The new news 24 thread

[trigger]

In the first shot of the Honda, for such a lovely clean little thing the chap on the right has managed to get in a right old mess.

Haha! Yeah he's pretty messy I have to say, I spent ages afterwards polishing all the oily hand prints of the car afterwards! The rocker cover gasket has a slight leak but it gave me the chance to clean all the oil and crud off.

[phil_lihp]

Big thumbs up on the Cortina stripe, it looks spot on!

[Pete-M]

Rear calipers in general are overkill and drums are quite sufficient this side of a Porsche.

Bollocks.

 

Drums are better for handbrakes and that's about it. For actually stopping the car discs are far better.

 

Suggesting Drums are better than discs is like saying dynamos are better than alternators. It simply isn't the case.

[Richard]

I don't like the stripe there at all.

[gordonbennet]

Don't agree.

 

Drums can stop just as well as discs, but they can't dissipate heat so well, hence fade is the problem.

 

For the vast majority of modern cars driven normally rear drums are perfectly adequate.

 

Interestingly, my company (tankers) and many others who run artic trailers are going back to drum brakes on new chassis, the disc systems are giving too many expensive problems, and there is no difference whatsover from a driveabilty viewpoint, and the brake dust from lorry discs has to be seen to be believed.

[dollywobbler]

Bollocks.

 

Drums are better for handbrakes and that's about it. For actually stopping the car discs are far better.

 

Suggesting Drums are better than discs is like saying dynamos are better than alternators. It simply isn't the case.

 

No, he's right. To an extent. I don't notice Citroen DSs being known for not stopping, and they have rear drums. Yes, discs are ultimately more powerful, but that's not what Mr Cade was saying. If you've not got much weight or performance to deal with, drums are entirely sufficient and often less of a ballache (until you have to work on them - I also seem to regularly end up with bits pinging all over the place). Rear calipers do seem horribly prone to developing issues, presumably because they're not having to do much. The discs on the back of most BXs are utterly shagged through lack of use. Drums are quite happy to provide moderate stopping power without going wrong.

[gordonbennet]

The one good thing about rear discs is that they are easy to keep an eye on, and simple to clean and maintain properly,

 

Unfortunately, most people are too bone idle, and/or have too much money to waste, to take advantage of that and look after them, hence those very people are actually better off with drums.

[dollywobbler]

It isn't necessarily laziness. You could clean up the rear brakes on some cars and they'd still be shagged a year later. If you need to fettle something every year, I'd suggest it isn't designed very well.

[nigel bickle]

Fiat Coupes are a very good example. We still run three as mileage munchers. The lowest mileage (French) one is now on 150k, the highest around 400k.

 

Every single MOT (CT) I have to sort the back brakes. Its clear they do nothing whatsoever- the front taking all the load unless the boot is heavily laden.

I thought initially that it was a problem, now I'm just resigned to rusty discs each year and  a pair of freed off cylinders, operating beautifully that will (marginally) pass the ticket & then not work again till the next time. 

[gordonbennet]

I don't need to do such regular work to the calipers on the Benz, cast steel all round, 4 piston on the front, 2 opposing piston on the rear, so no poxy sliders to seize.

 

However they do get an annual strip, pistons pumped out a few times and lubed up, and the outsides painted with black hammerite every 3 or so years, the result is all calipers are as good as new @ 18 years, and the stopping power of the car is spot on.

 

The move to alloy type calipers on some hasn't helped, reaction between steel parts such as pistons and sliders and the calipers, exacerbated by salt, means they need this sort of proper maintenance every spring just after the salt has gone IMO, then they will last indefinately...however in most cases that won't ever happen in the first ownership of the car especially under the virtually useless main dealers,and lets be honest most cars are bought and used as white goods so totally neglected, so they're just about bolloxed by the time the car's 4 years old and you're fighting an already lost battle from then on.

 

Defleets are often the worse for this, especially those that get defleeted during the winter and then stood for 6 months whilst mileages adjust to average for a year, no bugger thinks to wash the salt off the underside, so it bakes on all summer doing its very worst, i've picked hundreds of the bloody things up from compounds like this, the undersides shocking, bloody hard baked salt corrosion, its there for good, you'll never shift that bugger.

[dollywobbler]

My 2CV has done over 100,000 miles and last year was the first time I did anything to the front calipers. Alloy pistons, so they don't corrode. They've never seized up. I only pulled them apart so I could replace the discs and handbrake pads. Steel pistons are the problem. What a stupid idea. Why fit something that corrodes to such a vital part of a car?

[plasticvandan]

So they can sell you new bits

[richardmorris]

Rear discs on my C5 were a real pain - alloy corrosion between caliper and arm forced them out of alignment and ruined the inner side of the disc. Citroen in their wisdom locktighted the entire length of the bolts too, so are basically superglued in place. Many swear words and brute force needed to get them out.

[nacho man]

Been with my old man to get a new van today.

 

All vaxhalls r shit etc etc

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2011-Vauxhall-Astra-Sportive-CDTi-Van-6Speed-/271480323426?pt=UK_Commercial_Trucks&hash=item3f357cfd62

 

These drive lovely, and his old 54 astra van had done 230+k and still ran ace, bloke didnt even have a look inside it or start it up and gave 900 quid px for it. Got some izuzu herritage in the 1.7cdti's I believe and probably no better than the fiat lumps. Had a ace history so he got it bought.

 

Also Ivor our toyota salesman rang to say my missus new car should be ready next weekend, as the french had built it, actually looking forward to picking it up, still not as good as my m reg 306, obviously.

[Gerald]

Today I went to Pinxton.

 

[derskine]

Fairly sure this strange transmission noise on the R18 is an inner cv joint.

It's a constant "wuh wuh" sound which gets slower but louder when it's moving slowly, can anyone confirm this as a symptom of a failing inner cv?

I've changed all the wheel bearings so it can't be that.

[EssDeeWon]

Just listed my BMW for sale on Autotrader, and now await the "WANT SWAPZ 4 ASTRA AND CASH EITHER WAY M8"

 

Could not even contemplate using Gumtree or Ebay, I'd rather just keep it.

 

£36 for two weeks.

[richardmorris]

Talking of discs, I've a real wub, wub, wub vibration through the pedal on braking on the merc. Pads are fine and handbrake springs new. Does this sound like a warped disc? (It does to me). Odd thing is, it doesn't do it all the time.

[gordonbennet]

Richard, few thoughts, are all caliper pistons free moving, bottom ball and other joints/bushes OK both sides, disc area good both sides?

 

One other thing, you haven't got some pad material transferred onto the disc by any chance, that can be a bugger to shift without getting down and dirty with some emery paper.

 

I'd expect a warped disc to show itself continually, once the Rover 800 warped after a warp factor braking session they showed all the time.

[richardmorris]

I had all the brakes checked when this first happened - On holiday in France it definitely began as a metal on metal grating sound on leaving Vimy ridge in thick fog (18months ago now). Calipers seemed good and pads about 30% worn all round. Also replaced handbrake pads and springs (surprising cheap). Seemed ok then but now seems to be worse again. Braking hard can usually bring it on, braking gently not so obviously and occasionally braking firmly will be nice and smooth. I don't think the pedal is pulsing at all, it just sounds like an off centre washing machine on spin (wub, wub wub etc).

 

There's a similar but very faint sound when getting the old tank up to speed - no vibration here, but an audible wumwumwumwum. Not engine or transmission noise.

 

I'm going to change my signature to  "just because I like old cars, doesn't mean I know how to fix them!"

 

I have mainly solved this problem by not braking, and in 500miles last weekend achieved over 30mpg.

[gordonbennet]

Difficult without hearing or feeling it Richard, when you say the brakes were checked did the geezer actually remove the pads and inspect everything proper like,  stone or bit of stray metal if it got embedded in pad could take months to wear down.

 

The way you describe how its started could have been a lump of metal or stone debris, even a coin got stuck in the pad and has worked its way in.

 

I've an OCD about brakes see, my kerbside cowboy days yielded some of the most terrifying visions of my life, criminal neglect underneath cars waxed and washed to a sheen.

 

ie...the Reno 9/10 (i think it was) with pads completely worn away and the pad steel backing plate had right worn through the disc till it was approx a 1mm thick extra wide washer, how it didn't shatter i shall never know.

      2CV that the pad sitting against the piston had fallen out and the piston itself was providing the friction material, what was left of the piston looked like General DeGaulle's hat, the piston melted to form a peak.

     In many cases the pads appear fine from the edge, but i've removed them before now to find the friction material to just be a silhouette, crumbling to dust in the middle and in some cases, especially rears, rusty back plates have seen the friction material only being held in place by the lump of rust formed in the centre, when removed from the caliper they just dropped off.

 

Wish i'd kept these gems for a ghoulish private museum set, in nearly all cases like this the owner claimed to have detected nothing wrong, its mind boggling.

[richardmorris]

Don't you just love intermittent/ occasional faults!

 

Reminds me of the description of the X1/9 wipers - slow, slower and occasional

 

 

Pads were all taken out, degreased etc and put back with copper slip (I was there and helped - well made coffee anyway). Brakes pull the car up well - could it be the ABS playing up? would the light flash if it was operating? Last health check memo from a main dealer last summer just mentioned the head gasket oil leak and aforementioned brake pad wear.

 

There's no squeeling noise of any sort under braking, just this sort of rubbing - not continual, but presumably with the revolution of the discs (or one of them at least). My instinct tends to say front, but that's just a feeling rather than fact.

[gordonbennet]

Do the front discs have a noticeable wear lip on them Richard.

 

I ask because my own front discs had only a slight wear ridge, and very good almost new pads, but the noise they made even under slight braking you'd think they were down to the bloody metal.

I think its the 124 suspension design, you can feel every single dimple in the road not necessarily hear it, yet still a comfortable ride, its quite strange, and can feel precisely what the brakes are doing too...its part of what i like about the car.

 

I disliked the noise of the brakes, and got some new Pagid discs/pads, silence instantly reigned, yet the old ones had what,  less than 1/2mm wear ridge and the pads almost new.

 

By the way with Pagids all round now the brakes are the best i've ever known with this car.

[richardmorris]

I'll check the thickness next time I go out -won't be now though, it's blowing a gale outside and just snapped my garden parasol in two!

[HMC]

Tackled the handbrake on the Bx today whilst trying (unsuccessfully) to avoid the rain. Very straightforward, thanks to mat-the-cat's tip  I threaded the old cable through with string attached to help provide a route for the new one to be fed along. Everything back together and I no longer need to plan where I park or carry a brick with me either, fixed for a tenner basically.

[Skizzer]

Picked up a Jimp roof for SambaS from Llanelli.

 

Attention Reliant lickers

 

Seller has a garage of delights, all of which are up for grabs (genuine reason for sale).  There's a Reliant fox, a c.1986 Kawasaki GPZ1000 and some other sort of late 80s Kwacker.  All have been standing since about 2009 (at least), but in a nice dry garage;  the Fox and the GPZ look like a wash, a battery and some EasyStart might be three quarters of the battle.  (Might not, mind you.)

 

Fox looks very like this one, except it's dusty, on steelies and has less air in the tyres:

 

 

If anyone is interested, PM me and I'll put you in touch. 

[scruff]

Been helping the missus sort out the caravan - it's a 70s Thomson and she has repainted the inside and made a selection of new cupboards etc. 

I have to say, the old Landy is not the ideal towing weapon!! Really must find the time (and cash) to MoT my Range Rover before July at the latest.

 

 

Need to sort some of the wiring out, and get a new pair of tyres. The brakes and lights all work a treat which was a relief.

 

Yesterday I tidied the yard of my friends - who allow me to keep various junk there - up with the roller, which has been tucked up at the back of the barn for four years. No problems at all though. 102 years old and still capable of doing what it was built for. 

 

[hairnet]

open day at scruffs please

 

id pay

[Shep Shepherd]

^

 

Dibnah-tastic!

[Pillock]

Today I went to Pinxton.

 

Congratulations on getting back out.

 

Incidentally, if you take the right turning at that junction, down at the bottom is a knocking shop that's supposedly very competitively priced.