Ask a Shiter

[spike60]

It was the exhaust connector that got me, I wasn't even using that but some helpful soul clipped it on. Made worse because it was my own car.....

[skattrd]

Was the Rover L-series ever supplied in a car with an automatic gearbox?

[Lacquer Peel]

I don't think so.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Me neither. I bet you could persuade a Rover 820 auto box to join onto one but god knows what it would drive like.

[skattrd]

I didn't think so either, but I want another automatic diesel and an L-series is on my list of motors to own. I was hoping there was something I'd missed.

[Station]

Would advancing the timing (until the exhaust smelt a bit petrolly) cause an engine to overheat?

I think I advanced it a little too much, and my S.I.L. (who has had the car for a day) said it's hissing and steam is coming from it.

 

You may remember my brother (who is married to my S.I.L.) borrowed the Nippa for the day and destroyed the engine. And I also said she would knacker the car and I'd be left with a knackered car for my troubles.

[andy18s]

Yes.too much advance leads to pinking/detonation and mucho heat

[jonathan_dyane]

And melted pistons

[HH-R]

I see at least 7 or 8 VOXULLS a week with the windscreen wipers parked half way up their travel when on the move, I thought it was just a Corsa and Ashtray thing but today saw an Agila and a Vivaro.

 

Is there some sort of OMG RATLUK STYLIN' reason or is the usual ALL VOXULS R...?

[Tayne]

Was the Rover L-series ever supplied in a car with an automatic gearbox?

 

It was fitted in the mk1 Freelanders for a while so perhaps you can find one of those with an auto box.

 

WCPGW?

[Station]

OK, thanks on the pinking thing.

 

Another question - why did MGF's come with oil temperature gauges as standard?

[The Moog]

With pug 405 does the washer spray bar go at the top or bottom of the wiper?

 

Does it spray then wipe or wipe and then spray?

[Station]

It goes on the top! It sprays as soon as you pull the stalk.

[cort16]

What's the criteria for a bike needing registration and insurance? You see a lot of electric push bikes and little scooters on the go with no registration yet some of the bigger electric scooters do. The mopeds with the 50cc motors and pedals seem to require registration so why are the elecy bikes not the same.

Some of them can get up to 50cc Scooter speeds.

[The Moog]

Cheers Station. Got cheap wiper blades so need to swap them over.

[Pillock]

OK, thanks on the pinking thing.

 

Another question - why did MGF's come with oil temperature gauges as standard?

Because it looks sporty, but is easier to run a temp sensor than a pressure sensor?

Annoyingly they run from 60 to 170° but a decent, average temperature is probably 90° or so. This frustrates me as it means the needle doesn't sit in the middle during normal temperature - in fact it barely moves.

[cobblers]

Pressure guages can scare people, hence why mazda ran them for a couple of years on MX5s then replaced the sender with a switch and a resistor, so they just read "medium" all the time unless there is actually no pressure at all.

They got loads of complaints when people would thrash the gizzards off their car til the oil was stinking hot then go back to the dealers complaining that they had medium/low pressure on idle.

[Richard]

What's the criteria for a bike needing registration and insurance? You see a lot of electric push bikes and little scooters on the go with no registration yet some of the bigger electric scooters do. The mopeds with the 50cc motors and pedals seem to require registration so why are the elecy bikes not the same.

Some of them can get up to 50cc Scooter speeds.

 

There's a limit to the top speed you can have without being registered. I think it's 4mph for mobility scooters and it's something like 15mph for electric bikes.

[philibusmo]

I'm about to sell my Avantime. It's a 3.0 V6 Manual in great overall condition and everything bar the CD player working perfectly with 12 months MOT.

 

Now it is not far of needing the cam belt doing, and I have looked into how to do it and it doesn't look like too murderous a job. With a weekends work I recon I could get it done with about £250 worth of parts and locking tools - but is it worth it? Will this make it worth more than £250 than it is currently?

 

[Spiny Norman]

Might not make it 'worth' more but it''ll make it easier to sell I reckon.
If a punter sees a cambelt needs doing on one of those he'll phone up his local garage who won't want the job, or worse still a Renault dealer and get quoted ££££MEGACOIN for the job, which they'll then try and chip off the asking price.

It's what I'd do.

[cort16]

If you can do the cam belt do it. Much, much more sellable that's what everyone looks for when buying one. Do you recon you can do it with ted engine in?

[saucedoctor]

Book time is 11 hours! Fuck me pink.

[Lacy]

There's a limit to the top speed you can have without being registered. I think it's 4mph for mobility scooters and it's something like 15mph for electric bikes.

 

Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983

A bicycle with a kerbside weight not exceeding 40kg (60kg tandem or tricycle), fitted with pedals by which it can be propelled, fitted with an electric motor (and no other motor) of rated output not exceeding 0.2kW (0.25kW tandem or tricycle) with a plate detailing output - motor cuts out above 15mph.

Section 32 Road Traffic Act 1988 - level 2 fine - summary offence

It is an offence for a person under the age of 14 years, or knowing or suspecting that a person is under the age of 14 years to cause or permit him, to drive an electrically assisted pedal cycle on a road.

[philibusmo]

If you can do the cam belt do it. Much, much more sellable that's what everyone looks for when buying one. Do you recon you can do it with ted engine in?

 

I've seen a couple of reports of people changing it with the engine in, although the official way of doing it is an engine out job. Having a look at it, it does look possible if a couple of plastic panels are removed from around the drivers side front wheel well, followed by the engine mount and the wiper motor, even then it will still be pretty tight.. I will need to get it up pretty high, so probably drive it up on ramps and then try and jack it up a bit further.

 

With all this I suspect it would take around the 8-9 hour mark - so I'm just not quite certain yet if it is worth that much hassle to me.

[cort16]

You can do the 2.0 with the engine in through the wheel arch.

 

Apparantly these guys can do it with the engine in.

 

http://www.ren-tech.co.uk/main.htm

 

I'd give them a buzz and get a price for the cambelt change then you can say to any prospective buyer it's going to cost X to do. Anyone who's going to want to buy it will know the cambelt is a bastard and it's the first thing they'll ask. I'm going to guess £700

[mat_the_cat]

If you do the belt, get some photos as proof for the buyer (maybe with a recent newspaper) as anyone can buy a belt and *say* they've changed it...

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I would defo do it if you can, even if it costs £250 and takes all weekend. Its the first thing any potential buyer is going to ask. Whether it will make a £250+ impact on the sale price is anyone's guess, but a lot of buyers will immediately switch off if they have to even think about it, so you will defo greatly increase your chances of a sale at whatever price.

[phil_lihp]

Agreed, won't necessarily add a lot of value but it will make it so much easier to sell - put it this way, if someone's trying to chose between yours and another similar one with the cambelt due or of unknown age, yours will be much more appealing.  It's scrubbed up well!  Did changing the track rod ends work?

[cort16]

I imagine it's a total bastard of a job. They suggest you change the spark plugs at the same time as having the engine out is the only easy way to change the plugs on the rear bank.

This must mean access is tight with the engine in. And Renault wonders why no-one bought them.

 

Alternatively just chop off the front end with a grinder and weld on that Princess front end Vulgangles got - Princesstime

[Asimo]

Transverse V engines are just wrong.