Ask a Shiter

[Mally]

 

 

I'd welcome a raised awareness of other such parts that are in high demand/command a premium as I'm a proper scrap yard ferret, I can always keep an eye out for any bit's you guys need, at cost obviously 

 

Capri Ghia wheels, £5 scrap, up to £25 in decent nick. You could sell me 4 now!

XR2i wheels up to £20 each, but I have loads.

Any Escort RWD diff is worth much coin. Full rear axle £200. Cortina 3/4/5 front uprights £50 a side min.

Morris 1000 steering rack £60. MG Midget pre 72 rack,, which is a LHD minor, £60.

Zetec 2.0 Blacktop engine, up to £150, if running.

Apart from XR2i wheels and Cortina uprights, message me for first dibs please.

[xtriple]

Really 'stupid' question: what is the best 'stop leak' type product that won't knacker everythng?

 

XJ has an 'interesting leak: driving along, no leak, stop the car no leak, drive away later, no leak. All good yeah? Well, no! Leave it overnight, start it and it blows coolant out of the front of the car! Only about a small cupful but it's being blown out of the lower radiator grille and then forward. I am assuming that the rad is leaking a tiny amount overnight and then when sarted, the fan is blowing it out. Quite why it's being blown out forward I have no idea as I would have thought it would be blown into the engine bay?

[sierraman]

K Seal. Forget Radweld.

[xtriple]

Isn't that a bit 'severe'? Likely to block stuff up that you don't want blocking?

[Guest Hooli]

Really 'stupid' question: what is the best 'stop leak' type product that won't knacker everythng?

 

XJ has an 'interesting leak: driving along, no leak, stop the car no leak, drive away later, no leak. All good yeah? Well, no! Leave it overnight, start it and it blows coolant out of the front of the car! Only about a small cupful but it's being blown out of the lower radiator grille and then forward. I am assuming that the rad is leaking a tiny amount overnight and then when sarted, the fan is blowing it out. Quite why it's being blown out forward I have no idea as I would have thought it would be blown into the engine bay?

 

I'd be more tempted to get the rad soldered up if it's in otherwise good nick.

[sierraman]

No, given that Bars Leaks was used by many Jaguar specialists to cute minor leaks.

 

I’ve used it on several occasions and it’s never failed me. Of course if it’s a simple repair or a gasket then just do it properly. But sometimes it has its place to solve minor leaks that just won’t seal.

[Mally]

We use Bars leaks, the crumbly stuff in a tube. Works well on small holes.

[steveo3002]

We use Bars leaks, the crumbly stuff in a tube. Works well on small holes.

aka dog turd

[Mally]

Smells slightly better though.

[xtriple]

I shall acquire some K seal then. Don't think any bugger round here sells it - ECP? It's a weird leak that only shows up after it's been left a day or two, when started it then blows coolant out of the FRONT of the car, bottom grille. Use it and no leak, park it, all fine just when yu start it when it's been stood for a day or so. It seems to me to be a small leak in the rad that is sitting in the fan shroud (possibly?) and then getting blown out though I always thought the fan blew into the car not out... but what do I know

[sierraman]

Sounds like a leak from a plastic housing meeting a metal one, under heat the two expand then when it cools down it will not face quite enough to seal. I’d be quite confident that it will work, it’s usually about £10 or thereabouts at ECP.

[taxi paul]

My folding camper thing has no front lights. Has a towing board for the rears. So I have ordered son quality drl things of eBay. I want to wire them to the battery in the front locker and then out a waterproof switch on said locker. So I can turn them on if needed. So how do I go about it. Can I Chuck them all on one switch or do they need individual. My other option is just connect all the wires to crocodile clips and just connect them to battery when needed. Thank you

[Guest Hooli]

My folding camper thing has no front lights. Has a towing board for the rears. So I have ordered son quality drl things of eBay. I want to wire them to the battery in the front locker and then out a waterproof switch on said locker. So I can turn them on if needed. So how do I go about it. Can I Chuck them all on one switch or do they need individual. My other option is just connect all the wires to crocodile clips and just connect them to battery when needed. Thank you

 

Depends, if the switch is rated at more amps than the lights draw then they can all go through it. If not I'd use the switch to trip a relay controlling them all.

[binhoker668]

Anticlimax.  Car is now very very squirty - at the front anyway - and new rear squirty action is in the post.

As you were.

[tommytwo]

My 1992 Rover 820 has a Lucas A127I alternator (Thats A, One, Two, Seven. with an (i) on the end, which I am told stands for intelligent. It refuses to charge my Calcium Battery, as it only puts out  exactly 14 volts and I am told that a Calcium Battery needs 14.65 volts in order to charge. Is this correct? If so, is my best option to find an alternator that charges at 14.65 volts or should I get a Lead Acid battery instead?

[twosmoke300]

The octavia is throwing up a code for a camshaft position sensor.

Having a look on Amazon (which I'm finding great for car parts at the moment) and there is an Intermotor one for £18, a no name for £12 and a Delphi one for £35.

 

Silly question, is it worth going for anything other than the Delphi one?

What camshaft code is it ? Cam sensor codes are often caused by slightly out cam timing

[Tickman]

What camshaft code is it ? Cam sensor codes are often caused by slightly out cam timing

 

I got a P0341 and a pending P0012.

I have reset them and now have not seen them since so I am fully expecting things to be fixed let me down at the most inconvenient moment.

[twosmoke300]

What engine is it Tickman ? Does sound like a timing issue

[Tamworthbay]

Isn't that a bit 'severe'? Likely to block stuff up that you don't want blocking?

It’s bloody awful stuff, after the joys of spending three hours trying to clear it out of the Volvo’s system only to be greeted with the coppery sparkly goodness after a couple of days I would cheerfully ban the bloody stuff. God knows what it did while it was in there but hopefully most of it’s out now.

[Christine]

My Pajero came with thick coppery colour coolant..in fact the whole engine bay was and still is ,plastered a coppery colour   but,  it had a new rad cap, and the guy said the old one" fell off "  it spewed boiling water everywhere and, nooo   it didn't have a head gasket problem..     That's why it had a brand new rad cap ..so I bought it . £1000 8 years ago ,,  Then i read on forums 2.5 td  engines DO have head problems..   Pretty sure it was, and still is , K seal...

I've had it 8 years , no antifreeze added , it lives outside all year round , tows a heavy horsebox , generally neglected etc. Starts instantly hot , or freezing cold .  Smokes like fuck when its cold mind you !

    It's been used for holidays  to the Lakes , and North Wales and North Yorkshire,  never overheated ,heater is toasty hot ..and only recently has had the odd pint of coolant added . I like K seal if that's whats in it !! And if it starts using more water , it's getting another  bottle of K seal !!!

 

 

If it was a xjs  though i wouldn't 

[Tickman]

What engine is it Tickman ? Does sound like a timing issue

It is the 1.8 turbo 2003.

I shall have a look at the belt over the next few days

[twosmoke300]

Or the little chain at the other end of the head / and or a vvt issue if it has it

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Anyone clued up on common rail 2.0 VAG TDIs? Mrs Dick has a 140bhp A3 and it’s started playing up.

First party trick was EML on or couple of weeks with no other symptoms.

Next was limp mode, but only after around 45 minutes of driving, and on a long, steady hill, under load. It takes a real effort to get it into limp mode, put it that way.

 

I’ve plugged it into VeeCeeDeeEss and the codes vaguely point towards turbo vanes, turbo actuator, or boost leak. I don’t get how it takes ages, and hard work to get it into limp mode.

Anyone had similar?

 

Scan results:

“Address 01: Engine (CBA) Labels: 03L-906-022-CBA.clb

Part No SW: 03L 906 022 BQ HW: 03L 906 022 BQ

Component: R4 2,0L EDC G000SG 3066

Revision: 13H01--- Serial number: AUX7Z0H7FN60Y9

Coding: 0000072

Shop #: WSC 00046 412 00000

VCID: 75E679FB1CD291967E-8020

2 Faults Found:

009571 - Turbocharger Boost Control Position Sensor Circuit

P2563 - 000 - Implausible Signal - MIL ON

Freeze Frame:

Fault Status: 11100000

Fault Priority: 2

Fault Frequency: 16

Reset counter: 255

Mileage: 205316 km

Time Indication: 0

Date: 2018.08.30

Time: 17:43:51

Freeze Frame:

RPM: 897 /min

Speed: 56.0 km/h

Voltage: 14.14 V

Lambda: 74.2 %

Lambda: -11.0 %

Bin. Bits: 00001110

Voltage: 1.900 V

000665 - Boost Pressure Regulation

P0299 - 000 - Control Range Not Reached - Intermittent

Freeze Frame:

Fault Status: 00100000

Fault Priority: 2

Fault Frequency: 2

Reset counter: 255

Mileage: 205933 km

Time Indication: 0

Date: 2018.09.11

Time: 17:50:31

Freeze Frame:

RPM: 2415 /min

Speed: 103.0 km/h

Load: 62.7 %

Absolute Pres.: 2182.8 mbar

Absolute Pres.: 1723.8 mbar

Lambda: 98.6 %

Lambda: 75.8 %

Readiness: 1 1 0 0 0

[Dirk Diggler]

On a Volvo HU803 4 disc in dash changer (same as fitted to the roffle S60) is there an easy way to get a 3.5mm input?

[Richard]

Easy but not particularly cheap way is to use one of the Yatour/Grom boxes in the CD changer socket. Slightly easier and cheaper is to use an FM transmitter, they are much more acceptable than they used to be.

[Kiltox]

Did Wack sell his Range Rover in the end?

 

Asking for a friend

[New POD]

My 1992 Rover 820 has a Lucas A127I alternator (Thats A, One, Two, Seven. with an (i) on the end, which I am told stands for intelligent. It refuses to charge my Calcium Battery, as it only puts out exactly 14 volts and I am told that a Calcium Battery needs 14.65 volts in order to charge. Is this correct? If so, is my best option to find an alternator that charges at 14.65 volts or should I get a Lead Acid battery instead?

Yes.

 

Imho it was fine on the 90s so what is wrong with the technology 20 years l8r

[tommytwo]

The problem seems to be that battery technology has changed. Lead Acid was very common in the early 90's but very few batteries today are lead acid. My alternator should have no problem charging a Calcium Battery, as it should sense the battery state of charge and adjust accordingly.  It appears not to do that..

[DodgeRover]

Are you absolutely sure that all the connections to the alternator are 100% clean and all the earths are too, I can't imagine your battery simply won't charge if being supplied with 14v and sufficient amps not 14.5v it sounds more like a wiring issue.

 

Have you tried another battery?

[bunglebus]

New Mrs. Bunglebus has arrived with a Pug 307, has what appears to be quite a common problem with the nearside rear light cluster not working at all. Wired in a new earth, and gained some different faults instead;

 

No tail light, and no power at the wire either. Front sidelights, OSR tail and no.plate lights all working.

 

Indicator intermittently flashes through the tail bulbs instead, fiddling with the connector solves this. 

 

Any ideas on the lack of voltage at the tail light? 

 

(As an aside, my meter shows 8.5 volts on all the other connectors, same on the working side. Google suggests this is an anomaly caused by the meter itself)