The new news 24 thread

[Station]

It does have a stat, but it's not closed when it's cold. They're 50 quid to replace as well, and the plastic casing breaks when you take it off so I've heard.

I'll give everything a going over tomorrow. I drove it for an hour tonight and it runs fine. Hopefully it'll be OK tomorrow.

[Felly Magic]

That will explain your crap heater, with the stat constantly open. It will also knacker your economy. Try Jorily on ebay for a stat, plus keep an eye out in your local scrappies for Felicias that have underbonnet sound insulation. Also there are 3 variants of the humble 1289cc engine in the Felicia, the 54bhp single point injection lump, the 67 bhp single point injection, and the 68 bhp multi point injection lump, so you need to price up a stat for your correct engine spec.

[Cavcraft]

It does have a stat, but it's not closed when it's cold. They're 50 quid to replace as well, and the plastic casing breaks when you take it off so I've heard.

I'll give everything a going over tomorrow. I drove it for an hour tonight and it runs fine. Hopefully it'll be OK tomorrow.

 

This has just happened on the Audi when I went to change the temperature coolant sensor By the way if you need expert advice from someone who won't rip you off try Central (VAG specialists) in Ellesmere Port, they're bloody good and very helpful.

[Lankytim]

Headed off early to return the borrowed trailer (see Maxi recovery) On the way back I lost a trim ring, I watched it cartwheel down the road and into a lorry going the other way. Didn't stop to get it back, I also noticed that my tax disc has dissappeared. It stopped sticking to the screen so it ws left on the dash, it must have fallen out somewhere. Bollocks.

 

I have a spare trim ring, so thats back on (no, officer, it wasn't me that caused the accident, see how my Volvo has a full set of wheel trims) but it looks like i'll be forking out £7 for a new disc. Lesson learned!

[Station]

Car started fine this morning, so I assume it was water ingression into the mechanicals and electricals n stuff.

 

I will buy a thermostat this week, BUT what part of the casing breaks and can it be fixed (quicksteel, etc). Do you know of any ways of avoiding it? Still on the cheap at the moment, so trying to avoid mega bucks repairs (ie 20 quid +).

[dollywobbler]

I'd semi-stripped the Peugeot's dash to try and sort out the speedo cable. As far as I could tell reversing/driving the car on the driveway (with no steering wheel to make it easier to get the dash off!) the cable just isn't turning as it goes into the back of the speedo. Seems connected at the gearbox end so I guess the cable's duff. Trying to find a new one has been a right pain in the arse and I haven't managed to get one yet. GSF has them apparently, but I have a severe dislike for their 'register first, so we can spam you forever, then you can use our website' strategy. I'm going to try another couple of options.

 

Anyway, it's back together so I can use the car, though I'm still going to have to properly sort out the exhaust. It's blowing horribly. Should get the BX back tomorrow hopefully as well. Planning on taking that on a mission to Derby in the next two weeks so I can collect some better doors. I'd like to ramp up progress on the BX if I can. It's down on power, so I need to try and find out why. I suspect knackered injectors and/or an air leak somewhere. I also need to get on top of the oil leaks variously. Between the BX and the Mini, I'm building up more underground reserves of oil than the North Sea at the moment. Shhhhh. Don't tell America - I don't want to unleash a load of shock and awe.

[Richard]

I'm registered with GSF and they haven't sent me any unsolicited emails yet. Registering might not help a lot- the last time I looked, not long after the change, the catalogue was all but impossible to navigate and I only found my parts because I knew the GSF part number.

 

I'll have a look and let you know if I find a speedo cable though.

[jonathan_dyane]

I'd like to ramp up progress on the BX if I can. It's down on power, so I need to try and find out why. I suspect knackered injectors and/or an air leak somewhere.

 

Just how down on power is it? IIRC your previous BX was new enough to have the later induction setup and cylinder head which does give noticeably more power (but less economy)

 

That said, prime candidate on a slow BX is always checking that the accelerator pedal isn't snapping off the pedal box; get someone to floor it (engine off obviously!) and see if the lever on the injector pump is moving to the end of its travel. I'd check this and also change the diesel filter before I got into anything more advanced. It probably isn't the injectors incidentally; they normally last almost as long as the engines.

[dollywobbler]

Thanks JD. Throttle opening has been advised on BXC as well, though it just sounds and feels a bit iffy even when revving in neutral. Can't really do 'owt until I've got it back anyway, and changing the wiper mechanism is probably more of a priority, before the THUMP of the wiper damages the scuttle panel... (this car has a mighty long To Do list!)

[Lord Sterling]

Tried to connect up a Rover Radio into the Sterling today, sadly the wires have been butchered by one of the last owners who probably used to work for Ford as there were a couple of Ford consumables items (Connector on the radio wires and wipers)

 

Trying to figure out whats what it seems the speaker wires are connected up to a Ford connector block but the wires which power the stereo have been crudely cut from thier original Rover block:

 

Speaker wires to Ford Block:

 

Power wires:

 

Now I'm guessing it just a matter of rewiring up the original block as all the corresponding wires are there and wiring a new speaker block to speaker wires. Sounds easy but I've never really tackled this before, I dont know how to remove the wires from the Ford block or the cut wires from the original power block.

 

Anyone a good Auto electriction around the West Midlands area?

[Richard]

That didn't take long. A search for "speedo" and "speedometer" turned up nothing, and "cable" gave me handbrake cables, maintaining my 100% record of not finding what I'm looking for on the new GSF online catalogue. That doesn't mean they don't have them though, it might be worth phoning.

[jonathan_dyane]

...it just sounds and feels a bit iffy even when revving in neutral.

 

Aha!

 

Prime candidate then is the fuel heater; most likely attached to the water pump housing. These *always* go porous eventually and let in air, resulting in poor starting and uneven running, and ultimately being stranded at the side of the road. Solution is to cut the diesel pipes off it and bypass it.

 

It *may* instead have an inline electrical diesel heater, which would be visible on the bulkhead. I think they came a little later though.

[Station]

Lord Sterling, cut the wires behind those horrible red connectors, then match the wiring colour to the standard plug. Make sure to solder and heat shrink the wires!

 

Thusly:

 

[dollywobbler]

Ah, very interesting! I shall explore once I get it back.

[Craig the Princess]

The Metro Mayfair is bolted back together with the freshly painted fuel tank in place, the bottom half of the subframe needs to be painted (ran out of red oxide primer ), the leaking wheel cylinder has been changed but the brake aduster snapped so I need one of those too. Then it is time to reattach the handbrake cables and adjust the rear brakes and MoT re-test.

 

[Minimad5]

Ian,

If you get stuck then drop me a TXT /PM and i'll get you some quotes and or part numbers

[rml2345]

Actually did something car related for once, and adjusted the accelerator cable on the Yaris as it was looser than a loose thing. Still won't idle at more than about 600rpm...

Think a coolant flush could be in order, and I must sort the squealing auxiliary belt before it drives me round the twist. Alas it was far too cold for any of that today, so I went inside like a big jessie.

[Volksy]

The battery on the Rola-Corolla is now on it's last legs, even after it's daily blast across the M62 it wont start again if left for more than an hour. It's the wrong one for the car anyway, so will have to buy a new one on the way to work tomorrow.

[Cavcraft]

I happen to believe that next Saturday I shall be 'back in the fold' as it were with some more Griffin badged rammel. Unsecret negotations with a fellow shiter or two are currently underway.

[dollywobbler]

I get the feeling there's a great big game of musical cars going on at the moment...

[Wilko220]

Far too lazy to do any actual car maintenance today, but I did watch the brilliant classic film Duel on DVD - BARGIN £3.69 from Amazon!

I know most people on here are probably very familiar with it, but if any of you are not acquainted, then do invest in a copy - best motoring film of all time IMHO...

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Duel-Special-Ed ... 932&sr=8-1

[John F]

I happen to believe that next Saturday I shall be 'back in the fold' as it were with some more Griffin badged rammel. Unsecret negotations with a fellow shiter or two are currently underway.

 

Cav? I hope so... they're ace.

[Rod/b]

Just had a call from Nissan to say that they're replacing the front prop shaft on my Pathfinder and that the extended warranty insurers have picked up the 600 quid (equiv) bill.

 

Which is especially nice as I bought the car from some bloke 6 months or so ago and didn't even know it had an extended warranty.

[dollywobbler]

Got the BX back. I think it liked its Festive hotel (being all undercover like) and it refused to start. Chap who did the work pushed the button on top of the fuel filter, but only mild success. Then we noticed the fuel pissing out beneath! Turns out there was a hole in the fuel filter housing. Arse. Bodged it up with chemical metal and one of the BX boys is hopefully sorting me out with a proper replacement.

 

Nice to have a BX with a working tailgate again, and without air/noise getting in through a ruddy great hole in the floor and around the tailgate, it's now seriously refined! Hoping for a spell of dry weather so I can continue tackling its many issues, but the forecast isn't exactly filling me with joy. T'was meant to be sunny and lovely yesterday and it still managed to rain and hail!

[Station]

Did a bit of work on the Fellatio.

Not heat from heater and temp gauge on 70 (resting on needle).

 

Went to the scrappy and got one of a newish Felicia that had the thermostat housing still intact (for 15 quid):

 

 

Thermostat had definitely had it with 'they all do that' plastic clippage broken:

 

 

Coolant escaping - is this that special long life ORANGE coolant?

 

 

Flushing through - took a good few minutes to go clear:

 

 

Heater now blows hot and needle sits in the 87c range!

Replaced the wiper relay and we have intermittent wipers now.

Only thing left now is to fix the leaky windscreen (they all do that) and repair or replace the faulty milometer (they all do that).

[Felly Magic]

Chirist how long has that shitty coolant been in there? The coolant is available from Helfrauds, but I use proper VAG stuff which I get from the main dealer in Clacton.

[Craig the Princess]

GSF has them apparently, but I have a severe dislike for their 'register first, so we can spam you forever, then you can use our website' strategy. I'm going to try another couple of options.

 

I'm going to GSF Peterborough tomorrow, do you still needto see if they have them?

[MK5 Escort]

Seeing as your Escort was supplied in Shrewsbury new, does it carry an 'AW' plate, Ma_Sterlings was 'AW'.

 

Mine's on a 'UJ' plate - still on it's original dealer plates too, although I replace them with a rubbish post-2001 set (sorry! If it's any consolation they're also from Furrows - it hasn't lost it's identity!) during this time of year to protect against typical winter damage.

 

From memory, all the H plates he bought were RUJ/SUJ's. The J's were a various mixture of *UJ's and a few UX's thrown in. The K's were pronominally AAW, BAW and CAW’s. I recall the odd NT too. I didn't really take much interest after that to be honest. The H, J's and K's are really where my interests and happiest memories lie. The L's, I think, went back to UJ's again.

 

Another favourite that this family had lots of experience of was K947 BAW which is sadly deceased now according to the DVLA. Another 1.4 LX but in Wedgewood Blue. I’d love to know what happened to it. The last I heard of it was spotted back in Manchester in the very late nineties somewhere. That done 64k in barely 18 months - just to give an example of the mileages these Escorts used to cover. That went onto around 180k-odd before being sold in around 1996. It lasted another six years if the DVLA is correct, so I suspect that went well over 200k.

 

335k is absolutely EPIC, most Ford Escort dont seem to last beyond 95k or so, but then most of them were punted onto council-estate dole-queue botherering banned drivers, so had little chance of surviving.

 

336k now

 

Indeed, many classed them simply as disposable items. Something which were plentiful and cheap. Ignore servicing, basic maintenance and clenliness in cold weathers and just about every car will deteriorate. As the Escort was only seen as plentiful and espeically cheap - they were treated to suit. Add together this poor repuation they had (the vocal press have to have at least one production car they want to loathe - the Mk5 Escort was 'it' in the early nineties), most earlier ones have now vanished. Never mind the rareity of the Mk3 and 4 - the 5 can't be that far behind them already.

 

Anyway, back on topic! The Escort performed well over Christmas, transporting us down to Chelmsford and back again with no problems at all (round trip approx 450 miles) barring the minor noise whilst accelerating in third gear as already discussed. It hasn't developed any worse even after hauling three people plus Christmas presents back and fourth so I think I'll just keep an eye on it for the time being. I have options for repair/replace open to me so I'm not bothered. It also paid an unexpected visit to B&Q down there on Boxing Day courtesy of my brother (don't ask...) where it was converted into a van again for an hour or so. Thank god we took blankets down there with us!

 

Anyway it's going in for it's MOT tomorrow, on it's 21st Birthday . My dad's off work tomorrow and given it was his car to begin with, he's retaking 'command' of it, taking it in and facing the music! Haha! I'm not worried really, it's never failed an MOT yet (although it almost failed it's very first as tickover was 'too high', aparently) and I gave it a thorough going over yesterday and I'm satisfied it'll be fine. I should have the results at around lunchtime I suspect.

[dollywobbler]

GSF has them apparently, but I have a severe dislike for their 'register first, so we can spam you forever, then you can use our website' strategy. I'm going to try another couple of options.

 

I'm going to GSF Peterborough tomorrow, do you still needto see if they have them?

 

If you don't mind, that'd be great. Not had chance to call them today and I'm busy tomorrow as well.

[Negative Creep]

Mazda is now on Gumtree. Had one call within minutes but the bloke didn't realise where I lived and we agreed coming down from north of Bristol probably wasn't worth it.

 

Sadly, the bridge of doom is beckoning....