Ask a Shiter

[spike60]

The clutch pedal in my 6N Polo is a right pain to use when the car has properly warmed up after 20 or so miles of driving. It gets stiff and creaky, and gets worse the more you drive. Perfectly fine when the car is stone dead cold. I tried spraying some oil on the linkage on the gearbox itself, it hasn't made much of a difference. Am I right to guess that it needs a new clutch?

A couple of years back I bought a 6n2 1.4 Tdi which had a £71 clutch pedal fitted the day before, after a day or to it dawned on me the clutch was just too heavy so would snap again. Easy and reasonable cheap fix, after doing it was as light as the throttle. Stil in use as a daily 20k miles later.

[fairkens]

How long does it take a car to properly warm up? Always assumed that it is nothing to do with hot air coming out of the vents but any other indicators?

[scaryoldcortina]

Do you still get issued with an mot cert? Left the garage the other night with just a receipt.

 

The certificate is a reciept now - it hasn't been proof of anything since they started with plain paper printing, it's just your copy of a record entered onto the MOT computer system, and you don't need to produce it to tax the car any more anyway.

 

Also, I can do duplicates from home and email them to you.

[Lacquer Peel]

On VW's with the back to front flywheel/clutch, the pedal gets really heavy when the clutch wears- this is what mainly causes the bulkhead issues, older gti's and Scirocco's were terrible for it and it happened long before the clutch would slip.. Moderner VW's just bust the plastic retaining clip at the top of the pedal

 

Speaking of VAG clutch issues, on my 2004 Caddy (last of the Mk2 shape) there's a judder at idle sometimes but it isn't the engine, could it be the clutch and/or flywheel? I don't think it has a DMF but I might be wrong.

[steve_earwig]

How long does it take a car to properly warm up? Always assumed that it is nothing to do with hot air coming out of the vents but any other indicators?

Apart from the temperature gauge? You're right about the heater, this is usually piped off before the thermostat so not dependant on this opening and often heated by other means (EGR, electrickery, thermos etc.) so it gets hot before the rest of the engine does. Even the temp gauge doesn't tell you the full story, it's only telling you it's hot where the sender is, the sump could still be stone cold. An oil temperature gauge is probably a more accurate way of telling but not by much.

 

But then you said "car", how long does it take the gearbox to get to it's desired temperature? And what about the diff? Plus this will all depend on ambient temperature and what these components are made of (cast iron vs. alloy or whatever).

 

I'm beginning to think the answer to your question is "forever"

[RayMK]

How long does it take a car to properly warm up? Always assumed that it is nothing to do with hot air coming out of the vents but any other indicators?

There's a huge variation in warm-up time, depending on conditions, make and model, state of repair and whether you simply start it and wait or start and drive off.  Most car engines will warm through in about 15 minutes after a cold (degC) start.  Some will have warm air from the vents after just a minute or two but the engine will take a while longer because it has thermal mass.  A temperature gauge if fitted is a reasonable indicator of engine temperature, as is the ability to tick over and pull cleanly without choke (manual).  Auto choke will show a drop in revs when the engine reaches a certain temperature.  Transmission will take at least 30 minutes to warm through if just idling.   As examples, my son's new Suzuki Alto cleared its screen within about 5 minutes if simply started and idled. My Mitsubishi 660cc i car used to take at least 15 minutes.  My 1988 Hyundai Stellar takes at least 10 minutes.  Things happen more quickly when driving (again there's variation according to the type of driving) but my Stellar will take 15 miles or more to warm thoroughly and some autoboxes will be jerky until warm.   The question is akin to 'How long is a piece of string?' .

[gordonbennet]

Presumably the way the pillock down the road used to thrash the living daylights out of his poor bloody Transit from an ice cold start they are warm instantly, should have been done for cruelty.

 

Mind you if you believed all the hype, seemingly swallowed wholesale, the new Gucci oils wear their underpants on the outside so no warm up necessary, nor cool down, and it lasts forever.

 

Agreed, it takes a good while to thoroughly warm a vehicle.

[Coprolalia]

Yo team,

Female work colleague has approached me about tyre issues.

She drives an 03 Freelander pez.

 

She did not take kindly to my "And it still runs?"

 

Money is tight. Both front tyres bald. Tyreleader has some up for £50 a go.

 

Will nuns and kittens die if she only does the front?

[Asimo]

The prop shaft to the rear may well have been removed already, why the fronts are bald, in which case replace fronts alone is ok. 

 

(If it has working all wheel drive then to keep it that way, a set of four please. Alternatively one new tyre on diagonally opposite corners, so that each axle has the same average rolling radius. But tell her not to be cheapskate about tyres.)

[skattrd]

DrJ - check ebay to see if there are any wheels with tyres available for it. I've done this many time, ended up with a set of wheels/tyres for a lot less than tyres. The set I got for my Umm included 2 new tyres and  paid £37 for a set of wheels. I paid similar for a set of wheels/tyres for the Toyota as well.

[andy18s]

Freelanders are fairly critical of only having 2 tyres swapped at 1 time.the difference in the rolling radius is enough to kill the IRD on the gearbox. ....

If she Has to get only 2,and can't get any as Skattrd has said then the new ones need to go on the back axle.

The rear has slightly different gearing to allow for steering at the pointy end ect.

The other 2 will need changing as soon as practical as any full time and should have all 4 done at the same time....

 

Not heard of that before SM, won't that just wind up the diffs?

[face]

What model are the Porsches that look a bit like one of Daft Punk's helmets?

 

Looks like a 911 but all angular and full of vents.

[sierraman]

How long does it take a car to properly warm up? Always assumed that it is nothing to do with hot air coming out of the vents but any other indicators?

Diesels will take longer than petrol but in this weather assuming you've not got heater bollock flat out, then I'd say a mile or two should see the temp gauge midway. Again some cars are old arses, I had a Mondeo ages ago, the 'right' temp for that was 1/3 of the way. The stat fitted to it was a cooler stat that opened early on. Swapped it for the hotter one and it got to mid way in about 2 miles.

[Asimo]

 

Not heard of that before SM, won't that just wind up the diffs?

 

Diagonal pairing does cause left / right wheels on the same axle to turn at different rates so those difs will do a bit more, but unless the axle diff is an lsd or a viscous controlled diff that won't matter.

What matters to the centre diff or to a Freelander's viscous coupling is that with an old and new tyre on each axle (but on opposite sides) the drive to front and rear is as balanced as with four matched tyres.

 

See http://www.bellengineering.co.uk/5.html 

[Urko]

4wd issues aside, tyre/safety beards tend to advocate putting newest on the rear (regardless of fwd or rwd) to avoid omg troy dab of oppo incidents, however this is of course trumped by the needs of chocolate IRDs

[Barry Cade]

What model are the Porsches that look a bit like one of Daft Punk's helmets?

 

Looks like a 911 but all angular and full of vents.

959?

 

[320touring]

Speaking of VAG clutch issues, on my 2004 Caddy (last of the Mk2 shape) there's a judder at idle sometimes but it isn't the engine, could it be the clutch and/or flywheel? I don't think it has a DMF but I might be wrong.

Assuming you have an ALH (1.9 90bhp tdi non pd) they came with a dmf.

 

they don't like big torque and can get grumbly. That said mine put up with 225ft/lb and failed to shart itself

[saucedoctor]

Don't tell him (s)pike!

[Sloth in a bowl]

What model are the Porsches that look a bit like one of Daft Punk's helmets?

 

Looks like a 911 but all angular and full of vents.

 

 

935? Late 70's / early 80's endurance racers

 

[Andrew353w]

How long does it take a car to properly warm up? Always assumed that it is nothing to do with hot air coming out of the vents but any other indicators?

 

"Properly" warm, as opposed to just nearly warm is an interesting question, particularly on a day like today! Generally a car would be properly warm when the thermostat opens and the coolant is running through the radiator, but waiting for this to happen can take ages. As a rough rule a car warms up more quickly when the engine is under load than when it's idling, so switch on & drive off and the car will warm up as it should. Not using the heater before the engine is warm can in some cases (depending on the way the heater matrix is plumbed) help the car warm up and don't forget that a sticking thermostat will make the whole process much more involved! Don't over-rev a cold engine, either; it does it no good and can strain it, as the oil may be not fully pumped round. A "ticking" sound on start up could mean the oil's not reached the hydraulic valves yet. 

 

As an example of how cold this morning was, at 5am I de-frosted the Citroën's windscreen with warm water, started & drove about a mile before the temperature gauge moved up to 60 deg C. I then put the heater onto full hot, but only 1st speed fan, which slowly warmed up the car's interior. After another mile the gauge showed 80 deg C, normal operating temperature for the Citroën and the heater became much warmer. Half an hour later I was at work, but the rear widow was still fully frosted over! I'd left the rear screen heater off to see how it would clear without it. 

[face]

I've worked it out - it's a 930 Flatnose:

 

[GrumpyCat]

Kia Sorento. Any good?

[Station]

935? Late 70's / early 80's endurance racers

 

I saw the road car it was based on (flatnose) when I was in Germany in 1990. My 13 year old Todger nearly cummed.

 

Absolutely cute and gorgeous.

 

[steve_earwig]

They should have backed it further away from the oil spot. Or would that be brake fluid there?

[saucedoctor]

Went to lob a new battery in the Shitröen of doom today. Turns out it's under the seat! Anyway, while I was looking for the battery under the bonnet, I spotted something that probably shouldn't be there. Can you spot what it is?

 

Question: is it the oil filler cap that's supposed to be there? Xsara Pickarsehole 2.0HDi 2003

 

Thanks all.

 

Edited for information purposes in case anyone comes across this in the future:

 

Despite there being an oil filler cap on the cam cover, due to access issues, there is actually supposed to be ANOTHER oil filler cap (top photo) where the errant Rover wheel centre is placed on the car I was looking at. I was in EAMF this morning and showed the photo to an "Oul Hand" who happened to be in the shop as well.

 

Every day a school day etc.

[Lacquer Peel]

Assuming you have an ALH (1.9 90bhp tdi non pd) they came with a dmf.

 

they don't like big torque and can get grumbly. That said mine put up with 225ft/lb and failed to shart itself

 

Yes it's an ALH engine. I think you're right, it does have a DMF. It just grumbles at idle sometimes, otherwise it's fine.

[steve_earwig]

20160217_123639.jpgWent to lob a new battery in the Shitröen of doom today. Turns out it's under the seat!

It's a Picasshole then.

Anyway, while I was looking for the battery under the bonnet, I spotted something that probably shouldn't be there. Can you spot what it is?

 

Question: is it the oil filler cap that's supposed to be there?

My first thought was "why has someone stuck an HDi into a Rover? Maybe for reasons of boilage."

 

Umm, there's already a filler cap on the cam cover, from memory there's nothing much there, just the pressure sensor on the fuel rail and I don't think they need a hat.

Xsara Pickarsehole 2.0HDi 2003

Ah.

[saucedoctor]

Thank you sir, much obliged.

[mat_the_cat]

"Properly" warm, as opposed to just nearly warm is an interesting question, particularly on a day like today! Generally a car would be properly warm when the thermostat opens and the coolant is running through the radiator, but waiting for this to happen can take ages.

 

It's interesting how much slower the oil takes to warm up than the coolant, and if you define 'properly' warm as the point at which everything has reached optimum temperature then probably best to judge it on that. The only vehicle I have with an oil temperature gauge is the BX, and that usually takes between 15 to 20 minutes for the gauge to reach the mid point. I'd say if I caned it from cold it would get there much sooner, but I don't like to until it's warm. On the other hand, at idle the oil temperature never even registers on the gauge!

[Lacquer Peel]

Yes it's an ALH engine. I think you're right, it does have a DMF. It just grumbles at idle sometimes, otherwise it's fine.

 

Further to this, will a juddering DMF last for a while?