Ask a Shiter

[egg]

Nearly all Mk1/2 Mondeos will leak to a lesser/greater extent.

 

Indeed, cheers. Partly why I'm going all 'garage queen' and putting it away for a bit this winter. The lock-up is pretty much water tight.

[egg]

You should block the wheels up off the ground and leave the handbrake off.

But don't bother.

 

Yup, flat garage so handbrake will be off. The GLX brakes were stuck on, but that had sat for 10 months 

[Guest Hooli]

Just drive it in with the brakes wet, once the pads rust to the discs it won't move anywhere anyway.

[sierraman]

Leave the windows very slightly down. Ideally you want it to be cool and dry. Worst thing you can do is start engine for 10 minutes every few weeks, it needs to actually get hot. Trickle charge battery maybe.

[egg]

Yeah, I don't plan to start it at all during it's 'rest' period.

[angle]

Right then, headlights - the Laguna has xenons, and a few months ago I had to change the ballast in the OS one as the headlight had started leaking and it had been sitting in a puddle of water. While I had the headlight out I poured a few jugs of water over it and there were no obvious leaks, and the rubber bulb cover on the back was properly fitted, so I stuck it back together and it had been fine since.

 

Until today - I've just got back from driving across Bristol through vertical sheets of rain and yep, there's water sloshing around in it again. I'm not going to start pissing around with taking the bumper off given I've had to park two streets away and it's pitch black, but assuming I can get at the headlight at some point, what's the best way of making it watertight? Slather a load of sealant on it? The cheapest I can find a new headlight from a breaker is £80 and given both the other facelift Lagunas on my street seem to have a similar problem I'm not sure it'll necessarily help...

[sierraman]

Yeah, I don't plan to start it at all during it's 'rest' period.

Mine leaks in through the gaiter in the boot that stops the wires chafing.

[dozeydustman]

Is there a way I can get the exhaust manifold off the Saab to perform the swirl flap removal without dismantling half the sodding engine?

[twosmoke300]

Nope . Cambelt and fuel pump off I believe

[twosmoke300]

Oh and isn’t it inlet manifold ?

[DodgeRover]

Right then, headlights - the Laguna has xenons, and a few months ago I had to change the ballast in the OS one as the headlight had started leaking and it had been sitting in a puddle of water. While I had the headlight out I poured a few jugs of water over it and there were no obvious leaks, and the rubber bulb cover on the back was properly fitted, so I stuck it back together and it had been fine since.

 

Until today - I've just got back from driving across Bristol through vertical sheets of rain and yep, there's water sloshing around in it again. I'm not going to start pissing around with taking the bumper off given I've had to park two streets away and it's pitch black, but assuming I can get at the headlight at some point, what's the best way of making it watertight? Slather a load of sealant on it? The cheapest I can find a new headlight from a breaker is £80 and given both the other facelift Lagunas on my street seem to have a similar problem I'm not sure it'll necessarily help...

 

Drill a hole to let it out?

[somewhatfoolish]

You should block the wheels up off the ground and leave the handbrake off.

But don't bother.

Shiter's blocking substitute is to overinflate the tyres to the maximum allowable pressure(usually printed in unreadably tiny print on the sidewall but generally 50-60psi); leave a note on the steering wheel to remind yourself to let some air out before driving though as it will handle terribly if you forget.

[dozeydustman]

Nope . Cambelt and fuel pump off I believe

 

Balls.

 

Oh and isn’t it inlet manifold ?

 

 

Yes it is. I had a brainfart. This is not uncommon.

 

 

 

Second question.

 

Chap at work is scrapping a Vauxhall of some kind with the same 150bhp Dizzler with only half the miles of mine and has offered me the engine for £reasonable. Can you swap engines over without having to reprogram things - ECU &c.?

 

I appreciate some parts may have to be swapped between the cars to fit, that's not a problem.

[twosmoke300]

The injectors would either need to be coded or swapped and ideally you should carry out all the pilot learning procedures on the fuel / turbo and egr systems

[Stanky]

Drill a hole to let it out?

 

+1 on this, drill a weenie hole in the bottom of the light unit, at the back. I did this with my ex-almera which used to regularly fill the entire rear nearside light and stop the bulb working. I drilled a tiny 2.5mm hole in the top and the bottom and it was never a problem ever again, self draining ftw.

 

trying to find where its getting in will be an endless charade of frustration and disappointment.

[Christine]

When brand new cars are delivered to the dealer , do they still have polythene fitted on the seats and door cards ? They used to ,when I was a kid...

Sometimes ,you'd find an old car in a scrapyard with the interior protection still fitted..and the seats would be like new ! 

 

The Miniture shite thread made me remember ,when i saw this 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wonder how many old giffers buying a new car , immediately  fit seat covers" to save the seats"  . They used to ..

 I guess we're the old giffers now and we don't !!

 

 

I've seen the outside wrapped on new cars  on the top deck of the transporter  though ...

 

 

 

edit :  Oh i'm a div ..just realised I fitted nylon van seat covers in my T4 since it was new ..18 years ago !!!   And the HRV has seat covers too , albeit in tatters !

[somewhatfoolish]

It makes sense for makers to ship new stuff with stick-on protection as it reduces rectification costs from damage in transit.

[Lord Sterling]

When brand new cars are delivered to the dealer , do they still have polythene fitted on the seats and door cards ? They used to ,when I was a kid...

 

edit :  Oh i'm a div ..just realised I fitted nylon van seat covers in my T4 since it was new ..18 years ago !!!   And the HRV has seat covers too , albeit in tatters !

In my plating days I once drove a brand new Mercedes A-class from Blackpool to Essex via home with all the 'protection' stuff stuck on. Seat covers and even cardboard carpet protectors on the floor.

[worldofceri]

Yeah the interiors are smothered in cardboard and plastic to protect every conceivable surface. Incredibly wasteful especially when you consider the majority of brand new cars will be pressed into service as company cars, hire cars, taxis etc, and how they'll get treated.

[steveo3002]

no longer the full clear bag like in the 70s etc ...random bits of sticky plastic and foam now

[MorrisItalSLX]

There are still bits of clear plastic on the Jag seats where they screwed right through the plastic when the seats were fitted and the original owner just ripped it off.

[Bobthebeard]

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

Partially blocked (again?) oil pickup strainer is my guess. Despite it having had the sump drop and clean done. Depending on how well it was done is key here.

When I did mine on the 9-3 there was plenty of carbon flakes in the camchain tunnel and elsewhere that needed to be carefully cleaned out. If only the oil pickup was done then more crud may well have gathered.

 

Edit. Also the breather upgrade and (always) using fully synthetic oil after the sump drop and clean is vital IMO.

[AlabamaShrimp]

As simple as electrics are always described why do they go wrong?

 

Anyway problem is the Frontera has a combined brake light, tail light bulb. Not working. Wiggle it about a bit and it did but the contact on the bulb was worn so changed it for a new one.

 

Now the brake light works and the tail light works but, neither work when the brakes are pressed with the lights on.

 

As you can't put the bulb in backwards what's wrong?

[Guest Hooli]

Dodgy earth? When only one circuit is on it may be earthing back down t'other

[AlabamaShrimp]

See you lost me...

 

I've no idea even how to check that kind of thing.

[dozeydustman]

The injectors would either need to be coded or swapped and ideally you should carry out all the pilot learning procedures on the fuel / turbo and egr systems

 

 

Bollox to that, removing the cam belt & pump sounds a lot* simpler*

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

How can I get my internal body temperature down from 38.1? Gotta get out of here...

[Stanky]

Paracetamol or heavy drinking

[DodgeRover]

How can I get my internal body temperature down from 38.1? Gotta get out of here...

Hypothermia? Or paracetamol but assuming you have been hospitalised for a reason it would be better to find and cure the cause rather than do a quick fix and find it's much worse further down the line.

[Pillock]

An ice cube up yer bum?