Ask a Shiter

[skattrd]

Original 3 spokes OAR ex-KruJoe 6 spokes????

 

3 spokes look better imo ... but fit which ever have the better tyres obv.

[Richard]

3 spokes for winter use, 6 spokes for being seen in public.

[bub2006]

Would a duff plug or lead bring eml on on a old vectra b? I'd guess if coil pack was knackered it would show eml but due to having a miss and hesitation and no eml I'm led to think plugs or leads but can't afford to throw cash needlessly about at the moment.

[twosmoke300]

Need to diagnose properly , don't guess and throw money at it

[DSdriver]

Need to diagnose properly , don't guess and throw money at it

 

But that is the Autoshite way. 

[twosmoke300]

And why people get fed up with a car after throwing parts/ money at them

[bub2006]

I've done paperclip test,no fault stored and no eml. I can't afford to throw cash needlessly at the car.

[twosmoke300]

Double check all vac pipes . Also on the rocker cover their are two breather pipes , one smaller than the other . Where the small one connects to the throttle body is prone to blocking up . You need to take the tb off and clean it out . It's only a pinhole really so a bit of mig wire is ideal

[robinmasters]

If you wait long enough, and if the slope is in the right direction, you will find that Scotland and northern England are rising compared to the south. Something to do with the last ice age. Might take a while though.

However, this effect should be counteracted by all the Volvos migrating north.

[bub2006]

Double check all vac pipes . Also on the rocker cover their are two breather pipes , one smaller than the other . Where the small one connects to the throttle body is prone to blocking up . You need to take the tb off and clean it out . It's only a pinhole really so a bit of mig wire is ideal

Thanks,trouble is this is the engine with the stupid inlet that goes right down the back of engine then up and over and back over covering injectors and pipework with the throttle body halfway down the back of the engine. I'll try to have a good look at it tomorrow

[twosmoke300]

Sorry is it a v6 ?

[bub2006]

No its the x16xe I think the engine is. Stupidly long stupid intakefrom airborne down back of engine to throttle body(cable operated) then looks as if it goes straight into the engine with 4 cast pipes as one unit whatgoes from top of rocker cover over the injectors and back down the back of engine

[spike60]

Why do a lot of alternator fans have blades of varying sizes?

[Station]

They're irregular so air 'pulses' instead of a constant steady wave. So it rapidly goes soft hard, much like radiator fans, it also cancels out noise because it is out of phase, and having eleven blades does the same.

[sierraman]

No its the x16xe I think the engine is. Stupidly long stupid intakefrom airborne down back of engine to throttle body(cable operated) then looks as if it goes straight into the engine with 4 cast pipes as one unit whatgoes from top of rocker cover over the injectors and back down the back of engine

Duff plugs and leads can cause the coil to fail. I'd be tempted to plug in he reader to check it isn't anything else. ECP should provide cheap leads and plugs. Alternatively you could try the breakers yard to swap for a set of known good ones from a car that driven in and you can test. Problem here is that when you start chucking second hand bits in you have no idea if they are any good.

[bub2006]

I know,that's my problem. My local scrapyard is one where it would be a hazard a guess sort of thing so I'd buy new. The obd reader I have won't read the vectra and paperclip test showing no faults either

[sierraman]

The Vectra should be OBD2 compliant? Diagnostics should hopefully pinpoint the cyl which is misfiring.

 

In any case a fault with the ignition such as this will eventually damage the cat.

 

Plugs as a rule tend to last longer than the intervals, so unless they are fucked, its likely to be the leads breaking down or the coil that's on it's way out.

 

I'd also check the inlet butterflies for carbon build up, this costs nothing yet you can rule it out easily, cleans it out with some carb cleaner or similar.

[DeeJay]

The paper clips not a dud is it?

[DVee8]

What do you lot know about van hire?

I need a transit size van for a very busy wedding 5 days next week

In the North East.

Look there seems different insurances.

 

I was using man maths and any other terms to get my hands on Castro's Renault van.

[sierraman]

A lot don't offer collision damage waiver as it just encourages people to rag the van.

 

You can't hire sometimes if you are a scrap man, market trader etc,

 

£600 excess isn't unusual

[bub2006]

Vectra is a 1997 so non obd on this. The paperclip is fine! I'm guessing leads as I get a good solid shock from all points on coil and it was worse this morning when damp and raining. Intermittent too on severity

[TimothyClaypole]

This cost me about £55.00 for a full day with a £200 deposit on a bank card.

 

[Slappy]

Does anyone know roughly how long a steering rack and a PAS pump should take on an 02-58 Fiesta? I'm presuming it's an engine out job.

 

Sister has a leaky PAS unit, and apparently a rack that's on its way out, and has been quoted £1400(!) to get it sorted. I smell BS on the rack, but the PAS is definitely leaking from somewhere.

 

Next thing, can any Norwich based shiters recommend a half decent garage that wouldn't mind if she (I) sourced the parts beforehand?

[spike60]

A 2005 1.3 Fiesta has book times of 0.8 hours for the pump and 2.10 hours for the rack. These are times for someone who's done it before with right tools to hand, I find it takes me about 50-100% longer. If you list exact car details I'll see what Autodata say.

[catsinthewelder]

I rent out a Transit Custom like that for £50+vat per day. Insurance excess is £1k so any dents get knocked out cheaply by Dodgytom's mate and the cost passed on. The big boys tend to vary their prices depending on what's in stock where the little companies have a set price and either have a van or don't. Our insurance company don't care what you do for a living so long as you are between 21 and 75 and have 6 points or less.

 

This isn't an advert, I'm 250 miles from Durham.

[Slappy]

2002 1.4 Fiesta LX, reg is EU52 AZX

 

Thanks!

[Bobthebeard]

Doubtless there has been a thread or two already on the subject, but here goes....

The 1993 Mercury Sable (Ford V6 all iron 'Vulcan' engine) that is now mine needs a coolant top up. Not due to leaks, just that I have removed the coolant header tank to treat some surface rust underneath.

The coolant is red, so I assume it is the OAT stuff. I have some Halfords OAT ready mixed coolant to top up. The question is, is OAT coolant suitable for this engine/cooling system? IIRC the OAT stuff wasn't invented until 1996 or something. Do I just top it up or drain the system and re fill with old skool blue/green antifreeze? Will the red stuff do harm?

[Station]

Just use the blue stuff. I put pink stuff in the Starion and coincidentally the water pump seal went the next day.

[motormatt]

This might be a blindingly obvious question, but how exactly do you lock your keys inside your car? I've grown up to expect this to be more of a problem and so far I know of no instances where this has happened to either me or one of the many people I know.

[cort1977]

You can leave the keys and a toddler who likes to push buttons in the car.

 

This has happened to us* with both our boys at that age, both times I had to break the window to get them out.   I'm waiting until they are a bit older before they begin working off the debt.

 

*the wife