Ask a Shiter

[tooSavvy]

I always considered the 'Running In' as something essential on those cars manufactured 'back in the day' (say.. pre 1960?)

 

The engine blocks were bored with a spinning cutter and the piston rings might smash if ragged up & down the bore (it being like a gramophone groove spiral finish)....

 

Later, car manufacturers designed the block with 'clear way' top to bottom (crank web casting didn't intrude into the line of the bores) and began to 'hi-speed' broach the bores... this is very quick/accurate + all tooling marks are vertical to the piston stroke = no piston ring issues.

 

I may be rongg.... 

 

 

TS

[somewhatfoolish]

The machining tolerances are closer and finish quality of engine parts are far better than they were 50 years ago, but running in is still necessary if the longest service is to be gained; ensure that the engine is fully warm by driving the first couple of miles gently, thereafter accelerating briskly through the gears, not dwelling at a constant speed or throttle but coasting(or braking) and accelerating(briskly) in a manner likely to infuriate anyone stuck behind you. The objective is to encourage the piston rings to bed in, the gas pressure in the combustion chamber is what creates the ring seal and it is greatest under acceleration; more gas pressure = more ring seal force = quicker(and arguably better) ring bedding-in. The lack of constant speed/throttle allows the various bits a breather between bouts of acceleration in which to cool down. Modern cylinder bores are invariably cross-honed after being bored out. Unless specified by the manufacturer, do not use synthetic oil during the run-in as you'll be changing it well before you get any of the benefits of synthetic oil = money down the drain into the waste oil tank at the council tip. Cheapo ASDA dinosaur oil will suffice for the first ~500 miles.

[Cavcraft]

That question again, soz...

 

 

TIA M8s

[Noel Tidybeard]

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?

 

the newer version of the michelin primacy that were on the spaceship are rated now as E-B-B- i'm sure they were F-B-E before

the uniroyal rain expert 3 now fitted are rated as C-A-B and the fuel economy has got better and road noise is better- so no i dont think the ratings are complete bollox

[twosmoke300]

Lucas

[bub2006]

Priming bulb? Lucas pump? Alternator belt looks worn?

[Cavcraft]

Bollocks.

 

Thanks, gents.

[bub2006]

Was that bollocks referred to my wholeheartedly kind gestured response mr craft?!

[beko1987]

One of our current loveable country scamp visitors in thame threw a bottle at someone from a car, and the reg got put up on facebook. No tax or test obv, although it has insurance but this mot advisory interested me...

 

Registration number: PF09LDZ

Get MOT reminders by email

Vehicle makeFORD Vehicle modelMONDEO Date first used10 July 2009 Fuel typeDiesel ColourBlack

 

MOT history of this vehicle

Test date12 July 2016 Expiry date11 July 2017 Test ResultPass Odometer reading169,453 miles MOT test number1987 1207 7134 Advisory notice item(s)

Nearside Outer sill damaged but not holed

Offside Front Bumper and wing damaged

Rear Brake pad(s) wearing thin (3.5.1g)

No emissions produced on test

 

How is 'no emissions produced on test' on there? Does that mean the bribe wasn't big enough?

[twosmoke300]

Some of the dpf equipped modern diesels don't smoke enough to trigger the smoke tester into thinking it's reading .

[beko1987]

Aaah. That makes sense then

[egg]

Is buying a cambelt kit without new bolts an issue?

[stephen01]

If I wanted to watch the upcoming fight between Mayweather & McGregor while in France, how would be the best was of doing it? we don't mind paying for it but don't want to buy it only for Sky to scramble the signal when it realises it's playing in France. we have a sling box so could happily purchase on sky sports at home and the stream it to us in france, have an I phone, but apple have disabled airpaly and 3 of us around a 4 inch screen is not what I'm going for, I'll also have my have my laptop (surface) with extra HDMI cable for putting on big screen.  I assume someone in france has won the rights to show this but can't find out. 

[twosmoke300]

I

 

Is buying a cambelt kit without new bolts an issue?

 

If its for a vag group car then yes - they seem to not have the engineering skill to produce a fastener that will last more than one use .

 

I wouldnt advise reusing bolts on any of the more modern free floating cam/ crank pulley ( ie no key ways) type engines

[Anthony]

Yesterday when I fitted the new washer pump for the rear wash wipe, I kept testing it by forcing it to work on the rear. Rear wiper was moving happily for ages. Weirdly, a few minutes later I tried just the wiper on it's own, refused to move. Washer pump activates when I try the rear wash, but wiper doesn't. Is it going to be a fuse?

Fuse or relay (if it has one) would be best place to start. Guess it's possible you've killed the motor if you'd had it running ages and it was already on its last legs.

[Anthony]

Is a 7 pin trailer socket on a towbar that is firmly attached and the socket itself in good order, but has the wiring disconnected, an MOT failure?

 

Looking at section 1.9 of the MOT manual it would appear not judging by the towbar specific points 3 and 4, but not clear if it would fail under section 2.

 

I guess I should really pull my finger out and fit and wire up the new socket I've had for weeks, but life is getting in the way and I doubt I'll have time before the MOT later this month.

[Guest Hooli]

Fine I think. As far as I know only the new Euro 13-pin plugs get tested.

[Fat_Pirate]

Do you reckon these upper wishbone bushes on my XJ6 will pass a MOT?  The rubber is fine but the metal shrouds are heavily corroded.

All 4 are like it:

[scdan4]

Are industrial paint thinners is ok to wash a windscreen with?

 

There's a screen with creosote speckled all over it that I've been asked to fix.

 

Old tea shirt, thinners (on glass only), rub like billyo is my plan.

[Mally]

Are industrial paint thinners is ok to wash a windscreen with?

 

There's a screen with creosote speckled all over it that I've been asked to fix.

 

Old tea shirt, thinners (on glass only), rub like billyo is my plan.

 

I would try Autoglym intense tar remover first, less chance of damaging anything else.

Thinners will probably work, but only a small amount on a cloth and wipe any runs off.

[Mally]

Is a 7 pin trailer socket on a towbar that is firmly attached and the socket itself in good order, but has the wiring disconnected, an MOT failure?

 

Looking at section 1.9 of the MOT manual it would appear not judging by the towbar specific points 3 and 4, but not clear if it would fail under section 2.

 

I guess I should really pull my finger out and fit and wire up the new socket I've had for weeks, but life is getting in the way and I doubt I'll have time before the MOT later this month.

 

I'd just take the ball and socket off.

[DSdriver]

Are industrial paint thinners is ok to wash a windscreen with?

 

There's a screen with creosote speckled all over it that I've been asked to fix.

 

Old tea shirt, thinners (on glass only), rub like billyo is my plan.

Normal glass cleaner and finest grade wire wool: 0000 grade. Make sure you wash off all the wire wool residue from the gutters/paintwork else rust spots.

If that doesn't work use wire wool and Solvall Spotter

[steveo3002]

can also try a new razor blade on glass as long as the screen is clean from grit etc

[egg]

can also try a new razor blade on glass as long as the screen is clean from grit etc

This worked well for me on recommendation by Fordperv, I used it for sticker removal from the screen...

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GLASS-amp-CERAMIC-HOB-SCRAPER-KNIFE-CLEANER-amp-10-SPARE-BLADES-/142132759230

[FakeConcern]

Today I saw 2 police cars both Focus Estates one 15 reg and the other 65 reg and neither had any lights at all showing, as in no DRLs. I thought they became law in 2011 or 2012, so how could this be?

[Pillock]

I would think the police turning them off is a bit daft. If they had a crash and they'd deliberately made their car harder to see, they'd surely be more at fault?

[Noel Tidybeard]

turned off to be discrete

 

hard to be discrete with a visting doctor with fecking drls that cant be disabled- thanks vw

 

in the polo handbook it says to disable drl u need to pull fuse- then they won't tell u which one!

[Matt]

On the subject of lights, why do we still have sidelights now that DRLs are mandatory? My mums '11 V50 blew one for the first time recently but when the DRL laws came about Volvo just made the dipped beam come on with the ignition instead of installing some LED's which just shows how hilariously dim the sidelights are.

 

The upshot of this is that when turning the headlights on proper it causes the headlights to go:

Dipped beam + sidelights

Sidelights only

Dipped beam + sidelights (but now with the rear lights on).

[adw1977]

On the subject of lights, why do we still have sidelights now that DRLs are mandatory? My mums '11 V50 blew one for the first time recently but when the DRL laws came about Volvo just made the dipped beam come on with the ignition instead of installing some LED's which just shows how hilariously dim the sidelights are.

 

The upshot of this is that when turning the headlights on proper it causes the headlights to go:

Dipped beam + sidelights

Sidelights only

Dipped beam + sidelights (but now with the rear lights on).

My 57 reg Volvo has that set up.

I switch it to the middle (sidelights only) position whenever I drive it in daylight.

[Ghosty]

I never thought I'd have a car with DRLs, but now I have a Volvo... still I like the glow of them being actual bulbs and not LEDs.

The mother's 58 plate Bini has DRLs that are just the side lights, down low in the unit shared with the fog lights. You can turn them off in the speedo's settings menu, and off they are.

The 60 plate facelift Bini she had didn't have DRLs at all - I think the DRL programming was part of EfficientDynamics that the autos didn't get, as every other facelift Bini I saw has had them on.