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Question to see if what I and the garage think is the issue or not...

My old 1995 Tipo has failed the MOT on emissions. We had issues last year but it just went through. This year it will not go below 0.36-0.6% with maximum allowable amount of 0.3%. Initially it was over 0.7%.

It’s had new plugs, leads, air filter, checks for air leaks and nothing seems to be wrong... it’s an early SPI 1.4ie so no complicated sensors and only one lambda (this reading seems fine on test). It’s had two doses of cat cleaner and a few ‘Italian tuneups’ which has brought it down but nowhere near enough.

It had a new catalyst about 18 months ago and garage and me are now down to thinking this must be the culprit. Does anyone think we’re right before I try to go down the warranty claim route for it? Not really sure what else it could be if not.

Similar problems were had with a friend's aygo manifold cat I replaced last year for him. The worn engine mounts and flexing of exhaust system caused the welds to split enough to throw off the emissions a bit on its mot so had to reweld the cheapest new catalytic converter we could find. Mot tester then warned us they only last 2 to 3 years when you buy cheap, to which we replied thats probably longer than the car will....
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Double questionez.

Two differents sizes of brake disc on the front for a car.

Mot fail?

Had a customer who had failed the mot on worn discs and pads but No mention of the fact they where two different sizes across the axle (Corsa 1.0 and Corsa 1.4) a fair size difference. He Had owned the car for a few years and never had it mentioned.

Wanted to return one disc and for me to sell him one smaller one. I refused and said I'm having nothing to do with it. Fix it properly or don't fix it at all.

Was I being a twat?

No! You were spot on, he is the twat for trying to save a few quid on brakes.
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Question to see if what I and the garage think is the issue or not...

My old 1995 Tipo has failed the MOT on emissions. We had issues last year but it just went through. This year it will not go below 0.36-0.6% with maximum allowable amount of 0.3%. Initially it was over 0.7%.

It’s had new plugs, leads, air filter, checks for air leaks and nothing seems to be wrong... it’s an early SPI 1.4ie so no complicated sensors and only one lambda (this reading seems fine on test). It’s had two doses of cat cleaner and a few ‘Italian tuneups’ which has brought it down but nowhere near enough.

It had a new catalyst about 18 months ago and garage and me are now down to thinking this must be the culprit. Does anyone think we’re right before I try to go down the warranty claim route for it? Not really sure what else it could be if not.

 

Clean the airflow sensor (s) with electrical contact cleaner, and clean the butterfly till it’s shiny.

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If a broken coil spring is an mot fail, why isn't a cut coil spring?

 

How could a tester tell one from t'other?

someone might have trimmed one coil from the end and its not obvious , vs a break in the middle of the spring allowing the broken ends to pierce the tyre and kill you?

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If a broken coil spring is an mot fail, why isn't a cut coil spring?

 

How could a tester tell one from t'other?

It is. It wasn't for a while around 2012 but cut springs and especially ones so cut they don't work as springs or can fall out of the cup are a fail.

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Just packed the Multipla with stuff for the tip and it's completely died on me. No lights, no cranking, nothing. It clicked when I turned the key initially, and had lights on on the dashboard.

Now it just won't do anything. Help?! Surely it can't be the battery?

 

Edit, it was the battery. Wtf.

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Brake fluid

 

Does anyone actually change it every 2 years? In the past I've simply bled when replacing calipers/lines etc and ignored it otherwise (Probably not ideal, I'm not proud)

 

Now I'm in possession of a Sealey pressure bleeder I'm tempted to do the whole fleet, and yet simultaneously reluctant as the brakes are all working well and I hate stripping bleed nipples and the ball-ache involved with that.

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Brake fluid

 

Does anyone actually change it every 2 years? In the past I've simply bled when replacing calipers/lines etc and ignored it otherwise (Probably not ideal, I'm not proud)

 

Now I'm in possession of a Sealey pressure bleeder I'm tempted to do the whole fleet, and yet simultaneously reluctant as the brakes are all working well and I hate stripping bleed nipples and the ball-ache involved with that.

No, I tested some that had been in 10 years a while back and it was still in spec. That’s to say the moisture levels weren’t at a rate it would boil.

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Upholstery question for you lovely lovely people (and anyone else who also wants to join in).

 

1989 VW caravelle, with cloth seats. The foam inside is somewhat degraded so as fast as I hoover it, more orange foam dust appears through the cloth. If I keep going, I will eventually end up with no foam left I think. 

 

Is there a way to stop this short of new foam/covers? 

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Yes - stop hoovering it.

 

Seriously though, it sounds like the foam has got to the 'dry and crumbly' stage, and I'm not aware of any magic potions that claim to restore it.  Taking the seats apart to replace the foam will be a right pita, assuming you can even get new foams, so the best solution is probably to fit some period seat covers.  The oddly baggy, coarse feeling, brown tartan ones were a popular choice at the time.

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Crank (timing) pulley is the only thing stopping me getting the cam belt changed on the corolla. Is it a normal "lefty-loosey-righty-tighty" or left handed thread. HBOL says nothing, so I want to make sure before I get the breaker bar on it.

It will be, because a left hand thread would make no sense on an engine that spins clockwise.

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