Ask a Shiter

[Tickman]

Shedenvy, doing the work on a bench is always going to be much easier but how much hassle is removing whatever it is attached to.

 

I would guess a battery drill would eventually get it off, if access is quite good an angle grinder would be my weapon of choice and getting a battery powered on would still be cheaper than getting a garage involved, maybe...

 

Good luck

[Stanky]

Shedenvy - How viable would it be for you to get a compressor and air saw on it? I suspect it'd be easier to get the blade of a reciprocating saw in there compared to the bulk of a disc cutter?

 

Also less danger of accidentally hacking through something  you shouldn't with a reciprocating saw vs a disc cutter in a confined space?

 

I reckon it is viable to cut through the weld and then pull out the other end of the sheared bolt, but its going to be a bugger to get in there.

 

Worst case, and it will be grim, but you'd be able to cut it loose with a hacksaw eventually. would take a little while though I suspect. is it just spot welded, or is it welded all the way around the nut?

 

EDIT - another idea thats occurred to me, might you be able to cut a groove in the exposed end of the sheared off bolt end and use a screwdriver or something similar in an impact gun to screw the bolt stub out, leaving the welded in nut intact?

[shedenvy]

Hi Tickman,

 

Thanks, yes I agree, i'll see how the battery drill and grindy bits go before resorting to getting the whole assembly off.  Though I think that is likely the only option.

Before anyone else states it, yes I am a twat for not using penetrating fluid - I have a can of PlusGas right here!

[Jazoli]

Disclaimer, this is not an 'all moderns are shit' post.

 

Why don't car manufacturers put air cooled engines in any cars (not bikes, note) any more? Why has liquid cooling 'won'?

 

I'm thinking that the 2CV was the last mass produced car with an air cooled engine and they built them up to 1990. They had simplicity, adequate performance considering displacement and fuel economy on their side. The engine also had relatively little development as far as i was aware.

 

In the interested of weight reduction and fuel economy as a byproduct why isn't there any options for air cooled engines in any post 1990 cars when its still relatively common (isn;t it?) on bikes?

 

Also, are there any mass produced, high performance air cooled engines fitted to road cars? i.e. not bike engined radicals or similar.

 

I was thinking of this while driving home yesterday, there must be a good reason for it, but i don't know what that reason is.

 

Porsche 911's were air cooled up until 1998 so your 2CV is a few years out, and I'd say they were mass produced cars, the 993 Turbo was certainly high performance.

 

An air cooled engine of a specific size will be less efficient than the equivalent water cooled engine, and a lot less green and noisier to boot, so its only natural that air cooled engines have gone, I remember the heaters in air cooled beetles and vans being absolute garbage too.

 

worth a read https://www.carthrottle.com/post/air-cooling-why-its-a-thing-of-the-past/

[castros_bro]

Disclaimer, this is not an 'all moderns are shit' post.

 

Why don't car manufacturers put air cooled engines in any cars (not bikes, note) any more? Why has liquid cooling 'won'?

 

I'm thinking that the 2CV was the last mass produced car with an air cooled engine and they built them up to 1990. They had simplicity, adequate performance considering displacement and fuel economy on their side. The engine also had relatively little development as far as i was aware.

 

In the interested of weight reduction and fuel economy as a byproduct why isn't there any options for air cooled engines in any post 1990 cars when its still relatively common (isn;t it?) on bikes?

 

Also, are there any mass produced, high performance air cooled engines fitted to road cars? i.e. not bike engined radicals or similar.

 

I was thinking of this while driving home yesterday, there must be a good reason for it, but i don't know what that reason is.

 

Thermodynamics and engine temp  sensors + control.   Aircooled need a thermal mass and large area of fins to get rid of the waste heat so near the finless cylinder area is hotter and fins in the air stream are cooler so all over inefficient at keeping a constant uniform temp. . Liquid cooling lets an engine reach operating temp rapidly and keeps the working parts in a temperature band for the sake of efficiency. Fewer bike engines are now air cooled as it's difficult to get them through the emission specs, lower efficiency 50cc two strokes are still aircooled but even these are getting rare and even the souped up ones are now liquid cooled due to the need for a temp control or they will seize from overheating. 

[320touring]

Saab 9-5 owners - can you please help me advise a friend?

 

Her 9-5 150bhp (2003) has started to flicker the oil light on occasion and alarm sounding.

 

It had a sump drop done in May this year, so I think it may be something else like an oil pressure switch/breather circuit or oil pump.

 

Anything obvious I could check ?

 

Thanks

[Datsuncog]

Quick query - does anyone know any UK stockists of Blue Creeper penetrating oil?

 

 

I'm trying to restore a treadle-powered Singer sewing machine (Model 15K, built in 1910) and am having some bother getting the pulley clutch mechanism to disengage smoothly - even when disconnected, the drive pulley still tends to turn the sewing arm shaft, creating drag when winding bobbins.

 

I'm reliably informed that Blue Creeper oil (or, better yet, Blue Creeper Sewing Machine Oil) is the solution on these particular machines, but it appears virtually unheard of outside the US. I've found one UK tool specialist that imports it, but they don't appear to do online sales.

 

http://www.orionforestry.co.uk/bluecreeper/

 

The US manufacturer does have an online shop, but their international shipping is ruinous.

 

So before going ahead and spending nearly the purchase price of the machine on a thimbleful of oil from the States, has anyone seen it on the shelves of their local motor factor or something stupid like that?

 

Ta!

[Guest Hooli]

Saab 9-5 owners - can you please help me advise a friend?

 

Her 9-5 150bhp (2003) has started to flicker the oil light on occasion and alarm sounding.

 

It had a sump drop done in May this year, so I think it may be something else like an oil pressure switch/breather circuit or oil pump.

 

Anything obvious I could check ?

 

Thanks

The dipstick?

 

Mine used to do that on tight bends when the oil was too low.

[320touring]

The dipstick?

 

Mine used to do that on tight bends when the oil was too low.

It's apparently coming on when sitting in traffic, so no excessive G forces

[anonymous user]

Possibly the oil is too thin, if it's only when hot

[DodgeRover]

Check for correct grade and quantity of oil.

[Eddie Honda]

Quick query - does anyone know any UK stockists of Blue Creeper penetrating oil?

 

Does the blue make it go faster.

 

Any reason why generic sewing machine oil from the haberdashers won't cut it?

[clayts450]

GunGum bandages/paste - any good or a waste of spondulicks ?

 

Blow on the 214 just in front of the flexi - want to patch temporarily, in the knowledge I will need the whole front exhaust section replacing.

[Mally]

Hi Tickman,

 

Thanks, yes I agree, i'll see how the battery drill and grindy bits go before resorting to getting the whole assembly off.  Though I think that is likely the only option.

Before anyone else states it, yes I am a twat for not using penetrating fluid - I have a can of PlusGas right here!

 

I'd stick the broken bolt back in, tape it up and carefully drive it home.

I did not say this of course.

[sierraman]

I’ll tell you now you have no fucking chance of sawing through that. I’d say find someone with a battery grinder and cut it down the side of the bush across the bolt. Battery drills aren’t up to this sort of work, they’re alright for a bit of joinery or whatnot but hopeless at jobs like this.

[wuvvum]

Gun Gum paste is probably the best of the bunch - I owe several MOTs to its hole-bunging properties.  The bandages are OK and last reasonably well but they are a bit of a bugger to get to lay properly and create an airtight seal, especially on a bent bit of pipe (and especially if you are a hamfisted twat like me).

[DodgeRover]

It's apparently coming on when sitting in traffic, so no excessive G forces

Is it an auto? If so tell her to stick it in neutral rather than leave it in drive when in queues.

 

It's going to be either

Clogged filter

Wrong grade oil

Idle speed too low

Worn oil pump

Worn main bearings

[320touring]

Is it an auto? If so tell her to stick it in neutral rather than leave it in drive when in queues.

 

It's going to be either

Clogged filter

Wrong grade oil

Idle speed too low

Worn oil pump

Worn main bearings

5 speed manual - pretty much the list I'd arrived at:)

 

Cheers!

[DodgeRover]

5 speed manual - pretty much the list I'd arrived at:)

 

Cheers!

Actually add running too hot to the list as well, if oil and filter doesn't cure it I would be tempted to increase the idle speed by 50rpm or so till it stays out.

[Guest Hooli]

Or a dodgy oil pressure sensor. I've had them gunked up before on old cars & if you've recently had the sump off to clean sludge out there could be some floating around...

[Datsuncog]

Any reason why generic sewing machine oil from the haberdashers won't cut it?

 

Not sure of the precise reason, but we've been dousing the mechanism with the 'proper' Singer machine oil for a week now, and it still grabs when the pulley wheel's meant to be turning independently from the sewing arm shaft.

 

Some online snooping reveals that Blue Creeper is the lubrication product that professional machine restorers use, which apparently eliminates this known issue with Singer 15-K machines.

 

It's entirely possible that when new, the oil specified was whale oil distillate or something - and maybe modern machine oils just doesn't have the same properties? Except, apparently, this Blue Creeper stuff?

 

It's not essential, but I'd like to get the machine working as well as it can, for its age!

[320touring]

Actually add running too hot to the list as well, if oil and filter doesn't cure it I would be tempted to increase the idle speed by 50rpm or so till it stays out.

How do you do that on a 2002 Saab 9-5?

[DodgeRover]

Probably with a computer, there's got to be a parameter to tweak, or just convince it the a/c is turned on?

[Guest Hooli]

I can't recall if there is an ICV or it's just the throttle body. Could be worth cleaning it out if it does seem to idle low?

[320touring]

Probably with a computer, there's got to be a parameter to tweak, or just convince it the a/c is turned on?

Not even Gunna try that..

[320touring]

I can't recall if there is an ICV or it's just the throttle body. Could be worth cleaning it out if it does seem to idle low?

No comment re low idle has been mentioned. But the ICV may be something else to check.

 

They appear to have a fair few foibles..

[catsinthewelder]

Right gang, how do I get out of this predicament?

 

Could you try a bolt extractor?  I've been wary of them for years on the basis that if you snap it in the hole it's harder than any known drill bit but my set saved my bacon recently with a frost damaged pressure washer.  Just make sure the bolt is as capable of turning as possible first.  On the basis that you are planning to cut the bolt off there is nothing to lose.

[somewhatfoolish]

This is the bugger.

 

1st bit of good news is that the Multipla passed it's MOT with no advisories!

 

Still got to work out a way home so I can leave the Jag at work looking sorry for itself.

TBH if home isn't very far I'd drive it home like that with half of the bolt still there; keeping it under 30 and braking early will keep strain on it low. how much does a used arm cost? If  as google suggests they're cheap I'd chop it up to improve access to the remains of the bolt and weld a nut on it or similar, getting plenty of heat in the nut/bolt interface.

[JimH]

There seem to be a few people here know their chod BMWs.

 

Daily smoker is an 02 520i. This seems to run irritatingly reliably so I have no excuse to offload the bloody thing. Anyway. This morning - just as it is about to get taken for an MOT - it refuses to start. It was sitting at the back of the workshop for a few days. I'd had it in to change the tyres then ran it out, stopped it and left it parked until today. I go to it this morning and for all the world it was as if it was out of fuel - which it wasn't - turning over with the odd cylider firing. Leave it for a bit while I have brekkie and swear then return to it and more out of frustration than anything just crank the bloody thing in the hope that something changes. Eventually it slooowly starts to fire more cylinders and then decides it remembers what it was meant to do and runs just fine. It's about minus 2 up here at the moment. No errors showing if I plug the thingie into the thingie and no lights are on.

 

It did almost exactly the same about two years ago. Start it, move it a few feet, stop it and leave it be. Conditions were almost exactly the same and the behaviour was exactly the same.

 

Any ideas?

[cort16]

If it was cold it probably pumped a load of fuel into the cylinders , which maybe didn’t fully evaporate because of the cold . When you go to start it, it pumps more fuel in and effectively floods it. Eventually through cranking it clears and vroom.

That’s my theory anyway