The new news 24 thread

[juular]

5 hours ago, SiC said:

The replacement belts from Screwfix/Toolstation are pretty shit though and don't last very long. 

Even with good belts, I tend to save it for awkward areas as they don't last anywhere near as long as a flap or grinding disc. 

The trick is to buy the full size belts and cut them down into approx 1-1.5cm strips. Not only do they seem to last longer, it's a much cheaper way to get them.  If you have a guillotine you can get nice straight belts but a strong pair of scissors is enough to get something perfectly usable.

I agree though that finger sanders / aka power files are one of the best things.  

Only thing to watch is to never put too much pressure on it, let the belt do the work.  The bearing on the tip of the sander overheats and fails mega quickly if you lean on it for more than a few seconds.

I've been through a few..

[320touring]

Just been out to do some work on the Oxford. The last time I had it out I thought it was running on 3.

So I removed the rocker cover and checked valve clearances. Sure enough, the exhaust valve on #3 (valve 5) had no clearance - so was open all the time.

It's adjusted up now, and running better, but it was only about 50miles ago it was last done ...

I'm thinking the adjuster/locknut setup may be gubbed - is it worth swapping in one from the spare engine I have?

[stripped fred]

4 hours ago, SiC said:

It doesn't look too bad for someone to weld up. 

The problem would be finding someone to do it though. 

That's it, finding someone, and how much they would charge.

[stripped fred]

Next job on the list, changing the engine on a 2004 Hyundai Getz 1.3. Used engine delivered today. It's my son's car and he's doing the work.

[Split_Pin]

Just now, stripped fred said:

Next job on the list, changing the engine on a 2004 Hyundai Getz 1.3. Used engine delivered today. It's my son's car and he's doing the work.

Engine looks nice and dry. Hope the swap goes smoothly!

[Merryck]

I posted in the Ask a Shiter section a little while ago about my Micra.

It would appear that when trying to jump start it, my sister got the cables mixed and in doing to wiped all the immobiliser data on the ECU. The car has the NATS system on there, which is famously difficult to overcome.

There wasn't a huge amount of help I could find on the matter other than a long list of things I'd need to replace if I wanted to get the car running again. Then I found a post on a micra forum with info on how to re-wire the plug for the ECU to work with an older non-NATS ECU. So I found a guy selling one, waited a few weeks for it to arrive and just tried re-pinning the plug this evening. Only four wires needed to be moved about.

Plugged it in and the thing fired right up. No issue whatsoever. Battery is dead, which I suspect is the reason she needed to jump it in the first place, but aside from that it seems fine. Need to get it MOT'd and taxed then it should be good to go!

[stuboy]

On 17/06/2025 at 14:40, vulgalour said:

Finally got around to ordering myself a finger sander (not for sanding fingers, I hasten to add) so I can have an easier time of some of the bodywork repairs on the Princess.  Couldn't afford a big name one so just got the Titan brand one from Screwfix and hopefully it'll be at least as good as anything I'd get out of the Midl of Lidl.

The FiL bought a cordless one from aldl/lidl said do i want his old one, but wasnt cordless, did i still want it, ermm yeah, free tools always welcomed

[Bren]

I got my car back from the BMW dealer. Very good service - a new EGR and cooler fitted. I would love to know how much a paying customer would have paid for the work.

[richardmorris]

Popped up on a local ( Chester ) FB history page. 

[jonathan_dyane]

I hoped to get the steering rack on my Golf changed today but alas haven't managed to get it back together the same day; the rack retaining bolts had helpful been prerounded and overtightened so I've had to order some new ones. Oh and I found a bloody hole in the subframe so ended up dropping it and welding it up.

Oh well..

[barefoot]

4 hours ago, stripped fred said:

That's it, finding someone, and how much they would charge.

You could try JC Welding in Sileby or Syston (I forget). He's on 07730681293 and rebuilds VW split screens from a pile of parts sent through the post. Ask Jeff for barefoot discount and hope for the fucking best.

[brownnova]

The Saab convertible reacted well to the arrival of a) The Pontiac and b) hot weather by making some kind of hideous rattle from the offside front wheel… 

No time to check, so looks like it’ll be fixed roof commuting tomorrow. Boooo

[Split_Pin]

Took the wipers off the Audi today so I could remove the plastic scuttle around them, lift the ECU box and reseal where it goes through the bulkhead.

The drivers side wiper was a twat to get off and I damaged the thread of the spindle at the top so the nut will now not go back on.

£37.99 later and I've ordered a thread chaser set which I'll probably never use again!

Plastic scuttle panel would not budge so rather than risk breaking it or worse still, the windscreen, I left it. I managed to seal around about half of the ECU box where it goes through the bulkhead and Mrs_Pin can drive the Saab until the thread chaser arrives at the weekend.

Sake.

[stripped fred]

34 minutes ago, barefoot said:

You could try JC Welding in Sileby or Syston (I forget). He's on 07730681293 and rebuilds VW split screens from a pile of parts sent through the post. Ask Jeff for barefoot discount and hope for the fucking best.

Cheers barefoot. I seem to remember you've had a Jag. Was it an XJ? I think you put the idea of a Jag in my mind at Shitefest one time!

I was just thinking to ask if any one knows someone who can weld. My other son bought a cheap arc welder (£70) and he can join two bits of metal together but I don't think he's up to doing the sills. I'll give JC welding a call.

Also, we bled the brakes on the Jag today after fitting the replacement servo, which I paid £210 for last week as the 2.7 has several part numbers and this particular one is scarce. We've only gone and fixed the DSC light which has been plaguing us for months. The garage quoted six hours and said they would want to order new parts from JLR. That would have been £1000+. We sorted it for the part, a few sundries and £100 for my son to do it. The brakes are also a bit sharper!

[Lord Sterling]

Vectra had a new rad fitted last week. No more leaks so far and header tank level has stayed exactly where it should be.

However, under load. I'm getting a check engine light. It appears and disappears but always at around the same time. Usually when I'm driving to work, it'll appear, then disappear after a shake down, then appear again as I accelerate. 

It could possibly be a loose connection of something. It doesn't go into limp mode or do anything unusual.

[stripped fred]

My son's going to do most of the work. It's good practice for him. He's got his test this week.

It's a free car he was given by his mum's partner's ex wife. Modern families hey! It is a bit ropey in places, rusty coolant and had been radwelded, no working front windows, inoperative heater and fan, and a cracked rear bumper. Engine was a bit smokey or steamy, I can't remember. My son went straight in, replacing the water pump and cambelt. I left him to it and he managed to put the cambelt on incorrectly. He was a bit gutted. The car's sat for a while but I've encouraged him to fix it as he's just finished college and trying to get an apprenticeship as an electrician. His first year was level 2 engineering.

It does look good and it came with all the anvilkiaries.Its from an auto so he needs to remove the flywheel bolts apparently. He's already stripped the old engine. Cost me £290. Maybe not economically viable as it also needs a windscreen and the other issues fixing. The good thing is he already bought all the service parts, water pump, and the cambelt!

[brownnova]

49 minutes ago, brownnova said:

The Saab convertible reacted well to the arrival of a) The Pontiac and b) hot weather by making some kind of hideous rattle from the offside front wheel… 

No time to check, so looks like it’ll be fixed roof commuting tomorrow. Boooo

Scratch that, I decided to jack it up quickly and it was the brake disc backing plate that had shifted and was rubbing on the disc. All sorted. 

[Split_Pin]

25 minutes ago, Lord Sterling said:

Vectra had a new rad fitted last week. No more leaks so far and header tank level has stayed exactly where it should be.

However, under load. I'm getting a check engine light. It appears and disappears but always at around the same time. Usually when I'm driving to work, it'll appear, then disappear after a shake down, then appear again as I accelerate. 

It could possibly be a loose connection of something. It doesn't go into limp mode or do anything unusual.

Spanner light or engine light? If it's the latter, the plug for the post cat sensor could have come loose.

[stripped fred]

1 hour ago, Lord Sterling said:

Vectra had a new rad fitted last week. No more leaks so far and header tank level has stayed exactly where it should be.

However, under load. I'm getting a check engine light. It appears and disappears but always at around the same time. Usually when I'm driving to work, it'll appear, then disappear after a shake down, then appear again as I accelerate. 

It could possibly be a loose connection of something. It doesn't go into limp mode or do anything unusual.

It sounds like it could be a loose connection. Maybe it will fix itself...

[Lord Sterling]

1 hour ago, Split_Pin said:

Spanner light or engine light? If it's the latter, the plug for the post cat sensor could have come loose.

Spanner light.

[Popsicle]

1 hour ago, brownnova said:

Scratch that, I decided to jack it up quickly and it was the brake disc backing plate that had shifted and was rubbing on the disc. All sorted. 

Free, easy fixes are the best fixes.

[Split_Pin]

6 hours ago, Lord Sterling said:

Spanner light.

Have you plugged in a code reader? There will more than likely be something stored.

[Lord Sterling]

54 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

Have you plugged in a code reader? There will more than likely be something stored.

Unfortunately it's one those things I've never got around to buying. 

The Jag is due in the garage next week, I'll let them know and pop it in when I pick up the Jag hopefully. 

[barefoot]

10 hours ago, stripped fred said:

Cheers barefoot. I seem to remember you've had a Jag. Was it an XJ? I think you put the idea of a Jag in my mind at Shitefest one time.

I had an XJ8. It was lovely, and every journey was a treat to be relished, but it was absolutely rotten.

[Spottedlaurel]

Used this one for the drive to work today, and attending a meeting:

Good test for the recored radiator and new hoses, seems to be coping OK:

Haven't got a clue how accurate this is:

28-30 deg C? Probably about right in the car.

Had to remember the choke and also what the clutch was for - it's the only one of my fleet that's manual.

[artdjones]

18 hours ago, richardmorris said:

Popped up on a local ( Chester ) FB history page. 

A Crosville Bristol Lodekka

[richardmorris]

Just watched this. Nothing groundbreaking but enjoyable.

 

 

[ETCHY]

2 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Used this one for the drive to work today, and attending a meeting:

Good test for the recored radiator and new hoses, seems to be coping OK:

Haven't got a clue how accurate this is:

28-30 deg C? Probably about right in the car.

Had to remember the choke and also what the clutch was for - it's the only one of my fleet that's manual.

That's lovely

[beko1987]

@Talbot been out this week? 😂

[lesapandre]

14 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

@Talbot been out this week? 😂

 I looked at the original report. 

They don't say if it's a PG9I which can be immediate or a delayed PG9D for something less serious - with a delay of up to 10 days, all depending on the severity of the defects they found.

The remedy is to re-MoT the vehicle.

Possibly rough edges on the body and lights.

The mileage is not so surprising for a Merc or an HGV etc

The average jet does 50M miles.

We seem to live in a throw away age which is not good.