Ask a Shiter

[Coprolalia]

On 7/20/2021 at 9:45 AM, Talbot said:

On the assumption that you're only running the current needed to drive the gauge, the very smallest automotive stranded cable will do.  Most gauges will be not-very-many mA for full-scale-deflection, so you're not looking at any actual current here.

As a very rough rule-of-thumb, when working with lower power cables, 1.0mm2 will carry 10A.  So your 1.5mm2 cable will carry 15A.  Given that you (genuinely) need likely no more than 100mA to drive a gauge, 0.01mm2 would likely be fine.  You can't get cable that small, so anything you have will be over-specified.

Amazing, thank you so much @Talbot

[andy29]

Not really a question, just an update since you guys gave me lots of help last year. Of course one of the inner rear wheel arches has gone through on the Focus. Aw poo. The other side was better and I thought I was catching it in time with the Waxoyl. Nowhere near as bad as some I've seen online but it has some small holes. I'll get someone to have a look at how much work it'll be but I feel like I might be needing to learn to weld...

I could just buy another but where's the fun in that?  Still have to inspect more of the back end which is hopefully just a bunch of surface rust but a lot of the rest looks fairly good. The neighbours must think I'm trying to play a tune as the hammer goes tap tap tap. And if I can get past these bits I think there's a lot of good still there. Maybe.

[steveo3002]

37 minutes ago, andy29 said:

Not really a question, just an update since you guys gave me lots of help last year. Of course one of the inner rear wheel arches has gone through on the Focus. Aw poo. The other side was better and I thought I was catching it in time with the Waxoyl. Nowhere near as bad as some I've seen online but it has some small holes. I'll get someone to have a look at how much work it'll be but I feel like I might be needing to learn to weld...

I could just buy another but where's the fun in that?  Still have to inspect more of the back end which is hopefully just a bunch of surface rust but a lot of the rest looks fairly good. The neighbours must think I'm trying to play a tune as the hammer goes tap tap tap. And if I can get past these bits I think there's a lot of good still there. Maybe.

think theyre all shot under those arch liners unless its been in a museum all its life...what are you sills like , i spent yesterday roaring off all the sealant on ours

another spot to check is bottom of front wings, most likely full of salty mud sinse its first winter out 

[andy29]

12 hours ago, steveo3002 said:

think theyre all shot under those arch liners unless its been in a museum all its life...what are you sills like , i spent yesterday roaring off all the sealant on ours

another spot to check is bottom of front wings, most likely full of salty mud sinse its first winter out 

Yeah that's another thing I thought about buying a replacement, "just let me jack up the back end and and pull off your wheels and liners" 😀

Yep one of mine was full of mud behind one of the front liners, but somehow just about on the right side of disappearing. The other one just had a slug living behind it. But yeah most of the sills are still solid, tiny hole on one which will need doing at some point, surface rust on the other which I'll clean and seal. I hate to think what's going on inside them. The ends of them inside the arches are going but I think I've caught them in time too.

The stonechip they put on some sill welding a couple of years ago looks like it might be encouraging rust behind it but at least I'm onto it now.

[BorniteIdentity]

Somewhere on here there's a thread about footwear - and I was hoping to scratch the collective beard on a new pair of boots.  I've searched via THE GOOGLE but can't remember for the life of me what the thread was called.

Any help appreciated!

[loserone]

15 minutes ago, BorniteIdentity said:

Somewhere on here there's a thread about footwear - and I was hoping to scratch the collective beard on a new pair of boots.  I've searched via THE GOOGLE but can't remember for the life of me what the thread was called.

Any help appreciated!

 

 

Are you not thinking of the not made in china thread on the other place, Monty?  

[Floatylight]

Is this the start of dmf death rattle?

[andy29]

Well the old Focus estate is off... to get it's back inner wheel arches welded up.

How do I best protect it from mishaps like the poor toasted one I saw on here? I mean the boot is bare, lower rear trim and rear seats are out. Carpet is stuck down half way back and won't really pull away much. No real idea how far the sparks can fly. Welder does lots of work on cars so shouldn't they have something to cover up carpet and bits?

And that's before I lose sleep worrying about the ECU getting zapped

[steveo3002]

18 minutes ago, andy29 said:

Well the old Focus estate is off... to get it's back inner wheel arches welded up.

How do I best protect it from mishaps like the poor toasted one I saw on here? I mean the boot is bare, lower rear trim and rear seats are out. Carpet is stuck down half way back and won't really pull away much. No real idea how far the sparks can fly. Welder does lots of work on cars so shouldn't they have something to cover up carpet and bits?

And that's before I lose sleep worrying about the ECU getting zapped

the worker needs to check for fires often , stuff will catch fire but its fine when you spot it and put it out 

[andy29]

They should know what they're doing but I have no control over it so guess I just have to hope 😕

[chodweaver]

Oh, great Autoshite hive mind, where in Stoke/The Potteries can i claw back a few sheckles when scrapping old batteries?

[steveo3002]

7 minutes ago, chodweaver said:

Oh, great Autoshite hive mind, where in Stoke/The Potteries can i claw back a few sheckles when scrapping old batteries?

when i had some i asked on local fb groups ...they was almost fighting over them trying to outbid each other to collect

 

[Floatylight]

50 minutes ago, chodweaver said:

Oh, great Autoshite hive mind, where in Stoke/The Potteries can i claw back a few sheckles when scrapping old batteries?

Can't help with Stoke but J Watson, Common Road in Stafford are decent folks

[mintwth]

Talking of The Potteries..... I know the old man died but is McGuinnesses yard still going? 

[Tenmil Socket]

MOT testers - question please...

Will a car fail its MOT if you can't wind down the drivers side window?

[Agila]

56 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

MOT testers - question please...

Will a car fail its MOT if you can't wind down the drivers side window?

Never seen them test it so I don't think so.

 

[Tickman]

59 minutes ago, Tenmil Socket said:

MOT testers - question please...

Will a car fail its MOT if you can't wind down the drivers side window?

No 

@stereotypehas a 205 that I've taken to be tested that the window doesn't wind down.

[Missy Charm]

On 23/09/2021 at 09:25, BorniteIdentity said:

Somewhere on here there's a thread about footwear - and I was hoping to scratch the collective beard on a new pair of boots.  I've searched via THE GOOGLE but can't remember for the life of me what the thread was called.

Any help appreciated!

I find that proper equestrian yard boots are far superior to the high street jobs that simply look like yard boots.  They also aren't greatly expensive, either.  

[Tenmil Socket]

10 minutes ago, Tickman said:

No 

@stereotypehas a 205 that I've taken to be tested that the window doesn't wind down.

Thanks @Tickman @Agila. That's one less thing to worry about before the MOT then. The cable let go yesterday whilst out in the car but luckily I managed to wind it closed again before it completely snapped!

[twosmoke300]

Just be nice to the tester and tell them so they don’t go to use it and drop it into the door

[meggersdog]

3 hours ago, twosmoke300 said:

Just be nice to the tester and tell them so they don’t go to use it and drop it into the door

either that or wedge two halves of a wooden peg in the window so he can see it doesn't work.

[Tenmil Socket]

The glass won't budge as it is. The winder just spins on the spline.

[Floatylight]

So my 2001 SLK320 is back from its winter slumber and our for its first decent drive today.

At 70 on cruise on the M56 earlier and the what felt like the front left wheel braked hard (enough to bring about tyre squeal and pull us violently to the right) the SRS BAS light came on and I drove gingerly to our destination. Back in the car after a few hours, no ARS BAS light on, drove a few miles (not motorway) pulled briskly away from some lights and the same thing happened.

A bit of googling points to Yaw sensor, seems to be a common Merc problem, anyone else had similar experience?  Any information welcomed!

[Dead_E23]

No idea about the yaw sensor, but another possibility is you've got a wheel bearing that picks up. Noticed any squeaks or chirping noises as you drive along?

[mercedade]

On 12/03/2022 at 23:09, Floatylight said:

So my 2001 SLK320 is back from its winter slumber and our for its first decent drive today.

At 70 on cruise on the M56 earlier and the what felt like the front left wheel braked hard (enough to bring about tyre squeal and pull us violently to the right) the SRS BAS light came on and I drove gingerly to our destination. Back in the car after a few hours, no ARS BAS light on, drove a few miles (not motorway) pulled briskly away from some lights and the same thing happened.

A bit of googling points to Yaw sensor, seems to be a common Merc problem, anyone else had similar experience?  Any information welcomed!

No advice, but that sounds fucking terrfying

[Slowsilver]

Can anyone help with a problem with my 1999 Vauxhall Zafira A 1.6 16v petrol. I had driven about 20 miles with no problems and it was running perfectly when it suddenly lost power, as if I had taken my foot off the accelerator and the EML came on. It gradually slowed to about 10 mph then suddenly, as if I had thrown a switch, it returned to normal. It repeated this four times at about one mile intervals, then I was able to drive it the three miles or so home with no more problems. I connected my OP-COM OBD2 code reader to it and it showed a not now present fault code of P0170 - Lean exhaust. The car did not cough and splutter at all so I think the fuelling is OK, and looking online this seems to indicate a MAF or O2 sensor fault. I am assuming that since the fault is no longer present if I take it to a garage they will say that they cannot diagnose the fault any further and just replace the likely culprits at great expense with no guarantee that it is fixed. Does anyone have any advice to offer on this. TIA.
 

[catsinthewelder]

Might be worth checking the connections to the sensors are good.  I drove around for a week with the EML on in my Focus after I serviced it.  When I got round to checking, clicking it home properly sorted it out straight away.

[HillmanImp]

Are we still using this for questions that don't warrant their own thread? 

Anyway, has anyone seen this advert? 

Imp Jr shouted excitedly when it was on as he spotted an old van in it. 

However I'm not sure what it is? I guess the adverts South African or something, a lot of them are these days aren't they. 

My first guess was Renault Traffic but I don't think it is. With the windscreen I'm now leaning more towards something based on a Vanette or something else Jap? However I'm not sure. 

Or is it a proper foreign jobby? 

Any ideas? 

[timolloyd]

I’m now on my second headlamp restoration kit, for clouded, sun-damaged lamps on an XC90. 
 

First kit was alien magic - little to no impact.

Second kit today was the Sealey one everyone seems to recommend. After sanding the lamps look better. But when I wash the residue away they cloud over almost instantly. And after a couple of passes the whole unit looks much worse. Even after a couple of attempts polishing.

Anyone know what’s going on here? Could it be the heat?

[Lacquer Peel]

On 6/27/2022 at 7:07 PM, HillmanImp said:

Are we still using this for questions that don't warrant their own thread? 

Anyway, has anyone seen this advert? 

Imp Jr shouted excitedly when it was on as he spotted an old van in it. 

However I'm not sure what it is? I guess the adverts South African or something, a lot of them are these days aren't they. 

My first guess was Renault Traffic but I don't think it is. With the windscreen I'm now leaning more towards something based on a Vanette or something else Jap? However I'm not sure. 

Or is it a proper foreign jobby? 

Any ideas? 

Nissan Ebro