Grogee's spannering (Maestro , Corsa & Avensis). MAESTRO NEWSFLASH

[grogee]

Well. After a little difficulty positioning the water pump to allow the "timming" belt to go on, the ARSE-tra is now buttoned back together. 

Not entirely sure of the 'book' process but it took me a few goes to position the water pump such that I could slide the belt on then release the tensioner spring and give 'er 720 of the King's finest degrees. 

Progress hampered by slow parts delivery but still worth it versus the robbing bastards at ECP. 

Puma news, someone is coming to view on Sunday evening. Sounds keen and I've sent about 250 dick pics of various surgeries I've performed on it. 

Corsa news, airbag light is still being a twat. I haven't had time to read the codes but based on @philibusmo's advice it could well be the Connects2 steering wheel control adapter talking CAN garbage. So I've ordered a SpeedStick or whatever it is from him, in the hope it'll restore airbag readiness. 

[grogee]

Drove the Astra back to its home in Bristol. Seems to drive OK but the new thermostat (fitted as a precaution, because it can only be accessed once the belt is off) seems to be permanently open. Temp gauge wouldn't go above 1/3rd while cruising. 

I'm buggered if I'm changing that back! They live in a city so I should think they won't come across the problem too much. 

Before that, I had A Normal come and look at the Puma. Nice enough bloke, but... One of those people that thinks they know about cars. Was complaining about the skim of filler used when the car went in for bodywork... The bodywork guy was shit hot and definitely knows his onions, he did a fabulous job (see the For Sale thread). 

He took it for a test drive... Bloody hell that poor clutch! The guy just couldn't drive. He was absolutely murdering the clutch, you could smell it. Buzzing along an A-road at 60 in 4th, like he wasn't aware there was a 5th gear. Then into a slow corner and... Still in 4th. Engine labours along. 

Think he got spooked by the oil all over the driveway that actually has been dropped by my ham fisted servicing, though he quite naturally assumed it was coming from the Puma. 

Anyway another Normal coming to view it tomorrow, hopefully this one can actually drive. 

[grogee]

Today I are mostly be separating the exhaust manifold from the Puma's cylinder head. 

Having successfully sealed the gasket a couple of years ago it's now decided to fail, and with the car being sold to A Normal who is actually a nice bloke I thought I'd make the effort to fix it. 

This is not straightforward: the aftermarket 4-2-1 manifold is a tight fit next to the bulkhead, and I built a home-made support for it that attaches to the lower block. Access is dreadful because the driveshaft and subframe is right in the way of everything.

I improved matters by disconnecting the gearbox rods and also the lower torque mount so the engine can swing on its top mounts. 

Once undone, there's barely enough room to slide the manifold off the studs before it clashes with the bulkhead. 

I removed the studs which have an E-torx head, I thought they'd be tight AF but they weren't too bad. 

Anyway, once the studs were off that allowed me to get my hand in to clean up the mating faces. 

[grogee]

New gasket in. To be honest that was the easy bit. The hard bit is putting all the stuff back in that I had to remove to access my home made manifold brace. 

This is the Downstairs Mixup. Cluster fuck of driveshaft, block, sump, driveshaft bearing, exhaust etc etc. At one point I was turning a spanner using a bit of copper pipe to push it. 

Anyway I discovered a missing bolt on the driveshaft bearing housing so that's been replaced and it was actually loose because it hadn't been properly supported. 

My arms are red raw now. The heat wrapping on the manifold is very fibrous and expels tiny shards of fibre when you touch it. Obviously I had to have my arm on it to get to the fixings and I couldn't wear gloves because access is so tight. 

Anyway, it's done, so that's good. Test drive tomorrow. 

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

Good work fella - really enjoying your updates (well, not the red raw bit of course!) 

[grogee]

Right back atcha my sausagey friend, you're doing us proud with that Excel. 

I took the Puma to Warwick to attend to a Merc non-start, fortunately the shite gods shone on me and I got it going. Puma ran well, it's picked up a few interior trim rattles over the years but hey, it's an old Ford. 

More importantly no leaking exhaust, so the work was todally worth it. 

I even plumped up the courage to check the coolant level in the Maestro. I've been dodging this, because previously it was losing half the coolant tank - HG? Rad leak? Other? 

But again today has been a Good Day and the level hasn't moved since I last checked. I have a charity rally in June in Lincs that it must get to (I'll do a separate thread). So I have increasing confidence it'll make it. 

[High Jetter]

It's looking great!

[Tommyboy12]

What's the charity rally?

[grogee]

1 hour ago, Tommyboy12 said:

What's the charity rally?

https://autoshite.com/topic/58554-charidee-car-rally-aslackby-lincs-sun-16th-june/#comment-3006400

[grogee]

Two of the three people who came to view the Puma have broken BMWs. 

Chap #1: (who is buying it this morning): 320si, spent thousands, now won't start, no fault codes

Chap #2: 2010 M5 Touring, shat its SMG box, replacement pump £7,000

There is something to be said for ignoring the 'new car Autocar review hype' and basing your decision on reliability/running costs/trade knowledge. 

[grogee]

Puma went this morning. Had one last wistful look at it and sent the guy on his way. 

I don't get too emotional about cars really. I'd be pissed off if I pranged one that I'd spent ages fixing. But I'm fine about selling it for the right price. 

That's one more parking space and one less tax and insurance payment. Money in the bank and more time on the 'Stro. 

Took the old girl for a whirl to Coventry for a kid's birthday party. Gave some 10 year olds a ride home in it, they thought it was cool especially as it's so noisy. And isn't that what life is all about? Receiving the seal of approval from four pre-pubescent boys. 

[grogee]

Important mechanical upgrade for the Maestro. 

Before

After

[grogee]

I've been doing battle with the Seat Ibiza today, wrestling the front struts out only to discover the bits I ordered were wrong.

Being an '09' I felt certain it was OK to order the 2009 bits as shown here:

But they're wrong and I need this (2010) set of bits:

Cue lots of ebay return filing and printing of return labels.

It's weird but the later version looks much less substantial than the previous version, I imagine that's a tick in the box for the VAG accountants who were eagerly cost-analysing each nut and bolt.

I did manage to get the rear strut off and the new one 'primed' for refitting, but I was cross at the car for depositing a load of mud and dust on me when I removed the rear wheelarch liner.

Instead I decided to tackle the Avensis air con condenser. Front bumper removal is quite straightforward, but like a dick I forgot to take note of the order in which all the bits are sandwiched together: bumper, spoiler, undertray are all held together but now I'm refitting it I can't fathom how it's supposed to hang together, and there are stupid S-shaped clips/nuts that are confusing the heck out of me.

I resorted to RTFM but it doesn't contain any detail for the undertrays and only a shit diagram for the bumper and spoiler.

I'm sure it doesn't matter that much and a liberal sprinkle of cable ties would probably solve matters.

First thing tomorrow I'll be phoning our tame mechanic Shaun to see if he can squeeze me in for an aircon regas m9 - his delightful assistant/daughter Annabel assured me this wouldn't be subject to the 3-week waiting list he's currently up against.

[Oi_Oi_Savaloy]

Where do you get the AS stickers from?  Loving the Maestro, proper job.  And you literally don't see them these days so really pleased to see you're looking after it and using it too.

[grogee]

9 hours ago, Oi_Oi_Savaloy said:

Where do you get the AS stickers from?  Loving the Maestro, proper job.  And you literally don't see them these days so really pleased to see you're looking after it and using it too.

Looks like we've got a new batch coming

 

 

[grogee]

Seat back together. Road test soon. Hopefully the new springs and dampers have cured the weird wobble that used to happen above 60mph.

I haven't detailed the job in nut-and-bolt picture detail but imagine changing springs and dampers on any 15-year old VAG product and you won't go far wrong. Only one instance of stupid triple square headed bolts but luckily @Cluffy is equipped with the necessary sockets. They were shit and rusted so changed for fresh stainless items anyway. 

If I was doing this to my own car I'd have changed the drop links as well but somehow managed to extract the front shocks without needing to grind the drop links off. I think I was so sick of getting the wrong parts for this Seat that I couldn't face another delay. 

Also needed to buy this 'go-thru' socket set to do the strut/top mount nut, I think it was £30ish and is as good quality as I'll need. 

I also gave it a good seeing-to with my air con equipment so it's now running at the correct pressures and blowing nice and KALT. 

This is Master Grogee Sr's first car, and I strongly suspect it'll be wrapped around a lamp post soon so I'm loathe to spend too long fettling it. It's also a bit rusty in parts - again, it is recoverable with elbow grease and ointments but that's for him to sweat over, not me. 

[grogee]

Piss off, life. 

Was really looking forward to getting the Toyota AC working today. Tame garage man came to collect the car to do a regas m9 after I'd changed the condenser. 

He came back this afternoon: "The good news is it's holding gas. The bad news is the compressor doesn't work. "

FFS. He said the clutch is getting a signal but no response from compressor, not even after some friendly love taps. 

Now, I could gamble and assume the clutch is borked but for the sake of pulling it apart I've decided I only want to do it once which means a new compressor. 

Earlier in this thread you'll see I did the same job to my Saab 9-5, and from memory that compressor was £140ish.

Not so the Yota. Best I could find was £227 and that's coming from Latvia because reasons. There was an Ali Express option but it didn't work out cheap enough to gamble on. 

There are loads of second hand ones about from £50 and up. But the breakers have no way of knowing if it works so it's a total lottery and would involve fit, regas, test, fail, remove etc each time. Fuck that. 

Luckily I had some money put away for a remap which I consider non-essential compared to working AC so that'll have to wait. 

Honestly I value AC so much that it's genuinely worth all this hassle. I know plenty of you manage without but on those sultry summer days I just can't be without it. It's simply so satisfying to have that ice cold air blown at your sweaty bits. 

[High Jetter]

Are you in the Med? It's barely Spring down here

[grogee]

8 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Are you in the Med? It's barely Spring down here

Normal service has been resumed. 

We've had a few 20°C+ days here over the past couple of weeks but yeah, I won't be putting the winter wardrobe away just yet. 

However I do like to be prepared for the summer* we will get. I seem to remember last year went:

June: nice

July: terrible 

August: worse 

September: nice, now that everyone is back to school and work

 

[grogee]

A rare moment of quiet in between fixing the shonky fleet. 

Remember that Maestro filler neck? (No). Well it arrived in good, used condition, clearly has sat for a while and picked up a little surface rust. 

Gave it a good going over with the angry wire wheel to remove the BL "paint" which reveals a surprisingly (and pointlessly) expensively made part. 

Why is it brazed, not welded? Lots of forming on the shape - why not make a straighter pipe with a bent rubber hose to the tank? Why not just make the breather bit out of rubber tube? 

Anyway, marinated in rust juice then rinsed off with hosepipe... This is the bit I don't like. Why expose it to water if that's what caused the rust in the first place??? 

To make sure it was dried out I ran the heat gun through it for a while. Then slapped on some military* spec Rust Anode. 

A few more coats and she'll be grand. 

*Iraq military circa 1991

[EyesWeldedShut]

I'd just have lacquered it at this point and then wall mounted it as a piece of art in the house

Very 1960s looking - no wonder BL was in dire financial straits

[grogee]

Right, you ungrateful bastard. Assume the position 

After untangling its undergarments, I finally got access to the aux belt tensioner. I've been studiously ignoring this belt as it looked like a PITA to change. But needs must. 

The old belt didn't look great, a bit mouldy and cracks just starting to show, so a good time to change. 

On tuesday I ordered a belt and a compressor. As detailed the compressor came from overseas. So far I've generally avoided customs/import duties when ordering from abroad but luck was not shining on this transaction. 

Initially thought it was a phishing scam but the shipping number checked out so I paid it. Bummer. But the good news is that it arrived today. Less than 48hrs from Latvia! 

Access is theoretically OK but in practice you need child fingers. Moving the degas tank and PAS pump opened up the access a bit. But I still needed a full selection of long and short sockets, ring spanners, extensions etc. 

Finally birthed it out. Will have a go fitting it after my PAG oil arrives. £20 next day via Amazon, or £10 from ebay. Meh, I've got the Maestro if I need wheels so I went for the slow option. 

[grogee]

Bucking follocks. I was so proud of myself, finding these sun visors. 

 

They'll be a great improvement over the tattered originals... 

 

But BL had other ideas. Let's make unique shapes for sunroof equipped cars! 

As a consequence they don't fold up into the headliner properly. 

Harumph. 

[grogee]

Avensis back together. Putting the belt back on involves working out a way to apply enough pressure against the sprung tensioner while fiddling the belt round the crank pulley. A top tip gleaned from a fellow shiter (sorry, I forget who) is to order a belt that's a tiny bit longer than standard. 

The stock part for this car is 2000mm, and I found one that was (I think) 2010mm. This is probably the difference between this job being difficult but possible, and frankly impossible without the Toyota special tool. 

After that I had to re-learn how to attach all the undertray gubbins then I fired it up for a systems check - all good. 

Not sure how quickly I'll get back to our tame mechanic Shaun for a regas but I'll phone first thing Tues and hope for the best. 

[grogee]

Just been out to ponder the Maestro tailgate project. It's not just a quick blow over in white, there is more to it. 

Not only does this crumbly corner need replacing - it'll need holes to mount the spoiler to as well. I can use the old tailgate as a template if and when I get to that stage. 

Curiosity got the better of me so I got the furious wire wheel out and attacked it. Rust is always worse than you think, always. 

I'm sort of struggling to see how a patch would work here. I did initially think it's flat so easy to make a repair section but actually there's all sorts of compound curves going on. 

[Sunny Jim]

Liked not for the rust but the Sisters of Mercy reference. Never had you down as a goth mate.

[grogee]

2 minutes ago, Sunny Jim said:

Liked not for the rust but the Sisters of Mercy reference. Never had you down as a goth mate.

I'm all things to all men. 

One moment Bauhaus, then ELP, then Caribou, through Orbital, LFO, take a turn at late Miles Davis and land on The Fall. 

And that's all in an afternoon. The next day might be The Pretty Things, Soft Machine, Gentle Giant, Van der Graaf Generator, Duran Duran, Talking Heads, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Radiohead... 

So many bands, so little time. 

[Sunny Jim]

If this was the eighties I'd ask for a mixtape. Do you do Spotify playlists?

[EyesWeldedShut]

4 minutes ago, Sunny Jim said:

If this was the eighties I'd ask for a mixtape. Do you do Spotify playlists?

He looks much younger on Spotty https://open.spotify.com/user/georgeeddy41spotify?si=IK9cUIDLRhuTjJd0bhHdeg

As to the rusty holes, could you tack/ epoxy some sort of plate behind the cleaned up holes and then fill and finish from the visible side? There seems to be enough metal in there to support the panels.

[grogee]

1 hour ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

He looks much younger on Spotty https://open.spotify.com/user/georgeeddy41spotify?si=IK9cUIDLRhuTjJd0bhHdeg

As to the rusty holes, could you tack/ epoxy some sort of plate behind the cleaned up holes and then fill and finish from the visible side? There seems to be enough metal in there to support the panels.

Ha! That's not me, that's someone young and fashionable. 

I could do that @EyesWeldedShut but the existing tailgate has been repaired with pudding in the past... It's pretty ugly close up and dribbles brown fluid onto the bumper when it rains.

Ideally I'd get some bodywork whizz to weld the red one up, then a paint whizz to make it Old English Jizz or whatever my paint code is.