Mechanical help from the "Beast from the east"

[mercrocker]

Driving conditions were very tricky here today.   Twice I had to pull my sun-visor down.

[beko1987]

For the last 2 days of commuting my temp needle has been a block lower than usual. I like to think it's helping the engine run cooler... (high fan speeds on full heat because I've got the window cracked open having a smoke probably plays a part too...)

[Kringle]

My mpg is shit...

[Shep Shepherd]

I think that The Aero has lost a [stick-on] balance weight from one of its front wheels, due to huge amounts of wheel spinning in the snow on the way home from work yesterday morning. At least that's what it feels like.

[andy18s]

Guy on a Range Rover page has been raging about his P38 letting him down when he needs it most

When pressed he admits to a slow water leak that he topped up with tap water over the last 18mths....

[Exiled_Tat_Gatherer]

Face-palm just doesn't cut it........... another one Davenumbers can't purchase due to his strict* rules.

 

 

Brussels is bloody freezing, but not a single flake has lasted. It's brilliantly sunny but that wind is a belter.

The locals have started putting jumpers on under their jackets - the horror!

[dave j]

My handbrake froze on on my mk4 Golf on Monday. Luckily it had defrosted by the afternoon so the rest of the week I have parked with the handbrake off so it's still driveable!

[Datsuncog]

Cars are running grand (other than no heater in the Laguna, but bollocks if I'm going to be draining the cooling system til spring comes around properly), but I've had to be out to the boilerhouse with spanners and kettles of water rather more than I'd like due to the kero freezing in the oil line... -16c wind chill, apparently. Feels it. And I left my thick leather gloves in work, too. Bollocks.

 

[barefoot]

They've sent the fair wife home early from work in Sutton in Ashfield yesterday & today.

This morning she arrived there at 8:00 & was on her way home at 11:00.

[dave21478]

It's pretty chaotic* here as I wait for the shop to open.

 

12 degrees or so.

It was minus 11 yesterday.

 

[trigger]

My Fiesta was a victim of Easty beasty, pulled it off the driveway for work this morning and heard a big bang, checked the car over but couldn't see anything so thought it might be ice on the caliper, pull into the road but the noise got worse and so had another look and saw smoking coming from the wheel... Yep, the front springs broke so limped it back home and I'll have to fix it at the weekend.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

I think that The Aero has lost a [stick-on] balance weight from one of its front wheels, due to huge amounts of wheel spinning in the snow on the way home from work yesterday morning. At least that's what it feels like.

 

I thought my wheels were going out of balance after six months as there was a slight wobble at 50 but during some work where the wheels had to come off, I found a fair build up of grey type dusty stuff on the inside of the rim... Cleaned that off and all good

[Captain Furious]

I don't know whether this is a problem caused by the beast...or whether its even a problem at all, but whilst sat outside in the car at lunch I noticed the heaters weren't getting warm.  Even though the engine was well up to temp they were blowing cool.  If you picked the revs up to about 1500 the warm air came through.

 

Its a Mk3 Mondeo ST220 on 130k and i'm wondering if the water pump is getting weak or worn (Plastic impellor pump), the temperature never moves from bang in the middle but this isn't the first time I've noticed the lack of warm air at idle, which I can only surmise means lack of water circulation around the heater matrix. I've also heard trickling water sounds from behind the dash too, but I have no idea what, if anything, that is indicative of.  I may end up just doing it for peace of mind, I don't want it to fail because these engines really don't take well to being overheated and fortunately the waterpump is a really easy job on them.  (one of the only really easy jobs)

[Magpie215]

I don't know whether this is a problem caused by the beast...or whether its even a problem at all, but whilst sat outside in the car at lunch I noticed the heaters weren't getting warm. Even though the engine was well up to temp they were blowing cool. If you picked the revs up to about 1500 the warm air came through.

 

Its a Mk3 Mondeo ST220 on 130k and i'm wondering if the water pump is getting weak or worn (Plastic impellor pump), the temperature never moves from bang in the middle but this isn't the first time I've noticed the lack of warm air at idle, which I can only surmise means lack of water circulation around the heater matrix. I've also heard trickling water sounds from behind the dash too, but I have no idea what, if anything, that is indicative of. I may end up just doing it for peace of mind, I don't want it to fail because these engines really don't take well to being overheated and fortunately the waterpump is a really easy job on them. (one of the only really easy jobs)

Coolant topped up to the correct level?

[Mrs6C]

Guy on a Range Rover page has been raging about his P38 letting him down when he needs it most

When pressed he admits to a slow water leak that he topped up with tap water over the last 18mths....

Looks like he used an egg to try stopping that slow leak too...

[wuvvum]

For the last 2 days of commuting my temp needle has been a block lower than usual. I like to think it's helping the engine run cooler... (high fan speeds on full heat because I've got the window cracked open having a smoke probably plays a part too...)

On the run home last night the Audi's temp gauge didn't move off the stop.  Still had warm air coming through though.

[fraser.innes.3]

I think that The Aero has lost a [stick-on] balance weight from one of its front wheels, due to huge amounts of wheel spinning in the snow on the way home from work yesterday morning. At least that's what it feels like.

Could be a big chunk of frozen slush causing an imbalance!

 

Sent from my HUAWEI M2-A01W using Tapatalk

[Captain Furious]

Coolant topped up to the correct level?

 

I've got no reason to believe it wouldn't be because it doesn't normally use any, however you are quite right, check the obvious things first before jumping into heavy duty repairs!  I will look when I leave to go home.

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

For the last 2 days of commuting my temp needle has been a block lower than usual. I like to think it's helping the engine run cooler... (high fan speeds on full heat because I've got the window cracked open having a smoke probably plays a part too...)

 

Yesterday in -4.5 at 70mph* the temp gauge was struggling to get above the blue section, mpg was also shite, car gauge normally runs at BMW programmed 'halfway' mark. Today it was a more balmy -3 and it ran at 1/4 on the gauge. 

 

Still gets the cabin up to 24 so it'll do

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

I don't know whether this is a problem caused by the beast...or whether its even a problem at all, but whilst sat outside in the car at lunch I noticed the heaters weren't getting warm.  Even though the engine was well up to temp they were blowing cool.  If you picked the revs up to about 1500 the warm air came through.

 

Its a Mk3 Mondeo ST220 on 130k and i'm wondering if the water pump is getting weak or worn (Plastic impellor pump), the temperature never moves from bang in the middle but this isn't the first time I've noticed the lack of warm air at idle, which I can only surmise means lack of water circulation around the heater matrix. I've also heard trickling water sounds from behind the dash too, but I have no idea what, if anything, that is indicative of.  I may end up just doing it for peace of mind, I don't want it to fail because these engines really don't take well to being overheated and fortunately the waterpump is a really easy job on them.  (one of the only really easy jobs)

 

The 635 has done this for years. If in traffic a good few revs see the temp go down and heater warm up. Can only be a crap pump as like all my old shit, the levels are checked weekly when in use properly.

[twosmoke300]

Cars run colder in cold weather shocker !

[beko1987]

I needed 2 runs of the glow plug light too earlier! I forgive it that, although the xantia had its entire cold start system disconnected and fired first turn in weather as cold as this.

 

Did work out why my mpg is a bit less, I found myself holding a lower gear than usual, to stop the car coasting away faster than felt comfortable. But because I put £20 disposable quid in on Monday just in case it doesn't really matter!

 

It won't move for 3 days now, working from home tomorrow so all lower mpg is balanced out!

[59Impala]

I am parked for the duration of the freezie frozie coldness, being retired has its advantages sometimes   . Extraneous pic of sad cold Primeras attached, icicles dangling away.

 

[jakebullet]

Disco 2 door handles are a remarkably shit design that are guaranteed to freeze solid. "Carplan" finest* deicer is also shit, if you leave it in the car the pressure drops so it just trickles on your hand.

[Guest]

The Vito has been great in this weather, Eberspacher running full tilt in the back so toasty warm, and the few times I've been stuck for a while I've just put the kettle on.

[Eddie Honda]

They've sent the fair wife home early from work in Sutton in Ashfield yesterday & today.

This morning she arrived there at 8:00 & was on her way home at 11:00.

Vel Satis being boringingly reliable then on its winter boots?

[DodgyBastard]

In case you missed it on the other snow thread!

 

[DSdriver]

The Peugeot of last resort decided that it doesn't like the cold. Refused to start for no apparent reason. I worked out it was stuck in park because even when I put it into N to push it out the way it was locked up solid. Put a fan heater in the car for a while while I went and did some other stuff and when I got back to it, it still wouldn't start in park but fired first time in neutral.  Some sort of frozen sensor malarky? 

It was of course my own fault for parking it so I couldn't get the Volvo out.

[forddeliveryboy]

The electronic Volvo failed to start last month in some chilly weather. Various engineer-y but older members of fdb family struggled to see how a fucked injector would cause this, given it has more than two cylinders (five). Even more disbelief at the cost of a recon one. I didn't fit a good s/h one since I rarely drive it and didn't want a repeat fail.

 

Starting the older one I use as the daily hack, with mechanical pump and few electronics, is a bit like getting an abacus out, the newer more like booting up a Windows laptop.

 

 

A few years back when it was -15 , in the services on the M1 all the screenwash ready mixed for your convenience was frozen solid

Girlfriend had a bottle of Halfords branded antifreeze (neat, unopened) in the boot back in 2010 which had turned slushy. Female logic - "but it's not frozen solid and the ice will go when it warms up, won't it?".

[DSdriver]

I expect that a lot of the callouts to RAC/AA have come from folk who don't use their cars much and still have summer diesel in the tank.

Top tip: cut it with 10% petrol if you have waxing problems. I hope this is safe for moderns, it was recommended to me by a fisherman for marine diesels in winter. Marine diesels tend to be a bit basic, you wouldn't want them going into limp home mode in a force 8 on the Dogger Bank.