Project Allo Allo, Topless French fancy or Pug deux-zero-cinq or how to fix fuel injection without resorting to fire or insanity

[Tamworthbay]

I picked up the correct pads and air filter today to replace the other bits, just waiting on the air filter assembly and will swap that over if it arrives in time. I am still hoping to get it MoT ready Friday but as my wrist is presently strapped up and painful as hell I will have to see what is possible but at least the bits are here ready.

[strangeangel]

Thinking about the brakes strangeangel, you mentioned they suddenly got worse on the way back from the MoT. I wonder if the bare pad lost the friction material at that point. It didn’t seem very worn and if it had simply gone through due to wear you would expect scoring all over. The other pad had about 2mm left on it and the sliders are working perfectly.

 

Yeah, my first reaction was to think that (what was left of) the pad had fallen out. So that sounds entirely plausible!

[Tamworthbay]

Friday is nearly here again! So for tomorrow the plan is to finish the brakes after ordering the right ones from brakeparts. Then refit the washer pump and hope it is ok now after a strip and clean. Then look at the lighting issues. Hopefully just a bulb or fuse. Then if time I will have a look at the rusty rad crossmember - thinking about a quick fix for the mo of a piece of ally bolted or riveted in as it’s not structural then a proper repair when I can find a shell cut. And depending how it all goes I could be phoning my friendly MoT man for a date! It may end up being the week after though as still waiting on the air filter assembly and there are a couple of other jobs I would like to do.

[purplebargeken]

Then when it's all road legal you can drive it down to North London for the PBK valeting experience....... and a kebab, maybe.

[Tamworthbay]

Friday! So back into the brakes first, apart from one sticky slider all went well and the car now stops nicely. The old ones were a bit, errrr, past their best.

 

Then I fitted the spacers on the throttle cable. It is much better but still not perfect so I spent an hour or so fiddling and got it a bit better. The replacement air filter assembly is on its way and I have new plugs to go in. So next Friday I will do that and pump some of the old fuel out as well and get her some new in.

 

Then the electrics....... The washer motor is still intermittent so I will get a new one, then the joys of clearing out all the clogged tubes and nozzles but good now.

 

Then the lights...... After chasing a live from the fuse box through the switch and cleaning terminals as I went I got to the bulb holder. I had 12v going in but it refused to play, an hour of contact cleaner and emery paper finally rewarded me with light. The number plate light was also playing hard to get and the bulb flatly refused to move. So the sealed for life unit suddenly wasn't anymore and stripped and cleaned the whole thing. Job done.

 

Still to do is the battery tray which I also finished off today, it just needs fitting now. Then it will be MoT ready. I will spend next Friday working through the plugs, tray and Air filter and then it will be a call to mr MoT man. I could do it now but no point in rushing it.

[purplebargeken]

Most excellent progress. I spent most of the afternoon on my back, grinder in hand removing paint and surface rust from the Toledo sill. 

 

Aren't Fridays off wonderful

[Tamworthbay]

Sadly I have to work as well, but can fit a couple of hours in before I start and then lunch break, then another hour or so at the end. Having access to the four post lift makes it worth doing it piecemeal though as some of these jobs would be an utter ballache on the ground. The electrical bits wouldn’t be worth paying someone to do, cheaper to bin and buy new but A, I hate throwing stuff away and B, it’s £40 I don’t want to spend. The parts bill is adding up but hopefully the majority of stuff is sorted now. The idle is puzzling me though, even with the throttle spaced out so it doesn’t die immediately it will be ok for a few seconds, then start hunting, then die. More investigation needed. I just hope that new plugs, new air filter assembly and fresh fuel will be enough.

[Braddon81]

The idle is puzzling me though, even with the throttle spaced out so it doesn’t die immediately it will be ok for a few seconds, then start hunting, then die. More investigation needed. I just hope that new plugs, new air filter assembly and fresh fuel will be enough.

Could be the idle control valve either needs cleaning out or replacing?? Its very much an affliction of injected petrol driven Psa chod of advancing years to have icv issues.

[Tamworthbay]

Could be the idle control valve either needs cleaning out or replacing?? Its very much an affliction of injected petrol driven Psa chod of advancing years to have icv issues.

Thanks, I will look into that. I have priced up a new one but they are best part of £50 but if it needs to be it needs to be. I will try cleaning it out first. Does it sit on the side of the throttle body?

[Tamworthbay]

Found somewhere on eBay with one for £30 so not the end of the world if it needs one but will clean the old one first.

[strangeangel]

Could be the idle control valve either needs cleaning out or replacing?? Its very much an affliction of injected petrol driven Psa chod of advancing years to have icv issues.

 

The idle control valve thing on it is brand new.

[Tamworthbay]

The idle control valve thing on it is brand new.

Thanks mate, hmmmmm back to square one. It’s useable as is if not ideal so perhaps the service bits, air filter housing plus clean fuel will do the trick. Once above about 1500rpm the engine feels really smooth.

[strangeangel]

Thanks mate, hmmmmm back to square one. It’s useable as is if not ideal so perhaps the service bits, air filter housing plus clean fuel will do the trick. Once above about 1500rpm the engine feels really smooth.

 

The sensor in the exhaust manifold is new as well. I can't remember if I replaced the plugs.

 

On a totally unrelated note I now remember having recon driveshafts fitted not all that long ago!

[Tamworthbay]

The sensor in the exhaust manifold is new as well. I can't remember if I replaced the plugs.

 

On a totally unrelated note I now remember having recon driveshafts fitted not all that long ago!

Thanks for all the info, much appreciated. I have a set of plugs waiting so may as well drop them in. I will clean and gap the existing ones as spares so they won’t go to waste. I also have spark testers so will stick them on in case it’s the leads that are breaking down. Once it’s MoTed and the bulk of work is done then I can set about fault finding it until I get to the bottom of it.

 

And forgot I also cavity sealed it with Dynax wax and went over the underside with a can of German underbody seal paint (bought from Lidl or Aldi but it’s a well respected make over there and bloody good stuff, unfortunately this is my last can of it) and gave any vaguely suspect bits a coating.

[Tamworthbay]

Just ordered a set of Bosch leads for it as well. It seems a worthwhile thing to change at the same time as the plugs.

[purplebargeken]

Well it isn't going to hurt

[Tamworthbay]

That was my justification as well. I like to do the service bits on any car I get anyway but as this has the idle issue it seems worth doing all the basics before I try to decipher the complexities of 25 year old fuel injection.

[Scruffy Bodger]

I've sorted all sorts of issues and niggles on old psa stuff just by going round every electrical connector I can find and blasting it with contact cleaner and a scrub with one of those little brass toothbrushes. Removing the earthing blocks and any individual earths and cleaning them up too really helps. The ZX 16v had all sorts of furry deposits on nearly every connection I checked and definitely benefited from it.

[Tamworthbay]

just on hold getting my insurance sorted so will be go for MoT at some point in the next week. It may be a bit delayed as my Mum is staying with us after her fourth stay in hospital in six weeks but hoping to get it booked in the end of this week or early next week at the worst.

[Tamworthbay]

£100 fully comp for the two of us! I can live with that.

[purplebargeken]

That is bloody good.

[Tamworthbay]

That is bloody good.

Better than the crazy £500 on your old mgf, that one still puzzles me.

[loserone]

What? It's only £185 for me

[Tamworthbay]

Another one I looked at was around £130, only difference I could see was that Pbk's was an import.

[purplebargeken]

That was nuts. It's the bloody same car ffs. Poxy insurance bastards. Anyway, that was a good deal on the Pug.

[Tamworthbay]

MoT booked for 4.30 on Friday. I feel strangely nervous......

[Marm Toastsmith]

Good luck. By coincidence mine's in for an MOT today... fingers crossed.

 

Insurance on mine was just over £100 with FJ, but that was with London premium and I think I added on some extras like driving to work.

 

So far it's been very cheap motoring. That may change this afternoon...

[paulscavalier]

Good luck guys

[Marm Toastsmith]

Mine passed. 

 

Advisory for a CV boot.

 

Hope yours is similarly straight forward...

[paulscavalier]

Good news!