The new news 24 thread

[myglaren]

How's the Cortina's charging? I've only got experience of 123 ignition, but they get VERY upset if they can't chew a full 12 volts.

 

Anyway, Myglaren very kindly let me conduct a craptastic road test of his Citroen C5 Mk1. This is far more fun than thrashing around a race track in some supercar. At least, that's what I try to tell myself...

 

 

I do fear I now want a C5 though...

Thanks Ian.  A very fair review I thought with one slight nitpick.  My car is not as eager as it should be.

 

While it was really, really crap when I bought it it has been fiddled with and much improved but the Estate it replaced was given to the guy who saw to the oily bits in exchange for his services on this one.  While he had it overnight one time I used the estate and he had chucked some magic dust over that.  It was filthy and stinking but went like a scalded cat.  Same engine but much much better.  This one never quite achieved that.

 

So I am sure that if you tried one that was a bit more up to scratch in the engine department you may be very pleasantly surprised.

Also the pulling away bit does take a bit of experience with it.  On roundabouts I can and regularly do leave most things standing including a very upset Scooby.  Soon sorted me out on the straight of course.

 

Some of the rattles and squeaks are I think attributable to the fact that it has been crashed a bit in the past.  Never attempted to fix them yet.

 

Interesting about the McPherson struts being responsible for the poor performance on potholes, never thought of that but have since the GS always expected improved suspension and been let down a bit bit the BX and the Xantia, although the Xantia (a sinker) was bette than the C5 and the BX better than that.

 

Also, I am adamant that the GS gears were unquestionably the very best I have encountered, wonderfully slick, easy and positive to shift.

Maybe not a PSA box, never looked as far as I can recall.

 

A great day at Cosford and very nice talking to you again.

[dollywobbler]

GSA is pre-Peugeot, so is Citroen's own gearbox. Generally, PSA 'boxes just manage to feel a bit naff. I've never fully been able to explain why. I thought it was just general wear, but yours is so leggy, it can't really be that!

 

Don't get me wrong - it's not hideously sluggish, but I do feel it's a hefty car. Maybe the dumpy looks wrongly make me think that before I've even driven it. Or maybe it's because it's about half a ton heftier than a BX turbo diesel (which trumps it in performance terms). 

[myglaren]

GSA is pre-Peugeot, so is Citroen's own gearbox. Generally, PSA 'boxes just manage to feel a bit naff. I've never fully been able to explain why. I thought it was just general wear, but yours is so leggy, it can't really be that!

 

Don't get me wrong - it's not hideously sluggish, but I do feel it's a hefty car. Maybe the dumpy looks wrongly make me think that before I've even driven it. Or maybe it's because it's about half a ton heftier than a BX turbo diesel (which trumps it in performance terms). 

I found the BX very willing and eager.  Was chastised by one of my daughters just after I bought it, had just exited a large roundabout - no traffic around - and was doing over 100 uphill.

Very roomy and comfortable.

 

Eldest daughter said it was a 'Proper Car', which it was after some of the rubbish I had been driving.

[catsinthewelder]

I really should have made the effort to drag myself up to Cosford today particularly as I was only a few miles away in Much Wenlock. I would have been letting the side down a bit transport wise though with the 14 plate Transit minibus I've been driving all weekend.

 

Discovery is booked for a test a week tomorrow so hopefully I'll get a chance to finish the welding and reassemble it by then.

 

Cherry is fine but won't carry six people and whisper it, it feels really old when you spend every day driving new stuff.

[Cavcraft]

The DPF (or whatever it is) light has now gone off in the Navada, but the things stinks of a sort of cross between hot two stroke oil and fish being fried. I believe some of them (the vehicles, not the fish) are starting to smoke like a bastard now, too.

[philibusmo]

This weekend I have spent almost every daylight hour changing the cam belt on the Avantime. The belt on a V6 Avantime is meant to be an engine out job but I managed to get it done with the engine in place.

 

It was a right fucking palaver and not something I wish to repeat in a hurry, but it was perfectly doable with a large selection of 1/4" drive sockets and a big dollop of patience. I won't bore you with the full details of every step but here is the edited highlights:

 

The main problem, as you might expect, was space. Here is the amount of space down the side of the front bank after the alternator belt, crank pulley and power steering pump pulley had been removed.

 

And here is the view back to the rear bank; behind the engine mount, wiper motor and linkage and under the fuel lines. The mount and motor was taken off, along with the wipers, scuttle panel and alternator belt tensioner. The fuel lines were disconnected and moved out the way along with the power steering fluid reservoir.

 

Eventually the cam covers were removed, which was a right faff as they were held on with a selection of 6mm and 7mm screws in the most inaccessible places. The rear one was quite tightly jammed and had to be eased around the rear cams and twisted around so that it could be removed from underneath.

Once everything was clear the cams and crank were pinned - I bought the proper tools and everything - here they were half way through, with a good view of both banks.

 

Once the cams were pinned, the tensioner was removed, followed by the cam belt and then the three pulleys. The water pump was more of a pain in the arse as it was sat partially behind another section of the engine mount which couldn't be removed without taking the engine out. Luckily with the bolts undone as far as possible, there was just enough space to get at the pump and whip it off. I foolishly forgot that behind the water pump was all the engine coolant and I ended up with a rather damp arm. Here's the money shot that will be printed out and kept with the receipts for the cam belt kit and water pump to show that the belt was changed, despite there being no receipt for the work because I did it. The bit hanging down is a seal for the cover which was glued back in place.

 

Getting the new belt back in place took a fair while as there was a certain technique to it which took some time to work out. Getting it around the rear most sprocket and the tensioner was the most difficult part, but once done it was fairly easy to set the tension and settle the belt. The kit for the belt for this engine had a right selection of tools for setting the tension, none of which seemed necessary. It seems that there has been an updated design at some point which is much easier to set. Happily the engine turned over by hand without bother so once the tensioner was staying put I started reconstructing the engine bay. Here it is half way through being put back together, which went fairly well, apart from the alternator belt tensioner which was a right twat to refit and the windscreen wash pipe breaking in half.

 

Finally once all back together there was the moment of truth - would it start or would it munch all the valves? It was a tense moment as I found the keys and got in the drivers seat. One turn of the key and it fired into the life and very quickly settled down to being quiet and and exactly as it should be. I was very pleased and quite relieved.

 

Somehow I have managed to go through all these shite cars and have never done a cam belt change before - this one seems to have been a good one to learn on, it can only be easier from here on in. From now on I will do ALL THE CAM BELT CHANGES.

 

[gordonbennet]

Changed anti freeze on both cars today, then washed em both and gave em a quick hoover and clean inside.

 

Hopefully thats it for mechanically now till November when i swap over to winter sets of wheels.

[wuvvum]

Nice work Philibusmo.  Don't s'pose you fancy popping up to Norfolk and doing a belt'n'pump change on a V6 diesel Vel Satis, do you?

 

Didn't think so...

[mat_the_cat]

Somehow I have managed to go through all these shite cars and have never done a cam belt change before

 

Talk about jumping in at the deep end! I know what you mean though, I'm always nervous turning the key.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Mega impressive effort there Philibuster. 14/10

[plasticvandan]

great stuff,and well done for sticking two fingers up to the haynes "unbolt and remove absolutely everything" school of thinking! i recently changed the belt and pump on my mk2 polo,despite having owned 40+ cars,most of the british persuasion,ive never owned one with a cambelt! so feared this job with dread,and no mr haynes,you dont need to struggle to remove the bottom crank pulley,or jack the engine up,i found it much easier to undo the lower belt guide and slide the belt out from underneath

[cort16]

philibusmo that's showing off. Changing a v6 Avantime timing belt as your first timing belt change is like saying "I've never walked up a hill before so I'm just going to pop up mount everest" before returning the next day freshly shaven and carrying a loaf of bread you baked while you were up there.

[DS20]

I have just turned from a Morris Ital into an Austin Maxi.  I think.  

[Skizzer]

As promised, yesterday I went to look at the Renault 16 that appeared in the tat thread last week.  The owner, a very nice chap, was showing it at the Tredegar House shindig near Newport and it gave me an excuse to go along.

 

The Renault is a honey:

 

Renault 16TL Automatic by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

The interior is immaculate and gorgeous, with a mix of sumptuous velour and mid 70s vinyl in Autoshite official colours.  The seats are the most comfortable seats I have ever sat in, anywhere - not just in cars.  

 

The underneath seems totally solid and has recently had work done properly.  The paint is quite tired in some areas (old respray, maybe?) and there are a few minor scratches here and there, plus the bit of bubbling on the seams below the headlights that you can see in the photo, but nothing a shiter couldn't happily live with.

 

Very tempted.  Mrs Skizzer wants a Renault 4 though, and for ease of maintenance plus practical boxiness she may have a point.  I've got first refusal on a potentially nice R4 but that won't get resolved until at least next week.  There's now also the possibility of a Lancia HPE VX in the offing.  Aagh.

 

 

Will post more Tredegar House photos later - a few nuggets of chod amongst all the MGBs'n'shit.

[Micrashed]

So I come out of work and there is the GP who left half an hour ago.

"You look like the sort of Man Who carries jump leads" he says.

And you know what? He was correct. Only the bloody thing we're buried under the spare wheel under the boot floor.

Micrashed to the rescue.

 

[AlabamaShrimp]

Not the oldest in the car park today

 

[Asimo]

After all those cambelt heroics, you are going to sell?

[philibusmo]

After all those cambelt heroics, you are going to sell?

I am. It is going for its MOT tomorrow and I can't think of anything that it will fail on. Once it has 12 months ticket I will put it up for sale at £3150 as I think that should be about the rate for a V6 manual with 12 months MOT and fresh belts.

 

Please note: this car is available with an Autoshite discount for £2990.

[dollywobbler]

Madness. Can you not enjoy the new cambelty goodness for a bit? 

 

Anyway, today took an unexpected turn, and I ended up driving this ex-Finnish post-office electric Japanese van. 

 

More details to be found here. http://classichub.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/unexpected-electric-driving-a-finnish-ev/

[Skizzer]

You're not going to go all Linda McCartney on us with this recent rash of electric vehicles, are you DW?

[STUNO]

Good news for motorists in my part of the world. Read this and weep !

 

The cost of registration ( tax to you) is to....

 

 

DROP BY NEARLY HALF in April next year.

[dollywobbler]

Gawd no. Dinner was beef stew. Don't worry. I genuinely do like electric vehicles though. They don't have all of the answers, but nor does petrol or diesel. 

 

Electric is the future of the past.

[dollywobbler]

If it makes you feel better, I've been burning a shit load of fuel in this recently. I've filled it up four times in the past ten days. That's 200 or so miles to a tank...

 

[cms206]

Think it's time for a change of scene. Been nearly a year at my current workplace and things are going sour. Think I might leave and get back in the saddle elsewhere. I miss the roads

[dugong]

Did a ghetto wheel \ kerb Charade-Enkei mock up.

 

 

 

Looks well. I need to sort those inserts out.

[320touring]

Think it's time for a change of scene. Been nearly a year at my current workplace and things are going sour. Think I might leave and get back in the saddle elsewhere. I miss the roads

Check out myjobscotland.gov.uk and see if there are any bin lorry driving jobs going..

[richardmorris]

Did a ghetto wheel \ kerb Charade-Enkei mock up.

 

 

 

Looks well. I need to sort those inserts out.

 

 

Reminds me of either noughts and crosses or Terrahawks.

[Richard]

[philibusmo]

The Avantime failed its MOT- bad times.

 

Luckily it was only on a few small things - good times.

 

Offside rear brake pipe corroded

Offside rear brake ferrule excessively corroded

Nearside rear brake ferrule excessively corroded

Nearside front anti-roll bar linkage has excessive play in a ball joint.

 

The anti roll bar drop link is the on that Phil_lihp and myself had a half arsed go at changing a few weeks ago and gave up because it didn't seem worth the bother. I'll change the brake pipe with a spangly new copper one and clean up the brake ferrules until they are sparkling then grease them. Should be a simple lot of fixes and hopefully not cost a penny.

 

As soon as it is MOT'd it will be up for sale.

[cort16]

What did you think of it? I take it you didn't get on with it that well if you're selling it?