Ask a Shiter

[davehedgehog31]

Is a ZX 1.9D auto a terrible idea? 

 

What kind of MPG's do they do? 

No

 

Don't know sorry, but I would imagine 50 to be easily achievable with minimal consideration.

[rusty_vw_man]

Since you fixed my fading bumpers, I have another query, this time about rubber matting.

 

The van has very germanic wipe clean rubber matting over the floor and cab area. The vertical bits no longer stay where they were supposed to - scene answer is to replace (not sure why I bothered asking).

 

Contact adhesive doesn't seem to work - it smells nice, and it makes me happily light headed, but the rubber falls back off in a day or two. Any ideas (not accepting peanut butter as the answer this time though) about a suitable glue which will hold and resist the gentle warmth of the interior in summer? 

 

Also, the mats have flappy bits that cover over things you might later want to open, these have all torn along the crease line. Anything better than gaffer tape to put these back with?  

[Tickman]

Is a ZX 1.9D auto a terrible idea? 

 

What kind of MPG's do they do? 

 

I had one just over 20 years ago. It won't set the world alight with performance but perfectly able to do the job needed.

 

I cannot remember MPG's and it would be skewed by the fact I was using it to teach people to drive in it.

[somewhatfoolish]

Also, the mats have flappy bits that cover over things you might later want to open, these have all torn along the crease line. Anything better than gaffer tape to put these back with?  

There is high temp contact adhesive available, often recommended for upholstery jobs for the reason you outline, things falling off when the glowy thing in the sky is persistently glowy.

[Supernaut]

Have the values of small Malaysian pickup trucks taken a sudden leap in the past month or so?

[dave21478]

Call an ambulance, man - I think you are having a stroke or carbon monoxide poisoning or something.

[Stanky]

Why do modern brake drums on humdrum cars (peugeot 107 for example) have fins/ridges rather than a smooth outside like they always used to?

 

I thought it was for special regenerative brakes like Priuseseses have, but the rear brakes on a 107 won't do this will they? They can't get hot, so its logically not for heat disipation, strengthening ribs maybe?

[Dead_E23]

I bet it'll be so they can use less metal by fitting something more like a pie tin than a brake drum.

[Des]

I reckon the ribs are to control distortion.

[drum]

Help.

I've lost the keys for the Oldsmobile. They might be in the boot.

As well as using the key to open the boot, there is a remote button in the glove box. It needs the ignition to be on.

 

Can I hot wire this switch by taking a live feed direct from the battery?

Any other suggestions?

[dave21478]

 Taking a live from the battery with a length of wire should work unless its switched earth or something dumb like that. Alternatively If it has a stereo, temporarily connect the ignition live and permanent live feeds together which should power up the switch and release circuit.

[tobyd]

re: brake drums and fins, i'd have thought this was for cooling. didn't oldendays race cars have hopelessly massive drums with fins?

 

Its still probably less hassle to have rear drum brakes than discs (VAG group piss poor effort anyone?) and just jazz them up a bit?

 

 

 

 

This was roughly what I was thinking of? Watched a morbid documentary on the 195x le mans 'everybodies dead Dave' crash and some of it talked about how the Jag couldn't beat the merc on speed but was more reliable (195x recording of the engine flat out is astounding) and had disc brakes so tried to win by forcing the merc to blow up. instead an awful lot of people died. good watch but sad times.

[Stanky]

Yeah like that, but smaller - 12" diameter maybe?

 

I couldn't see how they'd be for style* in something as ruthlessly costed as a 107 though, it must have some kind of purpose otherwise they'd just use the normal flat metal cylinder they've used since the 1920s?

[tobyd]

what for it mean

 

'Pineapple'

 

?

 

I looked in the lexicon but didn't see it. applied to VW camper van and VW scene types but i don't understand?

[tobyd]

just drum up (a ha ha! kill me.) more efficiency out of the back brakes by cooling them better oi rek'n. And its probably a bunch cheaper to have some sucker supplier provide the manufacturing lines with finned drums than retool to have rear discs in a powerhouse 107?

[Stanky]

 

what for it mean

 

'Pineapple'

 

?

 

I looked in the lexicon but didn't see it. applied to VW camper van and VW scene types but i don't understand?

 

 

http://autoshite.com/topic/26843-pineappled-what-does-it-mean/?do=findComment&comment=1137248

[tobyd]

I need to learn to read.

 

However there was a good tie up of Red Dwarf references cross posted between the drum brakes and the 'what is pineapple' thread.

 

which is something.

[Talbot]

Help.

Jump a cable from the battery positive to the stop solenoid. That will liven the ignition circuit and hopefully enable the remote release button.

[MorrisItalSLX]

Help.

I've lost the keys for the Oldsmobile. They might be in the boot.

As well as using the key to open the boot, there is a remote button in the glove box. It needs the ignition to be on.

 

Can I hot wire this switch by taking a live feed direct from the battery?

Any other suggestions?

 

Can you get into the boot via the back seat?

[drum]

Tried that but not without breaking things.

I had to abandon it yesterday so will head back this morning and try the electronic options.

 

Lesson 1: get spare keys cut.

[SiC]

Tried that but not without breaking things.

I had to abandon it yesterday so will head back this morning and try the electronic options.

 

Lesson 1: get spare keys cut.

What about a locksmith?

[drum]

Found! Shorted the switch with a live feed and the keys were in a bag in the boot.

[Guest Hooli]

Why do modern brake drums on humdrum cars (peugeot 107 for example) have fins/ridges rather than a smooth outside like they always used to?

 

I thought it was for special regenerative brakes like Priuseseses have, but the rear brakes on a 107 won't do this will they? They can't get hot, so its logically not for heat disipation, strengthening ribs maybe?

 

They do get hot, bloody hot. Hence drum brakes used to fade on the front of cars.

 

My 'rents frog thing (I don't even know what it is) has them & this was the first thing I thought of when I noticed, turns out my dad thought of the same as he used to rally Minis.

 

[Stanky]

I can understand on the fronts, especially on something driven hard like a rally-spec mini - but on the rear of a dismal 107? Doing ~10% of braking?

 

They do look similar to the 'minifins' puicture at the top.

[SiC]

I can understand on the fronts, especially on something driven hard like a rally-spec mini - but on the rear of a dismal 107? Doing ~10% of braking?

 

They do look similar to the 'minifins' puicture at the top.

Maybe it was the Toyota engineers that were responsible for designing that part? I can't imagine the fins costing a lot to put in as it's only a solid casting. Perhaps they are able to get away with smaller/thinner drums and use less material?

[Asimo]

Why do modern brake drums on humdrum cars (peugeot 107 for example) have fins/ridges rather than a smooth outside like they always used to?

 

I thought it was for special regenerative brakes like Priuseseses have, but the rear brakes on a 107 won't do this will they? They can't get hot, so its logically not for heat disipation, strengthening ribs maybe?

Fins are there both to increase tthe stiffness of the drum and to increase it's surface area to get rid of heat.

 

Good thing about rear drum brakes on small cars is that they cope better than discs with doing nearly nothing most of the time. And the handbrake is much easier to make very effective than with discs.

 

"Regenerative braking" on hybrids and electrics refers to the drive motor acting as a generator and pumping some of the kinetic energy of the moving car into the battery thus slowing the car a bit.

Regenerative braking has nothing to do with the brakes, although the brakes on hybrids can be made smaller than on conventional cars because they will be doing less work.

[egg]

Any tips on a car windscreen sun shade that actually has a bit of quality about it and might last more than a season?

[Guest Hooli]

I can understand on the fronts, especially on something driven hard like a rally-spec mini - but on the rear of a dismal 107? Doing ~10% of braking?

 

They do look similar to the 'minifins' puicture at the top.

 

I've just remembered what my 'rents drive, it's a Renault Kadjur? and that's got finned drums on the rear. I know they don't do much work, but they are made smaller to allow for that so will run warm. Go for a drive n try licking one to let us know

[egg]

Is Mazda's reputation for weak automatic gearboxes deserved?

[Richard]

I've just checked our thinking man's Renault Kadjar and it's got normal drums, quite big ones.