Ask a Shiter

[AlabamaShrimp]

My bet on the reving up would be a damaged rubber hose on the intake side which opens up with engine movement. The second photo showing the clip, insert screwdriver and twist and it should pop off however unless you have the special tool it will never go back on; best replaced with a standard jubillee clip.

Thanks I'll get some jubilee clips ordered. I think it's to do with that split hose too and then crap getting into something.

 

Tried to get the hose before but Ford only do it as a giant chunk of plastic that costs a fortune.

[twosmoke300]

You can flip those clips open with an electrical ( small ) screwdriver and re clip them with a pair of pincers .

[twosmoke300]

Oh and the foam is a breather filter and decent air filters come with a new one included .

[AlabamaShrimp]

Opened it with a screwdriver but I couldn't find the right pliers so I've left it undone. The other end was only a cable tie which I had to break.

[Matt]

Tyres!

 

How heavily can you rely on tyre ratings? I've got a set of alloys to go on my car and with 155/70 R13's being dead cheap I might as well go for the best. The reason that I'm asking is because the Goodyear Efficientgrip Compact and Dunlop Street Response 2 both have fuel efficiency C, wet grip B and 68 dB. Maybe it's marketing bollocks or I might even be making it up in my head but I've always thought that Michelin were considered top dog yet the E3B is fuel efficiency F and 2 dB louder too. My mother swears by them as she got 25k miles out of the front set of Michelin's on her old Laguna Tourer. The latter being Anyone able to weigh in on this one?

 

TL;DR

Are tyre ratings bollocks and are Michelin E3B's £30 more expensive purely because brand name?

[scdan4]

I seem to have volunteered to change the clutch on my mega skint friends pug 406 hdi90. I've never done a clutch before, so am sure that much hilarity* will ensue.

 

It's started juddering in first, much more pronounced when cold. I couldn't make it slip  (whilst bedding in the handbrake shoes that i'd just replaced, while camping, on the campsite. Not sure if that's resourceful or pikey as fuck)

 

Are there any common causes of judder on these? I'm assuming that at near 200K the second, or third clutch has gone, but assumption is the total of my diagnosis. I have a history of missing the wood for the trees as it were.

 

There is a good guide on the 406oc, which I have to say is about as useful a model specific forum as i've stumbled across. It's for the v6, but there is plenty of discussion as to the differences for the diesels so am hopeful. (Fool that I am)

 

Any handy hints or insights welcomed.

 

Got an AP kit coming, anything else i should absolutely do whilst i'm there?

 

thanks all. 

[scdan4]

Tyres!

 

How heavily can you rely on tyre ratings? I've got a set of alloys to go on my car and with 155/70 R13's being dead cheap I might as well go for the best. The reason that I'm asking is because the Goodyear Efficientgrip Compact and Dunlop Street Response 2 both have fuel efficiency C, wet grip B and 68 dB. Maybe it's marketing bollocks or I might even be making it up in my head but I've always thought that Michelin were considered top dog yet the E3B is fuel efficiency F and 2 dB louder too. My mother swears by them as she got 25k miles out of the front set of Michelin's on her old Laguna Tourer. The latter being Anyone able to weigh in on this one?

 

TL;DR

Are tyre ratings bollocks and are Michelin E3B's £30 more expensive purely because brand name?

 

If it's gripping the road harder it's going to offer more rolling resistance, hence be louder and use more fuel. (i would guess). what is the wet grip on the e3bs?

 

I bet the difference between a and c is tiny. But i try to only buy wet grip a or b rated.

[Matt]

If it's gripping the road harder it's going to offer more rolling resistance, hence be louder and use more fuel. (i would guess). what is the wet grip on the e3bs?

 

I bet the difference between a and c is tiny. But i try to only buy wet grip a or b rated.

 

Wet grip is the same on all three, B. I'm not seeing any A rated wet grips in the size I need (because not race car).

[twosmoke300]

Get a new thrust bearing guide sleeve first - it will be buggered . Also I'd change the drive shaft oil seals while it's out too . They love to leak once they have been disturbed . The os drive shaft centre bearing is held in by two bolts with an offset head - undo the two 11mm nuts until the bolts rotate enough to realise the bearing.

The crank sensor lives right under the coolant housing and its wise to remove this before taking the box out incase you damage it . It's on a 10mm stepped bolt that only needs to be slackened and the sensor twists and lifts out .

Gear linkage rods are a twat - be aware that some use rubber mountings on the balls and they love to break . Try and twist off with an adjustable spanner of pry off carefully . Good luck

[dave21478]

Tyres!

 

How heavily can you rely on tyre ratings? I've got a set of alloys to go on my car and with 155/70 R13's being dead cheap I might as well go for the best. The reason that I'm asking is because the Goodyear Efficientgrip Compact and Dunlop Street Response 2 both have fuel efficiency C, wet grip B and 68 dB. Maybe it's marketing bollocks or I might even be making it up in my head but I've always thought that Michelin were considered top dog yet the E3B is fuel efficiency F and 2 dB louder too. My mother swears by them as she got 25k miles out of the front set of Michelin's on her old Laguna Tourer. The latter being Anyone able to weigh in on this one?

 

TL;DR

Are tyre ratings bollocks and are Michelin E3B's £30 more expensive purely because brand name?

 

I have read that the manufacturers give their own tyres the ratings and there is no independant testing or verification......

Makes you wonder about all the cheapie brands giving their own stuff F ratings.

 

I personally dont even look at the fuel efficiency ratings as I doubt there is any real-world difference between any of them. A slightly sticky caliper or low tyre pressures will have a massively bigger impact than brand or tread pattern.

[Rod/b]

What happened to FOAD's Alto thread?

[SiC]

Tyres!

 

How heavily can you rely on tyre ratings? I've got a set of alloys to go on my car and with 155/70 R13's being dead cheap I might as well go for the best. The reason that I'm asking is because the Goodyear Efficientgrip Compact and Dunlop Street Response 2 both have fuel efficiency C, wet grip B and 68 dB. Maybe it's marketing bollocks or I might even be making it up in my head but I've always thought that Michelin were considered top dog yet the E3B is fuel efficiency F and 2 dB louder too. My mother swears by them as she got 25k miles out of the front set of Michelin's on her old Laguna Tourer. The latter being Anyone able to weigh in on this one?

 

TL;DR

Are tyre ratings bollocks and are Michelin E3B's £30 more expensive purely because brand name?

I've recently gone for Dunlop's and Goodyear's (same company and probably same moulds - hence same ratings) because they've been the quietest tyres I've seen. Nowadays I prioritise silence amd wet grip over fuel efficiency. The noise in the cabin from most modern cars, especially at motorway speeds is from tyres.

[Matt]

I have read that the manufacturers give their own tyres the ratings and there is no independant testing or verification......

 

Interesting, if that is actually the case then the Goodyear may be the one to go for as it is apparently a multi award winner (although the others may not have been judged)  not to mention that it's what I've already got and they've been great. Still tempted by the Dunlops for the sake of trying them though and the price difference is the kind of change you can loose down the side of your car seat.

 

 

(same company and probably same moulds - hence same ratings)

 

I didn't know that and looking at them they are very, very similar.

 

Dunlop:

 

Goodyear:

[The Moog]

This. We had a complaint so have removed it.

What happened to FOAD's Alto thread?

Read upwards

[DeeJay]

What has happened to xtriple?

[stephen01]

Regarding tyres, I had a couple of the uniroyal rainsport, they seem well regarded here, I've found them to wear out very quickly so far I've got about 3.5k on them and I'll be lucky to get another 3-4K out of them.

[5speedracer]

Just fitted a pair as you say they're well thought of, ok price too. Time will tell, 60 mile commute in an auto so not too hard on tyres.

[cobblers]

Regarding tyres, I had a couple of the uniroyal rainsport, they seem well regarded here, I've found them to wear out very quickly so far I've got about 3.5k on them and I'll be lucky to get another 3-4K out of them.

Yeah, I stuck a set on the other halfs 1.2 fiat 500 and the fronts were dead after 8k. Rears are still like new though so I just got a new pair for the front. They're good tyres other than not lasting very long, I recommend them to anyone.

[Timewaster]

What has happened to xtriple?

Like an old oak table.

[HH-R]

Is clutch judder anything to worry about? My car does it when it's a cold/damp morning for the first mile or so, though oddly doesn't do it straight away - it does it between about 0.5-1 mile into the journey then never again.

 

It also grinds going into 2nd if when I'm pulling out of my street, then sometimes does one grind into 3rd at about the 1 mile mark. The grind into 3rd feels more like a reluctant linkage on the gearstick end rather than the actual gears and I can drive round the grind into 2nd.

 

Other than that it's absolutely fine in all gears for the rest of the journey. I had the box oil changed at 45k to try and cure it but it's the same now (64k). I'm still deciding whether to sack it off and get something else.

[mrbenn]

Astra H - are all the autoboxes fitted to these made of chocolate, or is it just certain types? I have in my head that there are two different auto's on these but that could have been a dream.

[steveo3002]

Is clutch judder anything to worry about? My car does it when it's a cold/damp morning for the first mile or so, though oddly doesn't do it straight away - it does it between about 0.5-1 mile into the journey then never again.

 

It also grinds going into 2nd if when I'm pulling out of my street, then sometimes does one grind into 3rd at about the 1 mile mark. The grind into 3rd feels more like a reluctant linkage on the gearstick end rather than the actual gears and I can drive round the grind into 2nd.

 

Other than that it's absolutely fine in all gears for the rest of the journey. I had the box oil changed at 45k to try and cure it but it's the same now (64k). I'm still deciding whether to sack it off and get something else.

 

mines done the clutch judder first pull away for like 18 years lol 

 

the grind might go away if you refill the box with a good quality modern fully syth oil , older oils can be thick until the cars done a few miles causing the grind...although sounds like the syncro is worn , so take those first few changes carefully to prolong its life

[Rusty_Rocket]

Astra H - are all the autoboxes fitted to these made of chocolate, or is it just certain types? I have in my head that there are two different auto's on these but that could have been a dream.

One is certainly an automated manual, called Easytronic.  Like all of these types, I'd avoid it.  My brother had one for years, it was 'ok ish' but when the clutch finally gave up, it refused to even drag itself away from the lights.

The difference is, if it were a manual, the driver would have noticed a problem months beforehand and had the thing fixed.

Didn't the better spec'd cars have the option of a proper ZF autobox?

[Guest Hooli]

Is clutch judder anything to worry about? My car does it when it's a cold/damp morning for the first mile or so, though oddly doesn't do it straight away - it does it between about 0.5-1 mile into the journey then never again.

 

It also grinds going into 2nd if when I'm pulling out of my street, then sometimes does one grind into 3rd at about the 1 mile mark. The grind into 3rd feels more like a reluctant linkage on the gearstick end rather than the actual gears and I can drive round the grind into 2nd.

 

Other than that it's absolutely fine in all gears for the rest of the journey. I had the box oil changed at 45k to try and cure it but it's the same now (64k). I'm still deciding whether to sack it off and get something else.

 

Sounds more like a contaminated clutch than a gearbox issue. Does it use any oil? I'm thinking of a weeping rear main seal dripping oil on the clutch.

[scdan4]

Get a new thrust bearing guide sleeve first - it will be buggered . Also I'd change the drive shaft oil seals while it's out too . They love to leak once they have been disturbed . The os drive shaft centre bearing is held in by two bolts with an offset head - undo the two 11mm nuts until the bolts rotate enough to realise the bearing.

The crank sensor lives right under the coolant housing and its wise to remove this before taking the box out incase you damage it . It's on a 10mm stepped bolt that only needs to be slackened and the sensor twists and lifts out .

Gear linkage rods are a twat - be aware that some use rubber mountings on the balls and they love to break . Try and twist off with an adjustable spanner of pry off carefully . Good luck

Sounds like you have done that once or twice before! Many thanks, points duly noted and seals and bearing sleeve added to order.

 

Have met the dog bone links of doom on this before. The Peugeot Breaker in Bristol has tubs of them, but is a nightmare to get to. Buried in Brislington. I'll be gentle. They're NLA new amazingly! It's an 03 reg.

 

Is there a cheat for aligning the clutch plate or do I have to buy yet another tool that I'll likely use once only.

 

Again, Many thanks for this.

[Kiltox]

One is certainly an automated manual, called Easytronic. Like all of these types, I'd avoid it. My brother had one for years, it was 'ok ish' but when the clutch finally gave up, it refused to even drag itself away from the lights.

The difference is, if it were a manual, the driver would have noticed a problem months beforehand and had the thing fixed.

Didn't the better spec'd cars have the option of a proper ZF autobox?

1.6 is easybollox - 1.8 is a "proper" auto AFAIK

[twosmoke300]

Valeo clutches used to come with a plastic alignment tool but I don't know if they still do .

You can do it by eye but if it's your first time and it's on the floor I'd get one of the cheap plastic expanding tools . My draper one must have done 100 clutches by now

[doug]

I have a Flickr account with loads of old cars/motorcycle pics but have noticed that lately they have been "faved" by loads of young wimmen. Now I am sure they are not in the least interested in my photos of old motorcycle indicators for example so why do they "fave" them?

[DeeJay]

It's not your mates taking the piss is it?

[Squirrel2]

Is clutch judder anything to worry about? My car does it when it's a cold/damp morning for the first mile or so, though oddly doesn't do it straight away - it does it between about 0.5-1 mile into the journey then never again.

 

It also grinds going into 2nd if when I'm pulling out of my street, then sometimes does one grind into 3rd at about the 1 mile mark. The grind into 3rd feels more like a reluctant linkage on the gearstick end rather than the actual gears and I can drive round the grind into 2nd.

 

Other than that it's absolutely fine in all gears for the rest of the journey. I had the box oil changed at 45k to try and cure it but it's the same now (64k). I'm still deciding whether to sack it off and get something else.

I had a Renault 16 that did this - judder when cold and then some clutch 'drag' when hot making gear changes 'crunchy'. Got to me in the end and found it was a tiny amount of gearbox oil migrating along the first motion shaft and getting into the linings. Spraying a bit of methylated spirits into bell housing to 'wash' the clutch improved it for a while...

 

Squirrel2