The new news 24 thread

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I disagree about the parts cominality . Engines and gearboxes on the diesels are the same. Suspension and brakes look very similar. Keys locks etc are all Ford with different badges on. As far as part numbers go 10 percent maybe right but that's probably down to tiny little differences in colour , finish etc.

I think you might be right about that , the gradual Fordisation of Jaguar started long before the X-Type. The first thing I noticed was when a Ford key replaced the dagger key on the XJ40 in 1990.

Obviously the S-Type is 'just' a Lincoln/Thunderbird underneath and from what I remember of ours the Ford logo appears on the back of quite a few parts. Also the S and X were the first Jags to usethe Ford 5x108 stud pattern presumably meaning hub,brakes etc all came from a Ford plant somewhere

[gordonbennet]

From what I remember about 2.3 Cortinas and Sierras it was all about the noise, they weren't actually any faster than the 2.0 Pinto, but the extra fuel was worth it for that burble.

 

Tough simple engine that, I once had a 2 ish year old high miles company car Granny with the 2.3 lump in for service, one of the most neglected cars i've ever seen, drained exactly 1 pint of oil (well black treacle) out of the sump.

 

Car ran like a dream after servicing and went on for years, sent the bloke off with a flea in his ear about neglect, and gained him (his boss) as a long term customer.

[twosmoke300]

I think you might be right about that , the gradual Fordisation of Jaguar started long before the X-Type. The first thing I noticed was when a Ford key replaced the dagger key on the XJ40 in 1990.

Obviously the S-Type is 'just' a Lincoln/Thunderbird underneath and from what I remember of ours the Ford logo appears on the back of quite a few parts. Also the S and X were the first Jags to usethe Ford 5x108 stud pattern presumably meaning hub,brakes etc all came from a Ford plant somewhere

Of all the things to use from Ford ! Engines , fine , gearboxes , definitely but the keys ! Bloody useless things that wear out in about 40k miles

[Angrydicky]

Well the Solara left the fleet today.

 

It's gone to a good home though - the chap already has an Alpine and a Horizon, as well as a number of old Vauxhalls and various bubble cars.  He came down from Scotland this morning on the train; I got a text this evening to say that he'd reached his overnight stop in Yorkshire with no problems - the longest run the car's had in years.  I'm going to miss it.

 

I consoled myself by buying something off my bucket list, which I picked up this evening.  More on that tomorrow - going to sleep now.

That's got to be the same guy who messaged me some years ago about the pictures of the Talbot Alpine in a scrapyard I posted on here. He was in Scotland, and drove all the way down to Essex to strip parts off the Alpine. Next time I was in the yard I noticed a fair bit had gone from it, including the front wings and other bits. I think he lurks on here, and he definitely has an Alpine. Certainly sounds like it's gone to a good home

[catsinthewelder]

Loving the Cortina pics Trig

 

My Grandad had a 1.6LX in that colour when I was a nipper,  replaced it with a Maroon, G reg Orion that my great uncle still had when he died a couple of years back.

 

John F  It's a shame that it isn't the 300tdi that you need an exhaust centre for as I've got one sat on my drive doing nowt,  I feel your pain with the clutch and the welding,  it's far easier to refit the box with about six shitters in attendance to help

[andy18s]

Mmmmm,an Alpine you say....

 

 

 

Been sat for donkeys in the middle of a field with this for company

 

[dave21478]

I replaced a front outer CV boot on the Mazda this morning. No need to separate the ball joints as they unbolt easily enough from the upper and lower arms allowing the hub to tip enough to get the end of the driveshat out. I couldnt get the inner end of the driveshaft to release from the box and didnt want to force it so just did it in situ. The outer joint is massive so no easy way to slip the new boot over it so I made a cone out of a bit of roofing zinc and greased it up, then slipped the new CV boot on. 

I havent seen that sort of dilation since a rough looking woman in her 40's "birthed" a half-size rugby ball on stage for our amusement* at a friends stag party.

I think the driveshaft was less greasy too.

[Inspector Morose]

Finally! That pesky little yellow warning light of doom seems to be banished for the time being! The final piece to the puzzle just seemed to be air in the system as, after a few big burps, the water level has settled and that little yellow light is no more.

Me being me, that gave me the reason to be paranoid that the bulb had stopped working so a little check with the AVO and earthing with a bit of wire found in the boot (all cars should carry a non specific bit of wire - so useful for repair and diagnostic purposes. Hey, it can even tie up an exhaust too!) proved that it still worked.

So, I've fixed it at last or the fault is hiding for the time being just to pounce when I least expect it. Place your bets now!

 

Note - meat thermometers are £1.50 at ASDA and can act as a useful temporary temperature gauge for diagnostic purposes!

[HMC]

Had I a camera to hand I'd put it in the lazy spotters thread, I whizzed past a British registered hillman estate between

Utrecht and Arnhem on the A12 in the Netherlands this morning. I'm sure it was Seth.

[dollywobbler]

This weekend, I and other 2CVGB members have generally been lowering the tone at the Citroen Car Club Midlands Rally. This shiny 2CV parked next to my shambolic shed.

 

2CV clocked up 197,000 miles on the way there, then my friends made lots of teeth-sucking noises as they took in the rotten bits. Need a plan.

 

This was a favourite. I'd hate to own one, but I'm glad it was there.

[dollywobbler]

There was other shed content too to be fair.

 

 

Yes, that is an Acty behind the H van.

 

Mat_the_cat made it on the V8 Stellar's maiden run.

[wuvvum]

So, as I'm sure you're all dying to know*, this is what I bought yesterday.  A modern, diesel, automatic Renault - so it ticks pretty much all of the "things I said I would never buy again" boxes.  What can I say, I'm a fickle, fickle man.

 

 

It's an Initiale, so it's quite posh (full moo, tree and wind).  It's also a 3.0 dCi, which from what I can ascertain has an even worse reputation than the 2.2.

 

I picked it up from Kent last night.  The journey home didn't go completely smoothly - got as far as the M25 with no problems but then the temp gauge needle started to soar skywards.  I pulled over onto the hard shoulder, switched off and then spent a couple of minutes trying to get the hazards to work (sticky switch, as it turned out), whilst having visions of my very own Philibusmo moment (stuck at the side of a motorway with an untaxed overheating motor). 

 

My initial thought was that it had lost its coolant, so I thought I'd turn the heating on to check.  Ignition back on, and the temp gauge was already dropping visibly - turned the heater on and it was lovely and warm.  Waited for the temp gauge to drop a bit more, then restarted the engine, whereupon it dropped to just below half.  I set off again gingerly, gradually picking up speed whilst watching the gauge like a hawk, but it was fine, even when I got caught in a 30-minute queue for the Dartford tunnel (bridge was closed so tunnel was going in both directions). 

 

Then I got onto the M11 and it did it again.  This time, I noticed the heater had started blowing cold.  Once again, pulling over and letting it idle for a while saw normal service resumed - both in terms of coolant temp and heating.  I stopped at Bishops Stortford services to investigate further - initial checks showed no obvious signs of OMGHGF, and there was water in the expansion bottle - there was a fair bit of pressure in the system, but no more than you'd expect considering I'd done 80 miles by then.  I topped the bottle right up anyway, letting the engine idle with the cap off to try and get rid of any air - my inexpert diagnosis at this point was either an air lock in the system or the water pump was on its way out, and of the two I much preferred the former option.  Having subsequently done some Googling, it does seem that these engines are rather prone to air locks.  I am going to take it for a sniff test at some point though to rule out (or confirm...) any worries of head gasket issues.

 

Anyway, the rest of the journey went without a hitch, and I made it home with this year's allowance of AA lives intact.

 

It's a funny old thing to drive mind.  The gearbox behaves much the same as the Aisin-Warner 'box on the V6 Laguna, so I assume it's a similar 'box.  The engine has shedloads of torque, as you'd expect from a BFO turbo diesel, but it doesn't feel fast as such - more effortless.  The ride is odd - quite jiggly, and with more lateral pitching than I'd expected.  I haven't explored the outer limits of the handling capabilities yet, other than to find that it feels quite understeery and the steering is somewhat vague.  A Renner 25 it isn't.

 

It's comfy enough though, with its multi-adjustable seats, the cruise control works, and (overheating notwithstanding) it would make an excellent motorway car.

 

It has a few issues to sort - airbag light is on, dash display is indicating a "sensor fault" (no more info than that), and the back suspension is a bit knocky.  Also the locking button on the key card seems to have died.  And it's only got two months' test.  It's clean enough though, and it was cheap.  How long it will stay in the fleet will depend on how confident I am that it isn't going to overheat on me any more...

[Shep Shepherd]

^

 

I really want to own a Vel Satis one day, as the car appeals to my inner Frenchman

[cort16]

Nice one wuvvum it takes a brave man to take in an auto diesel one if these !

[Pillock]

I guess if you take the approach that it'll grenade itself spectacularly at some point, then every day you make it home under it's own power is a bonus and a reason to be cheerful.

[HMC]

Top bombing wuv!!

 

They still look fresh amongst new cars. Has the cav found a new home yet?

[wuvvum]

Has the cav found a new home yet?

Nope, not yet.  This place isn't, etc...

[ShiteRider]

I phail @ carz.

I'm meant to be breaking this bastard for parts, but have spent my sunday off work, at work, stripping and cleaning the carb, doing the valve clearances and resetting the timing.

I think this could well turn into a rolling resto, not a full on stripped to a shell job, just doung what needs to be dine for it to be long term solid (ie cut out the shit MOT plates underneath) and reliable.

[John F]

catsinthewelder, on 17 Aug 2014 - 09:59 AM, said:

John F  It's a shame that it isn't the 300tdi that you need an exhaust centre for as I've got one sat on my drive doing nowt,  I feel your pain with the clutch and the welding,  it's far easier to refit the box with about six shitters in attendance to help

 

Cheers CinW... I'm sure everything will be OK 

[Cavcraft]

A Renault diesel automatic? Just one of those words would have most people running in the opposite direction as fast as humanly possible, but you've achieved all three in one hit.

May God have mercy on your wallet.

[purplebargeken]

That Renner looks fabulous. Hope it doesn't blow up very soon though.

 

The Cortina also looks fabulous. 

[Ratdat]

That's exactly the same as the one I had for a bit Wuv. I loved driving it but it always seemed like a it was going to fail to proceed at some point. It tried to several times by going into limp home mode. The subsequent owner fixed the problem but it cost him over 3 grand.

 

Those engines had a problem with the seals under the liners failing, I think most commonly when at sustained motorway speeds, which then allowed the liners to drop leading to immediate OMGHGF. The engine in mine had already had that happen and had been replaced by Renault outside of the warranty period. 

[Shep Shepherd]

I phail @ carz.

I'm meant to be breaking this bastard for parts, but have spent my sunday off work, at work, stripping and cleaning the carb, doing the valve clearances and resetting the timing.

I think this could well turn into a rolling resto, not a full on stripped to a shell job, just doung what needs to be dine for it to be long term solid (ie cut out the shit MOT plates underneath) and reliable.

20140817_105727.jpg

20140817_105732.jpg

20140817_105742.jpg

 

Turn it into a rolling restoration; it would be a shame to see another Cortina 80 lost to the crusher, especially one painted such a nice colour

[philibusmo]

The Princess is now up and running with a replaced head gasket.

 

A full update including all the shenanigans of last week will be up here before too long, just currently I am too knackered, I need a little more time to get over this kerfuffle.

[Pillock]

Excellent!!

 

I wonder if you got that working before matey with the Golf in the services.

[Wackeldackel]

Well I got back to the UK with no dramas en route. Over 900km (including detours for petrol and tobacco) and the old merc has not used a drop of oil or water. The engine undertray which I washed last week is still spotless, to say I'm chuffed would be an understatement. Not bad for an engine with a quarter of a million kilometres on it.

 

Precious few older motors en route too, a couple of merc 190s in Holland that honked and waved, loads of shit ratty mk3 golfs in Germany, an audi 100 also in Holland and a few lumps of yankee chod, apart from that absolutely nothing of note.

 

Spent today unwrapping my parcels bought from ebay.co.uk which have been waiting for me since April, new parcel shelf, set of speedo clocks in mph (don't really need it but £8 for a full instrument cluster, £8???? ) and a few plasticky bits like air duct and body trims that were either scuffed or cracked. Also some shite for the parcel shelf, more pics to follow....

[Luckythirteen]

Just a thought on the holed petrol tank thing (late I know, insert excuse here): could you use those bolts you get from B+Q with the sprung wings?

Angel bolts, I think. Take the screw part off, line up washers, put it back together, then push the wings through the hole, and tighten.

Might work...

[derskine]

Just a thought on the holed petrol tank thing (late I know, insert excuse here): could you use those bolts you get from B+Q with the sprung wings?

Angel bolts, I think. Take the screw part off, line up washers, put it back together, then push the wings through the hole, and tighten.

Might work...

Sounds like a good thing to try if the pop rivet starts leaking, which it might!

[wuvvum]

That's exactly the same as the one I had for a bit Wuv. I loved driving it but it always seemed like a it was going to fail to proceed at some point. It tried to several times by going into limp home mode. The subsequent owner fixed the problem but it cost him over 3 grand.

 

Those engines had a problem with the seals under the liners failing, I think most commonly when at sustained motorway speeds, which then allowed the liners to drop leading to immediate OMGHGF. The engine in mine had already had that happen and had been replaced by Renault outside of the warranty period. 

 

Presumably if the liners drop it's game over for the engine?  Doesn't sound like the kind of thing that would be easily fixable...  The fact that it seems to be getting hot randomly (it did it again earlier today) and then cooling down of its own accord, plus the fact that both the oil and the coolant look fairly clean, leads me to hope that my head gaskets are OK.

 

I plugged my code reader into the car earlier, but it didn't pick up any faults - which suggests to me that whatever sensor it is that is playing up, it's not in the engine.  The car's still running fine aside from that though (touch wood), apart from a slightly unpredictable gear shift - but then that seems to be a characteristic of this gearbox.  On the plus side, the built-in sat nav still works (albeit with a 10-year-old set of maps).  I might run it into my usual garage in the week and see what they reckon to it all.  Just looking at the service book and it reckons the timing belt isn't due until 120K - which sounds a bit optimistic to me.  Although I'm sure it's a complete arsehole of a job to do, so I might leave it (the car's only done 74K).

 

Got a text from the chap who bought the Solara this evening - it made it all the way back to Scotland with no problems, which is good.  It's done more miles in the last 36 hours than it had done in the preceding year.

 

I've also bitten the bullet and ordered a silicone boost hose for the Rover of Doom.  There's no way I'm going to be able to make a long-term repair on a split that size, and considering that I have no intentions of ever selling the car, it's probably worth spending a bit of money on. 

[Asimo]

Mrs Me's Civic is going, to the youngest, who was threatening to go to some trader and offer £1000 for something, anything, "reliable and cool"

 

AAAGH, parental panic! what could possibly go right?

 

"Have the trusty Civic."

"Thats not very cool"

"FOC"

"Free is cool. When?"

"When your brother returns it, that's when!"

"Why's he got it?"

"Because his Mazda6 has died of modern Dieselness"

 

This is all a good thing for me because now swmbo has taken on my Subaru and I've now only got the MR2 to partex.

 

Want comfort and quiet next. Bored with whizz and wind.