50p to top it up at the garage 100 yards from his house, despite having a perfectly good bicycle track pump, because he didn't realize you could use them on cars as well. I told him to inspect the tyre, and he found what looked like a nail embedded in it. I told him that Kwik-Fit or any other tyre shop would be able to fix it properly for about 15 quid, but that I could do it for less, and he took me up on the offer. First he bought one of these:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/EMERGENCY-Car-Van-Bike-Tubeless-Tyre-Puncture-Repair-Tool-Kit-With-5-Strip-Set/201619464057?_trkparms=aid%3D555014%26algo%3DPL.DEFAULT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20151005190540%26meid%3D730ee598ac074859848373faf730274c%26pid%3D100505%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26&_trksid=p2045573.c100505.m3226

 

...which arrived within a couple of days. Then today he came round to me so I could show him how to use it. His car is a late 1st-gen C-Max 2.0 Auto, which has already had a replacement gearbox at a cost of over a grand due to a known weakness in them. Still, it could have been worse, he could have bought the 1.6 CVT. Anyway, it turned out to be too low to get the trolley jack under, so we had to get the scissor jack on the case to lift it an inch before I could get the trolley under the subframe mount (which is just as ideally situated on these as it in on my Mk3 Mondy).

 

DSCF4151.JPG

 

Anyway, we assumed this was the cause of the air leak:

 

DSCF4152.JPG

 

It came out easily enough. I gave the hole a quick test poke with the needle thing from the kit, and it didn't seem to want to go through, so we used the reamer tool to open the hole a bit:

 

DSCF4153.JPG

 

I've previously used this method to fix 3 punctures on various other chod I've owned in the past and it has always worked perfectly, but I must admit that damaging the plies around the hole, which reaming inevitably seems to do, does worry me very slightly. I have told him to check the tyre around the repair for bulging regularly; none of my repairs ever showed any signs of distress afterwards, though.

 

Anyway, then it was a case of threading one of the sticky rubber worms through the 'needle', putting some of the vulcanising cement from the kit in the hole, and on the needle and worm, and thrusting it in 2/3rds of the way as per the instructions. The needle then came out easily, leaving this rather disgusting looking tyre chalfont behind:

 

DSCF4154.JPG

 

I then trimmed it off with a kitchen paring knife. The worms turn out to be reinforced with what looks like cotton thread.

 

DSCF4156.JPG

 

Anyway we left it to cure for a couple of minutes, then pumped the tyre back up, it passed the back of the hand / cheek / ear air leak test. Only problem then was whether to try and drop the car back from the trolley jack on to the scissor for the last inch, I decided against that so as not to risk hurting the sill. So, we'll have to wait and see how it turns out, I guess, though I am optimistic.

 

The offending item turned out to be this:

 

DSCF4157.JPG

 

...my best guess is that it's a bodywork retaining fastener from a bus or lorry, though it could be half a Dzus off a bike fairing even. As an aside, I have become obsessed with screws and nails being left in the road, and I make a point of trying to pick up as many as I can when I'm out on foot or on a bicycle (though I don't always stop on the bike if I'm in a hurry to get anywhere). Here's a pile I've picked up in the last couple of months alone- picked up at least 20 in one hit outside a house with a skip in the garden. I really can't get my head around the mindset of people who think it's OK to just leave them in the road; and this episode means that I'll redouble my efforts, I guess. I reckon I probably save at least one puncture for every 100 or so I pick up; and although I feel silly for picking up thick bolts and other random not-particularly-pointy bits of metal as well as screws and nails, I'll carry on picking up those, too.

 

DSCF4158.JPG

 

I'd encourage you all to do the same!

i bought that kit,and it worked for me

[matty879]

the worst place for punctures is the council tip,all that broken stuff dragged out of the boot,and 1 attendent leaning on a brush,i had 3 nails on one visit resulting in 2 flats within 1/4 mile.

[Rave]

I pick up all the loose screws there too, and chuck them straight in the metal bin!

[Guest Hooli]

I pick up all the loose screws there too, and chuck them straight in the metal bin!

 

It's a shame the council don't pay people to do that with all the money they steal off us...

[Captain Furious]

Too busy standing point guard over the 'general waste' bin, in case anyone tries to sneak any unauthorised recyclable material in there.

[worldofceri]

Didn't even know you could get a diy puncture repair kit from Ebay.

 

Sounds like an excellent way to spend three hours getting filthy and inventing new swear words to save a tenner.

 

I'll be getting one asap.

[Rave]

Didn't even know you could get a diy puncture repair kit from Ebay.

 

Sounds like an excellent way to spend three hours getting filthy and inventing new swear words to save a tenner.

 

I'll be getting one asap.

It was very easy and quick job this time round. Didn't even need to remove the wheel. If you're not fussed about having the weight of the car on the sidewall you needn't even jack it up.

 

I had a similar kit previously and snapped the plastic handle off the needle, which resulted in much buggerance trying to force it in and out with a pair of mole grips. So try that if maximum annoyance is your goal.

[Rave]

After over a month of prevarication (albeit I was away for two weeks) I finally did the brakes on the Mondeo today. I've not needed it up until now as the Pug is still my vehicle of choice for tooling round town- I felt a bit bad picking up all four members of the Italian family we've got staying with us from the station in it the other day though. The youngest one is 12 and only tiny, so I don't suppose it was too bad for the 3 of them in the back. Not sure if they got all the belts done up, I didn't check; the roads were quiet and we weren't going far. However, there will be 7 of us going off to a quiz tomorrow night so both cars needed, so I reluctantly got started about 3.30pm after a holdup while all my Virgin boxes were upgraded by a grumpy technician. Despite having promised pics I only took the one as you've probably seen it all before, and nothing particularly interesting happened anyway:

 

 

After a brief false start because I'd forgotten that bolts facing away from you need to be turned clockwise (as you're looking at them) to undo them   I actually got them all cracked off no bother with my 2' breaker bar. I found that a 19mm spanner held the flat bit on the carrier slide pins to wind the bolts out of them and remove the caliper, then the carrier bolts undid quite easily despite not having been touched for well over 5 years. The disc just slides off. I did the side that had been making a grinding noise first, and sure enough the outer pad was completely down to the metal. Slightly worryingly, the inner still had about 4mm of pad material on it, is it usual for them to wear unevenly?

 

I buggered a pair of poundland needlenose pliers trying to wind the piston back in before settling on a 17mm combination spanner with a 10mm one through the ring end for leverage as the ideal tool for the job (mine is different to the one pictured above, it doesn't have the central allen key hole). Initially it looked as if it was going nowhere, but a bit of pressure seemed to get it going. The rubber boot on the piston crinkled right up and I was worried about tearing it, but nothing happened as I wound the piston in the best part of an inch. Then I cleaned the slide pins and put some moly grease on them, they seemed to move a bit easier after that, though one of them has a weird rubber sleeve on the end that seemed to be slightly torn. After copper greasing the pad clip holders I eventually figured out how to get the new pads in. Interestingly the new Pagid pads are all identical as far as I can see; the ones I took off, which say Ferodo on the inner ones and nothing on the outers (though that maybe because they're filthy) are slightly different- the outers have very slighter shorter tabs with small metal covers on them. The new pads would not have fitted with the metal covers, so obviously I didn't try fitting them.

 

Then it was reassembly time, so I grabbed my newly acquired can of brake cleaner and set at the new disc, only to find that apparently they no longer bother putting a coating of oil on them to stop them rusting up before installation   . Put the carrier and new pads on and bolted it up, then put the caliper over the top and bolted that on with the new bolts supplied with the pads- which for some reason have a 12mm head, unlike the 13mm ones that came off. All the while I was fighting a rearguard action to try and prevent the copper grease that I'd spread liberally about getting on the discs or pads.

 

Anyway, wheel on, car dropped, and a quick run down to the end of the road revealed that the brakes (and the handbrake) still worked, so I u-turned and parked it facing the other way. I must admit I was tempted to just call it a day at that point and do the other side at some indeterminate point in the future, but I figured it would be much quicker to do the second one now I knew what I was doing. And it was, it just didn't go quite as well. While winding the piston in some fluid came leaking out, which I assume is not a good sign. I'll see what the MOT man says at the end of the month, but I assume a recon caliper might well feature in my future. I also had to pull the caliper back off and wind it in a bit further, because the first time I installed it it was so tight that the disc wouldn't spin freely. The brake flexi rubber pipe developed some worrying looking cracks while I was moving the caliper about as well- I hope they're reinforced in some way. No obvious leaks from them though.

 

And so, having put the wheel back on and lugged half a hundredweight of tools and knackered brake parts back into the house, I took the car for a spin round the block, accelerating and braking most of the way, sometimes using the handbrake so as to try and bed the newly changed rears in a bit better. It seems to work about as well as before. Looking at the discs when I got back they've only been scrubbed in about halfway from the outer edge so far, but I'll not worry about that unless it doesn't improve after say 50 miles.

 

Anyway fingers crossed I've not bolloxed it up somehow. I feel a bit beaten up after having done all that sat on the kerb with the car on axle stands, oh to have a driveway (or a four poster!).

[Cleon-Fonte]

After a brief false start because I'd forgotten that bolts facing away from you need to be turned clockwise (as you're looking at them) to undo them   I actually got them all cracked off no bother with my 2' breaker bar. I found that a 19mm spanner held the flat bit on the carrier slide pins to wind the bolts out of them and remove the caliper, then the carrier bolts undid quite easily despite not having been touched for well over 5 years. The disc just slides off. I did the side that had been making a grinding noise first, and sure enough the outer pad was completely down to the metal. Slightly worryingly, the inner still had about 4mm of pad material on it, is it usual for them to wear unevenly?

 

 

Unevenly worn pads (and grinding noises) will probably have been due to seized slider pins, which is a likely scenario if they've not been touched for five years. Take them out and give them a dousing in grease every now and again and the problem shouldn't re-occur.