The new news 24 thread

[wuvvum]

Another day of abject failure on the shite fixing front.  I didn't manage to get the aux belt fitted to the Movano - I can't quite get it over the tensioner by hand, and when I try to lever it on with a screwdriver it just takes a chunk out of the tensioner pulley.  You're probably not supposed to lever it on the pulley, but I can't get any leverage anywhere else - no doubt you need Renault Special Tool Q36824Z.2a to do it properly.  What's wrong with just having a slidey alternator like in the good old days?

 

Didn't manage to get the blower assembly out of the Stilo either.  Got the steering column off and two of the three stupid 5.5mm bolts holding the motor in came out OK, but the final one seems almost impossible to get to - I bought one of those mini ratchet things to fit in the gap but there's only room for about 1/8 of a turn at a time so by the time the slack has been taken up there's no movement at the bolt at all.  An extension to get the ratchet out past the back of the motor won't work either, as the bottom of the dashboard curves down and gets in the way.  The only way I think I'm going to get it out is to invest in a 12-point 5.5mm spanner - even that's going to be awkward as you can only barely see the bolt head when looking up from the driver's footwell, and not being made of plasticine I'm not flexible enough to get my arm up there and maintain a position where I can still see the bolt, so it's all done by feel.  Bloody moderns...

 

On a more positive note, the motor factor in the village stocks stick-on rear number plates and letters so the Golf now at least has a rear number plate, for the grand sum of £3.50.  Oh, and I nicked the passenger sun visor off the Berlingo to replace the missing driver's side one, so at least I'll be able to drive up the road tomorrow morning without getting blinded.

[Guest Hooli]

Those springy tensioners normally have a hole in that you can fit an extension bar into & lever them back that way.

[chaseracer]

I met up with BV the other day - he’s on much better form...

 

This is good to know.

[cort16]

I bought a new battery for the maestro but still haven’t coaxed the fucker out the garage.

One of the cables is burst on the garage door so to stop it getting stuck on the locking tabs I have to pull the cable from the outside so I look like i’m trying to land a fucking massive tuna fish in a force 5 Gail every time I need to shut the door.

[Jams]

Been a wierd few days tbh started off Friday when I caught my vans mirror on a gate post! There’s 80 quid il never get back!

 

Then that evening I found a set of wheels for the Mrs modern Leon! It needs new wheels as I bought some 2 weeks ago and the vendor must of forgot* to tell me that one was bent. Twat

 

Met up with the fella half way a really nice chap with a Skoda Fabia pick up! If it wasn’t snowing I would of told him about this place as he was a top bloke!

 

Listed bent wheels on Facebook and sold within the hour to a Romanian chap I’m just hoping he read the advert properly!

Then the standard wheels sold that evening!

 

In for a penny and thoroughly pissed off with my pineapple golf I listed it on Facebook and by gum! It sold this afternoon!

 

So took the family out for tea! Living the dream I was! Then came in! The little man pushed the front door with full force and it’s swung round and smashed the porch window!!! FFS

[wuvvum]

Those springy tensioners normally have a hole in that you can fit an extension bar into & lever them back that way.

I couldn't see one, unless I'm being thick.  This is what it looks like:

 

[SiC]

Can't you use a spanner on the nut on the middle of that tensioner pulley? Then lock it with an hex key or similar in the hole and slot.

[Guest Hooli]

No I can't see......

 

 

Wot they said before I posted.

[wuvvum]

Can't you use a spanner on the nut on the middle of that tensioner pulley? Then lock it with an hex key or similar in the hole and slot.

Cannae get enough leverage.  It's a f***ing strong spring.

[320touring]

Cannae get enough leverage. It's a f***ing strong spring.

Socket and a bar then

[twosmoke300]

Wuv - what happened to the original belt on the Movano? I wonder if the tensioner pivot is seized or the spring broken up?

[dollywobbler]

As a point of reference, I can just push down the tensioner on the Lexus and remove the belt by hand. A little trickier to get it back on, but not much.

 

Reminds me. I really must order up a tensioner as it's noisy as hell.

[johngarty]

So clever thieves are using relay boxes to scan your key from outside the house and make off with your motor.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-42132689

 

Official police advice is now to get one of these:

 

 

So much for high tech security.

[Sigmund Fraud]

I prefer Valencia Blue to dog shit Brown.

 

Post reported : such heretic views should not be welcome on this forum !

 

[Eddie Honda]

Official police advice is now to get one of these:

 

stoplock-wheel-main.jpg

 

So much for high tech security.

Did they fuck advise a "Stoplock". "Mark Silvester, from West Midlands Police's crime reduction team, advised using a Thatcham-approved steering lock to cover the entire steering wheel."

 

HE SAID A THATCHAM-APPROVED BIG METAL FRISBEE.

 

 

Quite a different beast to a shitty stoplock.

[Kiltox]

Quite hard to get into I hear

[beko1987]

Quite hard to get into I hear

What was it, 13 days in the end and a new windscreen? Can't remember now, but I know it was probably the best advert for one ever!

[BorniteIdentity]

Yet... there was a story recently about someone having one off pretty easily, and the advice being that you should have extra bits welded onto the back.

[ruffgeezer]

Have resigned from new job after 2 months.

 

To keep 6cylinder happy I am in talks with a return to the Citroën specialist.

[alcyonecorporation]

Yet... there was a story recently about someone having one off pretty easily, and the advice being that you should have extra bits welded onto the back.

Oh aye? Input please.

[chaseracer]

Have resigned from new job after 2 months.

 

To keep 6cylinder happy I am in talks with a return to the Citroën specialist.

 

Sorry to hear it didn't work out, Tim.  Onwards and upwards... 

[Six-cylinder]

Have resigned from new job after 2 months.

 

To keep 6cylinder happy I am in talks with a return to the Citroën specialist.

 

Make sure they include an engine liner kit in the deal!

[beko1987]

Why doesn't 6cylinder just employ you?

[BorniteIdentity]

Oh aye? Input please.

I seem to remember it being a theft and Angry Dicky remarking he’d been advised that extra reinforcement was required.

 

I might have got the above muddled, but there was definitely something on FB

[Timewaster]

Well that was unexpected.

Mrs went to take the eldest to brownies, late as usual.

Out the door they go.....

30 seconds later there is a panic banging on the door, so I opened it to see what is the matter.

 

"The door fell off!" she says.

 

Sure enough the passenger door of her 206 is hanging down almost touching the ground.

 

Great.

 

I lift the door enough to shut and take eldest to brownies in the Galaxy.

 

On the way home I see the tame mechanics are still at work so I drop in to ask if they can order any Peugeot bits I might need. Ooh, sucking of teeth...

"welded hinges on those" he said.

Cheerful sod.

 

Anyway, I get home with notions of fashioning a replacement hingepin from a bolt or 6“ nail or something, or just pushing it shut and tell her not to open it again.

 

Open the door to see what I can see and sure enough the top hinge pin is missing.

 

As I lift the door to close it I spy something glint in the gravel.

 

It's the missing pin with a threaded end.

 

Out with the trolley jack and lumps of wood, refit the pin, jobs a good un and brownie points for me.

 

But. Only the bloody French would put the thread at the BOTTOM of the hinge!

 

Can anyone think of a sensible reason for such a stupid idea?

[Six-cylinder]

Why doesn't 6cylinder just employ you?

 

And the house next to me is for sale!

[Guest Hooli]

 

Can anyone think of a sensible reason for such a stupid idea?

 

Is there room to put the pin in from the top?

 

 

Mind you, it's french so if there is a sensible way to do it they'll avoid it on principle.

[SiC]

Could a bolt and nut fit and be a suitable replacement?

[wuvvum]

Wuv - what happened to the original belt on the Movano? I wonder if the tensioner pivot is seized or the spring broken up?

The tensioner moves and springs back into place when released.  It just takes a lot of leverage to get it to move - even with a 2' long screwdriver wedged in there I was having to heave fairly hard.  The original belt snapped clean in half, but then the engine bay of the Movano is quite oily so it's probably been getting contaminated with oil for ages, which won't have been doing it any good.

 

The problem with using a socket and bar on the pulley bolt is that that isn't the pivot point, so turning the bolt won't have the desired effect - I would have to lift it, and the socket wouldn't have enough of a grip on the bolt head to sustain that kind of force so I'd have to hold the socket onto the bolt with one hand whilst levering the bar with the other, and I'm not flexible enough to slide the belt over the pulley with my feet.

[Guest Hooli]

Tried a ring spanner? they won't slip the same.