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Harrison's Garage - Mini City, back on the road!


rob88h

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Certified 57.2% AutoShite

I’m a sad bastard. At the beginning of 2022 I wrote down all my mileages and checked them all again at the end of the year, also ensuring I recorded the mileages in all the In-and-Out cars I’ve had this year… “Wait, I do that” I hear some of you say, but the geekery deepens here as armed with these numbers I have normalised them into a ratio of how much I’ve used each car…, then assigned a subjective AutoShite Factor to each car of between 0 and 1, where 0 would be chauffer driven ’22 Range Rover and 1 would be @BorniteIdentity’s Sierra. Multiplying the driven ratio through the AutoShite factor gives me a score per car and summing the scores gives me a total out of a maximum of 100 (100% of my miles in an AutoShite Factor 1 jalopy).

I’m 57.2% Autoshite.

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Must try harder for 2023.

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  • rob88h changed the title to Harrison's Garage - Certified 57.2% AutoShite
  • 4 weeks later...

I’ve been living in the spirit of AutoShite quite a bit lately...

The first trait I’ve been honing is that of general neglect, with daily and unsympathetic use of my low value low interest Volvo 440. That ended well.

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The cambelt snapped. 😖

The second trait is the never-say-die approach to getting involved in a repair that was most likely beyond the value of the car. These 1.8L Renault engines are apparently interference engines so I could have been staring down the barrel of a big job here. However, step one was to put on a new belt kit, time it up and hope for the best.

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Woo hoo! It lives!

The final trait has been to do 90% of the hard work, give up, then leave it on the driveway part re-assembled with one wheel cocked in the air. This is where we currently are at.

 

Oh, and a bonus AutoShite trait – I bought a replacement car to keep me on the road (like I need an excuse!), thinking I’d have to have the head off on the Volvo and work on at least the valves. More on the interim car later.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Well, we didn’t make 200k. Yet.

Not so long after declaring all is well with the Focus a buzzy rumble developed, influenced heavily by clutch operation. The clutch release bearing used to squeal when cold for the last few years, and I think it’s a bit they-all-do-that-sir so I never really cared… but this new development was a bit more sinister. I did the only sensible thing and booked in a clutch job on a 175,000 mile car (because seriously, even with a bill a fair few hundred, try replacing a car as capable for that money these days!). Anyway, feeling buoyed by preventative-maintenance-intention-karma I continued using the car and later that day it shat itself... That’s the Focus off the road for two weeks until the Clutch work is done. (By the way, sod doing that myself on a gravel drive in February. Sue me)

It’s fine though, as my neighbours point out, I have so many cars though…

I’m mostly working from home at the moment and my wife is off work for a spell, so it’s not until a few days later the saga continues. I need to go into work requiring a car, the Focus is Out-Of-Action #1 and if you’ll remember from further up/ care the Volvo crapped it’s cam belt in late Jan so is Out-Of-Action #2. Out-Of-Action #3 through #7 are the Mazda, Granada and mopeds, but it’s fine I have the Mini.

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Ah, super slow turn-over despite trying several batteries of mystery charge. Out-Of-Action #8. So, at 7am I find myself out on the drive in the drizzle tensioning a cam belt, torqueing the pulleys and refitting the timing cover, alternator belt, undertray, wheel arch liner, ad infinitum…

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And then because I’d flattened the battery looking for a duff earth on the Mini I had to jump the Volvo into being from one of the (many) carcases littering my property.

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I made it to work. What an achievement. EDIT: when saving the pics, I’ve just remembered that this all happened on my Birthday, ha.

 

Back in the Volvo post I alluded to a replacement car I’d bought to tide me over on the Volvo work – well it’s still on the cards (even though I’m back on the road with the Volvo!) but it’s not quite worked out yet... In the meantime I’ve secured a replacement for the Focus in cahoots with @BorniteIdentity. More on that later, I’ve only driven it 10 miles so far and it deserves a bit of a better write up.

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Harrison’s History #57 {{Citation needed}} – Toyota RAV4

I’d heard of this nice RAV4 leaving its long-term owner some months ago through a friend of a friend of a garage owner. Something Something ULEZ Something. The previous owner apparently had replaced it with a new Range Rover which makes me chuckle, I’m sure that’s the intention. Anyway, their loss is our gain. My friend one up the food chain took ownership for his Son-in-law to use, who after a few months has found it a bit thirsty for his needs (and he’s subsequently got another ULEZ refugee Mondeo diesel now anyway) so the RAV was offered up again. Whoop. I’d been asking after it knowing @BorniteIdentity was on the lookout for a good one and this one had some good credentials thinking he might like it, but it comes at an ideal time for myself re: my current state of affairs with my other tat.

It’s really tidy, probably not far from being a good show contender, but I’ve only had a few minutes living with it so far thanks to a busy spell, so maybe I’m over stating it. It has done 150k miles…

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My first impressions are that of a confirmed distinctly 90’s Toyota. Peak sturdy, but clearly engineered down to a minimal cost in smart ways. The hard grey plastics and clicky buttons all seem to work in its sturdy favour. It’s my first SUV, I quite like the ride position (cowers from stoning) and even though the Range Rover is heralded as the birth of the SUV class, I feel the RAV more embodies the Recreational Activity Vehicle credentials more commonly belayed with the class more than the Rangie does. To put it another way, the Range Rover seems to me like an SUV born from a 4x4 and the RAV has come at it the other way from a car. More like what won out in the end. Just an impression.

I’ve driven it only a few miles so far. I think I really like it. But I mustn’t get attached. It’s not rapid; it dawns on me the Sports in Sports Utility Vehicle is probably because you do the sports, not that the vehicle is in anyway sporty. I could get many many tennis rackets in it for sure. Road holding isn’t as laughable as I thought it might be on these balloons, I certainly stay in the seat better on cornering than I did with a 30-year-old Renault 5.

So, I’m going to live with it for a little while (until the Focus is repaired), take up golf and get a kayak.

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  • rob88h changed the title to Harrison's Garage - Recreational Activities
  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry, I had someone in mind for this fine RAV4 even before I picked it up as I knew they were actively looking for a good one. I’ve seen another viable one for sale in Southend though on Facebook Marketplace. Flat paint and rusting steelies but it looks good in the right places. 
 

Anyway the Focus has its new clutch, has completed a 500+mile trip starting the day it was repaired and proven itself ready for yet more service. 

This means I’ve moved the RAV4 on despite it probably being the best car on my fleet. I’ve got too much sentimentality floating around getting in the way of good objective car choices. The RAV was delightful. A veritable glasshouse of visibility and a temple to grey plastic surfaces. 

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  • rob88h changed the title to Harrison's Garage - Back to the Core Fleet.
  • 4 weeks later...

Harrison’s History #58 - Ford Focus 

What is better than one Focus Estate..? Dual wielding Focii, baby!

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When our blue mk2 Focus estate lost its clutch a few months ago I was offered a blue mk2 Focus estate as a potential replacement. Naturally I said yes (as it’s a little difficult to say no to more cars), but I still had the original Focus fixed regardless. 

Now my exceptional life choices have led me to an ensemble as complimentary as dual wielding the pistol and plasma pistol in Halo 2 (the ultimate combo). The petrol for high damage rapid attack and the diesel for long range Brute domination. I guess in this extended metaphor the old Mini is the plasma grenade. Some sort of grenade at least. 

The “new” older same age ‘08 Focus is a 1.8 diesel Style, pre facelift. It runs and drives but has some problems.

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Most notably a rough idle when warm. But also there’s no heater and a water leak in the boot. 

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  • rob88h changed the title to Harrison's Garage - Focus focus.

Thanks @sierraman for the advice.

In terms of service history on the new Focus:

1. An MOT printout from 2018 in the glovebox.

2. A receipt for oil and brake fluid change at the same time.

3. Chinese Whisper of a botched fuel filter replacement that let air in and the car had to be parked on a hill a while to aide starting.

I’m presuming upper and lower timing belts are not done, and having looked it what that entails, it’s a nope from me as well. 

However, I didn’t pay much for it; I think it was going to get scrapped, so for the love of End-of-Lifers I’ll just mess about with whatever interests me and punt it on to the next user, warts and all, be that someone in need/interested or even the scrap man. It does drive alright in its defence and these Mk2 Focii are pretty good and useful to be honest.

Anyway, I’ve done some poking around it. I tried removing the MAF and that made it idle rough cold and hot, so not likely that. I checked the oil and it was very overfilled and quite thin. Me thinks awash with diesel. 

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(That’s a glass of Pepsi Max by the way, not engine oil…)

I could convince myself it smelled of diesel, but 5 year old engine oil just smells of oil to me. 

[hit submit by accident… still typing post]

Next against the injectors was a leak-off test. I’ve not done one before so I was keen to give it a go. Armed with Amazon’s cheapest leak-off kit and a procedure from Google (I’ve since found out that might be for 2.0L Mondeos…) I set off to a remote carpark due to the anti-social 30 second stints at 3800 rpm. 

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”Good injectors should not leak more than 25ml”

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Hmm. 110ml is kinda like 25ml... On the plus side, at least they’re all equally borked in a balanced kind of way. I think the take-away here is that it could do with four new injectors, or I did the wrong procedure (warmed up 2 min idle, then x3 30 seconds 3800rpm and 30 seconds idle). 

It has then lead to a crisis of understanding that if this is return line diesel, then why is my trip computer MPG reading 34 and my sump full of diesel. Surely if it’s dumping buckets of diesel in the engine there is less being returned, not more?

(unless it’s all to do with trying to maintain certain pressures so all the flow rates are up for baggy injectors - to and from the injector. Don’t know)

I’m going to put all that diagnostic to one side in a “try and forget about it” box because the injectors look pricy and live for hope that this lumpy hot idle is all to do with the EGR and a can of Wynne’s EGR cleaner can make the car mint. 


TL:DR - Timing belts overdue, cba to replace them. Injectors are trash, cba to replace them

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Possibly a failing injector. I don’t believe they require coding on these. 

The belt isn’t so much difficult as Labour intensive, it goes roughly as follows, remove cylinder head cover, time engine up and insert locking plates on cam and crank, loosen HP pump bolts, pulley off, camshaft pulley off, top belt back plate off, pry HP pump pulley off, pump off, million 8mm bolts holding the lower case cover then fuck about taking the lower belt cassette out, replace timing case front seal. Obviously all the other cambelt associated shit to do so probably engine mounts out, shift the expansion tank etc etc...

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I owned 2x MK2 Focii for a brief stint last year which was an utterly pointless exercise 🤣

My experience perfectly aligned with what you described right here: 

30 minutes ago, rob88h said:

these Mk2 Focii are pretty good and useful to be honest.

So reliable and boring I found there was just no point having another one as a backup! :)

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You know what, if I had an infinitely large barn in a time rift I could pile endless unfinished projects into, I’d like to have a go at taking the engine out and intend to but never actually service the belts and the other side of it with a new clutch and DMF while at it.

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Also on the lumpy hot idle shake still, the engine mount you can see without removing a load of stuff is not looking too hot. I presume the others are equally ripened.

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(I’ll rotate it later!)

With regards the heating problem, the coolant was below MIN on the degas bottle and after a top up and proper bleed there was life in the heater core outlet hose. Huzzah and hurray it’s not blocked! It was short lived jubilations though as it was still only blowing cold air which meant the blend doors must be inoperable. Sure enough the dial side of the control cable is snapped: 

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I’ve manually manipulated it to hot and lo and behold it now comes out the vents as hot air. A new cable is ordered and much psyching is underway to attempt to replace it without removing the entire dashboard. Seriously. 

 

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19 minutes ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Do these symptoms align with yours? 

Thanks for looking at this. Seems a bit different to what symptoms I have. I get:

Cold idle : No issue (maybe)

Hot idle : akin to randomised misfire or stumble. Seat shakes (engine moves). It’s not periodical like it’s the same cylinder or whatnot. It has also “stuck” at a fast idle on return to idle a couple of times, but may be unrelated. It’s worse under any load like engaging AC or even consuming vacuum by applying brakes. I’ve not looked at any DTC’s yet. I have a basic reader so I’ll give that a go. Nothing has thrown the MIL over this, but it is quite noticeably rough.

Anything off idle seems fine. 
(I did wonder about a broken flywheel but there is no telltale clacking or noise, just the irregular shake. Also I guessed that a broken DMF would present at hot and cold)

 

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11 minutes ago, rob88h said:

Thanks for looking at this. Seems a bit different to what symptoms I have. I get:

Cold idle : No issue (maybe)

Hot idle : akin to randomised misfire or stumble. Seat shakes (engine moves). It’s not periodical like it’s the same cylinder or whatnot. It has also “stuck” at a fast idle on return to idle a couple of times, but may be unrelated. It’s worse under any load like engaging AC or even consuming vacuum by applying brakes. I’ve not looked at any DTC’s yet. I have a basic reader so I’ll give that a go. Nothing has thrown the MIL over this, but it is quite noticeably rough.

Anything off idle seems fine. 
(I did wonder about a broken flywheel but there is no telltale clacking or noise, just the irregular shake. Also I guessed that a broken DMF would present at hot and cold)

 

No worries, those bulletins aren't always totally accurate but sometimes a useful indicator. 

One thing I'd suggest is to check the lower dogbone torque mount. On my other Focus (albeit a petrol) I used to get a weird pulsation through the seats/cabin when sitting in traffic which felt like a misfire but the lower mount was pretty worn out and a new one cured it. 

It might have had an underlying issue but it seemed to go away and never returned afterwards. 

If it's mainly when hot, so at a lower RPM, I suppose it could be injectors but knackered engine mounts won't help by worsening the symptoms. Obviously they won't cause the underlying issue but they could be worsening the symptom if you know what I mean? 

I'd say to clear out all fault codes and see what comes back. Quite often you'll get something that doesn't flag up a warning light. 

Yes DMF tends to be apparent on cold starts in particular but also across the temperature range. 

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  • rob88h changed the title to Harrison's Garage - Lexus LS430
On 4/11/2023 at 10:26 PM, sierraman said:

How much at idle were the injectors chucking out in ml per minute at idle?

Hard to say really, I didn’t measure it that way, sorry. In about the 10 seconds it took me to start it up and saunter round to the front to see if it was leaking, I’d say the diesel had made it 10-15cm down the pipework for the leak-off kit. 

A problem of my own making now: the injector return line fittings seem to be single use… one popped off on the way home. 

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I’ve tightened up the clip by bending it closed a little tighter, but I’ll see if I can get some new ones and some little seals for the return lines. 

The heater is in hot mode (by hand) now and the air sure comes out hot. If I can get the new control cable in that’ll be one thing fixed at least, albeit like rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic in terms of priorities. 

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Replacing the heater control cable on the diesel Focus “NGOB” (silent G) was possibly one of the worst jobs I’ve ever had to do on a car. 

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The secret to its frustration is the simplicity of its intended procedure: two push in clips, two peg and hoop connections. The reality is there is so much the-rest-of-the-car in the way. 
The entire dash I think is supposed to come out, but my level of commitment wasn’t that bold and I didn’t want to mess with the airbags, steering column, binnacle etc etc. 

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With a head torch donned, I lay in the footwell with my back breakingly arched diagonally over the sill and used a pick to tease out that white block. Over about an hour of experimenting with contortionist hand and forearm shapes whilst dropping various tools on my face there was really only one way onto the b@stard and eventually… it was out. 
Putting the new one in was just as hard. Quite probably another hour of being in a horrible position elbow deep in the sharp plastics side of the dashboard. I could either get good alignment or go pushing force, never both, until I summoned all my inner thumb phalange strength and sent it home. 
The other three connections were a doddle. Thank God. 

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I can now request heat of whatever temperature I want! Finally everything I had to strip out went back in the dash. Great success. 

To wind down from the heater control debacle I addressed one of its long standing MOT advisories by replaced the rear plate. 

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There’s a lot of satisfaction in a tidy plate. 

And yet, despite all this love and attention (and taking me out and about for 50-odd miles during the day) I jumped in it to go to the shops in the evening and it won’t start. FFS. I thought maybe immobiliser from what I’d been doing in the dash, but the light isn’t flashing. I tried resetting it with key methods from Google and by disconnecting the battery for 30 mins but still no start. Reading up on it over night is seems likely it’s a fuel problem. Airlock or low pressure from the pump. 

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The elusive “double fuel stop” photo. Both Focii taking a drink. 
[SPOILER ALERT: the diesel one started in the end after some extended cranking. I think there is air in the fuel system. Subsequent starts no bother. Unsure why it hated Saturday evening shopping duty].

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Iz for sale (but I think sold). 

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On 4/12/2023 at 9:07 PM, Schaefft said:

Excellent choice, I dont like the look of this gen, however they are probably one of the best cars you can buy for under 3 grand!

I’m inclined to agree. There’s something “gopping” Scorpio in the front lights arrangement. Maybe. Bargain though. 

On 4/16/2023 at 7:32 AM, Spottedlaurel said:

Great to see another LS on here.

What's the story with it? My impression is that they're a little more needy than the 400s.

Wooo. I wonder what the Group Noun would be. A delux of Lexus’ as a tongue twister. 
As for the story, I was offered it for a good price and have a hard time saying no to things like this. So I didn’t say no, haha. I know very little about the car itself or the model in general, but that’s the fun of chopping and changing about. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Time for an unsolicited fleet update – The Volvo.

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I’ve not been out much lately – most of the cars seem to live in general stasis with some gentle rotting (and some less gentle). When I do go anywhere, we invariably end up in the Focus for “practical” reasons.

However, the Volvo just smashed out a 400 mile day no bother after languishing forgotten for some months. I’d finally managed to source some Granada mid-mufflers (more on that later) and thought sod the postal option, I’m going to collect these Rusty Unicorn Eggs myself and get them into my care through as few hands as possible. The poor running from a few years back is still gone after the Intake Air Temp sensor swap and I only had a few stutters at low rpm high load, but not bad really. The rust on the sill and along the bottom of the drivers door and wing hasn’t magically fixed itself though unfortunately.

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Although it’s about to 😊. I’ve dropped it off to a bodyshop as some slow burn work. It means it’s now stored at theirs rather than under a tree at mine, which is positive. I can play with the Lexus or the Mini as both are MOT’d still and when the 440 comes back it should be less crispy. It's a new place although brokered through (outsourced) by my preferred garage who don't run their own bodyshop anymore. Hopefully the work will be good - I'm assured it is - and if it is I have a whole load of rusting heaps I can send their way, haha. **Cough** Mini **Cough**

The Volvo is beginning to feel it’s age now. It stands out in a carpark and is getting pretty tired. It’ll be 30 next year, I’ve somehow had if for about 10 years but then again I do find it grounding and it embodies a lot of what I like about this end of the motoring pool even before you consider it's heirloom status in my family. When it’s back I need to think about a new clutch, the current one is getting really heavy and the release bearing has been buzzing for a while. Small fry, but I also want to fit a new radio as the old head unit gave up. It was stuck on USB mode, the most useless of modes, and the source button wouldn’t work. I put in another from my spares pile but this one randomly shuts off – a problem I vaguely remember happening in the car I took it out of and thought it was the car not the radio... Anyway, I need to go for a third time lucky radio solution. Then, I think I just need to keep it clean, maintained and think up some adventures for it.

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