The new news 24 thread

[Angrydicky]

Those things are utterly uninspiring. My mum has one on a 54 plate that bores me whenever I have the misfortune to drive or ride in it. It's amazingly reliable though, and seems to go on and on with very little maintenance. Hers has a factory LPG conversion, so at least it's not a grotty diesel. And sorry Trig, but those wheels look dreadful! I don't envy you trying to sell that.

[Bren]

Two of my friends had zafiras.

 

Both moved them on admitting that they did'nt like them.

 

It's an astra with room for more offspring.

[Jim Bell]

DID THE RENNER PULL START OR NOT!?

 

I AN IN GREAT SUSPENDS!

[barrett]

'Somebody' who shall remain nameless opened the sun roof on my BX earlier and now it won't shut. Anyone know how you manually override these things?

[Volksy]

Sometimes, on the motor there is an allen key hole to manually wind the roof shut, often if you take the interior lamp panel out you can get to it. Not sure on BX's though. 

[Volksy]

Reading on the web, there should be a manual crank for this either in a little clip in the glovebox, or on the reverse of the overhead panel.

[RobT]

'Somebody' who shall remain nameless opened the sun roof on my BX earlier and now it won't shut. Anyone know how you manually override these things?

LoL. Why would Gary want to open the sunroof in the middle of winter? Electric ones can be manually overidden by an allen key or some normally. Is there a blanking plate that can be removed to reveal a hole for the manual wotsit?

[barrett]

Yeah there is an Allen key thing but I can't get any movement out of it! Thought there might be something obvious that I'm missing...

[Volksy]

http://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=146036

 

Of any help?

[HillmanImp]

Yeah there is an Allen key thing but I can't get any movement out of it! Thought there might be something obvious that I'm missing...

 

Looks like its the time for the heavy duty black bin bags

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqJpvWBQaMU

[barrett]

Fuck's sake. Sounds serious. I would be more inclined to just kick the car to death if I hadn't just spent a grand getting it through an MoT, but now I have no choice but to get it fixored. No doubt at even more great expense. Cars are shit.

[dollywobbler]

As I mentioned on Faceache last night, this happened within minutes of me buying that car. I think I managed to 'cure' it by just jiggling things and pressing the button - as someone else reports on that FCF link. Mind you, I never had another issue with it, and I'm a big sunroof user. 

[derskine]

Did you check the heater plugs for actual operation?

 

With indirect injection you can have much fuel as you like......... it ain't gonna go without heat. Towing and sensible amounts of easy start don't help either (ether?).............

 

Not checked them yet, two are quite difficult to get out, require removal of at least the alternator, which in itself is a bit of a bitch to remove.

I tried bleeding the injectors yesterday but it still wouldn't start, I reckon I'll buy a set of glow plugs.

But in the mean time it's probably best to get it recovered to the unit because I'm definitely not doing it outside in this weather.

[twosmoke300]

You can test the plugs in situ , pull one easy one out and test it with jump leads. Let it cool and measure resistance , usually about 1ohm . Then check the awkward ones to see if they are the same. Not a 100% test but lets you know if they are short circuit .

 

If it wont start even on easy start they are usually fucked tho. Or does it run until the easy start wears off ? Its a fuel issue if thats the case.

[derskine]

Nah it doesn't run at all even with easy start, it almost starts, but never catches.

I'll get it moved to the unit where I can see what I'm doing/not have blue fingers and give that a shot before I buy anything.

I had thought it was a fuel issue, but there is fuel being pumped and the filter was full before I drained it to bleed the fuel lines from the tank to it.

[beko1987]

Operation stack is apparently on, good luck to all the lorryists on here today!

[panhard65]

Nah it doesn't run at all even with easy start, it almost starts, but never catches.

I'll get it moved to the unit where I can see what I'm doing/not have blue fingers and give that a shot before I buy anything.

I had thought it was a fuel issue, but there is fuel being pumped and the filter was full before I drained it to bleed the fuel lines from the tank to it.

If it won't start with easy start then it has a real problem. That is assuming you are giving it enough easy start a good squirt right in the air intake rather than through the air filter. If the engine locks you gave it too much, no need to wait for the glow plug light to go out just squirt and turn easier if there are 2 of you.

[derskine]

Yep took air filter off, sprayed maybe 2 seconds worth in, went to start whilst Nisfan sprayed more in and it was the same.

Will maybe need to try again with more easystart.

We did have the air filter shroud off exposing all the ports, the easystart could have been consumed by the wind I guess, perhaps I'll put the shroud on without the air filter so that it can't escape.

Could a faulty stop solenoid cause this?

Someone on ROC suggested the timing could have slipped a tooth too.

[panhard65]

It is proper bradex easy start you are using rather than wd40 or hairspray ? If that didn't get it to fire or lock up at least, I would be checking compression

[derskine]

Yep proper easystart, I'll give it a shot as described with more easystart and the shroud on.

A slipped tooth could be the cause of a lack of compression if that doesn't work, the engine has only done 60k.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Just making arrangements for what could be a collection thread with a difference.

It involves a Citroen C3 of unknown vintage and condition, an alcoholic 70 year old that I've only spoken to about 4 times since I broke his nose in 1986( he was threatening me with an under & over Beretta at the time) . A cat in a basket and all the possessions that will fit.

Relatively straightforward you might think, but add into the mix he's just had a hip replacement,was in prison at Christmas due to his volatile marriage situation( to another alcoholic), oh and he lives about 20 km from Marbella.

Yes, families are shit! This is my lovely* father-in-law coming back to the UK after 12 years, at the moment I'm thinking about getting back as far as the Pyrenees, pushing the C3 with him in it off a cliff and doing a 'Bucketeer' for the rest of my life.

[panhard65]

The old 2.1 is a simple old thing so should fire as long as it has compression. It is easy to test the stop solenoid just take the lead off and then touch it back on with the ignition switched on, you should hear it click. The other problem could be a lazy starter motor if it isn't turning over very quickly then that could cause it. Bung a big fully charged battery on it and jump leads to give it as much power as possible.

[dave21478]

Do you get fuel to the injectors while cranking it? - Slacken an injector nut and hit the starter - it should squit fuel out. 

If yes - fuelling is likely ok and your problems are either glow plug related or compression.

If no - Its a fuel problem - check the stop solenoid - I am not sure how they are rigged on that engine, but you should hear it click at least when the ignition goes on. On some engines you cen unscrew the unit and remove the plunger behind it. This will alllow the engine to run but it wont stop with the key, you will have to stall it.

 

 

IMO even with dead glow plugs it will fire eventually and would definitely fire up with easy start, so I reckon the plugs are not the problem here.

[The Moog]

Second vote for cars are shit, especially just back from garage.

 

Came out to car today to find the 405 had done a little car sex wee inside. Only floor is wet so don't know where it is coming from.

 

Checked coolant and that had dropped a fair bit so might be heater matrix. Plus had a look at windscreen surround which is held in with hope and mastic.

 

Tiny poke reveals Peugeot thoughtfully fitted a designer mouse carrying hole decorated in orange. Fucksticks.

 

Applied the universal bodge of lashings of gaffer tape.

[derskine]

I'll need to locate the stop solenoid as I've never actually had to deal with it before.

I replaced the starter a couple of months ago because the old one had a solenoid issue, with a used part but it seems okay.

Cheers for the suggestions, I'll charge the battery over night, hook up the jump leads to the polo, fire some easy start in and hopefully it starts up eventually.

[derskine]

Do you get fuel to the injectors while cranking it? - Slacken an injector nut and hit the starter - it should squit fuel out. 

If yes - fuelling is likely ok and your problems are either glow plug related or compression.

If no - Its a fuel problem - check the stop solenoid - I am not sure how they are rigged on that engine, but you should hear it click at least when the ignition goes on. On some engines you cen unscrew the unit and remove the plunger behind it. This will alllow the engine to run but it wont stop with the key, you will have to stall it.

 

 

IMO even with dead glow plugs it will fire eventually and would definitely fire up with easy start, so I reckon the plugs are not the problem here.

 

I did this yesterday, on my own, so couldn't see them actually squirting but there was definitely diesel dripping out of them/onto the pump tray after I'd cranked it over.

[alf892]

If you turn it over with injector pipe loosened and get a squib of fuel then solenoid OK.

 

As said you can do what the fuck you like with some indirect injection engines but without heat they won't start.

 

York diesel famous for it but give one of them heat and its away. Similar the old Vauxhall 1.6............even the XUDS if all plugs gone won't go

 

Indirect vey much needs good fuel pressure/injection atomisation and any weakness here is made worse if cranking speed is low

 

oh........and if checking resistance of the plugs make sure you disconnect them first otherwise you are not going to learn much.

[Cavcraft]

405s were pretty good at 'doing a Passat' whereby if you don't clear the scuttle panel area, you end up with flooded foot wells.

[derskine]

Was definitely fuel dribbling out, so is it safe to assume it's glow plug/compression related?

I did also try putting a hot air gun in the air intake with the air filter out, that didn't really help either.

Am I right in thinking heat is generated when the air is compressed within the cylinders, even without the glow plugs, so with a lot of cranking it would eventually heat up enough due to this and start - and easy start would reduce the heat required?

[steve_earwig]

Sorry if I missed it but was the cam timing checked?