Ask a Shiter

[sierraman]

Titanium bits(really Titanium Nitride coated) are just HSS underneath the coating, they sharpen exactly the same and will bore holes as before. The coating doesn't affect the ability to bore holes, it reduces friction which helps the drills stay sharp longer and looks fancy which helps sell them over plain old black HSS.

No need for Cobalt (not really made of cobalt, just a fancy type of high speed steel with 1-2% cobalt), unless you're trying to drill some very ooh-er bolts made of unobtanium ordinary HSS is quite adequate as long as they're sharp, you use the right speed and some lubricant. I sharpen by hand, but sharpeners will do what you need too, although from what I can gather it takes as much patience and practice to get a good result from a sharpener as doing it by hand.

That's great thanks. I'd seen those 99 pce drill bits for a tenner on eBay but I'd imagine the quality would be dire.

[Mally]

That's great thanks. I'd seen those 99 pce drill bits for a tenner on eBay but I'd imagine the quality would be dire.

 

Exactly what I thought.

The box is decent quality and well labeled.

I test drilled with a 3.2mm into steel tube 2.5mm thick. Mostly use that size for my pop rivets

6 holes in rapid succession were fine, drill still good and many other drills of the same and various other sizes.

What more can you ask for 10p each?

 

Others sell the drills without box for less. I may try them now I have a box.

[sierraman]

Thought they'd blunt really quickly. Might give them a go.

[cros]

Quick question for your assistance please - the dynamo whines like a bugger on the Oxford at low RPM, is there somewhere to lubricate on it? I've never had a car with one before.

The series 2 manual I have makes reference to doing this but doesn't provide specifics..

Ta!

As requested here's the regulator. I had it on the larger Lucas dynamo as it was on a lorry. Output was on the limit for the regulator but it performed well until the engine got replaced by a diesel which came with alternator. Other regulators are available or you can cobble something up using a diode and reg. from an alternator.

[FakeConcern]

My C4 VTS has been going into limp when under load at near maximum revs and after plugging into Diagbox/Lexia I got several codes all of which are ambiguous. One of these suggest air leak in the intake manifold. I have tried spraying easy start all around the throttle body, manifold and fanimold gasket to check for a change in revs indicating a leak (no change btw). Just thought before I rule this out I'd better check that easy start would do the trick as most people suggest carb cleaner (I didn't have any).

[Hendry]

Not used my car in about 6 weeks owing to a totally duff battery and use of another car, got a new battery yesterday and started using it again, went to drive off and could feel and hear all the brakes 'free off', however after driving the car the steering wheel was a bit juddery like the wheels were slightly out of balance or something but no other symptoms, didnt feel otherwise any different, anyway used the car for a good 60-odd miles yesterday, switched the engine off and could hear a metallic tap, tap, tap noise, got out to listen to see where it was coming from, kneeled down with my ear to the drivers front wheel area and suddenly my face felt like it was getting blasted by a hairdryer on hottest heat, touched the drivers wheel and it was really really hot to the touch, all other wheels not so, guessing ive a partially seized or binding front caliper, probably from lying for so long, because it wasnt like this before it was parked up due to fucked battery.

 

Question is will giving the caliper a thump with a lump hammer help any? and also will the car be ok to drive if its heating the wheel up to such a heat after about an hours driving? because I need the car and cant get it into a garage until next week what with new year etc. 

[Kiltox]

I wouldn’t keep driving it - potential to fuck up the discs, caliper, even wheel bearing depending on how hot it’s getting. Pads might be fucked already

[Hendry]

I wouldn’t keep driving it - potential to fuck up the discs, caliper, even wheel bearing depending on how hot it’s getting. Pads might be fucked already

 

What baffles me is earlier in the year I had a seized rear caliper, to the point it had wore away a good bit of the pad, and the disc was utterly shot as well, but there were no symptoms, no hot wheel, nothing else, I only discovered it when i put it in for a 4 wheel alignment and the guy doing it pointed it out.

 

This time it was just the tap tap tap which made me investigate the noise and just by chance felt the heat from it, it didnt feel like it was grabbing, or any funny noises, squeaks/squeals, anything to tell me it was seized on or any sluggishness or loss of power from having 1 corner of the car impaired by a force against oppositely against the motion of it. 

 

Not sure how its seized on the front from being parked up when obviously the front wheels arent braked when parked, not like rear brakes seizing on from the handbrake, am sort of hoping it just needs freed off, which is why I was thinking of smacking it with a lump hammer, like what we used to do to rear drum brakes on cars which had sat for ages and they had seized on. 

[twosmoke300]

Hammers don’t fix calipers !

 

Water has got past poor seals and corroded the piston in the bore or seized the sliders

[sierraman]

New caliper in other words so put the emery paper away.

[SiC]

Might be seized sliders too?

[DodgeRover]

Can you strip the caliper off and check it? It really wants taking apart and cleaning out along with new seals etc to be sure but pushing the piston back in then pumping it almost out - then pushing the seal back and cleaning what you can see may help in the short time.

[320touring]

On that note I've settled on Hankook Kinenergy Eco2 in 165/80/15 flavour.

 

Best I can find them is tyreleader at £47 a corner Inc delivery.

 

Anyone know anywhere that can beat that?

 

Cheers

[Hendry]

This is what makes me hate fuckin cars, especially older high mileage ones and fuckin shitty VAG stuff, always wanting fixed constantly, you sort 1 thing and then another thing goes.

 

I dont really want to shell out fortunes for another new caliper, moneys tight as it is and Id rather spend the money on something else after the absolute fortune ive spent on it recently. 

[SiC]

On that note I've settled on Hankook Kinenergy Eco2 in 165/80/15 flavour.

 

Best I can find them is tyreleader at £47 a corner Inc delivery.

 

Anyone know anywhere that can beat that?

 

Cheers

When I got the Barums, tyreleader were by far the cheapest. They did take a week to be delivered as they come from the continent.

[Des]

I bought some Hankooks a few years ago, decent enough tyre and that price seems fair, apparently they're made in Korea where that 15'' size is still quite common, try finding proper 16'' tyres and it's a couple of hundred a pop for ditchfinders. Check your valves if you're going tubeless, if they're a big size it might be tricky finding them.

[3VOM]

Confirm my diagnosis or give me another. Honda Jazz 1.4 losing coolant and throwing overheat warning light. No temp gauge. Heater doesn't seem to work too well either. I'm going for clogged heater or knackered thermostat. Any other known issues, like plastic impellers that fall off? Is it time to risk the dishwasher tablet?

[SiC]

Confirm my diagnosis or give me another. Honda Jazz 1.4 losing coolant and throwing overheat warning light. No temp gauge. Heater doesn't seem to work too well either. I'm going for clogged heater or knackered thermostat. Any other known issues, like plastic impellers that fall off? Is it time to risk the dishwasher tablet?

Hole in the pipe? My wife's grandmothers Jazz sprung a leak and emptied the container. It overheated and cooked the headgasket before she saw the warning light on. New gasket and pipe allowed her back on the road to be a menace once again.

[MorrisItalSLX]

A fault has arisen with the headlights on the Jag. The main beam is fine but when high beam is on the passenger side high beam does not work AND the normally functional passenger main beam stops working. Drivers side is functioning properly. Any ideas what could be wrong?

[Guest Hooli]

Fuse?

 

I think on the later ones at least hi-beam had a fuse per side.

[puddlethumper]

Why do stop solenoids break ? I've had 3 in 3 months !

As far as I can tell there is one moving part ffs.

Is it possible to mend them ? 

 

The only ones I can find are effin Lucas and they don't bloody fit mine.

[sierraman]

I've a leak into the car, albeit a mild one. Looked and cannot for the life of me find where its coming from. It puddles in a sunken channel bit that's under your feet. Save myself incessantly mopping it up, would drilling a hole in the floorpan to let the water out solve this so it doesn't puddle or am I likely to let more water in from underneath.

[DodgeRover]

Dusting talc about helps locate leaks - top tip gleaned from Vulgalor

[xtriple]

can you get 'brushable' acid etch primer? If so, where from? I only need a tiny bit (small blister on the alloy door needs eradicating and sorting before the door disolves into white powder on the floor).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hmm, 'white powder' wonder if I could sell it?

[SiC]

Could you spray some in the lid of the can and paint that on?

[sierraman]

Dusting talc about helps locate leaks - top tip gleaned from Vulgalor

I suspect its coming in round some dried out seam sealer behind the wings or the bulkhead, there's about an egg cup full every 3 days so its not a disaster, carpet not wet now, if its forecast rain I leave it raised slightly.

 

Can't be arsed with taking the wings off and where its probably leaking on the bulkhead isn't practical to access to reseal.

 

It's perfectly liveable now I've chucked the old wet underlay so the carpets are dry. A bit fusty smelling but it goes after a few minutes.

[M'coli]

MOT question: is having to stall a diesel to stop the engine because of a dodgy stop solenoid an MOT failure?

[twosmoke300]

Not that I know of

[chaseracer]

Bit inconvenient, though...

[Hendry]

On a diesel engined car, what exactly do you have to do to the exhaust system to get the turbo whooshing sound when driving along, almost as if it happens when changing gear, as heard in this video: