The new news 24 thread

[SiC]

Happy days, the audi left early and also left behind a Puddle of pink coolant under it. I'm sorry I doubted you Jagwah

Is that N118 MFV?

[Arthur Foxhake]

I've bought a 2005 BMW 325 touring with a misfire and lumpy running for £600. Have I done a mistake? Will I make any money with it if it remains broken forever?

I don't want to spend money on it trying to chase a problem I can't find, as a cheap car gets expensive pretty quick.

If I fix it I see profit but if it stays broken will I see any return?

What say the collective brain?

[320touring]

I've bought a 2005 BMW 325 touring with a misfire and lumpy running for £600. Have I done a mistake? Will I make any money with it if it remains broken forever?

I don't want to spend money on it trying to chase a problem I can't find as a cheap car gets expensive pretty quick.

If I fix it I see profit but if it stays broken will I see any return?

What say the collective brain?

Possibly a coil pack failure giving the missfire - can swap them about to see if it moves.

 

Not the worst engine (pokey enough and reasonably robust) but in a cuntofacar

[xtriple]

Valve clearances?

 

Mate had on (but older) with those symptoms and the valves had closed right up. Reset and all good.

[Arthur Foxhake]

I don't think I want to run it, it would be nice to fix it for minimal price and least grubbiness and get shot of it.

Ford Cougar is a lot cheaper to fix and probably as fast. And there is also the fact the Cougar is worth fuck all so dings don't cost anything and Mrs Foxhake is slightly spacialaly unaware so I don't get cross when new wounds appear on it on a fairly regular basis.

[Arthur Foxhake]

Valve clearances?

 

Mate had on (but older) with those symptoms and the valves had closed right up. Reset and all good.

I'm going for a diagnostic session with a mate on the weekend so if that doesn't flag anything up I'll check that.

[Wingz123]

I made it back in one piece from collecting the doors and trailer. I called by work yesterday to find a minor panic. They had jumpstarted a friend's MK1 Connect which had then auto locked and was happily rattling away with the bonnet open and doors locked. Obviously it only had one key, I tried to open it with the key from a MK1 Focus but apparently Ford locks aren't quite as bad as I've been led to believe.

 

When I left the owner was trying to Jimmy the door using the wire numbers from the workshop dartboard.

Bend the top of the door back then once open whack a wheel with tyre on and inflated between the door and the van and bend back. It will actually retain its shape!

[SRi05]

Is that N118 MFV?

It is not, although I have tried to win it via roffle many many times

[cort16]

It’ll be injectors or could packs . These being what they are it’ll probably need all the injectors replaced to fix the problem .

[yellowperil]

I handed my garage keys back to the local authority landlord this morning. As much as I like having a garage, this one and the others on the estate where I live on are a bit narrow. They were built in 1969 so ideal for Morris's and Vauxhall Vivas but less so for portly 21st century cars. I almost completely ripped off a wing mirror about a month ago. It'll save me about £420 a year.

 

There's plenty of space to park outside my block as not many people there have cars. I'll contact my insurance co later to inform them.

Liked for your signature.

[yellowperil]

Which has not appeared on that post.

[stuboy]

Belated xmas present from son delivered from amazonias

[Asimo]

201901-11.jpg

 

I cut that out of a trailing arm today, which is a job. Reason being, I collected the two suspension units I dropped off at a machine shop yesterday. They confirmed what I'd already found when trying to un-seize the parts, which was that basically you can't without destroying the trailing arm and the pivot shaft.

 

The issue is the part of the suspension unit where the displacer joins the pivot shaft. Both components are made of steel, and both are exposed to everything that gets chucked up underneath the car. There's no easy way to protect all this and the recommendation when new was that this is a service item, requiring regular greasing. Of course, this never got done with the majority of cars. So, both pairs of my spare displacers will now have to sacrifice the trailing arm so I can liberate the displacer and pivot shaft. Then, because of the shape of everything, the machine shop can't press the shaft out unless it's fairly flush to the displacer socket, which means sacrificing the pivot shaft too.

 

This wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that I suspect the pivot shafts on the car are also seized. Spares don't really exist and sometimes when you have a unit that seems to have unseized shafts actually turns out to just be spinning the bush in the trailing arm instead.

 

There are two solutions to this issue. The first is to actually grease the suspension as regularly as suggested, keeping it in top health. The other is to manufacture/modify a T-shaped boot to go around the bottom of the displacer and the trailing arm which would keep all the dirt and grime out and the grease in. I have no idea how to go about the latter, so I intend to do the former when I get the rear suspension sorted out.

I'm a big fan of Issigonis suspension but these problems just sum up my frustrations with it: the miserable penny-pinching engineering that went with the clever springy bits, and ruined the reputation and for many, the experience of the whole Hydragas / Hydrolastic system.

 

edit - suspension due to Dr. Alex Moulton of course. I blame the Port.

 

I'd get replacement spindles made with a hole bored and cross-drilled so a grease nipple could be fitted to allow regular injections of lube into that displacer bore. Actually I think I'd get the displacer bore sleeved with a bronze bush. Displacers are now rare enough to make the effort and cost worth it.

[vulgalour]

I'd not thought about sleeving it with bronze, that's very doable and inexpensive I'd expect.  Presumably you don't get issues with dissimilar corrosion or wear between steel and bronze?  For now all I can think to do is load up the pocket on the ones fitted to the car with penetrating fluid on a much more regular basis in the hope that when I do come to replace the displacers I can get the units on the car apart.  I had thought the ones fitted had free pivot shafts because the displacer moved as it ought but having taken this one apart today, I'm concerned it might actually just be the bushes spinning instead.

 

Getting the new pivot shafts drilled is an idea I'd not thought of either.  You should be able to have the grease nipple stick out on the outer threaded end if you do it the way I think you're explaining which would be incredibly easy to access even without taking a wheel off or jacking the car up.  It would also likely completely eliminate the seizing issue providing you greased it once a year.

[wuvvum]

I'm a big fan of Issigonis suspension

Hydrolastic was Big Al Moulton wasn't it?

[Ghosty]

Ah of course, I should have know that, thanks.

 

The seats are Clio Williams-ish i.e. that soft fuzzy material...very comfortable too.

 

20181231_155228 (1).jpg

 

I can smell that just looking at it. Very very 90s.

[vulgalour]

It was the good Doctor, yes.  Issi had no real input on the Princess, thankfully, which is probably a big reason for controls to be aligned correctly with the seat.

[Split_Pin]

I have restored 4 way directional adjustment to the 75s mirrors. Doing the easy jobs first is a good motivator!

[SierraMikeHotel]

I have restored 4 way directional adjustment to the 75s mirrors. Doing the easy jobs first is a good motivator!

I never did this during my time with the Saab, and my Merc has exactly the same fault - they go down but not any other direction. Really must get round to it.

[RobT]

I can smell that just looking at it. Very very 90s.

Is it an intoxicating smell of rubber you're getting? I think it's due to the floor mats, so I've binned all bar the driver's one and need to figure out a cheap way of deodourising it!

[egg]

I found these neutradol efforts quite useful Rob, link as an example, you can get them cheaper.

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Neutradol-Freshener-Original-Destroyer-AD12MS/dp/B004Q0VWMU

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Must get hold of two new front tyres for the Borat. Currently on legal limit.

[dozeydustman]

One of the Corolla's fan belts is bollocksed. It's started to split down the middle. Sorry for potatocam

 

[vulgalour]

 

This parking bay is so short it makes the Princess look as big as a modern car.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Kwik Fit is the only place open round here at the moment, so two front Hankooks later....

 

[drum]

While the Perkins is chugging away warming up in the background, I thought I'd fire up the Olds. Batteries were dead.

 

[Skizzer]

While the Perkins is chugging away warming up in the background, I thought I'd fire up the Olds. Batteries were dead.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=lK6jgX5B0d4

Sounds just liked I hoped it would - fat and mean. Reminds me of the Peterbilt in Duel.

[Wingz123]

^ have you got a sticky lifter?

[BorniteIdentity]

While the Perkins is chugging away warming up in the background, I thought I'd fire up the Olds. Batteries were dead.

 

 

Probably an entire threads worth of content in 'start up videos'.  You should get the ball rolling!

[LabRat]

Boring modern alert... Mrs LabRat got pissed off of the Punto after it shat it's front suspension yet again, so has gone and bought a 15 plate Ssangyong Tivoli diesel, in bright red.

 

It's actually surprisingly nice to drive, still solid gold future shite, mind you. She picks it up on monday, so hopefully we can limp the Punto until then!

 

Even got £1800 trade in for the bastard, which is a solid win in my books.