The new news 24 thread

[Metal Guru]

On 21/05/2025 at 22:53, MJK 24 said:

I had to move some cars today that have been used for filming in a period drama.

One of them was an F reg Escort.  Basic model without elec windows, central locking or the fancier instruments.  Engine was the 1.4 CVH.  

The 1400 CVH always seemed much smoother than the 1.6 or 1.8?

Anyway, I wouldn’t want to have a crash in this Escort but I have to say, what a very pleasant car to drive.  Everything was just right.  The weight of the controls, the performance, engine noise, ride quality.  Just a really nice thing to drive.

It looked to have had a very easy life.  Only 55k on the clock and unmarked inside and out but still, I really liked it.

It makes we wonder have we made as much progress as we think we have with cars?

I had a 1.6 Orion with a CVH. I remember they had hydraulic cam followers which were a weak point, but wasn’t a massive job to change them . Also Ford originally specified a 100 000 mile cam belt change and many snapped after 60 000 or so. 
Other than that , they were fairly decent. I drove mine 180 000 miles. The body work was way worse than the mechanicals by then. 
 

[comfortablynumb]

I've got the mfi engine in my escort, not sure how many miles(Speedo reads 25k!🤣) but apart from the usual valve stem seals it's been one of the most reliable and willing engines I've ever had 

[Snake Charmer]

Mot chod.

[Lord Sterling]

 Vectra did estate car things today:

I've pleaded with Ma and Sis to cut down on buying cardboard packaged things and to try and keep on using stuff longterm rather than chucking it away after a couple of years. The white bits of wood in the car are a bed that Sis bought probably 5 or 6 years ago, if that and I'm already taking it to the dump. By contrast, the bed I've got is over 20 years old, but then it was a high-quality well-built bed.

Anyway, Vectra went to the garage earlier on in the week. A list of stuff required doing is:

• Coolant rad - It's delaminating and thus is leaking. A pipe was tightened too so if I top up, it'll be a smaller loss than the levels that has been disappearing. It due to go in the next couple of weeks fir a new rad.

• Rear brakes, discs aren't in great shape and it may need new shoes too but that's worse case scenario. 

• Rocker cover, Sump and oil filter housing is leaking. Again this will be done as when.

• Air-con reconnecting. This will most probably be done in the arse end of time by the way things are going.

[SiC]

9 hours ago, Snake Charmer said:

Mot chod.

Not very Autoshite but I think they're utterly lush. 

[Snake Charmer]

41 minutes ago, SiC said:

Not very Autoshite but I think they're utterly lush. 

The good ones can be utterly lush, more often than not they perform in perfect Autoshite fashion and the owners are tighter on a different financial scale.

[HillmanImp]

What car is in the background of this vid on TOTP? 

The song is midnight dynamos by Matchbox so will have been 1980 ish. 

Not a 106 is it? 

Its probably gunna be really obvious but its annoying me. 

[captain_70s]

Fiat 127?

[Wibble]

Early Civic?

[Stinkwheel]

Yep, very early civic is my shout as well 

[Split_Pin]

It's a Fiat 127 MK1. The grainy camera is making the sidelights look very bright and therefore like they are the headlights. You can see it's also very rough and the front has been painted black to no doubt combat/hide rust.

[junkyarddog]

127 gets my vote too.

[UltraWomble]

Caught one of the little fuckers today as it was attempting to make it away on its toes. 

After months of "Fzzp.. And now from... Zzzrp... Test match.... Wheeep" from the radio and a couple of shit workarounds I finally fitted a new twig. 

And all appears well in the world of radio 4 again. 

Dug this out after the Honda front brake hose sprung a leak. 

 

[ETCHY]

1 hour ago, UltraWomble said:

Caught one of the little fuckers today as it was attempting to make it away on its toes. 

After months of "Fzzp.. And now from... Zzzrp... Test match.... Wheeep" from the radio and a couple of shit workarounds I finally fitted a new twig. 

And all appears well in the world of radio 4 again. 

Dug this out after the Honda front brake hose sprung a leak. 

 

OK where can I get a Socket man from ?

Ahem asking  for a friend..

[comfortablynumb]

If that was mine, I'd end up using it, because I can't find any others...🙄

[SiC]

Given it looks 3d printed, you won't get much torque on that before it disintegrates!

[UltraWomble]

1 hour ago, ETCHY said:

OK where can I get a Socket man from ?

Ahem asking  for a friend..

Ebay or Etsy - only a couple of quid.
Its going to get glued to my toolbox

[flat4alfa]

"Oh FFS what have you bought now!" 

She said

 

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[sdkrc]

Not me or my jack stands but note the Amazon Basics logo. This broke whilst holding up a nissan Tiida. Absolutely fuck buying cheap offbrand life-critical tools. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/1kubeke/did_i_use_them_wrong_or_did_i_just_buy_crappy_ones/

[grogee]

1 minute ago, sdkrc said:

Not me or my jack stands but note the Amazon Basics logo. This broke whilst holding up a nissan Tiida. Absolutely fuck buying cheap offbrand life-critical tools. 

https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/1kubeke/did_i_use_them_wrong_or_did_i_just_buy_crappy_ones/

ISTRC the YouTuber Ave saying something about a bad batch of these, there was a half-assed 'recall' but of course sold by every scumbag under the sun so too late. 

I have some too but pre-recall, they're still a finger trap hazard though. 

[Zelandeth]

2 hours ago, flat4alfa said:

"Oh FFS what have you bought now!" 

She said

 

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That is in my opinion the best colour for those.  It looks great in the sun and sets off the black sections so well.

I do wish those cars had done better as I really quite liked the one I drove aside from the touch sensitive control nonsense on the centre console (I'm assuming the UK cars are the same - it was in the US I drove one).  It was just a really nice easy and effortless car to drive, but without being so soul-sappingly metaphorically beige as a Prius.

I could seriously see me using one as the modern daily if I didn't need an estate.

[EyesWeldedShut]

Replaced the alternator/drive/serpentine belt on the SLK yesterday. Took about three minutes (with no skinned knuckles)  as the access is so simple. One of the advantages of having a bonnet bigger than a tea tray and a longitudinal engine.
History suggests old one was replaced in 2013 -it's an original MB one with Gates branding and also 02W51 on it. Whether that means 2002 week 51 or not (?) somebody got value for their money,

[bramz7]

As alluded to elsewhere, I picked up a sensible new daily yesterday, from @BorniteIdentity

It's so boring. But I have to remind myself I have an Alfa Romeo coming back this week (maybe?!), so this is a necessity. I've even got the radio tuned into Classic FM already, following some advice from @Sir Chocolate Teapot during the A2 handover yesterday. 

Maybe I could go out in the Clio 172 to negate the Corolla driving? 

No, because the fucker has stopped starting. I took it to work a few days ago, and it was fine (exhaust rattle and PAS whine notwithstanding), and upon trying it the next day, it just refuses to fire. Fuel pump is priming, the immobiliser light goes out, no untoward electrical lights....just cranking. I had a little dig around the roomy* engine bay and pulled two brown relays and moved them around, to no success. Gearbox earth is another possibility, but with no jack or ramps I don't fancy my chances getting to look at that. 

My normal reaction would be to sell it at a tremendous loss, and tbh that is tempting as I despise cars that won't start (I don't care about any other fault tbh). And spending a whole day waiting for the RAC to show up to tell me it won't start is not my idea of fun. 

 

[SiC]

28 minutes ago, bramz7 said:

As alluded to elsewhere, I picked up a sensible new daily yesterday, from @BorniteIdentity

It's so boring. But I have to remind myself I have an Alfa Romeo coming back this week (maybe?!), so this is a necessity. I've even got the radio tuned into Classic FM already, following some advice from @Sir Chocolate Teapot during the A2 handover yesterday. 

Maybe I could go out in the Clio 172 to negate the Corolla driving? 

No, because the fucker has stopped starting. I took it to work a few days ago, and it was fine (exhaust rattle and PAS whine notwithstanding), and upon trying it the next day, it just refuses to fire. Fuel pump is priming, the immobiliser light goes out, no untoward electrical lights....just cranking. I had a little dig around the roomy* engine bay and pulled two brown relays and moved them around, to no success. Gearbox earth is another possibility, but with no jack or ramps I don't fancy my chances getting to look at that. 

My normal reaction would be to sell it at a tremendous loss, and tbh that is tempting as I despise cars that won't start (I don't care about any other fault tbh). And spending a whole day waiting for the RAC to show up to tell me it won't start is not my idea of fun. 

 

Sparking?

Crank sensors are notorious for these. Not hard to get to. Above the gearbox. 

If you take it off, bend the pins inside slightly outwards. It's not the sensor that fails it's the connector. 

[bramz7]

6 minutes ago, SiC said:

Sparking?

Crank sensors are notorious for these. Not hard to get to. Above the gearbox. 

If you take it off, bend the pins inside slightly outwards. It's not the sensor that fails it's the connector. 

I think I'll give that a go. It probably was just coincidence but the day I took it out was quite wet. 

[SiC]

18 minutes ago, bramz7 said:

I think I'll give that a go. It probably was just coincidence but the day I took it out was quite wet. 

That crank sensor is what condemned so many 00'ers Renault's. By the time they realised the real problem, their reputation was heavily tarnished. Basically it was thought to be the sensor but actually was the connector. Official fix is a new sensor and connector harness that splices in.  

Might still be on the original. Iirc new design connector was blue. Not compatible with the old. 

[bramz7]

@SiC

You may have nailed it, luckily enough there is a copious service history with it and nowhere does it mention that sensor being replaced. A few earthing faults causing other electric malady though, but nothing akin to non starting. Unfortunately I don't have means to solder so I think if I do get it fixed it will having to be outsourced. 

Or I'll sell it for £500 💀

[Split_Pin]

@bramz7 before you go to any trouble, try cleaning the end of the crank sensor with a small file or emery paper. It might just be dirty. Happened on my Megane with the same setup and it never failed to start after than.

[artdjones]

Or do what the local Renault service agent suggested to me about a non start callout. Take the connector off the sensor and just twist the pins a few degrees radially, reassemble and try to start.

[SiC]

12 minutes ago, bramz7 said:

@SiC

You may have nailed it, luckily enough there is a copious service history with it and nowhere does it mention that sensor being replaced. A few earthing faults causing other electric malady though, but nothing akin to non starting. Unfortunately I don't have means to solder so I think if I do get it fixed it will having to be outsourced. 

Or I'll sell it for £500 💀

The kit has low temperature solder heat shrink that uses a lighter or heat gun to shrink. However tbh splaying out the pins inside the crank sensor slightly almost always fixes it. I wouldn't say longevity but certainly done a good few thousand miles before I eventually bit the bullet and changed it.