Ask a Shiter

[rml2345]

Before it was murdered by an Audi, an old dear with reversing sensor equipped Hyundai reversed into my old Volvo which was quite funny.

[Spiny Norman]

Used to love seeing that when I worked at a Honda dealer . Rear parking sensors and a damaged bumper. Priceless.

 

'whats that beeping noise dear ? " crunch

 

The very first time I ever encountered parking sensors was in a then brand new BMW E60 & that was exactly what happened. Proud new owner reversing to get out of parking space.... 'beep beep' .... kept going... 'BeepBeepBeepBeep!'... 'what's making that noise?' "BEEEEEEEEETHUMP!"

 

Followed by the alarm going off in the car he hit.....

[cort16]

It goes the other way too if you get used to having them then you jump into a car without them. Never hit anything but been close a few times after jumping into the Rover.

[dave21478]

I fairly clouted the back corner of the Mazda the other day..... Bloody tree came out of nowhere.

 

I effected a quality* repair to the tail light with orange gaffa tape until my £16 replacement arrives from Thailand courtesy of ebay, but its also knocked a quarter inch thick scab of filler out. Im guessing the load bed is significantly rustier than previously anticipated.

 

 

[Skizzer]

and her not knowing where front/back is

Have you tried telling her that 'front' is the way her feet are pointing?

 

[/sexism]

[Gerald]

Anybody know how heavy a Rover PG1 gearbox is?

I've got to take it out of the gaylander to free the release arm bearings off, but I'm on my own on the roadside.

Cheers.

[Gerald]

Found it. 36Kg dry alledgedly...

Add 14 years worth of clag and the clutch housingand it'll be nearer 50 I reckon...

[drum]

hasn't come from VED for voer 80 years ...

 

The point was a general one.

[dave21478]

A-frame towing an Automatic car - That jag I posted in the ebay thread is about 1.5 hours drive away, maybe a little more. It has running issues so probably wont make it back under its own power. Its wheelbase is about a foot longer than the bed of my trailer, so that leaves the A-frame.

Its a cripplematic so I assmue towing it would kill the transmission, but if I removed the propshaft, that would work? What sort of a job is it to remove a 70's jag prop? Is it likely to be feasible for a fat man to do it on some dudes driveway with some basic tools?

[Louise2cv]

My mom and dad have a Morgan +8 which they took off the road when they found out they were having twins (one of which is me!). Dad has finally got round to sorting it out. The current status report is: garage built, garage set up, car unearthed from loads of junk and mouse poo and 3 wheels free.

 

He asked me if I knew anyone who might know how easy it is to get hold of Morris 1800 or Morris Marina Van wheel studs?

 

I will google in the meantime but I thought someone here might know.

[Pillock]

Go to a BL event with a wheelbrace?

[nigel bickle]

Mister Tee, down in Croydon, specialises in mail order wheel studs/bolts/ nuts.

 

Easy to internet find..

 

If he doesn't pan out, I can make a few other (more expensive) suggestions for 'rare' studs...

[Louise2cv]

Thanks guys. TBH honest I'm not sure it isn't something he couldn't do himself, seeing as his job is making 3 wheeler parts, but he asked me to ask. I'll pass that on thank you Mr Bickle.

[cort16]

Danger Modern question. Does anyone know anything about Renault Sport Renaults?  You don't seem to see many broken ones for sale and I read they're built in a different factory from the normal production cars so I'm wondering if they have the same quality issues. In particular I've been looking at the fat arse renaultsport dci models. Now I wouldn't normally touch a renault diesel of that generation with a shitey stick but these ones are fitted with a 2.0 175bhp engine and not the normal grenader© 1.9 dci model. I believe the 2.0 one is a Nissan model fitted to the Qashqai and the like but I don't know. Anyone know more

[inconsistant]

I've just bought a brand new soldering station on eBay and it's from a company in the uk but originally is from china.

It has a 'foreign' 3 pin plug and is supplied with an adaptor for UK mains.

Is this legal? I thought electrical stuff had to be supplied with a UK plug fitted?

 

Also, the casing has a large crack in it, about 3" long and with no damage to the packaging it looks like it was sent from the factory like this. Turning it upside down reveals that the innards are not fixed to the outer casing at all so I'd be suprised if it worked. In fact, I don't dare turn it on as I think it's dangerous.

So, should I let the seller know and get them to send a replacement, or should I report to trading standards?

[garethj]

The foreign plug with adaptor is legal, the rest looks not unusual from a Chinese manufacture that doesn't test their products after manufacture, or do much for packaging protection either.

 

I'd probably try and get a refund then buy from someone else.  Not sure how far you'd get with trading standards as it's difficult to prove where the damage happened.

[Bobthebeard]

I suspect that I am in love* with Louise 2CV. Even though I have never met her.

Do I now need to resign or something?

[DSdriver]

^ No it's a common symptom amongst autoshiters.

 

My question is: Has anyone else tried aralditing the plastic cog in a windscreen washer motor onto the motor shaft because its half round hole has become totally circular and does it work? 

I can answer my own question in the morning when the glue has hardened but curiosity is getting the better of me.

[philibusmo]

Are the 1.9TDI and the 2.5TDI engines in an Audi A4 from about 1998 veg friendly?

[Richard]

If it's the same 5 pot 2.5 that's in my Volvo I'm told it is ok for veg, that was the engine from the late Audi 100 and early A6 but I'm not sure if they were still using it in '98.

[Tayne]

Are the 1.9TDI and the 2.5TDI engines in an Audi A4 from about 1998 veg friendly?

 

The 1.9 is, I did plenty of vegetarian miles in my '98 A3.

 

Don't know about the 2.5

[drum]

Electrickery question.

I've been having problems with the indicators on my '68 series 2A.

When I bypass the flasher unit, all the indicators work as they should.

The tell tale light on the texmag indicator stalk works fine when supplied with 12volts.

 

I bought a new three pin flasher unit but the best I can get is right turn flashing as normal, left turn on solid and flasher unit buzzes. Tell tale light won't come on at all. I can wire up the flasher unit to make the tell tale light flash but not at the same time as the indicators.

 

Auto electrics do my nut.

[Micrashed]

Are batteries worth anything? 

I have two, they are both good but I havent been able to sell them so though about weighing them in 

One is a 110ah leisure battery the other is a spare Maverick battery so they both weigh a metric shitload.

[twosmoke300]

About a fiver each for big uns

[Micrashed]

D'ye ken, that was all I wanted to flog them for too.

Daft.

[richardmorris]

I want to put a manual isolation switch to the electric aerial in the merc. as I'm fed up of it going up needlessly when I'm listening to the ipod. Any reason a simple on/off rocker in the boot connected to the control wire from the radio won't work?

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

What is this thing? Is it an electric aerial controller switch?

 

[steve_earwig]

('ere, wot does this "multiquote" thing do then?)

Electrickery question.
I've been having problems with the indicators on my '68 series 2A.
When I bypass the flasher unit, all the indicators work as they should.
The tell tale light on the texmag indicator stalk works fine when supplied with 12volts.

I bought a new three pin flasher unit but the best I can get is right turn flashing as normal, left turn on solid and flasher unit buzzes. Tell tale light won't come on at all. I can wire up the flasher unit to make the tell tale light flash but not at the same time as the indicators.

Auto electrics do my nut.

Oooh, 1968? There's some seriously complicated stuff going on there then... 3 pin you say? Shouldn't that be 2 pin? I'm not sure what your bus came with but I'd be pretty certain it'll just have been a bi-metallic jobbie wired in between the supply (fuse) and the stalk, so that the switch applies the load to one side or the other while the tell tale is wired across the indicators so that when one side is working the other side is just providing the earth. If you're fitting an electronic one (which I think is implied by the 3 pins) then you have to put it in the same place but provide an earth so the electronics work. Unless I'm completely misunderstanding things anyway. What sort of flasher until do you have there? Any markings on the terminals'

 

Multiplexing does my head in...

 

I want to put a manual isolation switch to the electric aerial in the merc. as I'm fed up of it going up needlessly when I'm listening to the ipod. Any reason a simple on/off rocker in the boot connected to the control wire from the radio won't work?

I've not played with an electric areial since about 30 years ago so I can't remember if they need to switch between live  (up) and earth (down) or just the live and nothing because the aerial sorts it out.. You could probably disconnect the feed from the radio and see what's coming from it, if it's just the live then you just need a switch to interrupt it, if it's live and earth then you need a changeover switch and a relevant earth. Or you could just put a switch on it, remembering if the aerial is already up it might stay there.

 

What is this thing? Is it an electric aerial controller switch?

That actually looks like a relay, possibly to take a feed where it's just live and nothing coming from the radio  (hey, this seems kind of familiar) for an aerial that needs a feed on one wire for up and another for down.

 

Meh, I think I prefer to do it one post at a time

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

That actually looks like a relay, possibly to take a feed where it's just live and nothing coming from the radio  (hey, this seems kind of familiar) for an aerial that needs a feed on one wire for up and another for down.

 

I think you're right, the electric aerial looks like it's significantly newer than the radio that will have been in the car. 

[steve_earwig]

It's probably come with the aerial and been wired in with Lego blocks...

 

Hey, I've got a stupid question. Well, maybe not too stupid... What's the current draw on a pre-engage starter solenoid? I'm talking without the main power feed from the battery so it's not turning the engine, just engaging the starter pinion.