Daily DeLorean project (now with Jeep Wrangler "spared no expense")

[Justwatching]

2 hours ago, Scruffy Bodger said:

You did very well indeed to get that out so intact! I often have to deal with snapped studs on log burners so have finally ordered some left hand drill bits to try, fingers crossed they work in some situations. Is that a helicoil?

What's your go to plan of attack?

Yeah, it's a helicoil. 

Didn't have a plan - this is the first time I've had a stud snap off flush. Tried extractors and welding first as they were the least invasive options and would leave the threads intact.

The extractor snapping off inside the stud made the situation 10x worse, so I'll be reluctant to use them again. I found dremel grinding stones got through the hardened extractor faster than drill bits, but they were sacrificial - think I went through about four.

Following a pilot hole made my drilling more stable/consistent. I also attached the Y pipe and used it as a guide so I could see if I was going off centre more easily. 

[Justwatching]

Got the transmission leak(s) sorted and attempted to bleed air out of the cooling system. DeLorean had other ideas - it threw the coolant out and kept the air instead. This happened several times, even with the rear end raised. I got it to a point that was good enough for a short test drive, which went fine. 

Removed the bonnet and re-laid the seal next. It had started to detach in places and my previous attempt at squeezing a bit of contact adhesive in the gap hadn't been successful. Also did the passenger side outer door seal again as I was unhappy with last year's attempt. 

Got the bonnet back on and adjusted for panel gap. Had a look underneath - puddle of coolant. FFS...

[Justwatching]

Thought I'd try to find the source of the coolant leak during my lunch break today. I'm shitting myself that it might be in the engine valley and require me to take everything apart again. 

Its hard to see, but there's a blue droplet of coolant hanging from a joint in one of the main coolant pipes under the car. 

I've nipped up the clamp. I'll be laughing if that's all it is. 

In other news, the lightbar got a couple coats of red paint. One more I reckon, then lacquer. Also installed a CB antenna mount on the Jeep last weekend. 

[Justwatching]

Good news - that coolant leak on the DeLorean turned out to be the hose I pictured. The garage floor has been dry since!

Bad news - the Jeep got jealous and decided to have a coolant leak of its own. Worse still, it was coming from the radiator, so not a cheap fix. 

I could have got a cheap rad with plastic tanks for about £70, but I've had bad experience with those in the past. Decided to go all-aluminium instead (£160). It claims 30% better cooling than the stock rad. 

The rear track bar has been knocking the entire time I've owned the Jeep. According to the internet, I don't need it. So, while the coolant drained, I got the track bar out and binned it. I've been for a drive since and didn't notice any difference (other than the rear end being quiet!). 

I didn't want to waste the coolant as it's barely six months old, so put it through a fuel filter like I did last time. Works very well - the coolant looks new after being filtered. 

Right, back to this radiator. It was supposed to be direct fit. It wasn't.

One of brackets fouled a power steering hard line, so I had to shave the bracket with a grinder. The fan cowling is now held on with zip-ties because none of the bolt holes line up. Ditto the power steering reservoir bottle as the mount faces a different direction. Not impressed. 

Poured the coolant back in and bled the system. Thankfully, no leaks. 

Got the light bar finished and mounted it this morning. 

And here with the CB antenna. 

[rattlecan]

On 17/03/2024 at 22:06, Justwatching said:

Got the transmission leak(s) sorted and attempted to bleed air out of the cooling system. DeLorean had other ideas - it threw the coolant out and kept the air instead. This happened several times, even with the rear end raised. I got it to a point that was good enough for a short test drive, which went fine. 

Removed the bonnet and re-laid the seal next. It had started to detach in places and my previous attempt at squeezing a bit of contact adhesive in the gap hadn't been successful. Also did the passenger side outer door seal again as I was unhappy with last year's attempt. 

Got the bonnet back on and adjusted for panel gap. Had a look underneath - puddle of coolant. FFS...

Have you got one of the ‘auto-bleed’ hoses back to the header tank? Well worth fitting one, they are bastards at best to bleed

[Justwatching]

35 minutes ago, rattlecan said:

Have you got one of the ‘auto-bleed’ hoses back to the header tank? Well worth fitting one, they are bastards at best to bleed

What, one of these?

Front Radiator Bleeder Kit - DeLorean Parts (deloreango.com)

or this, maybe?

Engine Self Bleeder Kit (rubber) - DeLorean Parts (deloreango.com)

I considered it, but figured it must be possible to bleed the cooling system how it came from the factory.

[rattlecan]

1 hour ago, Justwatching said:

What, one of these?

Front Radiator Bleeder Kit - DeLorean Parts (deloreango.com)

or this, maybe?

Engine Self Bleeder Kit (rubber) - DeLorean Parts (deloreango.com)

I considered it, but figured it must be possible to bleed the cooling system how it came from the factory.

Yes, the second one, invaluable for just over 20 quid

[Justwatching]

On 24/03/2024 at 19:42, rattlecan said:

Yes, the second one, invaluable for just over 20 quid

I wonder if we're all just doing it wrong. Here's why:

The return side of the radiator has two hoses - one small diameter at the top (where air would gather) and one large diameter hose at the bottom to take coolant back to the engine. From what I understand, the two join together after the radiator and use the venturi effect to draw air out of the small hose into the main coolant return pipe. The coolant return pipe slopes upward to the engine bay where it 'T' joins with the expansion tank which is correctly placed above it to be the highest point in the cooling system. This should be a self-bleeding system as-is (bar the thermostat housing which has its own bleed valve). 

My first two attempts at bleeding the system both went pair shaped at the same point - seconds after the radiator fans turned on there was a surge and coolant started errupting out of the header tank. I'm not sure if this was some kind of thermal effect from the rad core temp suddenly dropping, or the unpressurised coolant happened to boil off at the same temp that trips the otterstat. Not sure. But for my third attempt, I simply bled the thermostat housing, ran it until the thermostat opened, and once I wasn't getting obvious bubbles back to the header tank called it job done. That seemed to work fine. 

[rattlecan]

The auto bleed kit goes from the stat housing & T’s into the small hose into the header, thus self bleeding continuously. 

[Justwatching]

I replaced the Jeep's O2 sensor today. That cured the hanging RPM issue. Engine feels like it has better mid-range performance, too.

Ordered sway bar bushes as well. The existing bushes weren't causing an issue, but looked a bit knackered. 

before:

After:

Next issue was the steer wheel - it's off centre and that annoys me. 

There's a rod (don't know what it's called) that connects to the steering box pitman arm. You can set the steering wheel position by adjusting the length of this rod. In theory, once you loosen the locking clamps, you should be able to twist the rod (which is threaded at both ends) and adjust the length. As expected, it was rusted solid and had to be removed entirely.

After a torture session in the bench vice with a blow torch, I got everything freed up. The joints weren't loose, so I just replaced the boots and re-greased them.

I think I have it centred now. At least I can adjust it easily if I need to. 

Lasting thing on the Jeep is a new CB antenna. I didn't like the two-piece version I had, so got a proper one from the States. Very happy with it aesthetically, just need to install the radio. It even fits* under the carport!

[Justwatching]

Fleet update:

Mustang: back on the road. Passenger side lower ball joint creaks loudly (but no play). I hoped that using the car would either get it to quiet down or become worse and require changing. Neither happened.

Still getting some vibration under certain acceleration conditions. Not sure where to look next. Transmission mount maybe?

DeLorean: the front sits higher than the back, giving the car a slight nose-up attitude. I've never been happy with this. It's factory height, but deviates from the ride height Lotus engineered the car to have. Apparently, the front springs were changed to pre-empt US legislation raising minimum headlight/ indicator height (which didn't happen). 

Anyway, this is what we're dealing with.

I could get a brick of cocaine full hand width in there. 

Now, the repair manual says you can just disconnect the lower ball joint, and pivot the upper control arm and wheel hub assembly out of the way. 

Lies. Time-wasting lies. The upper control arm needs to be dismounted and set aside with the wheel hub to have anything near acceptable access. 

Eventually, I got the old springs out after doing the above, plus removing the stabiliser bar, shock absorbers, disconnecting the tie-rods, and re-positioning spring compressors multiple times for each side. 

Here's a new/old comparison.

Did some painting to tidy-up and protect things under there before putting everything back together. 

And here's the final result!

I was worried about it going too low, but I'm really happy with this. Just what I had in mind. 

Jeep: as you can see above, I got the roof off. Very awkward and heavy - definitely a two-man job. I really noticed the weight difference when driving it though.

At the moment, I'm just checking the weather forecast before setting out in it. I'm in mixed minds about getting a bikini top for summer and just putting the hard-top back on during winter (cheaper option), or getting a full soft-top, frame, and half doors (year round solution and looks better, but costs a lot more). 

 

[Justwatching]

Everything's broken!

Not quite, but all three cars are needing work at the same time. Guess I need a fourth car!

The Jeep failed its MoT inspection on account of the steering box moving (by a cat's whisker) at full lock. One of the four bolts had partially stripped due to thread corrosion. Replaced the bolt and it passed the re-test. 

Summer seems to be over already, so I've put the roof back on the Jeep. I've got a full set of shocks and universal joints for the Jeep but don't want to start work until I've fixed the other two cars. 

I'm taking the wheels for refurb tomorrow, and then ordering a set of tyres. It's going to be an expensive month!

Next up, the Mustang got a new bushing and seal for the transmission output shaft. This is in an effort to eliminate an acceleration related driveline vibration. I found up and down play at the transmission end of the driveshaft. Dropped the driveshaft out and remove the transmission extension housing which revealed a very worn bushing.

Had a friend press a new bushing into the housing for me, and then reinstalled with a new seal and transmission mount.

Hopefully that will improve things. I'm not completely done with this job as the transmission lost some fluid (which looked a bit manky), so I've decided to do a fluid change, too.

The DeLorean took the Mustang's place in the garage as soon as everything was back together.

Just before I changed the front suspension, it started making a "pop" sound when cornering at low speed. Whenever I got it up on the lift though, I couldn't replicate the sound or find anything loose. Eventually (and with the help of an assistant listening while I manoeuvred on the driveway), I localised the sound to the steering rack and found one of the mounts had a partly stripped stud. 

New mount on the way. Further updates soon!

 

[Justwatching]

Steering rack bracket for the DeLorean arrived. Install was very straightforward - nothing needed to be moved out of the way.

I also replaced the steering rack gaiters as they were starting to split. This was somewhat less easy, but I got there in the end. Unforunately, I damaged the (recently replaced) boots on the track rod ends. I think I'll just buy new track rod ends. I need to get the wheel alignment done after lowering the front anyway. 

Mustang straight back on the lift. Changed the transmission fluid and upgraded the pan to one with a drain plug. The luxury of it!

Turned my attention to the Jeep after that. Got the prop shaft off without drama but had to down tools when I realised the replacement universal joint was slightly too small. I assumed the u-joint would be the same size each end of the shaft - I was wrong. I've order another joint. Measured it this time, so it should be right.

 

 

[somewhatfoolish]

On 17/03/2024 at 22:06, Justwatching said:

Got the transmission leak(s) sorted and attempted to bleed air out of the cooling system. DeLorean had other ideas - it threw the coolant out and kept the air instead. This happened several times, even with the rear end raised. I got it to a point that was good enough for a short test drive, which went fine. 

Removed the bonnet and re-laid the seal next. It had started to detach in places and my previous attempt at squeezing a bit of contact adhesive in the gap hadn't been successful. Also did the passenger side outer door seal again as I was unhappy with last year's attempt. 

Got the bonnet back on and adjusted for panel gap. Had a look underneath - puddle of coolant. FFS...

A vacuum coolant filler kit is worth a try if it's a persistent problem.

[Justwatching]

Had the day off work on Wednesday and luckily the Jeep's U-joint arrived that morning. To make things easier for myself, I also ordered a ball joint press which conveniently arrived at the same time.  

Rear shaft is back in the Jeep with new joints. Still got the front to do, but no rush as the noise was coming from the rear. I've been getting squealing or sometimes rumbling from the rear when first setting off from a stop. Only seems to do it after I've been driving a while. Hopefully not the diff! Fingers crossed. 

Fitted new shocks while I had the rear end up. Same ones I put in my previous Ford LTD as I was quite pleased with the ride. They're supposed to be heavier duty than stock. Hopefully it will settle the Jeep's fidgety ride which seems to react to every imperfection in the road. With leaf springs, high centre of gravity, and a short wheel base, it might just be how the Jeep rides. 

 

Install was as easy as it looks. The fronts put up a fight though - the top nuts were seized badly. No surprise really as they're quite exposed to road spray.

There's only a 6mm flat to grip the threaded shaft and stop it spinning. Even after heat and penetrating fluid,  I still managed to snap a spanner. I think that's the first time I've ever managed that!

Angle grinder sorted it out in the end.

Gave the mounting areas a quick touch-up of paint and left it there for the day while it dries. 

[Justwatching]

Got the new front shocks on the Jeep. All nice 'n' easy access wise. Unfortunately, the old shocks functioned better than I thought, so fitting new ones only made a slight improvement. 

I'm still getting rear end noise when pulling away despite changing the U-joint. New observation though - the noise changes when turning, not just speed. 

With the wheels off, I can feel slight up-down play in the passenger side axle. Nothing on the driver's side, but I'm minded to change the bearings as a pair. I'll have to open the diff to remove the axles, so may as well do the carrier bearings, too. Oh, and I'll need axle seals, a diff gasket, oil, and a slide hammer tool to pull the bearing out.

I procrastinated by attending to some minor surface* rust on the floor pan instead...

Nice, now I can add welding to the job list. 

Turns out I had worse luck to come. This happened. 

99% sure it will be a write-off. 

Just to complete my week of shit things, the DeLorean got a punctured tyre. 

[bunglebus]

Just been catching up on your updates, top work that makes me feel a bit guilty for ignoring jobs I should be doing!

Shame about the Mustang, is it worth a buy back to repair?

[Justwatching]

21 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Shame about the Mustang, is it worth a buy back to repair?

The radiator shifted position, so unfortunately I think there's more than just panel damage. The car was only worth a couple grand. It will be worth it for someone to break the car for parts, but fixing probably won't make sense. I haven't had report back from the insurer yet, but I'd be shocked if they reach a different conclusion. 

[Justwatching]

Diff bearings and seals arrived. I drained the oil and popped the cover off hoping not to find broken gears. Luckily, all in tact. 

This was good news, but the amount of play in the axle shaft was so minor I thought something else must be wrong to cause so much noise.

I cleaned up what I assumed was an identification tag on the diff. It read "LIMITED SLIPP DIFF OIL ONLY". Weird, looks like an open diff to me. But then an energy-saving lightbulb started dimly glowing in my mind. I used regular gear oil when I serviced the diff, not LSD oil...

I had enough oil to fill the diff twice, so decided to put the cover back on a refill it, this time using LSD oil. Completely stopped the noise!

So in summary, I'm an idiot and caused the rear end noise by using the wrong oil. 

In other Jeep news, the wheels came back from refurbishment looking great. I opted to restore them to factory appearance (lacquered aluminium with light grey in-fills).

 

[Justwatching]

DeLorean's up on the naughty step. Fucker left me stranded at a cinema (saw Terrifier 3; it was meh). 

Crank but no start when warm. Suspicion on the fuel accumulator atm. This is what we're dealing with. 

Green means it's original to the car apparently. Where's the forth bolt? Dunno. Built on a Friday I guess. 

I ended up cutting the hard line seen here. It was giving me trouble and the other end was already butchered by the previous owner (cut then joined back together with rubber hose and lots of clamps). I've never been happy with it and decided now was time for it to go. Problem is, the hard line passes through the chassis here at the accumulator and re-emerges near the fuel filter. I can get a preformed replacement line with fittings but I'd need to sperate the body from the chassis to fit it. That can fuck off. 

I thought about making my own fuel line in copper and forming it to an alternative route. I've read that long sections need fixed mountings at regular intervals otherwise the line work-hardens with flexing/vibration and fractures. I'm not convinced I'd be able to mount it securely enough, so I've decided to run most of it as braided flexi-line with hard line stubs using original hardware to interface with the accumulator and filter. 

I noticed by chance that AN6 fittings would screw directly onto the accumulator!

Did it work? Of course not; pissed fuel out everywhere. 

Back to the original plan then.

Made a 5/16 hardline to AN6 flexi conversion. It turns 180 to exit through a pre-cut hole in the rear Y section of chassis. It will follow the driver's side leg of the Y section toward the fuel filter. 

Unfortunately, I over-tightened the 5/16 to AN6 fitting at the other end of the line and stripped it. I re-made that end but didn't have any spare compression 'olives'. I tried my luck re-using it, but nope, it leaked.

That's it for now. Waiting for more compression olives to arrive. 

[Dyslexic Viking]

Liked for the fixing and not the breakdown.

[Justwatching]

Update sooner than expected. I only paid 2nd class postage but somehow got the parts next day. 

With both ends finished, this is what I've got. 

Not ideal, but it doesn't leak. Also seems to have solved the hot start issue. 

 

[Justwatching]

I've been having a lot of running issues with the DeLorean of late. Beginning of the month it developed a hunting idle. It had this problem when I first got the car because the air-fuel ratio was set too rich. I adjusted the mixture screw as this had been successful at controlling the behaviour before, but I should have thought more critically about why the ratio had changed. What ensued was a frustrating seesaw in which the car was either too rich or too lean. The car would seemingly change its state of running at will - even if I got it running well in the garage, the next time I used it, it would run different. After numerous adjustment sessions, I realised I couldn't get the adjustment set right because the target was moving. 

I checked out the connections to the frequency valve (affects fuel pressure by allowing or restricting fuel return back to the tank) which seemed fine. I then disconnected the O2 sensor while the car was running just to eliminate it as a suspect. I had replaced the sensor with a genuine Bosch unit not even 18 months ago. To my surprise, it didn't make any difference to the idle suggesting the sensor was dead. 

Replacement sensor arrived this morning and fitting it was a piece of cake. I removed the driver rear wheel and disconnected the sensor from its connection on the fibreglass tub. The sensor wire is pulled through a chassis cut-out to driver exhaust bank on the other side. 

The sensor itself is accessed from underneath. There's insufficient room for a socket, but a spanner worked just fine. 

The engine still idles slightly too high (not a new problem), but seemed to hold its setting and performed well on a road test. 

Tentatively fixed, but I still need to get to the bottom of the high idle.