Ask a Shiter

[Pillock]

Imagine it the other way.... If you bought a car, and it turned out to have outstanding finance..... Would you be happy? Would you be hitting some internet forum to rant about how you were misled?

 

If you trust him, settle the finance for him and then he can pay you back when it sells.

[dave21478]

Fuck everything to do with outstanding finance on a car.

 

There is nothing quite like the sinking feeling of opening a letter and finding out that "your" car is in fact "their" car and they want either the car or the money they are owed. Immediately.

[Lacquer Peel]

What are the basic things I need to separate gearbox and engine on my driveway?

Engine support brace? More than one trolley jack? Axle stands?

The dual mass flywheel isn't getting any less shuddery on my van, it's a pain at parking speeds and I'd like to replace it with a solid flywheel.

My girlfriend's "step uncle" is a mechanic, does homers and has offered to help but I don't want to get involved with family politics and owe favours.

[Rocket88]

  On 01/05/2016 at 12:35, Bfg said:

Agree in part. IMO three coats of base metallic colour is enough, but then I'd suggest you apply clear laquer..  If you rub down metallic paint then you'll change its look. The reflective particles being brought to the surface. However if you apply clear lacquer then you'll just be cuting that back and then polishing it. 

 

But again I'd have to say - to then leave the paint to harden for a few days, before its cut back and polished.  G3 is good without needing rubbing down with super-fine wet n dry,  as its rather abrasive.  Personally I tend to use 1000 - 1200 grit with soapy (washing up liquid) water and then ordinary colour restorer.  A build up of wax will give the shine and protect the paint. Good results can become great when a good wax is used.  NB most paints hate silicon, so do all painting before you use silicon waxes. 

 

Hope that helps

 

 

It had three coats of base, and three coats of lacquer, good, even finish, just not as shiny as it could be. I'll try a good polish first.

[Lacquer Peel]

39.5 seconds to 62mph according to http://www.autowiki.fi/index.php/Morris_Marina

[Bfg]

  On 01/05/2016 at 16:43, Lacquer Peel said:

What are the basic things I need to separate gearbox and engine on my driveway? Engine support brace? More than one trolley jack? Axle stands? The dual mass flywheel isn't getting any less shuddery on my van, it's a pain at parking speeds and I'd like to replace it with a solid flywheel. My girlfriend's "step uncle" is a mechanic, does homers and has offered to help but I don't want to get involved with family politics and owe favours.

 

I considered taking the gearbox out of my old Jag last year. As it happened I decided the risk was too great as I don't have a hard driveway, nor is it level, and if the thing slipped then I'd be out of action for too long..  not to mention a certain degree of PAIN    ....As it was I got f'kd over by Suffolk-Auto-Transmissions., who did take it out and only eventually put it (sort of) back in again.  So, if I knew then what I know now I would have done it myself !!

 

However, aside from getting the vehicle up in the air, wedged blocks under the wheels to stop it rolling, and supporting the engine mass itself - everything needs to be extra stable when your under it ..shoving and pulling the bast'd  ...I would have used a rolling motorcycle lift to take the weight of the gearbox, to slide it back, drop it down, and then trolley it out. 

 

In my inexperienced and certifiably unqualified opinion... trying to balance and manoeuvre a gearbox case on an ordinary trolley jack wouldn't have been much fun, neither would being under it and trying to take its weight.  Remembering of course - neither the bell-housing nor underside of that gearbox are flat not designed to have a stand under them.  I reasoned that the wider base of a motorcycle lift (with wooden blocks forming a V-support screwed to it ) and the wider base of its castors would be a very much safer bet.   

 

Hope that helps

 

p.s.  a clutch centreing tool for reassembly.?

[sierraman]

I just wouldn't do it. Access is tricky and you are bent double trying to take the weight of a gearbox. I'd be inclined to get a garage to do it as a cash job.

[Bfg]

  On 01/05/2016 at 18:36, sierraman said:

I just wouldn't do it. Access is tricky and you are bent double trying to take the weight of a gearbox. I'd be inclined to get a garage to do it as a cash job.

 

I paid the aforementioned garage to do mine.   I witnessed their mechanic hammering the bellhousing (steel 6 lb hammer) because it wouldn't separate from the engine ...with a bolt still in it !  Bear in mind that 1966 S-type Jaguar cast alloy bellhousings are not easy to replace nor are they cheap.  It then took three months for them to put the thing back in again.!  ...in the meantime telling me to take the car and still unfitted gearbox away if I wasn't happy.  They also left the car (1966 Jaguar saloon)  out in all weathers for those three months ...despite having agreed to put the car away overnight and over weekends.  They also had me buy a new clutch assembly when one wasn't needed.  They also lost a bolt out of the bellhousing and had to order another.  They also fouled up the clutch mechanism, it was never as slick after they did it despite my taking it to another garage before I could use the car properly to get the clutch re-bled and re-adjusted.   They also left a bolt out of the bell housing.    Have I mentioned "they also"   well... they also tried to charged me more than quoted.  As it was - their bill was twice what I'd paid for the aforementioned bike lift (which I do use for my motorcycles, but is also a useful adjustble height bench).    In case you missed it - that company was Suffolk Auto Transmissions, near Sudbury, Suffolk.   With regret I cannot recommend them. 

[Richard]

I've done gearbox changes in the street with only scissor jacks in the past. Obviously that's not to be recommended but it's entirely possible to do it in a driveway as long as you can get the van supported securely enough. A few blocks of wood will help with supporting the engine.

[dave21478]

  On 01/05/2016 at 16:43, Lacquer Peel said:

What are the basic things I need to separate gearbox and engine on my driveway? Engine support brace? More than one trolley jack? Axle stands? The dual mass flywheel isn't getting any less shuddery on my van, it's a pain at parking speeds and I'd like to replace it with a solid flywheel. My girlfriend's "step uncle" is a mechanic, does homers and has offered to help but I don't want to get involved with family politics and owe favours.

 

I have done a fair few FWD and transverse engine 4wd clutches on the ground. Good axle stands or blocks of wood to hold the shell up, a single trolley jack (cheap 2ton Halfrods job suffices) to hold the engine and lift it up and down as required, a few other bits of wood to wedge and support here and there and its possible. Add in the usual hand tools, sockets etc, a prybar and a mirror to see stuff down the back - there is always one bellhousing bolt you miss.

An old tyre helps to drop the box onto and slide out if needed. An engine crane to raise and lower the box is a massive help, but it depends on the car....Im no Arnold Schwarzenegger but can get an average box up and down just lifting it by hand; Having it hanging on a crane does help a lot with wiggling it onto the splines though, but the crane often gets in the way with the legs wanting to be where your axle stands are, its not always easy to get a strap round the box at the right point so it doesnt tip over and stuff like that.....depends. My Freelander box weighed a fooking ton, no way could I have lifted that without rupturing some internal boingy bits (me, not the box!) but the escort I held on my chest and slid under then bench-pressed it up into place.

 

But if its just a clutch and flywheel change you might not even need to lower the box right down, you can sometimes just shove it far enough over to one side and tie or strap it out of the way while you work on the clutch.

[Lacquer Peel]

Thanks Dave, that's really helpful.

I feel more confident about doing it myself now.

It's a mk2 Caddy TDI, I don't think the gearbox is very heavy.

[gordonbennet]

  On 01/05/2016 at 10:30, Lacquer Peel said:

My girlfriend works at a petrol station and twice yesterday I had passive aggressive fucks ruin my mood. I park by the vacuum cleaner when I'm dropping her off or picking her up (a few minutes at most). At the start of the shift a woman drove out of the automated car wash and just pointed at me. At the end of the shift a man pulled out of the car wash again, sat there and honked the horn at me. What happened to verbal communication??

 

If you weren't in a modern eurobox thingy you probably didn't compute in their borg like programming.

[Pillock]

I did a gearbox on the drive by tying a length of rope around the box and then looping it around my neck. I then lent over the front of the car and as I lifted my head the box rose and by carefully adjusting the length of rope I got to a point where I could lift the box but still reach it to manhandle it onto the engine case.

 

Caution, I then spent three days in bed with a bad back. It may have been coincidental but you never know.

 

Here you can see the beginnings of this, with a rope around the gearbox ready.

 

[myglaren]

  On 01/05/2016 at 19:03, Richard said:

I've done gearbox changes in the street with only scissor jacks in the past. Obviously that's not to be recommended but it's entirely possible to do it in a driveway as long as you can get the van supported securely enough. A few blocks of wood will help with supporting the engine.

Same here but wouldn't recommend it.

Nearly lost a finger to a Cortina box.

[cros]

Yesterday I saw in the distance a 4 door Smart, new type. The windows in the rear doors appeared to be hinged rather than winding. If so is this poverty chic for idiots?

[Richard]

The 107/C1/Aygo is like that too.

[Pillock]

The Peugeot 107/iGo had the same thing, allows for a couple of inches more width on the back seat. Actually pop out rear windows make more sense to me, stops buffeting when you've got the front open without being too blowy.

[cort16]

I think the Cactus also has that rear window setup.

I think with the C1 it was designed to be built cheaply rather than a car built with cheap parts.The idea being they could direct the money to things that will make it drive better like a decent engine.

I have to say I really like Mrs C's old C1.

[Eddie Honda]

  On 01/05/2016 at 07:31, cort16 said:

That's dodgy ground as the car technically isn't yours to sell until the finance is settled .

That does of course depend on the finance agreement.

 

Case 1: Bought a motorcycle on hire purchase. Agreement says that they can't/won't repo it after 2/3rd of the payments have been made.

Case 2: Bought a motorcycle with a Black Horse Finance Rider Loan. Having experts* read the contract, it was clearly an unsecured loan and vehicle didn't belong to the finance co. So I sold it before the loan was settled. Did get a call from the new keeper after, but I explained exactly why it was on file and never did get paid a friendly visit for a refund.

 

Buyer beware blah blah blah

 

These days I buy things with used notes in a manilla envelope.

[myglaren]

Slightly OT but there was an MOD policeman that lived near me who 'disappeared'

It emerged that he had sold his SD1 while it was still on finance.

Cops kept raiding his house but couldn't find him.His wife always had blankest hanging on the washing lines in the garden.

 

The cops did find him eventually.  He was over 6' tall and a stringbean - he hid out in the tumble drier and the blankets were so he could go in the garden and not be seen.

 

Spent several years in prison.

 

There are some rather unsavoury side issues that don't really belong here.

[anonymous user]

I know the FX4/Carbodies Taxi had a separate chassis, therefore ideal* to modify/re-body as a pick-up, etc. what I don't know is whether the new-style cab (LTI) has the same. I assume someone on here must know.

[Landy Mann]

How to remove CV joints from drive shafts? I'm doing the CV gaiters on the 25 (project deprive) and can't work out how to remove the joints from the shafts. I know it should just knock free but any tips? Currently at 0/2 working in the fleet! Fortunately my actual excuse for the 25 being off the road is awaiting a thermostat housing, the CV joint is just a bonus...

[skattrd]

  On 03/05/2016 at 20:12, Landy Mann said:

How to remove CV joints from drive shafts? I'm doing the CV gaiters on the 25 (project deprive) and can't work out how to remove the joints from the shafts. I know it should just knock free but any tips? Currently at 0/2 working in the fleet! Fortunately my actual excuse for the 25 being off the road is awaiting a thermostat housing, the CV joint is just a bonus...

 

I'd check the price of complete driveshafts ... Last time I looked at doing CV boots the boots were £16 each but I could get a full driveshaft for £25, and save the hassle and mess of doing the boot.

[spike60]

J and R online are competetive for driveshafts, cv's, boots etc.

[spike60]

It looks like I've aquired a BMW 530d with 247k on it. It pulls really well but smokes badly rising to comedy levels on full chat. Are any of the diesel injector cleaners in a bottle kinda stuff any use? The petrol ones I've used before on petrol engines didn't make a toss of difference, are these any better?

[skattrd]

The last diesel I had that put out huge amounts of black smoke did so because the turbo was fubar and oil was going in to the exhaust. I'd check that there isn't something serious causing that amount of smoke.

[Landy Mann]

I've got the boots already,  they weren't that much, £44 for 2 sets of boots, oil, oil filter & thermostat. I completed disassembly today but give up trying to remove the joint so I've already got all the oily bits...

[cort16]

If it's smoking and it;s not the turbo it's more likely the injectors are knackered and releasing too much fuel. I don't think injector cleaner will do much.

 

don't worry they're easy to remove

 

[The Moog]

  On 03/05/2016 at 20:24, spike60 said:

J abd R online are competetive for driveshafts, cv's, boots etc.

 

This. They were mega cheap and good quality

[spike60]

  On 03/05/2016 at 20:34, skattrd said:

The last diesel I had that put out huge amounts of black smoke did so because the turbo was fubar and oil was going in to the exhaust. I'd check that there isn't something serious causing that amount of smoke.

I'm pretty sure it's not oil smoke, it's down to 1 service bar ( done about 8k?} since last oil change and still on top dipstick mark. Breather filter made no odds when changed. Engine is much stronger than similar but much less smokey saloon despite weight disadvantage.