RichardKs wanderings: Insight or in-stinked? Smokin! (advice request)

[RichardK]

Decided to see what's up with the RX-7 coolant

Getting the air filter off involves far too many hoses

Ugh

It's been smoking!

This is not easy to get to. Time for a  break.

Also:

Hmm. Feels crispy.

Bugger.

That'll need sorting before it takes out a chassis leg.

[RichardK]

I am a very stubborn bear.

Aha! The right grade of metal springy won't ping back material and the right width to engage with the slot. Perfect.

(One vice and hacksaw scene later)

Snug fit and success

Not pretty, but it should hold for a while

Window installed

Drops slightly as it should

Didn't fall out

So that's where that lived!

Closed

Now I need to wash the grubby paw prints off.

And the clips provided to replace the door clips are horrible and the sound of tiny plastic fragments as each one broke instead of operating correctly was depressing, but the door seems to be trimmed. There's a noise from a window cable shifting as a cable clip has vanished somewhere 😕

But for a little while at least @gadgetgricey can enjoy a window that seems to be windowing!

[RichardK]

Fail!

Washed it. Window leaked.

Adjust stop.

Window goes up, the joined cables ping out, the back of the window drops.

Argh. I am not taking the door apart again unless I can fix it properly, though at least the cables didn't go on the loose.

[RichardK]

Clean bum

Some cars don't quite have the attitude to carry off my usual plate combo...

[RichardK]

HR-V time!

First of all, sort the manky key fob...

Easy

Now these. The adaptors do match the holes in the speaker, but the bigger holes are to attach the basket. Argh.

The fitment holes are inside the ring.

MDF is naff. Besides, it loses the splash guard.

No mods.

Except to the basket.

Floating spire clips and foam gasket! Two slots by dremel to secure the screws.

Snug

Foam seal

Finishing toucb

While at it I waxoyled inside the doors, usual thing.

Put some in here too

Solid Honda

Except

This engine mount is squishy and tired. I shall replace it. Explains the grumble when I floor it sometimes, a victim of Bradford hills I bet.

Rear speakers are definitely 10cm - the original brackets mount to the body to support a four-point attachment but for some reason the aftermarket stuff uses the three points on the shelf. I got Pioneer 3-way coaxials and used large washers for now - could have got 12cm speakers in I think. Will have to find a car breaking that has rear speakers to raid the proper brackets - or, a full manky interior I can abuse to go full Max Power '90s idiocy on (rear 1/4s are ideal for some big speakers, then crossovers, clean mids in the deck spaces and tweeters on the top of the C-pillar).

[RichardK]

I bet these are hard to find now...

Complete set with keys, and some spare roof cover plates!

Just need end caps, but I expect those are standard Thule-type roof bar fare.

[RichardK]

Car #200

My friend found this on FB and got it for me, but I hadn't seen it yet. Technically, if I count from "my first road legal vehicle governed  by law etc"

This is number 200 and number 1 was the same thing but in 1989/90.

Yep, it's a Sinclair C5

Needs a lot of work, and a headlight, but I think I can do something with it.

The first dashboard I gazed upon studying remaining range 😂

[Zelandeth]

1 hour ago, RichardK said:

Car #200

My friend found this on FB and got it for me, but I hadn't seen it yet. Technically, if I count from "my first road legal vehicle governed  by law etc"

This is number 200 and number 1 was the same thing but in 1989/90.

Yep, it's a Sinclair C5

Needs a lot of work, and a headlight, but I think I can do something with it.

The first dashboard I gazed upon studying remaining range 😂

Really do need to dig mine out again at some point!

Probably the biggest quality of life improvements you can make are swapping to a lithium iron phosphate battery and adding disc brakes - because the original brakes are bloody woeful.

Kits available from a few sources now which essentially bolt on these days which makes it pretty simple.

[RichardK]

Planned on battery upgrades and the brakes definitely need replacing anyway. I have ideas for this one...

[RichardK]

Well, I'm not looking for a Focus CC anymore.

 

[Jenson Velcro]

Keeping the one already in your possession?

[RichardK]

1 hour ago, Jenson Velcro said:

Keeping the one already in your possession?

Yep - I got an offer I couldn't refuse*

It's the car I checked insurance quotes to see if my gf could drive it to get used to a manual again, it's the benchmark for the level of kit I wanted (CC-3 has heated seats - I was prepared to spend a bit more for a nice colour and contrasting leather but most were CC-2 and knackered anyway - and besides, I need to save not spend, cheap and functional is best).

The plan is:

Fix the window (again) as my fix almost worked but needs more fixing. As a backup plan I bought the cheapest used mech on eBay and hope I can make a good one.

Polish the headlights or replace them. Replacements aren't too expensive if they are standard Focus. It's already got a set of brand new genuine mats on the way from Ford's clearance shop, they have headlights as well but not so cheap.

Fix the missing bonnet lock mechanism.

Replace the bootlid with an undamaged one, in Argento silver or just give no shits and go for whatever colour is cheapest. A luna bronze one is £50.

Tidy some other bits. Front bumper could use a cleanup.

Grease everything that moves - window runners, roof mech, anything. Clean all the seals. Replace anything that isn't behaving as it should.

Maybe replace the passenger side door if an undamaged one crops up.

Upgrade the head unit to an Android/CarPlay unit with canbus etc. and shaped to match the Sony one. Curse the person who chose MP3 CE changer but not DAB.

Replace the chrome Focus writing with a custom piece that says C A P R I

Stick Mk3 Capri 2.0 S stripes on it (style evoked, not direct copy)

Harp on about how this is a more worthy recipient of the Capri name than that abomination of a rebadged VW EV...

*no, really, I couldn't - I had no signal, so not only did I not see the offer to accept or refuse it at the time, I also lost the auction for a Focus CC I'd bid on - but this is the one I wanted, I just didn't think it was for sale!

[RichardK]

It is a very small car

But the world is big

It has a small boot

And big ambition

So it's got a backpack

(And three bike carriers, one per wheel, for a collection mission "soon").

[ruffgeezer]

There *might* be a Focus CC in Windleys, but I've not got the time to go for a nosey just now.  Will try and remember next time I'm passing. Well,  assuming you've still got it by then!

[RichardK]

3 hours ago, ruffgeezer said:

There *might* be a Focus CC in Windleys, but I've not got the time to go for a nosey just now.  Will try and remember next time I'm passing. Well,  assuming you've still got it by then!

Keeping it! I may have a car to check out in Boston, also.

Fleet aim:

Focus CC - shared general duties

Honda HR-V - 4x4 automatic silly thing of adventures

Porsche - fun fast please don't go wrong expensively toy

Mazda RX-7 - we will mend it we will mend it 

Citroen C3 - here until it dies. Maybe next week. Maybe next year. It's trying its best to die.

Focus abuse has happened.

Why?

This, of course!

Looking good in the sun.

Really needs that dent sorting. Can't stop thinking about its axe-wound.

No, not that sort of axe wound. Naughty hedgehogs.

This one.

Also: why is this so expensive 😭

[RichardK]

Apparently there's a pterodactyl living in the tree near the house, as the Focus looked like one giant birdshit today. Which gave a good excuse to snowfoam and jetwash it.

The birdshit was very determined, I think its creator has been eating glue. However, the Focus is resilient, and I am pleased to report that after my usual reckless use of a Karcher to banish any trace of greenery, dirt or insecure trim from the car's lines, gaps and cavities, the only leak is the very expected and obvious one from the still-not-fixed-right passenger window.

Half of the South Coast's coastline erupted from the nearside wheelarch and wing to sill seam, which was very satisfying, Overall if it weren't for the fact that the car has clearly been used as a toy by a 64x human-size giant child who mistook it for a Matchbox model, and thus is best described as 'playworn', it looks to have held up very well for a 15 year old Ford, let alone a 15 year old Ford designed to double as a jacuzzi if you switch the heater on full.

Need to wax it though, otherwise I'll have to repeat the process if the wildlife gets caught short again.

[RichardK]

Who knows how long the window has misbehaved and the Focus been a bit moist, but I risked making it more moist and got the Vax spot washer out.

How it started - admittedly first day it was here when I'm jamming the window up.

How it's going...

Mats improved it first, but seats still water stained

Then scrub and Vax

No Rolls-Royce parts needed

Though a grille is

Comes with a new key - you can get kits to match the tumblers though.

Looking alright

Scruffy face though

[RichardK]

Huh. Got back from Kent and the Focus was still parked in Stoke on Trent. No new dents that I noticed, either.

Window regulator from eBay breaker arrived, slightly broken. I can grit my teeth and replace a cable, or swap the motor and window guide, they offered a part refund which is probably better than me returning it and then buying another, and if I'd found a cheap broken one with motor and guides intact I'd have bought it for spares anyway.

Tidying the garage I found my old Bureau of Freelance Photographers radiator grille badge. The Focus is the first car I think it actually looks alright on!

Though I can't decide if I want it on the driver's side or the other side.

Tried the heated seats after 4 hours of non-stop Transit action from Maidstone to Stoke (M11-A14-M1 - amazingly quick and no tedious roadworks). Wow. They're fierce.

Going to give it some sparkplugs and a gearbox oil change when I service it. Please let this car just work and last and stick around for a while... It has an upgrade on the way from Amazon today, this should be amusing.

[yes oui si]

Passenger side, I think - the white stripe draws the eye too far to the left. 

[RichardK]

Window: more failure

Used the old mech/new cables to restore a damaged one from eBay

At least the eBay one window carriers were okay

And I could get the clips right

But after a day of rebuilding the auto tensioner, it falling apart, rebuilding, fitting, auto tensioner fails to tension, capstan cables slip, window is noisy - I gave up.

The window works but the cables will fail, they're making sad noises.

Adjusted height and angles and it only leaks a little bit now. What a monumentally shit design of seals and glass!

But it does drop, raise and seal as designed again.

New toy:

Canbus box

Before

After

I fixed the dodgy vent as well.

But...

After switched off and locked...

Radio reception is shite, too. It was only £79 from Amazon with a coupon, but it's going back - I don't know why these Chinese OEM shops find making canbus power and illumination work correctly such a challenge when the thing can sense open doors etc.

[RichardK]

[RichardK]

So, turns out that the reversing camera connector has two little white wires on which are the antenna for bluetooth and wifi...

Which helps a lot...

Upon which the doors are the right way around on the display and other stuff seems to work.

Weird bit missed in the instructions - the two Aux In headers on the ISO/loom connector are to go to the Aux In on the breakout cable - they link the factory 3.5mm socket to the head unit.

So for success:

Plug the reverse camera one in even if you're not using it

Remove the red wire from the main loom connector to two-pin plug that links to Canbus - but leave the orange (illumination) one on

Connect the two RCA jacks from the main loom to the Aux In on the breakout cable.

Buy a DAB+ USB dongle*

Use the external mic*

Get a "blank button" USB port for the dashboard*

Uninstall the shitty ChatGPT assistant

* - not done that yet

Future improvements:

Probably fit heatsinks to the chips

Ideally unsolder the shitty amp IC and upgrade it (though it works well enough)

Flash a whole new OS from XDA forum... maybe.

But for £80 I can't complain about how well it works, Waze seems happy when I have a data connection shared, it sounds alright and pretty loud, and makes a picture of a car show up when a door is open. Also it reports 1.5GHz not 1.3GHz. CarPlay connection has been hassle-free and stable with ZCarLink.

There was already a GPS module in the dash!

I can't find a sensible place to fit a reversing camera though, and that's before considering the route the wire will need to take...

Looks alright though, it'll be even nicer when the USB port is just a socket next to the heated window button and the shitty FM reception is irrelevant because of DAB+ (which uses the other USB port up).

[RichardK]

DAB installed. It's shit, stick on antenna and bad signal area - I think I will get a new roof antenna from a satnav Focus which has GPS, DAB and FM in one super-complex base and stalk, then splice it in.

FM improved by wire brushing the antenna base screw and retightening it all.

At least the unit really is 2GB/1.5GHz

A couple of mods. The CPU is heatsinked to the rear case with some crappy thermal paste blobs - I'm going to clean that off and fit a proper conductive pad.

Background noise from voltage switching dropped after adding the heatsink to the power controller, amusingly.

The amp IC could be upgraded significantly. Bolting it to the chassis would also help longevity - more thermal goo here.

Another background noise fixed.

This was very tired and has clearly been failing for ages.

A new one from Ford is £26, but Ford didn't care about the quality of stuff (witness the silver paint falling off switches etc) so...

£16 next day from Amazon, so dropshipped it had the Chinese agent's address on the padded envelope it was in and a note saying it would improve car performance 😂

It's actually made it a bit sluggish at low revs but smoother overall. Air filter next. Then plugs I think.

[RichardK]

A lovely present from @gadgetgricey...

So the HR-V is now feeling above such things as "carrying stuff".

Guess the Focus will have to do.

But what is it?

[gadgetgricey]

Hope its a front bumper, but could be a dead pushmi-pullyu

[RichardK]

On the bench

Before...

I could just leave this like this?

[RichardK]

How it started:

How it's going:

A couple of adjustments to make but it's already sealing well and much better on the edges and rear window. Whether it works fully electric after I hook it all up again is another matter - the guides for the clamshell were full of /copper grease/. And lithium grease. And elbow grease. All the greases. all clogged together. We'll see if the guides are still intact or if the grease was trying to compensate...

Anyone with a soft-window Boxster who wants a four-bow glass window top to refurbish and use, gimme a shout before it goes on eBay

[RichardK]

Waiting for some new bushes and bits from Design911 but I think it's alright.

Soft top cleaner and make sure the gasket is /right/. It has pulled a little out of the rear seal, but the roof material is good enough and seal pliable enough that a fix and adjustment is probably possible.

And protector applied

The clamshell still sits high when the roof is folded, so I may need to make more adjustments.

Looks right but maybe 1-2mm too far back

Gap at back of window and A-pillar

This side is snug, the glass fits almost too perfectly

Just in time for a glorious indian summer.

*puts coat on*

[LightBulbFun]

On 30/08/2024 at 21:56, RichardK said:

At least the unit really is 2GB/1.5GHz

never thought i'd see a CPU-Z shot of a car/Car Stereo but here we are LOL (for context im a bit of a CPU-Z/About this Mac Junky I always like ogling the specs of a computer, especially if its something odd ball, its always amusing when you do get something *really* obscure and none of the identification utilities know what to make of it  ) 

[RichardK]

OEM vs clone:

The "Hikity ALPS SHA23" YTwhatever 8227 clone shit itself repeatedly so I decided to return it and try the twice as expensive Xtrons. I always avoided Xtrons as "surely these Chinese head units are the same shit from the same pile", but just holding it the front buttons don't rattle, etc.

For £89 Hikity give you four 1.5GHz cores claimed to run 1.3GHz but actually running 1.1GHz, 2GB RAM and 64GB storage that randomly reformats so probably isn't.

Double that, and Xtrons gives you 2.0GHz 8-core running at 2.0GHz, 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. And 4G cellular connectivity. And 5GHz WiFi.

Also a proper dual-head USB lead for the six-pin port.

These connectors do seem to be standardised across Android units.

The antenna cables for WiFi and Bluetooth, next to the reversing camera input, are at least five times the length of the Hikity one.

Overall the bag of cables is as big as the radio.

But still no built in DAB.

What a rat nest.

Here's the big difference. Hikity spoofs Android 13 version but is 8.1.

Spoofs a lot of other stuff too. Really hacked together OS.

Xtrons?

Real deal.

Yeah, you can fake this but the build dates on the Hikity are 2020.

Also.

It has a real identity.

Now I need to fit a 5G WiFi, 4G modem and fuck knows what else. And still have to remove a red wire from the loom for Focus, or have no button lights.

Looks like it was supposed to be there! Can't wait to fit the reversing camera boot switch.