Ask a Shiter

[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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

This. They were mega cheap and good quality

[spike60]

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.

[spike60]

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

 

I thought this but it's still good on fuel, 43.4 mpg over last 13k. A real 40 mpg. Removing injectors doesn't worry me, only paying for them!

[bub2006]

A big ask but has anyone got a an A Frame I may borrow? Due to unforeseen circumstances I need to shift a car and may need to scrap two in. Thanks.

[Kiltox]

If you need to scrap stuff and can't be arsed taking it yourself use www.removemycar.co.uk - better rates than CarTakeBack / the "it's only worth £5 mate" pikeys / scrappies that will charge to collect or expect to uplift for free

[bub2006]

I don't want to scrap anything yet if I can help it. Issue is I have to move my vectra asap. Thanks for links though.

[bub2006]

That remove my car doesn't look a bad set up. Auction too.

[Kiltox]

The auction thing rarely yields result but is worth a try

[bub2006]

I don't want to scrap either if I can help it. Just time and space is not good at this moment

[DSdriver]

Peugeot 206 front pads: Is it always a bastard to get the top of the inboard pad in with those soppy clips or am I missing a trick?

I ended up filing a bit off the lobes on the pads otherwise they would not slide in and out and would have worn out in no time.

[twosmoke300]

A lot of pads need a little filing to slide properly in the sliders . I find the budget brakes need more as they aren't stamped out as cleanly . I had a set of drivetec ones that were actually twisted !

[Kiltox]

Drivetec pads are god awful (and that's from someone that fits Eicher shite from ECP as a rule!)

Rarely need to file pads though, usually clean up the mounting bracket instead....