Ask a Shiter

[wuvvum]

Well I stuck the 205 up on the ramps when I got in from work and had a quick crawl underneath.  There is no way in arse I am going to be able to get at the ball joint from underneath, with Stilsons or anything else - I can barely get at it with my fingers.

 

 

I reckon if I put it on full left lock I might just be able to get my big f*ck off adjustable pliers up through a gap in the wishbone and grab a hold of it, although how much movement I'd then have remains to be seen.  This is going to have to be done on axle stands though as I don't fancy driving up onto my flimsy ramps and then full locking it - the car would probably fall off.  I will give it a go at the weekend, and if not I'm going to have to give up and take it to a garage - which would piss me right off after the time I've spent, and also put the cost to get the car back on the road way over what I had budgeted, but that's the way the cookie crumbles sometimes.

[Eddie Honda]

Get one of these type (in the correct diameter range) then that slip over the rod.

 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BERGEN-Professional-Steering-Removal-Tool/dp/B006B3PT42

[twosmoke300]

Still have to take the track rod end off

[twosmoke300]

Oh and 666 - run a mile from that focus . It’s, like nearly all mk1 foci, is a rotter

[artdjones]

Mister Auto are selling the rod with end included for comfortably less than £20 so there doesn't seem much point in going to a load of trouble to preserve the existing end.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Battery voltage help....

 

Merc battery disconnected is showing 12.2v after a charge.... Knackered?

 

Should a battery in good order be showing more like 12.6?

 

 

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

[dozeydustman]

Battery voltage help....

 

Merc battery disconnected is showing 12.2v after a charge.... Knackered?

 

Should a battery in good order be showing more like 12.6?

 

 

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

 

 

Sounds very deaded to me. Looking around 13v for healthy.

[wuvvum]

Mister Auto are selling the rod with end included for comfortably less than £20 so there doesn't seem much point in going to a load of trouble to preserve the existing end.

I have both a new rod and a new end ready to go on.  My concern is that if I chop off the end and then still can't get the rod off, the car is then immobile and will be stuck where it is until I can get someone to recover it, which would add even more expense.

 

 

Another stupid question: how does the lock washer thing work?  I'm assuming it's there to stop the track rod unscrewing itself from the rack - so if I get a pair of Stilsons on the rod and start heaving will I not just be fighting against the lock washer?

[steveo3002]

if you have a welder ive seen folk wipe up the grease then weld the ball into the socket then unwind it all

[sierraman]

That Focus sounds rotten. Once the rear trailing arm mounts have gone its scrap.

[oldcars]

when​ I fixed* mine I removed the vent and popped up through that way, i'd not want to put to much weight on the roof, if you have the option perhaps a large blanket and piece of osb or something across to spread the load?

 

 

When I did ours I laid on a sheet of kingspan dense insulation (think thick polystyrene) to spread the load and kept to where I could feel the ribs were. Use proper non setting mastic not silicon.

Got this done the other evening. Dragged the van out of the drive into the street, and got the big loft ladder down and used that. I could do half from one side and half from the other. Old seal stuff had dried out and was cracking. Cleaned all this off and cleaned the area and resealed with the correct stuff from a caravan mate. Fingers crossed. We have had dry 3 days (Scottish Summer) so when we get rain again time will tell.

[alf892]

Anyone know of a good specialist Jag breaker?

[Mally]

Wuvvum, yes you are fighting against the lock washer, but it's resistance is minimal.

Get the steering turned so its on full lock i.e joint that needs removing is as far out as possible.

Check underneath if it is possible to get stilsons on the round lump.

If it sticks out far enough jack the car as high as possible and support it well.

A pit or ramp is ideal really.

You should be able to undo the rack end without disturbing the track rod end, and take the rest off afterwards. They are verrrrrry tight.

New one needs loctite and tightening well.

Edit, grips close to the rack, it is possible but not ideal to remove the ball dome and still leave the threaded bit in.

[meggersdog]

Suggest me up for wheels / tyres for land rover 88" ?

 

I have a set of LWB wheels (5.5" wide?), and a set of disco 1 steel wheels (wider?). My daily disco 2 has 235/70/16 AT's that are looking a bit tired but still have plenty of tread. Can / should I bung these on the series and buy new AT's for disco 2?

 

I used to run 205/16 shonky remoulds, but I'm too old for ditch finding now.

 

Yo Kryten detective jakebullet.

 

that series came in today and it's running Avon rangemaster 7.50/16s all round.Must be quite old as the rear ones are perished.

[666jjp]

Oh and 666 - run a mile from that focus . It’s, like nearly all mk1 foci, is a rotter

took your advice, bought an 02 Vectra with 56000 on the clock instead

[wuvvum]

/\ Billy will be along to like this post shortly.

[Bren]

Audi electronic rear calipers.

 

New caliper or replace the motor?

[Slowsilver]

Electronic calipers ??!!

Whatever next?

The world has officially gone mad.

"Sigh"

 

[Slartibartfast]

Electronic calipers ??!!

Whatever next?

The world has officially gone mad.

"Sigh"

A lot of moderns have electronic parking brakes now, I assume that's what's being referred to.

[dozeydustman]

Confused about the fault code I've identified on the Saab. P1530 - Haynes book is packed away for house move, OBD machine said ignition timing sensor, googling says crank sensor OR pedal position sensor.

[artdjones]

Confused about the fault code I've identified on the Saab. P1530 - Haynes book is packed away for house move, OBD machine said ignition timing sensor, googling says crank sensor OR pedal position sensor.

DTC search says pedal sensor,but also could be the wiring between the sensor and the ECU.Worst case scenario is an ECU problem. Check the wiring first.

[dozeydustman]

DTC search says pedal sensor,but also could be the wiring between the sensor and the ECU.Worst case scenario is an ECU problem. Check the wiring first.

 

 

I will do that, the car has been doing some weird things of late - trip computer keeps defaulting to 50.9mpg and 700 miles travelled, fuel gauge takes ages to register when you fill up and N/S mirror keeps adjusting itself. It'll have to wait 'til after I've moved house this weekend. If it's the ECU/SiD then that's probably going to cost more than the car.

[mrbenn]

Got a head unit with a rather dicky rotary power/volume control. I suspect that it has seen the business end of a sticky drink in the past, fairly sure I cleaned some coco-cola (or similar) residue off the unit.

 

Can I spray electrical contract cleaner on/around the knob or will I damage something inside?

 

Cheers.

[Kiltox]

Do the May 20 MOT changes apply to Class 7 ?

Is my van going to fail it's first ever MOT on emissions?

[AMC Rebel]

Do the May 20 MOT changes apply to Class 7 ?

 

Is my van going to fail it's first ever MOT on emissions?

Yeah but no but.

 

Yes applies to Class 7 (or N1 in EU-speak).

 

Why would it fail? 

[Kiltox]

My understanding is that they're making the emissions test reflect what they should actually be rather than a arbitrary threshold - I don't know how strict that makes it but I have serious doubts about the integrity of any manufacturer when it comes to modern diesels

[AMC Rebel]

My understanding is that they're making the emissions test reflect what they should actually be rather than a arbitrary threshold - I don't know how strict that makes it but I have serious doubts about the integrity of any manufacturer when it comes to modern diesels

 

My understanding is for diesels that ones fitted with a dpf shouldn't have any visible smoke.  I've had diesels with and without dpf - the dpf one never had any smoke that I saw, the others did/do - but they will still pass MOT all other things being equal.

[AMC Rebel]

Anyone know of a good specialist Jag breaker?

Stolen from the S-Type thread 

 

https://www.autoreservejaguar.com/

[bramz7]

Possibly (and this is a big possibly) might need a hand storing something quite far up north for a short while if I purchase it. No MOT but cheap.

 

I'm talking round Durham way. any help appreciated.

[Split_Pin]

Before I condemned the engine on my Corsa last year, it had a new timing chain kit fitted (it didn't cure the knock). As such its done only a couple of hundred miles.

 

The chain on the replacement engine isn't in its first flush of youth and could do with changing perhaps over the winter. Given the low miles of the new chain, could I reuse that, together with the tensioner or is it best to just buy a new kit?