Ask a Shiter

[jakebullet]

I decided to fire the capri up today. Been sat 6 months. 2.8 injection cologne engine. There's something weird going on with the fuel system.

 

Initially it just cranked with not a hint of firing. I thought maybe I'd flooded it so pulled the fuel pump relay. After a bit more cranking it fired into life, ran for 5 seconds on the fuel in the lines and stopped. Plugged the relay back in, back to not starting. Took the relay out and bypassed it with a bit of wire in case relay fault. This just made engine not turn over (gets stuck at top of a stroke).

 

Pissing about reveals I can get it to run fine by having the relay disconnected and giving it a quick dab of power to the fuel pump every 5 seconds. So it's something fuel pressure related.

 

I can think of 3 possible things. 1) fuel accumulator is knackered and pressure in lines is OMG psi. 2) return line blocked, again putting pressure too high. 3) Got a dud injector that's dumping a ton of fuel, possibly filling a cylinder & stopping turning over. Won't start as flooded.

 

Any thoughts?

[dozeydustman]

I can think of 3 possible things. 1) fuel accumulator is knackered and pressure in lines is OMG psi. 2) return line blocked, again putting pressure too high. 3) Got a dud injector that's dumping a ton of fuel, possibly filling a cylinder & stopping turning over. Won't start as flooded.

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

If you can remove the return line from the tank, do that & try blowing through with some air if you can. Could also have a collapse in a Flexi line if it has them.

 

For no 3, see if you can smell petrol in the oil. A load of fuel being dumped would wash out the bore(s) affected. If you can, remove each injector in turn and put into the neck of a plastic lemonade bottle and see what comes out when you crank it over. If it dumps even amounts of fuel for 5 seconds' worth of cranking you can rule them out.

[DodgeRover]

News in. Turbot has gone. £700 for a new one fitted.

Should be easy to pick up a used one?

[kirton]

Quick and dirty solution is to wrap a bit of Coke can around the post.

RE Boxer +ve terminal

 

I got to the point of it's NFU so keep dismantling, it can't get worse.  Clamping problem turned out to be lack of stop on clamp so square head on back of clamping bolt just turned,  so no tightening down on battery terminal. 

 

Coke tin to the rescue;  cut a strip, fold over once, no 10 screw, hole on piece of wood, hammer screw through tin using hole as a former, persuade over bolt, insert bolt in clamp, prise tin around bolt head, reassemble and good tight grip on terminal;  proper job as they say down here.

 

Looks like it must be a common problem as ebay has several sellers doing replacement clamp assemblies, all for a fraction of a penny in manufacture - probably hard bolt and soft clamp material.

 

Wife got back home with grand daughters just as I was putting the tools away, brownie points awarded as family want to use camper this weekend and van now safe from total electrical failure

[sierraman]

Should be easy to pick up a used one?

I think that’s what they’ve done. Must be if it’s £360 all in. Don’t think it’s done it any favours been used locally. A lot of these newer diesels appreciate being used in a low gear with a frequent full throttle blast in 3rd to blow the cobwebs out. Going in a high gear all the time in search of max economy all the time seems a recipe for disaster. I think intensive maintenance is the way if you’ve got something like that with regular oil changes and periodic cleaning out of the EGR is the way forward and running it on decent fuel. Did well over a 100k in various Transits using Shell v power diesel, never had any turbo or injection issues. In fact none on the fleet did so I think there’s something in it.

[DodgeRover]

What model transits were they though? The old Di you could probably have got away with running on kerosene and not servicing after it's first service...The new ones you just have to be lucky or taking it into somebody in the know to keep on top for injectors failing, pistons holing, ECUs wanting patching etc, all on top of rampant rot!!!

[95 quid Peugeot]

I've a collection on sat morn. Should I win tonight's Dave Numbers roffle, how do I keep my tackle intact ?

[sierraman]

What model transits were they though? The old Di you could probably have got away with running on kerosene and not servicing after it's first service...The new ones you just have to be lucky or taking it into somebody in the know to keep on top for injectors failing, pistons holing, ECUs wanting patching etc, all on top of rampant rot!!!

I ran a 52 plate TDDI, a 04 plate TDCI and a 57 plate 2.4 TDCI. Went through plenty of clutches and DMFs though...

[Tetleysmooth]

I hope I'm not duplicating any posts here, but...

I bought this Saab 9-3 on Monday. The headlights are very badly oxidised, almost yellow in fact, so what's the best, and hopefully quickest way to get them back to much clearness?

[skattrd]

I hope I'm not duplicating any posts here, but...

I bought this Saab 9-3 on Monday. The headlights are very badly oxidised, almost yellow in fact, so what's the best, and hopefully quickest way to get them back to much clearness?

 

If you mean the plastic lenses, I've had success on other cars polishing them with autosol metal polish.

There are kits out there for restoring the lenses, I think DW tested one that worked well.

[Guest Hooli]

I hope I'm not duplicating any posts here, but...

I bought this Saab 9-3 on Monday. The headlights are very badly oxidised, almost yellow in fact, so what's the best, and hopefully quickest way to get them back to much clearness?

Reminds me. I need to do the same on my saab if my useless breakdown cunts ever let me get home.

[Talbot]

I bought this Saab 9-3 on Monday. The headlights are very badly oxidised, almost yellow in fact,

Are they polycarbonate lenses? I used 2000grit wet'n'dry aluminium oxide paper on the W210's headlamps, followed by some T-cut, and brought them back from "utterly fogged over" to "not bad at all" Certainly took them from MOT phail to MOT pass with a comment from the tester asking what I'd done to get them that good.

 

Took about an hour per headlamp though. Slow work.

[Tetleysmooth]

Thanks for the replies people.

Nothing doing today. Rain stopped play.

[Tetleysmooth]

Is there anyone on here who could do diagnostics on an 05 plate Saab 1.8t petrol, reasonably close to my location?

If there is, please pm me. Ta.

[SiC]

Thanks for the replies people.

Nothing doing today. Rain stopped play.

 

Automatic watering for wet+dry sandpaper.

 

Is there anyone on here who could do diagnostics on an 05 plate Saab 1.8t petrol, reasonably close to my location?

If there is, please pm me. Ta.

Where is your location? I have a Tech2 in Bristol. If no-where near, then sign up to UKSaabs as they have a database of people with Tech2s and where they are.

[SierraMikeHotel]

+1 for Uksaabs, I'm not very active on there but there is a wealth of knowledge (and the Tech2 database).

 

So, AdBlue. Had to put some in the Merc this week so I had a bit of a read on the internet to see what it is and what it does.

 

Really? Squirting tiny amounts of piss into the exhaust gets rid of nox? Sounds like total bollocks to me.

 

What's the forum consensus? Does it make a blind bit of difference or should it be filed alongside VW emissions testing?

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Not total bollocks.  As usual has an effect on performance, I believe.  The chemistry is pretty sound from my cursory understanding...

[SiC]

Adblue works absolutely fine and completely sound chemistry and physics. Busses and Lorries have been using it for years.

 

You just need it to keep peeing that fluid in. If it stops, the system can't clean the exhaust gases. Hence the type approval standards has pretty strict guidelines if you run out or the system fails. Basically several options manufacturers can do - usually they opt to give warning that its low, then when run out you have 50 miles to refill. If you don't, it won't allow a restart of the engine until you do (seriously).

[SierraMikeHotel]

Thank you both! It seemed unlikely but I'm happy to be wrong.

[kirton]

sorry, another electrical issue after having sorted the camper battery terminal.

 

Just replaced the starter on my e28 - fun as you can't see the bolts and only the 17mm spanner in the tool kit fits, you are stuck if you haven't got it.  Why did Bosch design a starter casing that you can't get standard tools on the bolts.  Even the tool kit spanner gives you 1/32 of a turn, and bastard tight bolts that you can't swing a hammer to give impact,  - both eventually cracked off with a real bang.  Even the local BMW specialist said the job was a bastard so feel reasonably chuffed I got it done (blood, seat and bad language involved)

 

Ebay (***t) listed starter for 3.5litre models and sends me one labelled as 318i, can't see it dealing with an engine twice the size.

 

So spent half the price of a brand new starter with the local Bosch agents for a rebuild;  (Electro Diesel in Exeter - recommend) 

 

problem?  old solenoid had two terminals - heavy duty M8 with two wires attached and single wire spade;  replacement has M8 and two two spades. So it's just connect as before using either spade terminal?  I hope so as I don't want the car to have the oppportunty to deal out some more bloody wounds

[jcr]

Adblue works absolutely fine and completely sound chemistry and physics. Busses and Lorries have been using it for years.

 

You just need it to keep peeing that fluid in. If it stops, the system can't clean the exhaust gases. Hence the type approval standards has pretty strict guidelines if you run out or the system fails. Basically several options manufacturers can do - usually they opt to give warning that its low, then when run out you have 50 miles to refill. If you don't, it won't allow a restart of the engine until you do (seriously).

DAF actually now offers an in-cab catheter directly into the exhaust....

[twosmoke300]

Now your just taking the piss

[666jjp]

02 vectra advice please, the engine warning light has come on. I appreciate it could probably a multitude of sins but are there any 

regular probs with these. it is a 1.8 petrol engine.

is it worth investing in a reader or better taking it to a garage?

[sierraman]

Stick a reader in, then tell us what it says. Could be anything.

[666jjp]

would this be suitable?

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ELM327-OBD2-Fault-Codes-Reader-Diagnostic-Scanner-Tool-Ford-Focus-Vauxhall-Corsa/401337858159?hash=item5d7199b86f:g:D5IAAOSwZR9ajWQO

[sierraman]

Unless it’s something a bit more in depth I’d just borrow/buy a cheap reader. What you’ve got there would be handy if you’ve got a spare laptop. I say spare cause a lot of this software is riddled with viruses. A cheap reader should be easy less than a tenner.

[aerodynamically_challenged]

I was servicing the brakes on my Volvo today and I noticed that the brake pistons had two parts, a cup shape part like a normal piston and a smaller cylindrical part that is loose in the middle, anyone know why this would be? also do many other cars have this? my best guess is that it's something to do with reducing vibrations or maybe some sort of anti-seize mechanism.

[twosmoke300]

1.8 petrol vectra ? I’d be checking the breather pipes into the throttle body . The small one goes into a tiny hole and blocks up easily

[castros_bro]

Someone I know* who in unemployed is planning to go on a 1000+ mile (1600+km) one way trip to the Iberian Peninsular for some random reason and has purchased a suitable vehicle   got some cheap wheels from a beige webshite.

 

The cheapest ferry over to France is a "day return trip" but obviously the return part would not be used.

 

Has anyone tried this and is there any fall out like getting a "fine" on a credit card for not obeying the Ferry rules? 

[DodgeRover]

No you just have to pay again to come back