Ask a Shiter

[scaryoldcortina]

yeah, they are about as interference as you can get. Expect lots of bent valves and maybe a trashed piston if you are really lucky.

[oman5]

yeah I thought as much...cheers for that fella. weighbridge here I come..

[Station]

yeah, they are about as interference as you can get. Expect lots of bent valves and maybe a trashed piston if you are really lucky.

 

I bent most of the valves in mine when the belt slipped removing the crank pulley bolt. If your engine is otherwise OK, buy a second hand head and take the valves from it. It's a 2 hour job max and it's quite nice, you can do it on a table in the warmth. Changing the head on a K-series is easy as well (even on an MGF), which is a bonus.

[Leyland Lawrence]

Hi,

 

My airbag light is permanently on which, I understand, will not lead to MOT failure in February. However, my horn doesn't work (both of these issues are due to water ingree in the ECU causing its failure (£1,000) causing the horn to be switched on permanently. For now I have disconnected the wires serving the actual horn unit under the bonnet.

 

To get through the MOT can I get a little push switch from Maplin and affix it with a zip tie to the dashboard, removing it when the MOT is complete? I don't really want to put holes in the dash to fix it in place but it will render the car worthless and useless if i can't get it through as the true repair is prohibitive having already spent £1,000 on servicing this year.

 

Thanks

 

Howard

[cobblers]

yeah, they are about as interference as you can get. Expect lots of bent valves and maybe a trashed piston if you are really lucky.

 

I bent most of the valves in mine when the belt slipped removing the crank pulley bolt. If your engine is otherwise OK, buy a second hand head and take the valves from it. It's a 2 hour job max and it's quite nice, you can do it on a table in the warmth. Changing the head on a K-series is easy as well (even on an MGF), which is a bonus.

 

 

Why not just put the entire second hand head on?

[ashmicro]

You need to have a horn sir. Fit a permanent switch. I've been stopped under Construction & Use by the peelers, and I've been told to sound the horn on one occasion. This is apparently due to Barries fitting aftermarket steering wheels, to which they can't connect the horn push. And it's illegal

 

Vehicle or part in dangerous or defective condition - Vehicle defect form (from my days in green) contained these:

 

No wing/mudguard fitted

No speedometer

Defective speedometer

No mirrors

No windscreen wipers

Defective windscreen wipers

No windscreen washers

No horn

No seat belts

No anchorage points

Seat belts not properly maintained

Petrol tank not secure or leaf-proof

Glass not as prescribed

Not equipped with suitable/sufficient springs

Diesel engine - excess fuel device not maintained

 

although I personally never actually asked anyone to beep the horn! (I was a nice* copper)

[messerschmitt owner]

Hi,

 

My airbag light is permanently on which, I understand, will not lead to MOT failure in February. However, my horn doesn't work (both of these issues are due to water ingree in the ECU causing its failure (£1,000) causing the horn to be switched on permanently. For now I have disconnected the wires serving the actual horn unit under the bonnet.

 

To get through the MOT can I get a little push switch from Maplin and affix it with a zip tie to the dashboard, removing it when the MOT is complete? I don't really want to put holes in the dash to fix it in place but it will render the car worthless and useless if i can't get it through as the true repair is prohibitive having already spent £1,000 on servicing this year.

 

Thanks

 

Howard

 

You could borrow my spare Sam and ecu and return them straight after the mot. I am guessing you need this for the roadster.

[Station]

Why does the W123 Mercedes have a smaller mirror on the passenger side than the full size one on the driver's side?

[ashmicro]

The "far away" one is electric, the one nearest the driver doesn't need to be (cos you can reach it with your hand). My W201 (190E) was the same. Well, that's my theory anyway!

 

Have a pic

 

[Albert Ross]

My 1991 W126 was the same... but electric column adjust.....! Which I could obviously reach with my hands....

[ashmicro]

Here's another Merc question - My W221 uses AdBlue at a rate of 25 litres or so per 1000 miles. Where does it go? Would it use less if I didn't drive like an old lady?

[Station]

Both of mine were electric as well, it still doesn't make sense to have one smaller though?

[Skizzer]

I think the logic was that smaller mirrors = less drag. This was the era, you'll recall, when Audi 100s came with their co-efficient of drag figure written on the side window (0.30 for the skinny-tyred, one door mirror base model). So Mercedes optimised the shape: wider view on the offside for overtaking on dual carriageways, less wide but taller on the nearside for parking in line with the kerb.

 

Seems quaint these days: every fucker drives in the outside lane all the time so they don't ever need to check their offside mirror, while there's nowhere to park kerbside (and even if there is there's a beepy thing so you don't have to see behind you, innit).

[oman5]

Here's another Merc question - My W221 uses AdBlue at a rate of 25 litres or so per 1000 miles. Where does it go? Would it use less if I didn't drive like an old lady?

 

That's a tricky one. in theory the more diesel you use the more adblue it should use, but maybe if you give it a good thrashing the higher temperatures created might mean it needs to use less adblue because its more complete combustion? 25 litres per 1000 miles sounds excessive

[ashmicro]

Cheers Oman. That's a more comprehensive explanation than I got from the dealer! I'm going to Dublin in about a fortnight, so I'll show it the shoe on the way.

[scaryoldcortina]

I've been asked to change the gearbox oil on a 1996 C180 1.8 auto.... it's "sealed for life" and doesn't even have a dipstick. Anyone know how?

[ashmicro]

See post #10 here

 

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w202-c- ... fluid.html

 

Both my W202's were manual, so I haven't done the job. The dipstick tube for the autobox is up near the bulkhead, with a red cap on it. There is no dipstick IN the tube, however.

 

I have a HBOL for the 202 somewhere, I'll hunt it out and see if there's any "wisdom" in it.

 

EDIT: Hope this helps

 

[Pete-M]

I know this is the wrong place to ask, but where's the appeal in base model cars? I don't get them at all.

 

It's like those folk who take fuel injection off cars and fit a carb instead.. Why would anyone do that? I could understand if it was some mental black-magic type injection system (early Aston V8, for example) but to take a K-Jetronic system off a Granada and replace it with a worn out old Weber twin choke makes zero sense to me. K-Jet is about as simple a system as there is, but people fit wanky old carbs instead. Is K-Jet too technical for them? Does the drop of 30 bhp make no difference to these people?

[Guest]

I've been asked to change the gearbox oil on a 1996 C180 1.8 auto.... it's "sealed for life" and doesn't even have a dipstick. Anyone know how?

 

Dipstick maybe under a cover near the bulkhead like any RWD auto. Probs no dipstick mind.

 

My W203 isn't sealed for life but neither does it show anywhere on the Official Service Schedule to change the auto fluid but it has a dipstick hole but no dipstick.

Not sure on the C180 but on mine they quoted £250 odd to do a fluid change.

The fluid is £15odd a litre and you need lots to flush from box to cooler at front by rad and back to box plus the sump filter which is a funny flat black plastic thing.

I dropped the sump and cleaned all the shite out and dropped and changed the filter too.

Get the sump mint as the sludge can be awful!

Put back with a new gasket and top up the auto fluid, using a dipstick you have to buy, to measure level.

Mine was totally transformed just with a partial fluid change, much quicker changes and smoothererer.

 

Oh and the locking seal breaks off the red dipstick cap but don't worry about it, push it back on.

[willswitchengage]

That's a tricky one. in theory the more diesel you use the more adblue it should use, but maybe if you give it a good thrashing the higher temperatures created might mean it needs to use less adblue because its more complete combustion? 25 litres per 1000 miles sounds excessive

 

You're right in this yes adblue consumption should rise linearly with diesel consumption, but that logic is sadly not! High combustion temperatures are what causes the nitrogen in air to burn in engines, hence why EGR was developed - recirculating exhaust gases back into the engine causes a "cooling effect" if you wish as combustion heat is absorbed by those inert gases instead*.

 

 

*It also recirculates soot, shit and other abrasive particulate matter that can have a long term detrimental effect on engine longevity, but MAN and Scania choose not to tell you that...

[scaryoldcortina]

Ta ash and a60! Yes, there is a dipstick tube (I already found it) but no stick inside. The links in ash's post sort all that out. I like the idea of making a dipstick out of old curtain rod

[Guest]

Ta ash and a60! Yes, there is a dipstick tube (I already found it) but no stick inside. The links in ash's post sort all that out. I like the idea of making a dipstick out of old curtain rod

 

Ta ashm I can give make my own tranny fluid ( ) measuring device rather than borrowing one!

[Mr Lobster]

Anyone seen the current issue of Practical Cla$$ics - theres an article on starter classics.

 

The beige Pug 205 looks familiar and I think its been seen around these parts. True / False?

[Craig the Princess]

I know this is the wrong place to ask, but where's the appeal in base model cars? I don't get them at all.

 

It's like those folk who take fuel injection off cars and fit a carb instead.. Why would anyone do that? I could understand if it was some mental black-magic type injection system (early Aston V8, for example) but to take a K-Jetronic system off a Granada and replace it with a worn out old Weber twin choke makes zero sense to me. K-Jet is about as simple a system as there is, but people fit wanky old carbs instead. Is K-Jet too technical for them? Does the drop of 30 bhp make no difference to these people?

 

Base model cars I can see the attaction in, less to go wrong, more likely to be giffer-owend rather than fucked to wothin an ince of it's life by the baseball cap brigade. In 70s car vinyl seats and rubber floor mats have an appeal.

 

Not sure why you would fit a carb in he above example.

[CreepingJesus]

It also recirculates soot, shit and other abrasive particulate matter that can have a long term detrimental effect on engine longevity, but MAN and Scania choose not to tell you that...

 

Having driven high mileage MANs and Scannys, I can tell you, the reciprocating bits of the engine hold up fine. The common old age failures in MANs are shitty electrics, and crappy ZF ArseTronics kersploding. Scanny seem to be suffering problems with their semi-autos and (stop me if you've heard this one before) Bosch PDE injectors. Hence why the next gen engines will have (and some already do have) the Cummins developed injection system, with iirc Nippon-Denso kit on. And AdBlue. Maybe they'll start being afflicted with oxygen sensor freak-outs, like high mile DAFs?

 

Anyhow, the point in question - Andy's blue guzzling Merc: 25L/1000mi sounds a big bit heavy. In terms of the trucks, Mercs are a bit lighter on the blue, than DAFs (which are the only two AdBlue afflicted makes I've used often enough to give some kind of reliable idea), but then the Mercs are a bit juicier anyway. The truth is, the blue consumption's a capricious little devil to work out. If anyone wants to skip the boring bit, avoid the ((())), and go to the ***

 

(((Tesco's Mercs and DAFs, limited to 50mph and rarely running more than 27T barely touch the stuff, and fuel use is about 10/11mpg. Unless it's a slow short runs day, when it's cold: then the motor never heats up right, and uses a sight more blue at 9/9.5mpg.

Pollock's DAFs, getting the nuts thrashed off them all day long, at 40T+ tend to use roughly 10L/5-600mi, where fuel use is more like 7.5/8mpg. Current gig's DAFs run lighter, but struggle to hit 9mpg, 'cos of the shitty rural roads we're on, but they'll comfortably get 7-800mi out of 10L. When the LPG systems on them worked, that didn't seem to make much odds either.

Lightly loaded Merc Actros, the other week; about 700mi, about 400L of diesel (roughly 10mpg) and less than 10L of Tennents lager.)))

 

***2-3% of mpg seems to be a reasonable guesstimate in HGV's. But that's very broad, and evens out the unexpected peaks and troughs you get on blue.

Funnily enough, I've asked the truck driving owners of a Golf, and a 307, how much blue their cars use; neither of them had any idea.

The price of the stuff is a fun game too; I got some last month for 66p/L from a pump. Couple of days before, I'd got an emergency 10L bottle from a petrol station for £15... Glad it's not me paying £1.50/L for diluted piss. Tennents lager is cheaper, and creates ManBlue. And I wouldn't recommend drinking that either. Before or after processing.

[cobblers]

It would absolutely break my heart to be buying tens of litres of an extra mystery fluid into my vehicle every fillup that has absolutely no effect on making my vehicle move forward/last longer/go faster etc. How common is this adblue bollocks on passenger cars? That said the chance of me running round in a new diesel motor any time soon is pretty slim TBH.

[cobblers]

I've been reminded of this by the mk2 escort estate in the ebay thread, anyway - am I right in thinking:

 

The mk2 Escort Estate is just a mk1 shell with "mk2 look" front wings/bonnet/grille/bumper on it, that are different to normal mk2 stuff in that the car is a different width and the wings have to match the mk1 door swage lines etc,

 

So, you could just put mk1 panels on a mk2 estate and it would look like a mk1?

[Cavcraft]

Can Windows 8 slow a router down? Also are some routers 'faster' than others? My connection has been quite flakey for a while but now I'm on Windows 8 it does seem to slow everything down and my lad's new PS Vita (or whatever they're called) wont even connect up to my home network, but does work at his mate's gaffe.

People keep telling me Win 8 is well fast etc, am I the only one who thinks its fucking slow rubbish?

[ashmicro]

In order:

 

No

 

Yes, but I don't think this is the issue here.

 

Do a "Hard Reset" on the router. There's usually a recessed button on the back/arse of them that you need to press and hold with a pen/straightened out paper clip. What type of router is it, Billy?

 

FWIW, Windows 8 runs better on my rig than Windows 7 did. Same hardware, same installed apps.

[chaseracer]

So, you could just put mk1 panels on a mk2 estate and it would look like a mk1?

Yep.