Ask a Shiter

[bunglebus]

This is possibly going to be hard to diagnose over the net but - a friend has a 1.9 TDI MK4 Golf (51 plate I think) that has just developed an odd fault - on starting, it "chugs" rather than running properly, I'd say it's sitting at 600 RPM or so. Sometimes it clears after a few seconds, sometimes it stalls. The strangest part of all is it will also turn the wipers on for a few sweeps when trying to start, not always but it did it about one out of five times when I tried it.

AA man said immobiliser fault but surely it wouldn't start at all if that was the case?

I've advised him to get it to a VW specialist but I just wondered if anyone had come across this before.

Thanks

[Six-cylinder]

Anybody know the tyre pressures for a Westwood W8 ride on mower?

I have a PDF manual and can't find them in there. Googling gives me 10 PSi to 14 PSi general for mowers, but does any know the correct pressures for a Westwood W8? It is an early 1980s machine. It has different size tyres front to back a bit like a drag car!

Yesterday @Slowsilver  took some wheels off for me to take to the menders so we can cut the grass for the FoD event.

[Cavcraft]

From (very) distant memory 8psi rings a bell.

[mitsisigma01]

Can't be too careful, you don't want to get speed wobble and flip it ?

[Six-cylinder]

51 minutes ago, mitsisigma01 said:

Can't be too careful, you don't want to get speed wobble and flip it ?

No it's about getting the best lap times of the orchard!

 

[Tenmil Socket]

Bought my son a new (secondhand) iPhone as he dropped his. It’s on O2 network but his SIM card is EE and doesn’t work in the phone. Can anyone advise if I can get it to accept his SIM card somehow?

[Floatylight]

Any recommended ways of de yellowing headlights.

I'm planning of using wet and dry followed by polishing pad of the da polisher and some t cut..

Any views or recommendations?

[brownnova]

28 minutes ago, Floatylight said:

Any recommended ways of de yellowing headlights.

I'm planning of using wet and dry followed by polishing pad of the da polisher and some t cut..

Any views or recommendations?

If it’s French... make the headlights more yellow not less... 

 

(no helpful advice was available at this time) 

[paulplom]

Anyone no how to get the location up on gumtree. Everytime I click a link there's no where on the screen with the location.

[paulplom]

On 8/15/2020 at 7:52 PM, Tenmil Socket said:

Bought my son a new (secondhand) iPhone as he dropped his. It’s on O2 network but his SIM card is EE and doesn’t work in the phone. Can anyone advise if I can get it to accept his SIM card somehow?

Ebay mate. I've done loads of galaxys on there.

 

[Tenmil Socket]

21 minutes ago, paulplom said:

Ebay mate. I've done loads of galaxys on there.

 

Yup. I sorted it via eBay fort 99p ?

[Floatylight]

15 hours ago, brownnova said:

If it’s French... make the headlights more yellow not less... 

 

(no helpful advice was available at this time) 

No, Japanese, thank you for your input ?

[Floatylight]

Noticed a wire hanging down under the front of his '98 Fiesta 1.25 16v, any idea what the sensor is and where I cam get a replacement connector from?

[Jazoli]

Aircon pressure sensor by the look of it, get down to a scrappy and cut one off any similar aged ford and resolder it back onto the old wiring.

[Floatylight]

No aircon fitted! Will try and get into a scrappy at the weekend but none round here lettering anyone in..

[Jazoli]

Is it the PAS pressure switch then? Possibly I replaced the same plug on my Puma once 15 years ago and I can't remember what it was.

Ah yes, that is what it is https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GENUINE-FORD-FIESTA-HIGH-PRESSURE-POWER-STEERING-PIPE-PRESSURE-SWITCH-GREY-/113430765464

[twosmoke300]

Yeh it’s the pas pressure switch . Not that important . It just uses that signal to raise the idle a bit when on full lock . Those Bosch two pin connectors can be temp replaced by two red small Lucar type terminals just make sure that at least one is insulated . 

[steveo3002]

thats a junior timer plug...plenty on ebay , or depin that one and just fit new crimps 

[Floatylight]

47 minutes ago, steveo3002 said:

thats a junior timer plug...plenty on ebay , or depin that one and just fit new crimps 

Brilliant, replacement ordered! Cheers!

[twosmoke300]

There are loads of subtle differences in those plugs on automotive stuff tho . Ridges and grooves in different places to prevent wires being put in the wrong places on cars . 

[dozeydustman]

On 9/5/2020 at 9:47 AM, Floatylight said:

No, Japanese, thank you for your input ?

I used Brasso wadding on the Ignis; they were cloudy and a little discoloured and they’re not perfect but a helluvalot better.

If they are very yellow see if the lens comes off the bowl easily, then coat in peroxide hair bleach, wrap in cling film and leave in the sun for a day. Rinse off thoroughly.

Google “Retrobrite”; it certainly gets the yellow out of opaque plastics

EDIT - Having a rummage through t’interwebs this morning, on some transparent and translucent plastics the yellowing may have run all the way through, and the Retrobrite technique mainly works on the outer surface. There are other chemical techniques available but involve nasty stuff such as sulphamic acid.

Edited September 17, 2020 by dozeydustman
Found more info

[Dirk Diggler]

What car is this filmed from please?

 

[Tenmil Socket]

Any recommendations for decent breakdown cover?

[loserone]

Autoaid

[jonathan_dyane]

This a very stupid question about a very stupid problem. 
 

The battery on my wife’s elderly diesel Saab is expiring. It’s a 019 job so bloody big and more importantly bloody expensive.

This being the case I decided I would ‘recondition it’. For those not familiar with this particular fools errand it entails tipping the acid out of the battery and filling the cells with a bicarbonate soda solution to break up sulphation then tipping the bicarb out and filling the battery with a new electrolyte formed with a Epsom Salts and distilled water solution. You then put the battery on trickle charge for a couple of days then I should imagine allows you to limp on for another couple of months before leaving your wife stranded somewhere and resulting in the mother of all bollockings.

So I’ve done it and so far escaped life changing chemical burns and disfigurment. The problem however is that I now have this bucket full of battery acid/bicarb mix to deal with.

I have so far slowly poured about 2.5kilos of soda crystals into the bucket. It fizzed angrily and threatened to overflow.

I expected I would get to the point where it stopped fizzing as I added the soda crystals but it never did. Do soda crystals fizz when you add them to water anyway?

Any guidance appreciated. My current plan is to buy another 2 kilos of soda crystals, tip them in gradually then leave the bucket at the bottom of the garden for a couple of months then gingerly kick it over.

TLDR just buy a fucking battery when your car won’t start.

[mitsisigma01]

What strength bicarb solution for the cleaning and would the battery acid be strong enough to dissolve cats... asking for a friend or three on this site 🐈🐅

[paulplom]

Spread it around the garden as weed killer. Should keep the cats away as well.

[jonathan_dyane]

I don’t want to dissolve any cats or other creatures! I would have thought it should be pretty weak now I’ve hoyed all the soda crystals in but I’m not going to be sticking a finger in to check.

Thinking back to GCSE Chemistry I could really do with some Litmus paper but I’m fairly sure you can’t get at the local shops.

Reading further around the subject you can make a ph indicator solution out of a red cabbage which probably is the most cost effective solution.

[Jazoli]

1 hour ago, jonathan_dyane said:

I don’t want to dissolve any cats or other creatures! I would have thought it should be pretty weak now I’ve hoyed all the soda crystals in but I’m not going to be sticking a finger in to check.

Thinking back to GCSE Chemistry I could really do with some Litmus paper but I’m fairly sure you can’t get at the local shops.

Reading further around the subject you can make a ph indicator solution out of a red cabbage which probably is the most cost effective solution.

You should be able to pick up PH strips from pet shops (think fish supplies) or hot tub places.

https://www.petsathome.com/shop/en/pets/searchterm?searchTerm=ph test strip&pageSize=24&resultType=1

[SgtWilson]

Your lack of fizzing is probably due to the low solubility of soda in water. 4 litres (a bucket?) can only dissolve about 1.2kg of sodium carbonate at 25C. Agitate the bucket with a long stick (slowly) and you will probably encounter the soda sitting at the bottom. Eye protection!