Ask a Shiter

[Jim Bell]

Do you know who I am?

[Tayne]

RONNIE PICKERING

[alf892]

I noticed sd1 was banned.......so looked through the topics to try and find what went off.....like you do!

 

Anyway decide to come in here and see same question........unanswered?

 

Are we in the masons or something?

 

So what happened.....or just tell me where to look

[D Spares & Tyres]

Here's a stupid question for you..

 

A couple of years back I saw my first car with those stick on eyelashes.

 

I went home and told Mrs dodgytom ' I've just seen a car with eyelashes! '

 

'What, fake ones?' Was the reply....

 

Yes she is blonde...

[Bobthebeard]

Are all (Articulated) lorries still fitted with speed restrictors? Reason for the stupid question is that one passed me this evening on the M6 near Penrith. I was doing 70. The artic was doing close to 80 I would guess. UK registered on a 2013 reg. Didn't cause a problem or anything, just wondering?

[vulgalour]

Adding my voice to the ban on SD1 query.  I'm surprised I've not been banned for posting too many hearse pictures today.

[MarvinsMom]

Are all (Articulated) lorries still fitted with speed restrictors? Reason for the stupid question is that one passed me this evening on the M6 near Penrith. I was doing 70. The artic was doing close to 80 I would guess. UK registered on a 2013 reg. Didn't cause a problem or anything, just wondering?

 

i believe that they are fitted with a regulator from the factory, but a half decent diesel fitter can soon retune it so that the wagon will exceed the speed limit, though that is illegal and will result in the deaths of many, many kittens.

 

if i am mistaken some one on here will soon put me right.

[Bobthebeard]

i believe that they are fitted with a regulator from the factory, but a half decent diesel fitter can soon retune it so that the wagon will exceed the speed limit, though that is illegal and will result in the deaths of many, many kittens.

 

if i am mistaken some one on here will soon put me right.

Wouldn't the tacho thingy show up the speed though? Driver get a stern telling off by someone?

[alf892]

Wouldn't the tachometer thingy show up the speed though? Driver get a stern telling off by someone?

Apparently on some air operated ones all you need is a pin hole in the line that operates the pull off cylinder.....then limiter appears to work on brief test but as air pressure leaks away you go whoosh

 

Apparently On dafs you could just remove a fuse.......but shows on tacho trace as it flat lines

 

Apparently the best way way used to be alter the dil switches in tachometer head so speedo actually read slower.

 

Lots of other ways.........

 

Btw I know these few because I was a vehicle examiner.........not a dodgey bugger!

[MarvinsMom]

i think that would only happen if the driver pigged the wagon.

 

but i have no idea how the digital tacho's work, or what they record, working time/;speed etc.

[cort16]

What ever happened it happened in the last hour as he logged in at 9.47

[Jim Bell]

My fuel gauge moves up, and down, depending on my driving style - why is this? Note, I don't mean "it goes down faster the faster I drive"

 

I first noticed on my old Rover 75 that the reading on my fuel gauge would vary, depending on the type of driving I was doing.

When I first set off in the morning, I could have 1/4 of a tank on the gauge. I could then drive 30 miles on the motorway to work, and come off at my junction, and then have maybe 1/16 of a tank more fuel than before I did the 30 miles. Simiarly if I drove for 70 miles on the motorway, then came off onto local roads I could notice the reading drop by 1/16 or so.

 

I put this down to the gauge reacting to the estimated distance to empty on the on board computer, which would obviously react depending on engine temp, speed, fuel consumption etc. I thought it was a shite idea, as the fuel gauge should always be a fact of "this is how much fuel is in the tank", so ignored it.

 

But I noticed today that my micra (which doesn't even have a rev counter, nevermind distance to empty reading) behaves in much the same way,

 

You what mate?

 

 

Factors include the speed that youre traveling (inertia, fuel sloshes around in unbafled tanks)), the temperature (expansion), camber (left to right level in relation to sender), and gradient of road (as above).

 

My fuel gauge can change by quarter of a tank (and its a 70 litre tank) depending on any one of those variables.

[Bobthebeard]

What ever happened it happened in the last hour as he logged in at 9.47

SD1 related?

A mystery

[skattrd]

Is there such a thing as a decent brand of thermostat?

I'm sick of failing thermostats, I've changed 3 so far on the fleet this year and the one on the boring has gone again, I changed that one less than 3yrs ago.

[The Moog]

Do mk1 focus hatch seats fit an estate?

[Ghosty]

SD1 related?

A mystery

He now appears to be un-banned.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Is there such a thing as a decent brand of thermostat?

I'm sick of failing thermostats, I've changed 3 so far on the fleet this year and the one on the boring has gone again, I changed that one less than 3yrs ago.

So many crap aftermarket parts these days. I would go with a genuine part if its newish

[twosmoke300]

+1 on genuine

[Sealtainn]

 Focus seats - the fronts are universal (although the 3dr versions will tilt forward and the 5dr versions won't)

The rear seat mounting points are specific to the hatchback, estate and saloon. You could change the seat backs but it would be a faff. I did put hatch rear seats in my saloon and just used spacers on the latch.​​

[Eddie Honda]

decent brand of thermostat? Wahler.

[DeeJay]

decent brand of thermostat? Wahler.

I thought that was a bit strong.

Then I read it again and you didn't call him a Wanker.

[Tayne]

If I put Wilko's own brand oil in my car, will it explode?

Clearly wilkos don't have their own refinery... so it must be some other oil, just supplied in a whitelabel package... right?

 

If its made the to the specifications set out by your engine manufacturer, then no it won't explode.

 

Will it be as good as high-tech, big brand oil?

Probably not.

 

Are you likely to notice the difference?

Unless you are competing in the RAC rally, probably not.

[sierraman]

I'm about to put some Asda Oil in, so we'll see if the car disintegrates on the way to work tomorrow. I think if it was anything less than to the specification they would be took to the cleaners if it was proven to damage someone's engine.

[gordonbennet]

Are all (Articulated) lorries still fitted with speed restrictors? Reason for the stupid question is that one passed me this evening on the M6 near Penrith. I was doing 70. The artic was doing close to 80 I would guess. UK registered on a 2013 reg. Didn't cause a problem or anything, just wondering?

 

This DAF wasn't unmarked was it, plod are using unmarked tractor units without limiters to spy on all manner of motorists including lorries on the motorways, usually not attached to a trailer but wouldn't put it past them, usually double manned, passenger will be filming any wrong doings.

 

Assuming not, all lorries (with certain exceptions, eg emergency vehicles) are restricted to approx 55mph give or take a couple of mph, 2013 regd will definately be on a digi tacho and all the overspeed warnings will have flashed up on the screen and  the speed will be logged as a serious overspeed, both on the drivers digi card (long time 6/12 months) and permanently recorded on the tacho head.

 

Was it downhill coasting or the vehicle under power?, cos if 70+ is a normal cruise then our mate in the lorry won't have a licence for long, sooner if not later even if he's not picked up by the old bill or VOSA (whatever they happen to be called this week) on the road, and fuck me will he stand out like a sore thumb, then eventually when he gets a tug and the traffic examiner checks his card, all hell is going to come down on the operator for allowing regular and serious overspeeding...if the lorry has been tampered with to allow high speed cruising then Operators Licences are up for revocation and our intrepid driver as well as losing his HGV entitlement could well be looking at a 4/5 figure fine and quite possibly chokey on top

 

Even allowing it to go over 60, the speed limit for lorries on the motorway and dual carriageway, espacially by so much or regularly is going to put the drivers HGV licence at risk and again the operator will be in serious trouble for allowing it to happen.

If the operator has any sense, he'll have a monitoring system in place, when the dowload reports come in he'd better be seen to be taking hard discplinary action against the driver or he'll be looking for another business in short order, the Traffic Commissioner will not stand for this, the odd mistake by creeping just over the magic 60 is frowned upon, do it regular and it'll be unpleasant meetings, cruising over 60 with a doctored lorry and all hell will be unleashed.

 

Some half wits have been know to attach a magnet to a certain point on the gearbox, interrupts the signal, these brain donors like so many before think VOSA lads are fools, unfortunately for them nothing could be further from the truth, don't drop the soap in the showers lads.

 

In the 80's the speeds you mention were quite normal, we'd run round at a genuine 70 all day long and at night quite a bit more, my 86 MAN would cruise at a genuine 95 if you so wished, but it's bloody suicidal for your livelihood and likely to see you sent down if you try doing it these days.

[holbeck]

If I put Wilko's own brand oil in my car, will it explode?

Clearly wilkos don't have their own refinery... so it must be some other oil, just supplied in a whitelabel package... right?

 

Lidl have 5 litres of Oil for £11.99 as of this morning.

[dave21478]

Even the cheapest brand oil of the correct spec is likely to be a hell of a lot better than the manky old crap thats in your engine just now.

Dont worry about it unless you are running something exotic / pre-war.

[stephen01]

i believe that they are fitted with a regulator from the factory, but a half decent diesel fitter can soon retune it so that the wagon will exceed the speed limit, though that is illegal and will result in the deaths of many, many kittens.

 

if i am mistaken some one on here will soon put me right.

 

 

a few years ago I was on the M5 and pushing along at 75, this however did not sit well with a lorry, lorry driver started flashing me to speed me up/pull over, he overtook me in the outside lane with ease, he must have been doing 80+

 

I was thankful I was getting off the motorway with the driving style of this lorry.

[oldcars]

The headlamps on the 75 really are good. Bad thing is it make the ones on the Shuma seem really poor. Anything i can do to improve them?

[dave21478]

Polish the lenses, get some Osram Nightbreaker bulbs, check you are getting the full 14v at the bulb- if not clean the contacts.

[skattrd]

Cheers dodgyT & 2smoke. I've asked my local garage to order me a thermostat next time he puts an order in with TPS.